They say that an audience will often remember the beginning and/or the end of a Talk or performance. In this case, how you start and finish has to make impact and be unforgettable. Obviously, everything in between is of equal relevance and has to contain all the essential ingredients of an unforgettable speech. But how we begin and/or end can make all the difference to engaging and capturing your audience. This becomes even more important when you are doing online streams. Your news feed contains thousands of other stories and messages to watch, competition is high. The beginning, the first 20 seconds are your killer moments to really hook up with your viewers. Then, once you have them, you have to keep them there with you to the end, and then, give them something sweet to take away. So, how can we create intros and outros that are indelible?

Introductions

One. Start with a smile, with energy, with pleasure and gratitude, it shows, it is infectious, positive and up lifting.

Two. Get to the point, slip into your topic with energy, say something shocking, brilliant or hot. Paint a picture with words.

Three. Open with a thought provoking question, a favourite quote of yours or someone else. Have an amazing title, you can repeat.

Four. Got a hook line? Use it, tempt your listeners and viewers with it. Think of the hook lines in songs. Imagine this… What if….

Five. No apologies about being late, having a bad hair day or where you were last night, unless it is totally relevant to your Talk.

“If you can’t write your message in a sentence, you can’t say it in an hour.” -Dianna Booher  

Endings

One. They say, you should always go out with a bang and leave the best for last.

Two. If you can’t find a relevant quote, grow your own!

Three. Circle back to the story or main point from the beginning of your speech.

Four. Leave them with a provocative, profound or promising phrase, or your call to action

Five. Humour, wit, something funny that relates to your topic and brings it home in a lighter way.

 -There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave –Dale Carnegie

Want to share with you a TEDx Talk by Richard Greene, titled: The 7 secrets of the greatest speakers in history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0a61wFaF8A

And lastly, one important tip for those of you who are doing presentations, performances or Talks on a stage, enjoy the applause, don’t walk off when it starts or during the first 20 seconds. Give some appreciation back to your audience and bow and thank them too.

If you are still needing some help writing your speech or preparing for an online event, or indeed looking to get your Intros and Outros sizzling and indelible  and you feel you need some further guidance, don’t hesitate to click on that chat button below and book a chat with me…it’s free you know.