I help final year trainees and locum consultants prep for their NHS substantive consultant interviews so that they can secure their dream job.
Ditch the Boring Introductions: Start with a Bang 💥
Hey Reader,
It was supposed to be a simple task:
Start my presentation without telling the audience who I am.
I don't NEED to start with the words 'thanks for inviting me' or by explaining how happy I am to be here.
It shouldn't be hard.
I've watched hundreds of TED talks and I know what a captivating start to a presentation looks like.
I must grab their attention.
I must make them like me at the beginning.
But I've never done it before.
I've never launched right into the presentation.
I've always started with a thank you, or a summary of who I am.
The audience needs to know I've got the expertise to talk about my topic. If I don't do this, they won't trust me.
Right?
Wrong!
The best presentations start with a bang.
But I've always had a title slide. And years of medical school, and hospital teaching taught me that's where you begin.
I kid you not, for YEARS I couldn't help myself.
And I know that 90% of the people I coach for their presentations have the same problem.
People are horrified at the idea of NOT INTRODUCING THEMSELVES to the audience.
But if you start your presentation with impact then your audience is more like to pay attention.
Here are 5 simple ways to start your presentation:
- A joke
- A story
- A quote
- A statistic
- A question for them to ask themselves
And don't take my word for it, here are 3 of the opening lines from the most popular TED talks.
None of them start by explaining who they are.
And here's the truth about your audience.
They don't care who you are.
They care about what you can do for them.
And if they really care about who you are...
...they can read the freaking program.
Or Google you.
Don't waste precious stage time by taking them through your CV.
When you do this, 60% of them will be checking their emails by the time you get going.
And it's the most common problem I see with people I coach.
You see, we are nervous.
We want to prove our expertise to the audience.
We want to share:
- where we work
- what qualifications we have
- and how happy we are to have been invited to speak.
But here's the thing.
The best way to get your audience's attention from the beginning?
Ditch all of that.
Get stuck in right away.
It took me years to learn this lesson.
See you next week.
P.S. If you're following my progress in getting my NHS Consultant Interview Course ready, it's coming together a treat.
I'm putting my head down in the planning because I know you need fast results. So I want to make sure I squeeze all my tips in.
Most people only get a couple of weeks' notice for their job interviews (gotta love the NHS).
No matter how many people I coach through their interviews (and we are at >50 now) I still get ridiculously excited every time they get offered the job.
Another success this week:
If you're interview prepping then I'll keep you updated on when the Interview Course is ready - just click here to let me know.
Ace Your Interview
I help final year trainees and locum consultants prep for their NHS substantive consultant interviews so that they can secure their dream job.
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