Chapter 57 A wonderful speech often begins with the first

I once asked the former President of Northwestern University, the Honorable Professor Lin Harold Hu, what he thought was the most important thing in a speech during his long speech career.He thought for a while and answered me: "I think the most important thing is an opening speech that can attract the audience's attention." Not only Professor Lin Harold Hu thinks so, I have consulted many speakers on the art of speaking , they also place equal emphasis on opening remarks. A good beginning is half the battle.For a speech, the opening remarks are indeed very important.Back then, President Wilson delivered a speech to Congress and issued an ultimatum against the German submarine warfare. He only used a few dozen words, but he managed to attract people's attention.The passage reads: "I am obliged to confess to you that a completely new situation has emerged in our relations with Germany."

If you compare a speech to a flight, and the opening to an airplane taking off, then a failed opening is equivalent to a failed takeoff—somewhat different, but just as dangerous.While every speaker doesn't want their well-prepared speech to be ruined by a mediocre or even a bad opening speech, not all of them can avoid this - they make their plane crash on takeoff time and time again. , or barely take off after going through danger. We hope that the audience's attention can be firmly grasped at the beginning of the opening, and a close and harmonious relationship with the audience can be established, and we don't want the opposite to happen.We want our audience to come to our opening lines and say, "Looks like I should pay attention." If you want to do the same, then you need to avoid the following opening lines that will lead to your ultimate failure - some of which were once considered to be Very suitable.

Apologize: No one wants to hear bad news at the outset, and unless you accidentally knocked over the podium or knocked out the lights in the lecture hall, you don't need an apology. Audiences don't want to hear your excuses or apologies, even if they don't show it.You don't need to waste the audience's time, you know, they listened to your speech with great enthusiasm! The reason for apologizing is because of your inner unease.Anxiety is natural, but you don't have to talk about it in the first place. Imagine listening to a speaker with great interest, and he says, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to give you a few words because I'm short on time." Do you feel that?This clearly shows that he is a self-centered guy.Don't the audience have the right to stand here and listen to him?

Or a lot of people say, "I'm sorry you didn't see the original speaker, but me." Do you think this is useful for the audience?This is undoubtedly an emotional devastation to the audience and myself. Negative negation: Let's listen to this opening statement first: "I hope everyone will not waste their time listening to my speech, but I am really not well prepared..." Maybe this confession is to get the audience's forgiveness, because you "really not prepared enough."However, such a confession is undoubtedly a suicidal opening, and such an opening will get you nothing.Because you are not only denying yourself, but also denying the audience below.Because, the audience will read this meaning from your confession: "You are not important at all." Otherwise, why don't you prepare?

If your opening is this self-denying, I'm quoting the first line of a poem by Kipling here: "Go on, and it will be pointless." Because, that's what this opening is. as a result of. Deliberate humor: Opening with humor is a bit of a low bet — I'm an advocate of risk taking, but I'm firmly against gambling.Because many comedians say this: "It's easy to die, but it's hard to do good comedy." Yes, it's hard to create humor, especially when the need for it is relevant to your speech, and starting with humor is certainly setting yourself up for trouble, and will end up leaving your speech cold.

But there are countless speakers who like to start their speeches with humor, as if there is no other option.You might say, aren't they successful?Audiences love to hear it.Appearing to be popular with the audience on the surface, he seems to be successful, but in fact it is not.Because the audience is like watching a farce, and forgets its content and performers after watching it. Advanced professional vocabulary: Are you trying to scare away or frighten your audience?Otherwise, don't use those weird, unfamiliar words in the first place!Because these boring words will kill the interest of the audience.As much as you'd like to show that you're knowledgeable and inscrutable, an opening like this would be worse than no opening at all.

cliche: Opening with the same or fashionable, vulgar words will disappoint and bore the audience, because these sentences simply make the audience's ears lose their sensitivity, and for them, completely lose the novelty.You have to try to give the audience a new feeling. It is not difficult to do this, it just takes a little thought. Treat listeners differently: Some speakers always start by specifically mentioning important people sitting in the audience, such as government officials, academic authorities, or people of high esteem.I'm not against mentioning them, but don't let other listeners think you're being slighted.Never treat the audience differently, or you will lose most of the people's interest in the speech.You tell them that they are all important people and that you will and have noticed them.

You are compelled to speak: Everyone has a common understanding that when you are forced to do something, you generally don't do it well, or you could have done better but didn't do it well.However, some speakers do often begin by telling the audience that they are compelled to deliver the speech.Such an opening statement will undoubtedly make the audience unnecessary associations, such as you may talk about something else-why are you forced?More importantly, this sentence shows that you are helpless and negative.In this case, it can be very difficult to keep the audience interested in what you have to say.

It's a tough subject to talk about: It's a sign of low self-confidence, and no one likes listening to someone with low self-confidence nagging.Because, it makes people feel like they don't get what they want.So don't say things like, "I'm feeling overwhelmed with this subject..." Such an opening statement will reveal your timidity. Is it because you are afraid that there will be mistakes in your speech and you will be laughed at by the authority?Now that you have chosen the topic, it must be familiar to you—unless someone else prepared your speech for you.If your audience thinks you're expressing your own opinion, why should they mind you making a mistake?