When people prepare presentations, they often focus on their slides and what they will say for each one. However, few think about the first words they will speak. Many presenters begin with “Good morning, my name is…” or “Today I’m going to talk about…”. The problem with this introduction is that it answers the what question, not the why. Most audiences already know what the topic is. What they really want to know is why it matters and why they should listen. A better way to start a presentation is by telling a short, real story. A story gives meaning and creates a connection with the audience. You can begin with a time frame like “Yesterday”, “Last year”, or “A few weeks ago”. Then, tell something true that happened to you, or mention a conversation or article related to your topic. Finally, link your story to your presentation’s goal by saying something like, “Now, why do I tell you this? Because my objective today is…”. This approach makes your introduction more interesting and clear from the very beginning.
Vocabulary:
• presentation (noun): a talk to explain or share information with an audience.
• sentence (noun): a group of words expressing a complete idea.
• audience (noun): people who listen to or watch a presentation.
• topic (noun): the subject of a presentation or discussion.
• story (noun): a description of real or imagined events.
• goal (noun): something you want to achieve.
• colleague (noun): a person you work with.
• conversation (noun): when two or more people talk to each other.
• important (adj): having great value or significance.
• begin (verb): to start something.