How to Start a Speech

Public speaking is not for everyone, that’s something that we can all agree on. But what could be worst than delivering a speech? Writing it, of course. It can be difficult due to the fact that everything written on the speech is meant to be delivered to a live audience. However, you don’t necessarily need to be good with words when writing your speech example. As long as you know how to begin, the rest of it will follow through smoothly.

What Is Speech Writing?

Speech writing is typically done for public presentation. There are different factors that may affect your speech, such as its flow, time limit, target audience, and the message you’re trying to convey. This would also depend on the purpose of your speech in pdf. For every speech, one must know how to attract an audience.

How to Begin a Formal Speech

Almost everyone can agree that speaking in front of an audience can be very intimidating, especially when you have unfamiliar faces staring back at you. The best way to ease the tension is to start off on the right foot.

Formal speeches need to be taken seriously. Your audience could be made up of business executives or even world leaders. However, this does’t mean that you have to be strictly formal with your choice of words, you just need to know your limits. To begin your speech, you could present a relevant fact of the given subject. You could even start with a decent joke, a good laugh is sure to wake an audience. Other common introductions are to tell an interesting quote or a compelling story.

Dos and Don’ts for Starting a Speech

Dos

• Make it relevant. Whether you start with a story or a quote, make sure that whatever you’re saying sticks to the theme.
• Jump right in. Begin however you want to begin. Don’t beat around the bush by giving your introduction its own introduction.
• Make it your own. Some keynote speech may seem too generic due to its structure. Don’t be afraid to add your own little touch to it.

Don’ts

• Waste time by making it too lengthy. If the start of your speech template is longer than the body, five minutes into your speech and you’ve already got a restless audience.
• Apologize for nervousness or unpreparedness. This will make it difficult for your audience to take you seriously.
• Go off-topic. Not only is this a waste of effort for you but it’s sure to be a complete waste of time for your audience.

Importance of a Speech Introduction

In any speech, whether it’s a motivational speech or a wedding speech, it’s important to have an attentive audience. Otherwise, you’ll only be wasting your breath. A great speech always has a good start to it. Not only will this gain attention but it may also motivate your audience to listen. After all, every discussion needs a good introduction. Without it, a person wouldn’t even care to listen, no matter how good the body of your speech is.