The intro is read… the music plays…
… and you walk/job/skip on stage.
Curious eyes stare up at you…
… waiting to see if you’re worth their attention.
Now here’s the big question.
Are you? (Worth their time, I mean?)
Let’s be real.
For me, this has always been the most challenging part of crafting a talk. Take my AI speech, for example. I overhauled the entire thing this year, but the hardest part was nailing the opening.
I struggled to decide how to start strong and set the tone. Should I begin with a bold question? A powerful story? A shocking fact? I tried them all in rehearsal, and it wasn’t until I landed on a vivid "Problem Plunge" scenario that everything clicked. I opened by placing the audience right in the middle of a challenge they could instantly relate to—and it worked like magic.
This isn’t just my struggle; it’s a challenge every speaker faces. That’s why it’s time to kill the agenda slide (again!) and replace it with one of six dynamic ways to open your talk. Let’s dive in!
