Stop&Check your Business English (16)

You are probably familiar with the saying: ‘There is no second chance for the first impression.’ A positive first impression will get you on base with the person or group you are meeting. It smooths the way for you to conduct your business at hand. It gives you validity; it facilitates trust and promotes influence.

Therefore, the first three minutes of a presentation are the most important. How interesting does this sound: Good morning, everybody. I’m glad to be with you today. My name is… and I am responsible for… We are here today to…? This is perfectly all right, of course. However, what you really want to do is to make your audience laugh, to shock them, to provoke them or bring back memories, i.e. to touch their emotional beings.

Keep in mind that an effective opening should have a clear relationship to your topic and lead right into it. It has to elicit the knowledge, emotions and experience of most people in the audience and, most importantly, it has to be carefully prepared. The golden rule says: ‘Learn it by heart, but say it as if you were saying it for the first time.’

Let’s recall some effective openings:

1. QUESTIONS / RHETORICAL QUESTIONS‘If we cut the interest rates by 2% in 2010, how will that reflect on our profits?’‘You don’t think it’s simple, do you?’

2. ELICITING MEMORIES/CREATING THE ATMOSPHERE‘Do you remember your first working day? What were you worried about? What were your expectations?’

3. FUNNY (PERSONAL) STORIES / JOKES / ANECDOTES‘I happen to know this man who…’‘Have you ever been in the situation where…’‘I remember when…’

4. PROBLEMS‘Suppose/Imagine…’‘Have you ever wondered why it is that…’

5. AMAZING/PROVOCATIVE FACTS‘Did you know that…’‘According to the latest research…’

6. QUOTATIONS‘He who will not economize will have to agonize.’Confucius

One can also use the following:

SUSPENSEFor instance, you can bring a large box and place it next to you – but don’t tell your audience what it is there for.

VIDEO CLIPSThey should be less than 60 seconds long. You can use commercials, for example.

CARTOONS, TRIVIA, RIDDLES, PROVERBS, ETC.

Stop & check effective openings for presentations.

1. Recognise the effective opening a presenter is using in the following situations:‘The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all’, J. NehruHow many of you are afraid to speak in public? Just about everybody, right?I remember when I was a girl selling my drawings at the seaside… What about you?Imagine yourself on holiday, lying on a beautiful sandy beach, a gentle breeze blowing, …

Did you know that most people would rather die than speak in public?A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.The other day I asked a friend of mine: ‘Tell me, how many people work in your company?’ He looked at me and said: ‘About a half.’

1. Prepare an effective opening of your own. Complete the following phrases to create good hooks for your audience.

QUESTIONS1. Have you ever ____?2. I wonder how many of you have ____?

PROBLEMS1. Suppose/Imagine ____2. Have you ever wondered why it is that ____

STORIES / JOKES / ANECDOTES1. When I think about ____I’m reminded of ____2. Have you ever been in the situation where ____I remember when ____

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