1. Statistics. A compelling or interesting statistics about your topic is a great way to get us thinking about your issue and the impact that it has on society. For example, on the first day of class, when I was discussing your concerns about speaking to groups, I informed you that people are more scared of public speaking than they are of being dead. That, to me, is a pretty compelling statistic. This website puts it this way:
Fact: the most common phobia that Americans have is glossophobia (that is the fear of public speaking, not the fear of lip gloss). Seventy-five percent of all Americans report having a fear of public speaking, beating out fear of spiders, fear of the dark, and even fear of death. We highly doubt that people, if given the choice, would choose death over public speaking, but nonetheless, talking in front of a large group of people will turn most people's legs into jelly. We hate jelly.
Now, some have had some pretty choice things to say about statistics, and we all know that you can use a clever turn of the numbers to say just about anything that you want to say -- so be careful with the statistical information that you use -- make sure you trust the source and that your audience will trust your source, too.
2. A story or narrative about someone dealing with your issue. Often, one of the best ways that you can both connect with your audience while helping them to connect to your issue is to put a human face on what you're talking about. If you're discussing violence, maybe you want to tell the story of a victim of violence, or someone who is in jail for a mistake that they made. If you're talking about drugs, you might want to share a story about someone's experiences with the drug. A story is a great way to help us get to know your issue and how it affects people. Be careful, though, not to spend so much time on your story that you're not able to cover all of your material.
3. Quotations. starting with the words of others is fine -- so long as the words are relevant, intriguing, and properly cited. While often we look to famous people for quotes that are pithy and/or funny, you might discover the perfect quote or two in your research. If you go this route, make sure you tell us who said your quote and give us some context on the quote after you've said it.
These aren't the only three ways to begin a speech. You know your audience -- what will get us interested in what you have to say?
Here are some other recommendations for what you should do in the first five minutes of a speech. I like all of them -- but don't know if you'll be able to squeeze them into this next speech. Of course, it's never a bad idea to add them into your public speaking toolbox.
If you need a prompt for a blog post this week, go to your blog and write about the type of hook that you think you'll use for your next speech and tell us why you're going to use it.
This post was written originally in this space.
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