Open Your Speech With a Story

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.

Open Your Speech With a Story

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?

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?