I help you deliver better presentations and more effective education so you build a solid connection with your audience.
Ditch the Boring Introductions: Start with a Bang π₯
Hey Reader,
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It was supposed to be a simple task:
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Start my presentation without telling the audience who I am.
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I don't NEED to start with the words 'thanks for inviting me' or by explaining how happy I am to be here.
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It shouldn't be hard.
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I've watched hundreds of TED talks and I know what a captivating start to a presentation looks like.
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I must grab their attention.
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I must make them like me at the beginning.
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But I've never done it before.
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I've never launched right into the presentation.
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I've always started with a thank you, or a summary of who I am.
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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.
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Right?
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Wrong!
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The best presentations start with a bang.
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But I've always had a title slide. And years of medical school, and hospital teaching taught me that's where you begin.
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I kid you not, for YEARS I couldn't help myself.
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And I know that 90% of the people I coach for their presentations have the same problem.
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People are horrified at the idea of NOT INTRODUCING THEMSELVES to the audience.
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But if you start your presentation with impact then your audience is more like to pay attention.
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Here are 5 simple ways to start your presentation:
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- A joke
- A story
- A quote
- A statistic
- A question for them to ask themselves
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And don't take my word for it, here are 3 of the opening lines from the most popular TED talks.
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None of them start by explaining who they are.
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And here's the truth about your audience.
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They don't care who you are.
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They care about what you can do for them.
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And if they really care about who you are...
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...they can read the freaking program.
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Or Google you.
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Don't waste precious stage time by taking them through your CV.
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When you do this, 60% of them will be checking their emails by the time you get going.
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And it's the most common problem I see with people I coach.
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You see, we are nervous.
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We want to prove our expertise to the audience.
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We want to share:
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- where we work
- what qualifications we have
- and how happy we are to have been invited to speak.
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But here's the thing.
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The best way to get your audience's attention from the beginning?
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Ditch all of that.
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Get stuck in right away.
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It took me years to learn this lesson.
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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.
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Simply Connect
by Tessa Davis
I help you deliver better presentations and more effective education so you build a solid connection with your audience.
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