But did you know we use the same skills when we share new information or ideas with our

work colleagues? Or when

we tell stories to our friends and family? The situation or speaking task may be different but we still use the same

skills.

When presenting information or telling stories, we need to:

 Capture a listener’s attention
 Share information, ideas, or opinions
 Give the important details
 Make your information memorable
 Get your audience (family, friends, colleagues or strangers) to agree, to take action, to change their mind,
etc.

So today you’re going to learn how to take the first big step in your English presentation: how to start with a

great introduction.

The introduction is the most important part of your presentation. It is the first impression you’ll make on your

audience. It’s your first opportunity to get their attention. You want them to trust you and listen to you right away.

However, that first moment when you start to speak is often the hardest. Knowing how to best prepare and knowing

what to say will help you feel confident and ready to say that first word and start your presentation in English.
How to Organize Your Introduction for a Presentation in English
and Key Phrases to Use
Organize Your Introduction Correctly

Okay, first let’s focus on what you need to include in your English introduction. Think of this as your formula for a

good introduction. Using this general outline for your introduction will help you prepare. It will also help your audience

know who you are, why you’re an expert, and what to expect from your presentation.

Use this general outline for your next presentation:

1. Welcome your audience and introduce yourself
2. Capture their attention
3. Identify your number one goal or topic of presentation
4. Give a quick outline of your presentation
5. Provide instructions for how to ask questions (if appropriate for your situation)

Use Common Language to Make Your Introduction Easy to Understand

Welcome Your Audience & Introduction

It is polite to start with a warm welcome and to introduce yourself. Everyone in the audience will want to know who

you are. Your introduction should include your name and job position or the reason you are an expert on your topic.

The more the audience trusts you, the more they listen.

Examples:
 Welcome to [name of company or event]. My name is [name] and I am the [job title or background
information].
 Thank you for coming today. I’m [name] and I’m looking forward to talking with you today about [your topic].
 Good morning/afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to quickly introduce myself. I am [name] from
[company or position]. (formal)
 On behalf of [name of company], I’d like to welcome you today. For those of you who don’t already know
me, my name is [name] and I am [job title or background]. (formal)
 Hi everyone. I’m [name and background]. I’m glad to be here with you today. Now let’s get started. (informal)

Great, now you have the general outline of an introduction for a speech or presentation in English. So let’s focus on

some of the key expressions you can use for each step. This will help you think about what to say and how to say it

so you can sound confident and prepared in your English presentation.

Capture Their Attention

For more information about how to best capture your audience’s attention and why, please see the next session

below. However, here are a few good phrases to get you started.

Examples:
 Did you know that [insert an interesting fact or shocking statement]?
 Have you ever heard that [insert interesting fact or shocking statement]?
 Before I start, I’d like to share a quick story about [tell your story]…
 I remember [tell your story, experience or memory]…
 When I started preparing for this talk, I was reminded of [tell your story, share your quote or experience]…

Identify Your Goal or Topic of Presentation

At this stage, you want to be clear with your audience about your primary topic or goal. Do you want your audience to

take action after your talk? Is it a topic everyone is curious about (or should be curious about)? This should be just

one or two sentences and it should be very clear.

Examples:
 This morning I’d like to present our new [product or service].
 Today I’d like to discuss…
 Today I’d like to share with you…
 What I want to share with you is…
 My goal today is to help you understand…
 During my talk this morning/afternoon, I’ll provide you with some background on [main topic] and why it is
important to you.
 I will present my findings on…
 By the end of my presentation, I’d like for you to know…
 I aim to prove to you / change your mind about…
 I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about…
 As you know, this morning/afternoon I’ll be discussing…
 Outline Your Presentation

You may have heard this about presentations in English before:

First, tell me what you’re going to tell me. Then tell me. And finally, tell me what you told me.

It sounds crazy and weird, but it’s true. This is how we structure presentations in English. So today we’re focusing on

the “First, tell me what you’re going to tell me” for your introduction. This means you should outline the key points or

highlights of your topic.

This prepares your listens and helps to get their attention. It will also help them follow your presentation and stay

focused. Here are some great phrases to help you do that.

Examples:
 First, I’m going to present… Then I’ll share with you… Finally, I’ll ask you to…
 The next thing I’ll share with you is…
 In the next section, I’ll show you…
 Today I will be covering these 3 (or 5) key points…
 In this presentation, we will discuss/evaluate…
 By the end of this presentation, you’ll be able to…
 My talk this morning is divided into [number] main sections… First, second, third… Finally…

On Asking Questions

You want to be sure to let you audience know when and how it is appropriate for them to ask you questions. For

example, is the presentation informal and is it okay for someone to interrupt you with a question? Or do you prefer for

everyone to wait until the end of the presentation to ask questions?

Examples:
 If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to interrupt me. I’m happy to answer any questions as we
go along.
 Feel free to ask any questions, however, I do ask that you wait until the end of the presentation to ask.
 There will be plenty of time for questions at the end.
 Are there any questions at this point? If not, we’ll keep going.
 I would be happy to answer any questions you may have now.

Capture Your Audience’s Attention

Do you feel unsure about how to capture the attention of your audience? Don’t worry! Here are some common

examples used in English-speaking culture for doing it perfectly!

Two of the most famous speakers in the English-speaking world are Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey. While Steve

Jobs is no longer living, people still love to watch his speeches and presentations online. Oprah is so famous that no

matter what she does, people are excited to see her and listen to her.

BUT, if you listen to a speech by Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey, they still work to get your attention!

The don’t start with a list of numbers or data. They don’t begin with a common fact or with the title of the presentation.

No – they do much more.

 From the moment they start their speech, they want you to listen. And they find interesting ways to get your attention.

In his most famous speeches, Steve Jobs often started with a personal story. And Oprah often starts with an inspiring

quote, a motivational part of a poem, or a personal story.

These are all great ways to help your audience to listen to you immediately – whether your presentation is 3 minutes

or 20 minutes.

Here’s how you can do it.

Like Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey, start with a:

 Personal story or experience
 Motivational quote or line from a poem or book
 Joke (be careful with this – make sure it translates easily to everyone in the audience!)
 Shocking, bold statement (Think of Steve Jobs’ quote: “Stay hungry. Stay Foolish.”)
 Rhetorical question ( =a question that you don’t want an answer to; the focus is to make someone think)

And finally, consider audience participation. Ask a question and get your audience to respond by raising hands.

Strategy 4: Show, Don’t Tell

In English, we love stories and pictures to help us remember information.

What about you? Have you ever listened to a presentation that has a LOT of numbers and statistics and data and

dates? Do you remember any of that information now? Most people say no to that question.

In English, the expression “show, don’t tell” means help your audience understand your main points through

stories, visual aids and/or strong action words.

People remember stories, not numbers.

When you can, use a story or a great visual aid to help your audience remember your key points.

For example: If you are presenting scientific information and you want to use a number to talk about how many cells
are in the human body. According to an article by Smithsonian, there are 37.2 trillion cells in the human body!!! How

many is that?

I have no idea!

Instead you could use a picture to help you. Imagine the largest sports stadium and every seat is filled. Show this

picture and now tell people how many full stadiums you need for 37.2 trillion.

With a picture, your audience can visualize this big number. And it will be easier to remember.

Strategy 5: Talk, Don’t Read

This one is so important. Please, please, please do not read your presentation.

For an audience, when someone reads a presentation it:

 Is boring
 Shows you didn’t prepare well
Of course, you can use note cards to help you remember and to stay focused. But talk to your audience. Look at your

audience. Move around. Be comfortable and natural.

The more you prepare, the more you practice, the easier this will be! And your audience will enjoy your presentation

so much more!

Also, do not be afraid to go slow!

A good presentation does not mean speaking fast. Remember: this is the first time your audience is hearing this

information. They need time to hear and to think about what you are saying. You will help them (and you!) if you

speak slowly.

By speaking slowly, you will also have more time to think about what you want to say in your presentation, remember

the key points and make fewer mistakes!

How to Start a Presentation: 5 Strong Opening Slides and 9 Tricks To Test

PRESENTATION TIPS • DECEMBER 20TH, 2018
Knowing how to start a presentation is crucial: if you fail to capture the audience attention right of the bat, your entire
presentation will flop. Few listeners will stick with you to the end and retain what you have told.

That is mildly unpleasant when you are doing an in-house presentation in front of your colleagues. But can become
utterly embarrassing when you are presenting in front of larger audiences (e.g. at a conference) or worse – delivering
a sales presentation to prospective customers.

Here is how most of us begin a presentation: give an awkward greeting, thank everyone for coming, clear our throats,
tap the mic and humbly begin to mumble about our subject. The problem with such opening performance? It
effectively kills buries even the best messages.

How to Start a PowerPoint Presentation The Right Way

Let’s say you have most of your presentation slides all polished up (in case you don’t, check our quick &
effective PowerPoint presentation design tips first). Your presentation has a clear storyline and/or agenda. Main
ideas are broken into bite-sized statements for your slides and complemented with visuals. All you have left is to
figure out how do you begin presenting.

The best way is to appeal and invoke certain emotions with your audience – curiosity, surprise, fear or good-old
amusements. And here’s how it’s done.

1. The Classic Trick: Open with An Introduction

Self-introduction PowerPoint template by SlideModel

For when you don’t feel like re-inventing the wheel, use a classic trick from the book – start with a quick personal
introduction. Don’t want to sound as boring as everyone else with your humble “Hi, I’m John, the head of the
Customer Support Department”? Great, because we are all about promoting effective presentation techniques (hint:
using a dull welcome slide isn’t one of them).

Here’s how to introduce yourself in a presentation the right way.

a. Use a link back memory formula. To ace a presentation, you need to connect with your audience. The best way to
do so is by throwing in a simple story showing who you are, where you came from and why the things you will say
matter.

The human brain loves a good story, and we are more inclined to listen and retain the information told this way.
Besides, when we can relate to the narrator (or story hero), we create an emotional bond with them, and again –
become more receptive, and less skeptical to the information that is about to be delivered.

So here are your presentation introduction lines:

My name is Joanne, and I’m the Head of Marketing at company XYZ. Five years ago I was
working as a waitress, earning $10/hour and collecting rejection letters from editors. About
ten letters every week landed to my mailbox. You see, I love words, but decent publisher
thought mine were good enough. Except for the restaurant owner. I was very good at up-
selling and recommending dishes to the customers. My boss even bumped my salary to
$15/hour as a token of appreciation for my skill.

And this made me realize: I should ditch creative writing and focus on copywriting instead.
After loads of trial and error back in the day, I learned how to write persuasive copy. I was no
longer getting rejection letters. I was receiving thousands of emails saying that someone just
bought another product from our company. My sales copy pages generated over $1,500,000 in
revenue over last year. And I want to teach you how to do the same”

b. Test the Stereotype Formula. This one’s simple and effective as well. Introduce yourself by sharing an obvious
stereotype about your profession. This cue will help you connect with your audience better, and make them chuckle a
bit and set a lighter mood for the speech to follow.

Here’s how you can frame your intro:

“My name is ___, and I am a lead software engineer at our platform [Your Job Title]. And yes,
I’m that nerdy type who never liked presenting in front of large groups of people. I would
rather stay in my den and write code all day long. [Stereotype].

But hey, since I have mustered enough courage…let’s talk today about the new product
features my team is about to release….”

After sharing a quick self-deprecating line, you transition back to your topic, reinforcing the audience attention. Both
of these formulas help you set the “mood” for your further presentation, so try using them interchangeably on
different occasions.
2. Open with a Hook
Wow your audience straight off the bat by sharing something they would not expect to hear. This may be one of the
popular first-time presentation tips, but don’t rush to discard it.

Because here’s the thing: psychologically we are more inclined to pay attention to whenever presented with an
unexpected cue. When we know what will happen next – someone flips the switch and lights turn on – we don’t really
pay much attention to that action.

But when we don’t know what to expect next – e.g. someone flips the switch and a bell starts ringing – we are likely to
pay more attention to what will happen next. Same goes for words: everyone loves stories with unpredictable twists.
So begin your presentation with a slide or a line that no one expects to here.

Here are a few hook examples you can swipe:

a. Open with a provocative statement. It creates an instant jolt and makes the audience intrigued to hear what you
are about to say next – pedal back, continue with the provocation or do something else that they will not expect.

Image Source: TED

“You will live seven and a half minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because
you watched this talk.”

That’s how Jane McGonigal opens one of her TED talks. Shocking and intriguing, right?

b. Ask a rhetorical, thought-provoking question. Rhetorical questions have a great persuasive effect – instead of
answering aloud, your audience will silently start musing over it during your presentation. They arose curiosity and
motivate the audience to remain attentive, as they do want to learn your answer to this question.

To reinforce your message throughout the presentation, you can further use Rhetorical Triangle Concept –
rhetorical approach to building a persuasive argument based on Aristotle’s teachings.

c. Use a bold number, factor stat. A clean slide with some mind-boggling stat makes an undeniably strong impact.
Here are a few opening statement examples you can use along with your slide:

 Shock them: “We are effectively wasting over $1.2 billion per year on producing clothes no one will ever
purchase”
 Create empathy: “Are you among the 20% of people with undiagnosed ADHD?”
 Call to arms: “58% of marketing budgets are wasted due to poor landing page design. Let’s change this!”
 Spark curiosity: “Did you know that companies who invested in speech recognition have seen a 13%
increase in ROI within just 3 years?”

3. Use an Absorbing Visual

Compelling visuals are the ABC of presentation design – use them strategically to make a bold stamen at the
beginning and throughout your presentation. Your first presentation slide can be text-free. Communicate your idea
with a visual instead – a photo, a chart, an infographic or another graphics asset.
Visuals are a powerful medium for communication as our brain needs just 13 milliseconds to render what our eyes
see, whereas text comprehension requires more cognitive efforts.

A relevant images ads additional aesthetic appeal to your deck bolsters audience’s imagination and makes your key
message instantly more memorable.

Here’s an example. You want to make a strong presentation introduction to global pollution.  Use the
following slide to reinforce the statement you share:

“Seven of nine snow samples taken on land in Antarctica found chemicals known as PFAs,
which are used in industrial products and can harm wildlife”
Source:  Reuters

4. Ask a “What if…” Question

The “what if” combo carries massive power. It gives your audience a sense of what will happen if they choose to listen
to you and follow your advice.  Here are a few presentations starting sentences + slides to illustrate this option:

Light Bulb Idea PowerPoint Template by SlideModel

Financial PowerPoint Template with Calculator by SlideModel

Alternatively, you can use an equally powerful “Imagine” word. “Imagine”, “Picture This”, “Think of” are better word
choices for when you plan to begin your presentation with a quick story.

Our brain loves interacting with stories. In fact, a captivating story makes us more collaborative. Scientists have
discovered that stories with tension during narrative make us:

 Pay more attention,

 Share emotions with the characters and even mimic the feelings and behaviors of those characters
afterwards.
That’s why good action movies often feel empowering and make us want to change the world too. By incorporating a
good, persuasive story with a relatable hero, you can also create that “bond” with your audience and make them more
perceptive to your pitch – donate money to support the cause; explore the solution you are offering and so on.

4. Leverage The Curiosity Gap

Curiosity gap is another psychological trick frequently used by marketers to solicit more clicks, reads, and other
interactions from the audience. In essence, it’s the trick you see behind all those clickbait, Buzzfeed style headlines:

Image: Buzzfeed
Not everyone is a fan of such titles. But the truth is – they do the trick and instantly capture attention. Curiosity gap
sparks our desire to dig deeper into the matter. We are explicitly told that we don’t know something important and
now we crave to change that. Curiosity is an incredibly strong driving force for action – think Eve, think Pandora’s Box.

So consider incorporating these attention grabbers for your presentation speech. You can open with one, or
strategically weave them in the middle of your presentation when you feel like your audience is getting tired and may
lose their focus.

Here’s how you can use the curiosity gap during your presentation:

 Start telling a story, pause at the middle and delay the conclusion of it.
 Withhold the key information (e.g. the best solution to the problem you have described) for a bit – but not
for too long as this can reduce the initial curiosity.
 Introduce an idea or concept and link it with an unexpected outcome or subject – this is the best tip for
opening a presentation.

 The secret to an effective

presentation introduction – Part 1
BY SHANA CARROLL · PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 4, 2018 · UPDATED FEBRUARY 4, 2018
The introduction is one of the most important parts of any presentation. A
good introduction will explain to the audience why you are speaking to them,
establish your credibility, and inspire them to listen.

The first rule of introductions is- don’t wait until you are in front of the audience
to introduce yourself.

Arrive at the venue early and engage audience members as they enter the room.
There is rarely enough time for more than a 2-minute exchange. However,
using that time to get to know the people you will be speaking to will set your
presentation up for success. This early introduction serves as a classic ice
breaker. First, you can familiarize yourself with audience members and also
get them interested in what you are presenting. Second, you can find out
something about each person you talk to, this adds a personal touch to your
presentation, allows you to gain insight into the audience, and focuses
attention on them.

Remember, people like to talk about themselves, so the more you focus on

them, the more interested they will be in you and your presentation. Also, by
meeting people early you will be able to recognize a few friendly faces in the
crowd during the presentation, which has the benefit of helping to calm your
nerves.
Lastly, this gives you one last opportunity to identify and/or confirm objectives.
Ideally, you have gained enough information during your pre-work to
clearly identify the needs and objectives of the people in the room. If this is the
case, you should ask a few questions to confirm that the objectives you plan
to focus on are still current. For example, “I understand that your team is
looking for a new process that results in less warranty issues, is that correct?”
If you were unable to properly identify objectives during the research phase,
this is your second chance. Ask a few open-ended questions as you introduce
yourself to people, and before the presentation begins. For example, you may
simply ask, “What are you hoping to get out of today’s presentation?”
Although you won’t be able to change the content of your presentation, you
can change how it is delivered and add information relevant to the new found
objective(s).

As part of the introduction, your first goal should be to set the stage for the
audience by explaining why you are presenting.

Explain why you are there

Most likely, you were invited to speak by

an audience member. Begin by explaining who invited you to speak and why.
For example, I was recently asked by a colleague to present best practices on
using LinkedIn. He regularly asks for advice on using the social media tool for
marketing. After several months of advice giving, he asked if I would share my
insight with his team via a lunch presentation. It is that background that I gave
the audience at the beginning of the presentation. Sharing information on how
you got to be standing in front of them creates a commonality between you
and the audience. Specifically, when you explain to the audience that Steve
invited you to speak on the topic of LinkedIn marketing because your advice
to him has helped his business, the audience, who likely knows Steve, sees
that Steve is the link between them and your presentation. Following that
same thought pattern, if Steve respects you enough to ask you to speak to the
group, and they respect Steve, they subconsciously begin to respect you. This
sets the stage for your relationship with the audience.

Once you have started to earn the audience’s respect you need to establish
yourself as a knowledgeable professional on the topic you are presenting.
Establish your expertise
For example, start by telling the audience your name and background. For
example, when speaking on a technical topic, I typically begin by telling the
audience I am a geotechnical engineer with a master’s degree. I continue by
explaining my role at the company and how many years I have been working
in the industry. This both gives the audience some insight into me as a
person, and continues the process of developing rapport between us.

While you don’t want to present yourself as arrogant, be aware not to humble
yourself. People are in the audience to meet you and learn from your
presentation. Because you are standing in front of them, they are more likely
to believe you are more of an expert than they are on the topic. Therefore, if
you say something like, “I’m not an expert in automotive parts”, but then
continue to present automotive parts, you are likely to lose the audience in the
first few minutes.

The line between presenting yourself as humble or arrogant can be fine.

However, to be successful, you need to walk it. The best way that I have
learned to do this is to have confidence that you are sharing information that
you are an expert in and that it is valuable to the audience. At the same time,
remember that each person in the audience is an expert in something else.
This exercise helps you to not talk down to your audience while allowing you
to build or maintain your own confidence in the subject matter you are
speaking on.
It isn’t enough, however, to explain your why you are there and tell them about
your expertise on the presentation topic. You need to engage them.

Inspire them to listen

Now that the audience is feeling more comfortable with you, inspire them to
listen. I recommend that you share your why with the audience. On a side
note, if you haven’t developed your why, grab Simon Sinek’s book, “Start with
Why,” and start working on it. Your why is the reason you do what you do.
There are two reasons to include your why. First, by definition,
your why inspires you. By repeating your why aloud, you will be more positive
and confident simply because you just reminded yourself why you are there.
Second, you continue to build a relationship with the audience. The more a
person can relate to you and feels that they know you, the more apt they are
to like you. By sharing your why, you capture the part of the audience that
relates to your why, and open yourself to the audience by providing insight into
you as a person.
One of the benefits of introducing yourself to audience members as they enter
the room is that you can relate your why to one or more parts of your early
conversation. For example, I enjoy helping people, planning, and solving
problems. At a recent presentation, a few people shared their upcoming
vacation plans with me. I used this to generate a more meaningful why to that
audience by saying, “On the way in, Patrick was telling me about his
frustrations in booking a trip to the Bahamas. I have always loved planning
and helping people solve problems. In fact, I just organized a trip for 10 of my
friends to Panama because I love problem solving in my personal life just as
much as my professional life. Although I’m not here to plan your vacation, I’m
going to present a few solutions that may help you in your business so your
next vacation is more relaxing.” Although short, this introduction gives your
audience insight into you as a person and gives them insight into your why.
At this point, you’ve successfully established the connection between you and
the audience, and explained why you are there. Now you need to lay-out the
logistics of the presentation. A guide to letting the audience know what to
expect will be presented in the next blog.