I said goodbye to my traveling companion, rowed back to my anchored sailboat, sat in the cockpit, and looked around the harbor.
What am I doing here?
I’m twenty-four years old, single, unemployed, and alone in a foreign country on a tiny boat with thirty dollars in my pocket and a fishing spear.
What am I doing here?
Starting a presentation with a story offers a powerful and unexpected way to engage your audience.
They’re expecting you to talk about your topic.
They’re not expecting you to carry them to a faraway place and time and place them in a situation they’ve never experienced before.
Before you know it, they’ll be mesmerized!
The key to a successful opening story is to not spend too much time talking about yourself. Keep the story short and find a way to make it relevant to your audience.
Perhaps you’ve felt like that at some time in your life?
A new job? A new town?
You went for it, you worked for it, you got it…
And now it’s yours!
What am I doing here?
