Day 3: Let's Talk about ME
“Thank you for having me here. I am so honored that you asked me to speak to you today, but before I start let me tell you a few things about me and my company.”
Sadly, many of the professional presentation I hear start with almost this exact opening which bring us day 3 of 5 ways to lose your audience in less than 30 seconds:
Day 3: Enough about You – Let's Talk About Me
NO – please don't. We heard your speaker's introduction. I don't need to be thanked or hear more about you. I need to hear why I should be listening to you.
This type of opening makes the speaker seem like they are more into themselves than the audience. All the audience wants to know is about the topic of the presentation.
Skip the pleasantries and the list of accomplishments. Launch right into the presentation. Tell a story or explain why the topic is meaningful to the audience. The audience is NOT interested in you – they are interested in your message.
Day 4 will startle you with numbers!
This is a sin I used to commit with regularity before joining Toastmasters. Now I know better and try to give my host an introduction so I don’t have to do it. If I don’t get an introduction, then I’ll give a quick summary in a sentence or two and then say something like “enough of that, let’s get started,” or “okay, but you’re not here to hear about my background.”
Trust me. I’ve done it too. Especially in research presentation. There is the need to promote my company when I start. Most of the people I talk to already KNOW about my company so I had to stop that. I know use stories as an opening. It’s a bit more engaging.