While I’ve spoken onstage for close to 20 years, I don’t consider myself, by any means, to be an expert on the art of presenting. However, I’ve learned a thing or two just by being around it for so long and watching those who are experts. And some of those “things” have more to do with what not to do.
My twitter bud, Felicia Slattery, did a great video the other night which she titled, “The WORST Way EVER to Start Your Speech: Don’t Make This Deadly Mistake!”
Compelling title, isn’t it? An excellent video, as well.
And, I agree with her. Beginning a presentation, whether to a small committee sitting around a meeting room table, or to an audience of thousands, with the words, “Hi, my name is…” could hardly be less powerful and more ineffective.
Unless, perhaps, the presenter used one other opener. In fact, personally, it is my “pet peeve” of speaking. And, I see it used by speakers constantly; many of them who are, otherwise…really good!
So, I wrote Felicia privately and asked if perhaps she’d like to do a video about that one, as well. She encouraged me to do it, instead. (She Rocks!)
Can you guess what that pet peeve o’ mine might be? No? Then, here it is…
If you don’t want to watch the video, it’s beginning your presentation with the words, “Good morning.” GAG! To find out why this is such a “no-no” you will need to watch the video. I hope you enjoy it, and find it to be helpful.
Are there openings you find to be just as bad, dull or ineffective? Or, those that are just the opposite; they are gripping; bringing the audience to rapt attention and anticipation of the message? Felicia and I both would love for you to share your thoughts, either through written comments…or your own video!
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Felicia Slattery’s website is www.SignatureSpeechSecrets.com . I thank her for her video and for encouraging me to do this one.
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Those two openings rank right up with tapping on the microphone followed by, “Can everyone hear me?”
Cheers!
Kelley
Good Morning Bob! My name is Lisa Cree (Just Kidding). Great videos (Felicia & Bob)! I’m going to work on a few “non-snoozer” openings for my presentations now. Thanks for sharing your nuggets of wisdom!
Good Morning, Bob!;)
“My name is Steve Dorfman and I’d like to begin by covering a few housekeeping issues. There are extra pens on the side table, the ladies room is through those double doors and to your left and the men’s room is to your right. Okay, let’s get started. My name is Steve Dorfman and … oh, sorry, I already said that didn’t I?”
Bob, you know I purposely glean everything I can from amazing presenters like yourself. My ultimate goal in life is filling/presenting to stadiums nationally & internationally with people instilling a message of hope and how to not only survive in life/biz/relationships, but to THRIVE! Thus the reason I “follow” the greatest people of all times!
In our biz, we are always introduced by someone else so we never have to do the “Hi…I’m__________portion” Even when I intro someone, I try extremely hard to do it with excitement, zeal & fervor as to assure the crowd who they are about to meet is worth them showing up for. The intro is short, sweet & to the point with “edge on chair” thrills!
If we are in fact said presenter, we immediately thank the “opener” & take the focus of ourselves & then begin by edifying the people that have taken the time to show up! This makes them realize they are important, as well as their time & how much we value them!
Sad to say….but in our culture, that could have been the only nice thing said about them the entire day!
Thanks a zillion for your input! It is extremely valuable to me!
LOLOL
True there are many so horrible they’re funny ways to start a speech. Steve you crack me up!
Bob, of course great video. Thanks for sharing mine with your audience here. You are SO awesome!
Felicia Slattery
http://Twitter.com/FeliciaSlattery
Bob, how awesome is it to you see you doing videos? 🙂 Great tips as always!
Here’s another one that’s not exactly a snoozer (it engages slightly), BUT its risky because it can fall flat on its face when you get zero or negative response. Plus it doesn’t add value as you discussed in your videos.
The opening is: “How’s everyone doing today?”
Typically when I hear this and there’s a lull in the audience, the speaker asks again and then it can actually get annoying because the speaker will insist on getting a loud and positive response before beginning the presentation.
Bob, do you think that this is a good opening in any scenario (e.g. a motivational speaker)?
Lisa: Thank YOU. Let us know what you come up with. Difficult to imagine you or Chris ever opening with a snoozer.
Steve: Very funny, my friend. 🙂 I’ve seen you speak and you are excellent.
Kelley: Yes, too funny. How about, tap tap…”Is this thing on?” I always picture Rodney Dangerfield doing that, then tugging at his tie knot, bugging out his eyes and then saying, “tough crowd; reminds me of Boy’s Town.” 🙂
Shae: Thank you. I’d sort of put the “How’s everyone doing today?” in the same general category as the others. I’ve seen stand-up comedians do that successfully because they are using it to segue into a “bit” but as far as a regular speaking presentation/sales presentation, etc., I’d avoid that one big-time. Thank you for asking. And, of course, realize that these opinions are only mine and, much to my chagrin, I’ve found out often throughout my life that I can be wrong. 🙂 (Shh, don’t tell anyone.)
Thanks for sharing the speaking tips! Needless to say, I DO say “GOOD MORNING” on a regular basis to my audiences (less than 500). Without a doubt the response is usually “good morning”, (unless it’s a repeat audience) of which I use that opportunity to walk into the audience, as if walking to the back of Church, and say “Let me try that again”. The second response is usually a unison of “GOOD MORNING”, which enables me to further speak about how “Today is not a presentation, but more of a conversation”. At this point, I am mentally gathering names (or areas) of those currently engaged and working towards “pulling out” those not yet on the edge of engagement by conversing “name-to-name”.
Tap…tap…tap…is this thing on? 🙂
Bob, thanks so much for sharing this! I’m getting ready for my marketing and PR presentations at the HypnoSummit, the online event that was lucky enough to snag you as a speaker back in September. And instead of defaulting to the standard snoozefest, you’ve challenged me to make my introduction as compelling as the content of my talks.
As always, great stuff! 🙂
@KathleenHanover on Twitter
I’m with Shae on “How’s everybody doing?” and I have to add that it’s a weak opening for standups too. And, I have to admit that I’ve done it. (Oy) Think of your opening line the same way you would think of a headline or title — it should grab the audience and address their deepest concerns. A series of three factual statements that hit to the core of the subject and the audience’s needs will grab them and put them right into the moment and into your presentation. Of course, if I’m speaking first thing in the morning, my second line is “Could somebody get me more coffee? This is waaaay to early for me.” OK. Just kidding on that one.
Bob, I am on dial up today so could not catch the video; however you hit on my one big annoyance with speakers. It goes like this “good morning”, followed by a weak ,skeptical “good morning” by the audience. Then the speaker hangs himself by saying “well that was weak, let’s try that again.Good Morning.” All minds are switched off at this point.
Thanks for all the good stuff Bob.
Duane, far be it for me to try and tell anyone what to do; my suggestion is just that; a suggestion. And, of course, if you find something works for you consistently and over time, then that’s fine. However, I would strongly suggest that the one thing even worse than beginning by saying “Good Morning” is to then (after a weak audience response) say something like “Let’s try that again” or “Let me try that again” that implies there is something *wrong with them* and call for a more enthusiastic response. Yes, I get your reasoning and, again, it’s your presentation – not mine. It *is* my opinion, though, based on a fair amount of experience. Thank you for writing and sharing your thoughts with us.
Kathleen, thank you. That is very kind of you, my friend. Please let us know what you come up with.
Barbara, I agree with you regarding the analogy/simile to a headline. Right on! That’s exactly what an opener it is; the headline that makes them want to know the rest of the story (with apologies to Paul Harvey). 🙂
Heather, I agree. And, whether the speaker hangs himself or not, it’s still just…what it is; a very weak opening. Thank you for sharing.
I’m always seeking out opportunities to… Thanks for the virtual conversation!
Bob YES you are doing video…so then we are on target when we start off our presentations with a question to direct them, get them to think and engage their minds!
I love how my mentor, Jim Rohn, used to start his talks: As people clapped for him, he would give them the “sit down” signal and say, “Save some for the end.”
And just for the sake of argument, this opening line has taken this guy pretty far recently using the “My name is…” opening:
“My Name Is Scott Brown. I’m from Wrentham. I Drive A Truck.” 🙂
..with this discussion on “How Not to Begin a Presentation”, has there been any discussion on “How Not to End a Presentation / Conversation”? I have always viewed the “conversation” as a good meal, with the ending portion being “dessert” (leaving a good taste), and wanting more.
Geneva: First, thank you for your kind compliment. Regarding the introduction removing the need to say, “Hi, my name is…” believe it or not, people still do that anyway, difficult as it is to imagine. And, yes, you are correct regarding your thoughts on introducing others. There is a definite skill-set involved in introducing a speaker and I’m constantly amazed by how little understood that is. Thank you again for sharing with us.
Michele: Yes, that is definitely the goal. Actually, not exactly sure what you mean by “direct them” but I’m sure you mean it in a way that is correct. I definitely got – and agree with – the other two things you said.
Felicia: Thank YOU, my friend.
Chris: Interesting. Yes, depending upon the person and the unique situation, some openers can work that might not work for others and in usual situations. {Note: Chris Widener is one of my fellow speakers, a great friend, terrific guy, NY Times bestselling author (“The Angel Inside” and many other amazing books) and is currently running for United States Senate from the state of Washington. You can learn more about Chris by visiting http://www.chriswidener.org/}
Duane: That is also a *very* important topic, and might make another good video from Felicia and/or me. 🙂
Hi Bob, I’m presenting a training on search engine optimization for hypnotherapists at the HypnoSummit on March 27th, and instead of “Is this thing on? Can you hear me? Is the video okay? Hello, my name is…(zzzzz)” I’m going to open with this, thanks to you:
“Close your eyes, and imagine for a moment that it’s 1995. Your toe is tapping to “The Macarena” on your cassette player, when suddenly your boombox shreds the cassette and spews tape all over the Jurassic Park paperback you’re reading. You grab the Yellow Pages to find an electronics repair shop…but when you open the yellow book, you suddenly realize there’s something horribly wrong…none of the listings are in alphabetical order! On the first page of the directory, you find a jumble of businesses–a florist, a piano teacher, a plumber, an accountant, a chimney sweep–you get the idea. Imagine how hard it would be to find the single shop you’re looking for. My friends, that’s what your potential clients face when they go online and try to find a way to stop smoking, lose weight, or end their fear of flying. Google is the 21st century version of the Yellow Pages. And in the next hour, I’m going to show you how search engine optimization can put your business on the front page of the phone book.”
Hi Bob,
Great video. I want to encourage you to do more videos. You came across great!
The pastor (Bill Hybels) of a church I attended with 25,000 plus attendees each week started every presentation by diving right into the content without a a “stand out” attention getter. The fact that he dove into his well constructed content was an attention getter for me.
Thanks for all you do to help us!
See you in Orlando!
Todd
Hey Kathleen, that ROCKS!! Way to go, my friend!!
Todd, Thank you. I appreciate your saying that. Regarding Pastor Hybels, yes, I think he can pull things like that off that the rest of us cannot. 🙂 He’s amazing, isn’t he? Looking forward to seeing you in Orlando!
What can I say but Amazing! This weblog is wonderful! Did you take all of the pics for this post? It is great to find somebody else who likes such things as this. Because I am a online florist I actually find this sort of thing quite interesting. Do you I link back to this from my blogs? Thank you for posting. Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth, thank you for your very kind words. Much appreciated!!