Opening Your Speech: Slow Versus Fast

There are two schools of thought on how to open a speech.

 

In the slow open, you warm up the audience, establish a connection, and ease into your content. 

 

In the fast open, you launch right into a compelling story -- one that will grab the audience's attention and establish you as the driver on this journey.

 

So which one do you choose -- open slow or open fast?  It depends on how well you know the audience -- and how well they know you.

 

Think of your speech as a conversation with just one other person.  That's the way your audience sees it.  To them, you're not speaking to a group.  You're speaking to each individual in the group. 

 

In a social conversation, if you're meeting someone for the first time, you use the slow open.  "Hi, my name is Pete.  My friend, Jeff, is the host.  We were roommates in college.  How do you know Jeff?" 

 

But with someone you know really well, you jump right into content.  You see a golfing buddy in the clubhouse and say, "That putter you suggested?  Unbelievable!  Bought it on the spot."

 

Here's a slow open for an audience you don't know and they don't know you.  "Thanks, Jim for that flattering and mostly-true introduction.  Good evening everybody.  I'm a big fan of the Churchill Club.  Years ago, when I lived in Silicon Valley, I was a member and attended just about every meeting.  Tonight I want to talk about something that Winston Churchill was very interested in -- the international balance of power.  These days we call it "globalization." 

 

Now here's a fast open for that annual ritual: your pump-up remarks to the sales force.  When you're introduced, you walk out, take an extended pause, and begin, "Last week I had a long talk with our biggest customer.  Guess what he said."

 

In your opening -- and all through your speech -- engage the audience on their terms and on their turf.

 

Comments

[Terry Gault]

Pete,

Thanks for the fresh perspective. I think both methods can be effective in helping to connect with your audience.

Connecting can be a lot of things: communicating, associating, relating. Connecting with your audience involves them in the core of what you are saying in your presentation, in the ideas and information you are giving them. At a deeper level, you’re not just giving a speech; you’re creating a two-way interchange based on common interests.

When we connect with something, we bind it to us. Before you start feeding information to your audience, take in some information from them. They are always talking to you — non-verbally. Ask them questions and involve them in the process. Really listen to their questions; paraphrase them for understanding. To influence an audience, thereby getting your message to them, they must trust you. We all tend to trust people we feel connected to. In your presentations, create a sense of shared experience with your audience, so you’ll both get something out of it.

Whether a slow or fast approach should be used really depends on the audience, as you've put nicely here Pete.