Business English:
Presentations - Your Opening
Statement
Sell your presentation from
the opening moments
Your
opening statement must be
designed to grab people’s
attention and tell them
where you want to take them.
However the real meat of
your presentation is in the
main body of your talk, the
roads you will take them
down.
In
your opening statement you
will need to spell out
between three and five key
points that you intend to
get across. Don't use more
than five or you will
confuse your audience. These
key points will determine if
you accomplish the mission
set out in your mission
statement.
Your
key points need to clear,
compelling and convincing.
This is the time in your
talk where you will persuade
the audience about your
ideas - or not.
Arrange your key points in
any order you wish,
chronological, by
categories, or degrees of
difficulty.
Once
you have determined the
order, you need to make sure
that you ideas flow so that
your listeners can follow
and reach your destination.
The way to do this is by
using transitions.
These
link each of the main
sections together. You are
taking your audience on a
journey and the transitions
signal the road you are
taking them down. Don’t
expect your audience to be
able to follow your leaps of
logic and arrive at your
destination without clear
signposts from you.
Practice your opening
statement with a friend or
coworker - and ask them if
your statement gets them
ready and interested in what
you have to present.
If not, rework it until it
does.
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