To catch and maintain your audience engagement, select an opener that resonates with both you and your presentation topic. Think outside the box – get creative and find something original enough to capture everyone’s attention right off the bat.

You can start your speech with

• Powerful statements. As a speaker, you know how it can be very effective, but you need to pick something as strong as a double-edged sword, relevant enough to help you prove a point later in the speech but also pierces into their soul. And stay away from cliche quotes (more on that later).
  
  
• Question. If you begin your speech with a question, you’ll immediately engage the audience members. They’ll start thinking about possible answers, so they’ll follow your presentation carefully to get a reply. Naturally, you should ask captivating questions rather than simple ones with an obvious reply. Connect the opening question with the central idea of your speech so you can set the theme and the tone for the main thing that follows.
  
  
• Story. To captivate the audience, some public speakers like Oprah and Lisa Nichols open their speeches with a story. By using the power storytelling, you’ll be able to connect with the crowd. You can also tell a news story, but make sure to offer your personal perspective and a unique view of the topic. You don’t need precise details to tell a story. Just start with “Years ago…”, “I used to…”, and other vague statements.
  
  
• Statistical data. In order to start a speech with statistical information, you need to anticipate the reception. Many people from the audience aren’t huge fans of numbers and stats, so they might yawn once you start throwing numbers at them. That’s why it’s best you offer one or two crucial numbers that prove your point. Take a look at Jamie Oliver and his TED talk about food. He had a great opening with frightening statistical data so people could realize the importance of a nutritious diet and listen up.
  
  
• Silence. Another great way to start your speech can be a long pause. You should avoid the usual greetings such as “Good morning” or “Hello” and just hold on for a moment. Make a strong, confident stance, and look at your audience for 4-5 seconds. They’ll be on the edge of their seats, keeping their eyes and ears on you, waiting for you to say the opening line. But instead, you’ll just carry on as nothing has happened.
  
  
• First Mental Image. “You’re hauling ass down a busy highway when you see a police officer’s lights flashing in your rear view mirror.” A first mental image is a wonderful way to captivate your audience as it places them right in the center of a story… as if they’re looking through their own eyes. Keep this brief and find a way to tie your FMI into the topic of your speech.
  
  

The tone of the speech is also set by the introduction. A great speech opening can be:

• Creative – the “imagine” and “what if” scenarios. For example, Ric Elias started his TED Talk with a story about his plane crash experience. He wanted to amplify the importance of the lessons he learned from this experience, so he had people imagine what it would be like going through that. Attention to detail is very important when you’re using this tactic because you want to spark the imagination of the crowd.
  
  
• Humorous. You can start your speech with a joke or a funny statement like what Ellen DeGeneres usually does, but only if you’re comfortable with using humor. If jokes come to you naturally, use them. If not, it’s better to steer away from a humorous introduction because it might seem forced and fake. And, of course, be sure your audience doesn’t see the joke as offensive. You can try it out on a group of people from your close surroundings to check the reception.
  
  
• Serious. You should use serious opening lines when you want to position yourself as an authority on the subject. Experts are confident in their knowledge, and their body language shows it. That’s why your ideas, if presented seriously, can have a bigger influence on the audience.
  
  

Note that you should practice combining these approaches. For example, silence should follow a serious powerful statement or statistical data could be presented humorously. A world-class speaker combines everything she can to get her audience interested!