How to Start a Speech: 7 Ways to Bolster Engagement and Confidence

Therefore, learning how to start a speech is essential for success in public speaking. So, before you deliver a speech, you need to consider introductions and take several steps to improve yours.

The following questions can help you think about how to start a speech successfully:

• What can you do to assert your credibility and personality?
• What can your introduction indicate about your speech?
• How can you use your voice and hands while you speak?

Perhaps you’ve already asked yourself these questions and still aren’t sure how to portray the level of boldness and confidence you want when starting your speech. Here are seven more essential tips you can follow.

1. Grab Your Audience’s Attention

Every guide on how to start off a speech will encourage you to grab your audience’s attention. Speeches need attention grabbers because poor introductions don’t leave your audience yearning for more. Instead, the key to grabbing attention is understanding your target audience.

Once you know who you’re presenting to, it’s that much easier to entertain. Consider doing something your audience will enjoy at the start of your speech. Avoid cliched introductions like thanking your audience for being there or mentioning how nervous you are.

While you can research “how to start a speech examples” and read what others do, don’t just reenact what you have observed from TED Talks. Most individuals want to see something they have not seen before. Therefore, it’s necessary to provide your spin on things, so your audience knows who you are as a person.

Humor is sometimes an appropriate intro for a public speaker. Yet telling a joke at the beginning of a formal event can be risky (hence why knowing your audience is so influential.)

You can also shock your audience by revealing some unknown fact or personal confession about your life. Make sure whatever you say doesn’t make members feel bad about themselves or want to leave the room.

2. Know Your Format

Your introduction needs to reflect the speech that follows. It’s helpful to research formatting for your particular event and the public speaking skills needed for the type of presentation you are doing. Here are a few types of speeches you can give and their accompanying formats:

Best Man Speeches & Maid of Honor Speeches

If you deliver a best man speech or matron of honor talk at a wedding, consider making your speech short, so other people in the wedding party can also deliver their remarks. While you can read guides online on how to start a best man speech, you’ll want to modify any tips to fit your personality.

To prepare for your speech in advance, start thinking of some bullet points you want to address. Then, you can tell stories about the couple, jokes, or quotes that reflect on the happy occasion. Remember that people in the room may already know your anecdotes, so you may want to pick one that only you know about.

A great way to start your speech is with a story, as long as it is funny, engaging, or to the point. An easy anecdote to tell is about the first time you met the couple. Don’t mention anything about the couple’s previous relationships or anything inappropriate for children or close family to hear.

Graduation Speeches

How to Give a Valedictorian Speech

If you’re delivering a valedictorian speech, you may want to speak about your experience in school. Whether you’re telling a story or asking a question, your introduction can reflect that experience. This framework helps you build a connection with your audience.

You can also talk about the highlights of your graduating class. Discuss what projects students have done and what lasting legacy your class has left for your school.

How to Give a Commencement Speech

If you’re giving a commencement speech, talk about lessons the students can remember and take with them. For example, many speeches talk about the value of kindness, dreaming big, or working hard. So you can mention the theme of your speech right at the start and spend the rest of your speech talking about it.

Keynote Speeches

A keynote speech is a speech with a significant underlying theme. While commencement speeches can count as keynote speeches, keynotes also encompass a variety of corporate events and other professional occasions.

When giving a keynote, everything in your speech needs to relate to your theme, including your introduction. So, for example, you can say, “Today I am going to talk about…,” and then mention your theme.

Another way to open a keynote is by providing a powerful statement. Many keynote speakers include an anecdote or ask a question that addresses the topic of their speech. You can even discuss a personal story that connects to the topic.

Debate Speeches

In general, speeches during debates are short and pointed. You need to deliver your remarks quickly, so you don’t want to spend too much time on your introduction. Instead, consider opening a speech by mentioning its purpose and then follow up with your main points.

If you deliver a rebuttal, you can state, “I am speaking to refute my opponent’s points on the issue.”An alternative is combatting a specific component of someone else’s speech by saying, “The main issue with my opponent’s points is this…” You can then bring up specific rebuttals to their arguments as examples of your introduction.

3. Raise a Pain Point

Raising a pain point is one way to start a speech. A pain point is an area of difficulty that audience members are dealing with. For example, a group of salespeople’s pain point might be a lack of customer loyalty. So, you could start your speech by saying, “Who here struggles with customers that don’t show up for appointments?”

Try to keep the question open-ended instead of making it a yes-or-no proposition. Open-ended questions give you a natural opportunity to describe solutions to the challenge.

Avoid asking obvious questions like, “Do you ever have trouble making sales?” Instead, try asking a little more specific question, like, “Aren’t online sales a pain?” It’s helpful to refer to current events that relate to your issue in some way.

4. Introduce a Statistic

Do your research and find a statistic that reflects the content of your speech. Make sure the source is credible and reliable.

Government agencies and universities tend to provide accurate data. You can also use a source from a news story, but one from a newspaper of record, not a blog or a controversial outlet. Find a recent article, ideally from the last year.

Do your research and find a statistic that reflects the content of your speech. Make sure the source is credible and reliable.

Government agencies and universities tend to provide accurate data. You can also use a source from a news story, but one from a newspaper of record, not a blog or a controversial outlet. Find a recent article, ideally from the last year.

5. Provide a Roadmap

Your introduction does not have to be one sentence long. It can be a few sentences, as long as your content is entertaining and straightforward.

If you are planning a lengthy introduction, you may want to include details about your speech. These details are your roadmap. An example of a roadmap is being upfront with your audience and telling them, “My first point will be this… and my second point will be this…”

A roadmap speech could look something like this:

• A hook
• A smooth transition
• Your roadmap
• Your first point

6. Create a Bookend

By the end of your speech, your audience may have forgotten about your introduction. Bookends are a great way to remind your audience about your intro. Bookends enable you to end your speech with something reflecting your introduction while bringing the theme to a close.

If you start your speech with a story, you can end it with another story. For example, you can talk about the person you spoke with or worked with in your first story. You can also explain how the problem you introduced got resolved.

If you started with a statistic, you could invoke another statistic that shows your problem is solved. The statistic can come from a new source, as long as it is high-quality.

Do not repeat language from your introduction in your conclusion. Repetition can confuse some people. Instead, you can allude to your conclusion with similar formatting.

7. Offer an Interesting Visual

You may be able to give a keynote speech or a presentation with slides or other visual materials. However, for an introduction, you want to keep your visuals straightforward. Putting paragraphs on the screen can create clutter and distract your audience from your remarks.

Consider using statistics or a photograph that is reflective of your introduction. For example, show a picture of you and them if you are telling a story about someone. The photograph can help you establish speaker credibility.

Some speeches do not allow the use of visuals. If that is the case, your audience will rely heavily on your body language: specifically your hands and face, to create visuals that will engage your audience. Here are a few effective movements we’ve seen:

• Gesture with your body in any way that seems interesting.
• Wave your audience toward you, telling them you have a secret to share.
• Step forward to emphasize a point and then step back.
• If you are listing a few items, you can use your fingers to count them off. Make sure to hold your hands off to the side so your face and body are visible.

These will help you deliver your speech with confidence. It’s also imperative to try standing up straight and moving your hands with big gestures so your audience can see your movements. Then, project with your voice without raising the volume too high.

Figure Out How to Start a Speech

Learning how to start a speech means understanding a few things. Your introduction can be entertaining, raise a point, or provide a roadmap. You can tell a story, introduce a statistic, or make a personal confession.

Whatever you say sets the stage for your speech to come. Therefore, it’s imperative to make sure you adapt what you say to your audience’s expectations and your public speaking style.

Remember to talk about a significant issue. You can also move your hands while you speak to create a visual cue for your audience.

Consider speaking coaching if you’re still nervous about starting a speech. Our team of experts can help you achieve stage confidence and success whenever you’re ready. Schedule a session today.