Most speakers begin their presentation by saying one of the following: “Good afternoon, my name is…,” or “Thank you, I’m glad to be here today.”
Your credibility is established for the audience not through your credentials, acronyms, or high intellectual conversation, but rather through the audience’s perception of the value you offer them.
As a person in the audience, you simply stare, waiting for the presentation to begin. The above opening does nothing to engage you, entice you, or draw you into the presentation. This means that you need to make the audience immediately feel that you understand who they are, the challenges and pressures they face, and that you will be open and honest in the time you have with them.
You can either share a common situation that you have seen them face, something that you understand about them, a fun story that relates to the topic you are going to share, or by telling the audience how they will benefit from your presentation.
As soon as the audience knows that you understand them and their situation, your credibility will skyrocket.
To learn more on grabbing your audience’s attention and much more take a look at Anne’s book, Outcome Focus® Approach: How to be Become One with Your Audience. Go to the Store tab and click on Books.