What is the function of the opening remarks of the speech?

What is the function of the opening remarks of the speech script?

Many people do not know what the opening remarks of the speech script are. The following is the function of the opening remarks of the speech script that I have collected for you. Please use it as a reference, I hope it can help friends in need!

What role does the opening play in a speech?

There are three aspects to a wonderful opening. kind of effect. First, attract the audience's attention and stimulate the audience's curiosity; second, outline the main content of your speech; third, clarify to the audience the necessity of listening to your speech.

1. An engaging opening

The main purpose of the opening statement is to win the audience's attention. Since an audience's first impression of a speech is formed quickly, if your opening statement doesn't hook them, the rest of it will just go to waste. Example: Imagine it is the year 2050. You are 65 years old. You just received a letter, opened the envelope, and inside was a check for $100,000. No, it’s not the lottery you win. You can't help but feel happy when you realize that your strategy of investing small amounts of money over the past 40 years is finally paying off handsomely.

2. Outline the key points

Within seconds of starting your speech, the audience should have a good idea of ??what you are going to talk about. Don't let a few jokes or examples lead you off topic and throw the underlying objective behind you. For example: Today I will answer three questions that will help you manage your finances. First, how do you make money? Second, how do you invest? Third, how can small money make big money?

3. Explain to your audience the reasons for listening to your speech

Even if Now that you have captured your audience's attention and clarified your topic, you must also tell them why they should continue listening. For example: figuring out the answers to these three questions can indeed bring unexpected benefits. All you need is a small investment and a rigorous attitude, and you can easily earn $100,000.

Tips for opening a speech

The opening of a speech only needs a few sentences, while a longer speech needs several paragraphs. How to effectively attract the audience, introduce topics, build trust, and introduce key points in a few minutes? The following six techniques have been tried and tested, so you might as well try them: (1) Make surprising statements; (2) Ask questions; (3) Use Humor; (4) Set up suspense; (5) Tell a story; (6) Build trust. Not every one of these tips is suitable for any speech or situation. However, among these tips, you're sure to find at least one that will work wonders in your next presentation.

1. Be surprising

If you want to attract your audience quickly, then your opening statement should be surprising from the beginning. You might describe an unusual scene, reveal a shocking statistic, or describe a sensational problem vividly. The audience will not only suddenly pay attention, but also listen attentively, seeking more about the content of your speech and the reasons for your speech.

When Heather Larson of Northern State University in South Dakota wrote her speech, "Swimming Against the Current," she used a series of startling phrases to quickly captivate her audience.

Example: Every 11 minutes, an American dies from this disease. This number is twice the number of murders. This year, 46,000 people have died from the disease, and the death toll in the eight-year Vietnam War was only this number. In the past decade, three times as many Americans have died from the disease as the 133,000 people who have died from AIDS. This disease will cost you, me and other Americans more than $6 billion this year in medical bills and lost ability to work, not to mention the loss of life we ??will suffer. The wave of disease that I'm talking about, breast cancer, could hit every one of us here directly.

2. Ask questions

You can get the audience invested in your opening statement by asking questions related to the central idea.

Example: See this dollar bill? What does it do to you? You can use it to invest, save it to buy more expensive items, or just spend it. While one dollar doesn't buy much these days, on the other hand, children can use that dollar to buy things they like, even if the things they buy hurt them.

This $1 can give children a cheap, widely available, but very deadly "fun".

Obviously, Widerson didn’t want her audience to actually answer her questions. She just wanted to get them thinking about her topic - the dangers of inhaling solvents and aerosols.

3. Use humor

If humor is used appropriately, it can achieve good results in attracting the audience's attention. It helps lighten the mood and make them want to continue listening to you.

The speaker in the following example uses a humorous tone to start with his own story to express his gratitude for being invited to give a speech.

Example:

Three company executives tried to define the word "reputation."

The first said: "Reputation is when the White House invites you to meet with the President."

The second said: "Reputation is when the White House invites you to meet with the President. , the phone rang, but the president didn’t answer.”

The third supervisor said: “You two are wrong. Your reputation is that you were invited to the White House to meet with the president, and then the president’s hotline rang. He took it, listened to it, and said, 'It's for you!'"

Being invited to speak here today is like having a phone call calling me at the White House.

4. Set up suspense

Rebecca Witt studied at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. She once gave a speech to college students. Let’s see how she started.

Example: I am a seven-letter word. I destroyed friendships, family ties, neighborliness, and classmates. I am the biggest killer of teenagers today. I am not an alcoholic, nor am I, my name is suicide.

Witt's opening remarks piqued the audience's curiosity, prompting them to continue listening in order to find out. So, in order to keep the audience interested, Witt quoted some shocking statistics and asked two thought-provoking questions.

Example: Why haven’t senior high schools taken measures? As an integral part of daily curriculum, why do senior high schools lack a mandatory suicide prevention outline? These questions are all important. That's why I'm here today to speak.

At first, Witt's opening remarks piqued the audience's interest and, therefore, hooked them within a minute or two. But to keep the audience interested after the first two sentences, Witt has to keep trying. By citing data and asking questions, she ensured that her audience's interest was kept high.

5. Tell stories

As long as it is related to the topic of your speech, everyone will like a touching story. No matter what type of speech you give, opening it with a story will leave a lasting impression.

A college student began his talk with the following story: "The Struggle Area in Health Care."

Example: California emergency nurse Tim Dufemere became a hero, not because he successfully rescued a patient, but because he bravely rescued an emergency doctor. A disgruntled patient shot three emergency physicians without warning, causing two minor injuries and one being shot in the head and chest. Dufemir pounced on the gunman, rescued the seriously injured doctor, and rushed him to the emergency operating room.

6. Build trust

The reason why the audience listens to your speech is closely related to your credibility. You have to let your audience know that you are qualified to speak on this topic.

When Secretary John F. Ferguson spoke at a Veterans Day rally at a high school in Kirkland, Washington, he gained the audience's confidence in his opening remarks.

Example: We come together to honor the American men and women who have served in the military, especially those who served in the Vietnam War. I am one of them. In 1967 I served in the United States Marine Corps. I am a member of Counterintelligence Group 15, operating just outside the demilitarized zone. Our group was a small part of the Intelligence Military Operations Force, now called Project Phoenix.

John F. Ferguson told the audience that he had personally participated in the Vietnam War. He did not boast or exaggerate; he simply stated what his mission was at that time. His experiences were directly relevant to the theme of war veterans and the purpose of school assemblies. Therefore, he seems more credible to the audience.

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