Since I’ve been on a roll (rant) about raising the bar as speakers, let’s explore a technique that will make us ALL better speakers and presenters, shall we?

Great speakers put 50% of their prep time into the opening and closing of their speech.

Why?

Because openings and closing are essential to your success.

THE OPENING

The opening is when you:

  • get the audience’s attention
  • build instant rapport
  • create a credible connection
  • pattern interrupt whatever the audience WAS thinking about
  • set the tone for your big idea

PRO TIP #1: Do not open with a whimper.

A “whimper” would be saying “Hi, my name is Susan and I am soooo happy to be here today”

Please, for the love of everything good in the world, do NOT introduce yourself. Someone probably already has. If they haven’t, just wait! Deliver your opening section and THEN introduce yourself.

Also, don’t tell the audience you are happy to be there. It is implied by your awesome level of preparation and commitment to the quality of the talk. Don’t talk about things the audience doesn’t care about. They really don’t care that you are excited. They want to know what value you are going to add to their life.

Don’t start by telling us what you are going to talk about. Don’t start with information (unless it is a startling statistic). This part comes a smidge later, not right at the top of the speech.

PRO TIP #2: DO start with a well-crafted, well-practiced, super intense “something”.

I highly recommend a STORY (shocker, right?) for your opening. Or a great rhetorical question. Or an amazing poem (that you have memorized!).

The opening is where you set yourself up for success. You want to focus your attention there so that all the work you put into the rest of the speech is possible. The set up matters immensely!!!

 

THE CLOSING

The closing has the following purposes:

  • Bring the audience back to the big idea
  • Bring all the ideas together and create cohesion
  • Have a tangible, actionable next step
  • Leave the audience moved, inspired and changed

PRO TIP #3: Create a bookend

A bookend is a brilliant strategy where you take something from your opening and bring it back in your closing. A book end can be short or long. You can tell the second half of a story or just reference the earlier content.

A bookend gives you multiple advantages. It reminds your audience of your awesome opening. It builds stronger content. And ultimately, it ties the speech together. A bookend helps the audience close all the loops of your speech and creates closure.

Bookend are magic. Try it.

PRO TIP #4: Plan and execute a call to action.

This might seem obvious, BUT…. I see so many speeches with no call to action. I have delivered so many speeches with a weak call to action. It’s one of the most underdeveloped part of a speech.

The call to action does not have to be sales oriented. It can be a call to think differently. A call to act differently. A call to make a choice. Or a call to buy your awesome stuff.

But don’t assume the audience knows what to do next. YOU gotta tell them! Build the on ramp or they cannot enter the highway of your super helpful ideas.

And to do this, you have to build a plan and practice the plan. Closing take practice. Word for word practice. Don’t skimp.

WHAT NEXT?

If you know someone who wants to work on their speech-ifying (that’s a word, right?), be sure to tell them that The Art of Story project online classes will open back up this summer and there will be a module all about Storytelling and Speeches. Yep, The Art of Story Project is the place to get “raise your bar” coaching via affordable videos on demand. Send them to this page to check it out.

Additionally, if you subscribe and open my emails  – that makes me like you very much. You will have access to discounted prices for you and for your referrals. Just sayin’ (hint hint).

Mary