“10 seconds is all you have to get the audience’s attention. If you haven’t got them by then it is much harder to get their attention back.”

That’s how I have started a speech on how to write speeches. If you want your audience to listen to you more intently get their attention at the beginning.

“What is the best thing I can say at the beginning to make the audience listen to me?” is good question to ask yourself if you want to have a grate opening in your speech.

A good speech opening may include these 3 elements:

1) Introduce the topic - Tell the audience what you are going to tell them. If you think of your speech like a book this part of the speech would be the table of contents. Not only will this grab the audience’s attention it is a great way to make sure your speech has structure

2) A question that startles - “Who would like to make $100,000 in 90 days?” That questions grabs the audience’s attention immediately because they will want to know the answer.

3) Quote from history - “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” - John F Kennedy. Your audience will hear a quote they have heard before which will help stir up old emotions which makes your audience listen.

Writing a speech opening is like writing a speech headline. If the reader is not grabbed by the headline they will not read the article. If the audience is not grabbed by your speeches opening they wont want to hear the rest of the speech. Being in the room doesn’t mean they are listening.