I’m doing an after lunch talk to a group of business leaders in Cambridge next month.
It’s an unusual one because it needs to be a mix of insights into business communication, but also entertainment.
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I think I can manage that, by talking about the power of storytelling:
How it’s your secret weapon in business for really establishing a connection, influencing and persuading, and ultimately selling.
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But! The problem I was struggling with was…
How to begin the talk so it’s clear it’s not just going to be a dull old information dump, but fun as well.
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I thought about a start asking the audience:
- Who wants to know the secrets of the most powerful form of communication in business?
But I feared that would sound too much like the start of a lecture.
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So I switched around, and thought about beginning in a way which would make it clear the talk was going to be entertaining:
- I’m going to share a couple of stories about the most ridiculous things that happen in my BBC career.
But that felt too much like it wouldn’t have enough substance to entertain the audience.
These are high-powered business people, after all.
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My riddle took days of agonising, because it’s critical to start a talk with real impact.
As I often say when teaching public speaking:
- If you don’t get the crowd from the start, you run a big risk of not getting them at all.
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Modern attention spans are painfully short.
If you don’t keep an audience with you throughout a presentation, it’s far too easy for them to reach for their smartphone...
And then they’re usually lost, away in emails and messages.
Thankfully, on a lovely long walk across a beautiful beach - as per the picture, above - inspiration finally struck.
(I can recommend exercise and nature for kindling the creativity. But that’s another story.)
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I’m going to begin to talk this way:
I’ve got good news and bad news for you.
The bad news is I’m going to be a proper lecturer and set you a test.
The good news is the test comes courtesy of some fascinating, not to mention funny stories...
And it'll be easy, enjoyable, and with highly valuable insights for your businesses.
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Which I think - hope?! - will strike the right note, engage and interest the audience from the outset.
If you’ve got any better ideas, please let me know in the comments.
There are still a few weeks until the talk!
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Because, as I’ve mentioned more than a few times now:
The start is the most important part of a presentation.
So it’s always worth the investment of your time in making it darned good.
