The opening is the hook of your presentation. It is what draws in the audience. It is absolutely crucial that you nail this part of your presentation. You want to spend the majority of your time writing and rehearsing the opening and the conclusion. The reason is that after a few days, the only parts of your presentation that will most likely be remembered are the opening and conclusion.
There are three primary objectives to any opening. Firstly, you must grab the audience’s attention. The second objective is to give the audience an idea of what you will be speaking about. Finally, the opening also sets the tone for the presentation.
Let us examine the opening of one of the most famous presentations in American history. This is the opening of the “I Have a Dream” presentation by Dr. Martin Luther King.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
First of all, if you watch the clip notice how Dr. King never attempts to speak above the wild applause of the audience. He waits for silence, pauses, and breathes deeply prior to the opening.
Secondly, the tone of the presentation is set in the first minute. The audience knows that this is a presentation about injustice. Dr. King has also given signs and a roadmap of what is to come. We know that he is going to speak about segregation and a Constitution that has failed its citizens.
Finally, notice the vivid imagery used in the first two paragraphs. This is how you grab attention:
- Beacon of light
- Seared in the flames of withering injustice
- Joyous daybreak
- Crippled by the manacles of segregation
- Island of poverty
Dr. King’s presentation clearly accomplishes the three main objectives. He captures attention using vivid, active language and sets the tone and theme of the presentation in the first two paragraphs.
