If you start your presentation with "My name is...",

Credit: Clif Mathews

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If you start your presentation with "My name is...",

You've already lost the room.

Nobody wants to hear your resume or credentials. (Sorry, but it's true!)

They want to know that the time they spend with you will be helpful to them.

And they're looking for signals: "Is this worth my attention?"

If you spend the first few seconds talking about yourself to everyone,

the audience sees it as a reason to ignore you.

And this is true whether you're speaking to hundreds of people on stage or in a boardroom full of executives.

When you don't rush to fill the silence, the room reads it as confidence before you say anything.

I've talked enough about the stage to know how important the first few seconds are and how easy it is to waste them.

Now, when I give an opening speech, I don't start the way people expect.

I'll start with a very familiar image.

"It's three in the morning, you're lying in bed and you can't sleep."

The room falls silent before anything is explained.

If you have an upcoming presentation,

These are worth remembering.

1️⃣ Start with a scene

↳ Give the audience a specific moment they've all probably experienced.

2️⃣ Create an information gap

↳ Give them a reason to remain curious before answering.

3️⃣ Don't explain what you're going to say

↳ The setup weakens what comes next.

You don't have to impress anyone.

Focus on making the room feel like it's in good hands before you deliver your point.

If you'd like to hear the rest of my main talk, come here to learn more: bit.ly/Clif_Keynote

How do you start your presentations?

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