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leadership traits,qualities and skills

whengivingaspeechorpresentation,howyoustartcanmakeorbreakyou.youwantthebeginningtobestrongandinstantlypullyouraudienceinsothatyouhavetheirfullattentionfromtheget-go.hereareeffectivewaystostartaspeechorpresentation..thecommongroundopenopeningwithareallifeexperience,goalorinterestisagreatwaytograbtheattentionoftheaudiencetoshowthemthattheycangainsomethingbylisteningtoyou.byestablishingcommongroundwiththeaudience,especiallyifitisdonewithhumilityandgrace,youputyourselfonthesamelevelasyouraudience.ifyouareanelderlyceoofacompanyandyoudiscussfinanceswithagroupofyoungerentry-levelemployees,youhavetoshareyourownbusinessexperienceswhenyouwereyoungersothattheaudiencewillbetterunderstandyourmessage..askaquestionifyouwanttomakeyouraudiencethinkrightaway,askthemaquestiontostartyourspeech.askeitherarhetoricalorliteralquestion.whetherornotananswertothatquestioniscalledfor,whenpeopleareposedwithaquestionthatmatterstothem,theywillintuitivelyanswer.whenyouaskaquestion,raiseyourhandtoindicatewhatyouwanttheaudiencetodo.afteraskingaquestionlike"howmanypeoplehereareself-employed?",seeifanyaudiencemembersraisetheirhands.takeadvantageofthisengagementbygettingintotheheartofyourspeech..quotesometimesitisaseasyasopeningwitharelevantquote.youcansetthetonefortherestofyourspeechifyouhaveaquotethatismemorable.youshouldkeepinmindthatwhoeveryouquotehastobewellknownbytheaudiencebecauseifitissomeonelikeyournext-doorneior,thequotewillfallflatwitheveryone.ifyouarediscussingtopicsrelatedtopolitics,forexample,itiswisetoquoteaformerunitedstatespresident."ifthereisanythingthatamancandowell,isaylethimdoit.givehimachance."-abrahamlincoln.thecontrastopenifspeechesfeellikeboxingmatchestoyou,thistypeofopeningwouldoftenbeused.showcasethedifferencebetweendiametricallyopposedconcepts,positions,ideasorwords,andtheendresultwillbethatsomeaudiencememberswillfeelpersuadedtochangetheirperspectiveorembracesomethingnew.therearealwaystwosidestoeverystory,andbothsideshavetobeequallypresented.whatarethedifferencesbetweenaneedandawant?obstaclesandopportunities?problemsandsolutions?highlightingthedifferenceswillgetaudiencestounderstandthepointsyouaretryingtomake..tellastorybeforemakingthekeypointsofyourspeech,tellingastorytostartcandrawyouraudiencein.someofthemostpowerfulwordsthatcanimmediatelygrabtheattentionoftheaudiencewouldbe"onceuponatime"becauseregardlessofagepeoplewilllovestoriesofanykind.whenyoustartyourspeechwithalinelike"onceuponatime",theaudiencewillknowthatastoryiscoming.peoplewillimmediatelycalmdown,becomequiet,andlistentowhatyouhavetosay.whetheritisfictionornon-fiction,tellingastorywillresonatewithaudiencemembers..imaginingsomethingifyouwantpeopletogoonauniquejourneywithyou,encouragethemtoimaginecertainscenarios.forexample,ifyouareworkingforanon-profitorganizationthatbringswatertopeoplewholacktheresourcestogetwater,agoodopenerwouldbesomethinglike"imaginebeingthirstyallthetime,butneverhavinganythingtodrink."byhavingthemimaginescenarioslikethat,youmaketheaudienceapartofyourpresentation.theycanactivelyempathizeandengagewiththecontentofyourspeechbecausetheyactuallyputthemselvesintothatsetting..humorthoughthisshouldneverbeforcedontotheaudience,whenproperlyimplementedyouwillputalotofsmilesonthefacesofthoseyouspeakto.beingfunnyduringaspeechcanbeverydifficult,butitisawaytogiveyourselfreliefasapublicspeaker.tellingjokesinyouropeningisasigntotheaudiencethatyoudon&#;ttakeyourselftooseriously,andthattheycanrelatetoyouinsomeway.onewittyopenerwouldbe"ifyoucanhearme,pleasestartclappingastoconfusethosethatcannotmakeoutwhatiamsaying."."thisdayinhistory"openonemainreasonwhyaudiencesgathertolistentospeechesisthattheycanlearnsomething.ifyoustartyourspeechwithahistoricalfact,theaudiencewillimmediatelypayattention.forexample,ifthedayofyourspeechfallsonmarch,youwouldopenyourspeechwith"onthisday,march,:thehulahoop,ahip-swivelingtoythatbecameahugefadacrossamericawhenitwasfirstmarketedbywham-oin58,ispatentedbythecompany&#;sco-founder,arthur"spud"melin.anestimatedmillionhulahoopsweresoldinitsfirstfourmonthsofproductionalone.".thanktheorganizersandaudienceifyouwanttosticktothebasicsofpublicspeaking,simplymentionthepeoplewhomadeitpossibleforyoutohaveapresentation.thankingtheeventorganizersandtheaudiencecomplimentsthem,makesthemfeelproudandhappyaboutyourpresence,andstronglyconnectsyoutotheaudience.refertothepersonwhointroducedyoutooneormoreoftheseniorpeopleintheorganizationintheaudience,andcomplimentthatpersonasashowingofrespect.behumbleandgenuineinyourpositivecommentstowardtheorganization..positivestatementstayingpositivethroughoutaspeechcanbechallenging,butitwillbecomeeasierifyoustartyourspeechwithapositivestatement.youcanbeginbytellingtheaudiencehowmuchtheywilllikeandappreciatewhatyouhavetosay.forexample,youcouldsaysomethinglike"you&#;rereallygoingtoenjoythetimewespendtogethertoday.i&#;mgoingtosharewithyousomeofthemostthought-provokingideasmycompanyhasevermade."theupbeattoneofthisopeningisenoughtomaketheaudienceinvestedinwhateverfollows..theskepticalaudienceopenadoubtingaudienceisadifficultaudiencetohandle.fromthestart,theymaynottrustyourideasortheycouldbeagainstwhatyouareproposing.whethertheyweredisappointedinthepastoriftheyaresimplystuckintheirways,theywillputupabrickwallinfrontofyou.themorehostilethecrowd,thefasteryoumustaddressthegap.blendingyourgoalsandtheneedsoftheaudiencerequiresacarefulcombinationofanticipatingthemajorobjections,avoidingdefensiveness,acknowledgingtheobvioustruthsearly,andunderstandingthedividedloyaltiesbetweentheintractable,theundecided,andthesupportive.identifywhichofthosemusthearyourmessageandadjustaccordingly..thepuzzleopenbrainteasersandmindpuzzlestendtocapturetheattentionofaudiencesthatliketobegivenmentalexercises.astheaudiencetriestofigureoutwhatitwilltaketosolvethem,theybecomehighlyengagedwiththepractice.capitalizeonthisbehaviorbyproposingariddle,askingapuzzlingquestionthatyoupromisetorevealintheend,andsuggestingthattheaudiencecompleteamathematicalequationandpromisingtogivetheanswercontextasyougoalongduringthespeech.alternatively,revealonepuzzlepieceafteranotherthroughoutthecourseofyourspeechtohelpyouraudiencefindtherightsolution..refertocurrenteventsbringingdocumentationofsomethingthatiscurrentlyrelevanttothepublicwillhelpyoutoillustrateyourpointthewayyouwantto.useacurrenteventstorythatisonthefrontpageofyourlocalnewspapertotransitionintoyoursubject,andholditupasyourefertoitinyourintroduction.thisservesasavisualimagetotheaudiencethattheywillkeepintheirmindsastheyseeyouholdupthisdocumentation.whentheyhearyoureciteorreadakeypointofthenewsstory,theywillcarefullypayattentiontoyou..refertoarecentconversationonewaytokeepthetopicyouwishtotalkaboutrelevanttotheaudienceistorefertoarecentconversationyouhadwithsomeoneattendingthispublicspeakingevent.hoursorminutesbeforeyougetonstagetoaddresstheaudience,youcouldbeengaginginathought-provokingconversationwithsomeoneinalobby,andthatpersonmighttellyouthatthisisoneofthebesttimestobeworkinginaspecificindustry.itislikelythatmanyaudiencememberswillsharethesameviewasthatperson,sowhenyoumentionthisconversationinyourintroductiontheywillhavesomethingtorelateto..theactivityopenanactiveaudienceisonethatwillbemorelikelytokeeplisteningtoyouafteryoufinishyourintroduction.keepinganaudiencepreoccupiedwithanactivityworkswellduringtrainingsessionsandworkshopswhenyouaretryingtoteachaspecificskill.engaginginactivityrightfromthestartallowstheaudiencetorecognizethebenefitsoflisteningtoyourmessage.theactivityhastobefunbutalsochallengingenough.iftheyquicklygetthroughittheywillspendtherestoftheworkshopsittingintheirchairsdoingnothing..thestudyhallopenifyouaresomeonewholovesusingdata-heavychartsandgraphstoillustrateyourpoints,youhavetobecarefulabouthowyoupresentyourdatatotheaudience.whiletheywanttobeinformed,peopleintheaudiencealsodon&#;twanttobebombardedwithtoomuchinformationallatonce.establishingaschoolsettinganddistributingpaperhandoutsofdatatoyouraudiencetobeginyoursessionhelpsthemtofollowalong.askthemtoreadthechartsandgraphs,andfollowingtheirreviewyouarewellonyourwaytomakingyourkeypoints..thepowerpointopenwhenpowerpointtechnologyisusedcorrectlyitisahighlyeffectivetoolfortheaudience.otherwise,itimmediatelymakesyourpresentationfeelboring.slidesthatareoverlyliteralwillfallflat,butconceptualandeye-catchingimagesgivestrengthtoyourwords.pickcaptivatingandintriguingimages.ifyoupresentatalkonhowtomakeicecream,youcouldbeginwithaslidethatshowsthefinishedproductofyouricecreambrand.describetheprocessofmakingicecreaminyourintroduction,andasyouproceedyoushowslidesinreverse,movingfromfinalproducttotheverybeginning.alongtheway,youguidetheviewerthrougheachstep..theaudioclipopenyourvoiceremainsfrontandcenterforyourtalk,butadditionalsoundscanbringmoreclaritytoyourmessage.yourwordswillbegivenmoremeaningwiththehelpofashortaudioclipasitmakesyourmessagemorememorable.ifyouareteachingamusicschool,youcanincludetwobriefaudioexcerpts,abeforeandafterofstudentinstruction.thoughyourwordsdomatter,theseclipscanhaveabetterimpactinpersuadingstudentstojoinyourschool.audiotestimonies,songrecordings,oralaccounts,andspeechsnippetsallmakeforgoodaudioclips..silenceasubtlepauseofsilence,evenifitextendstoonlyseconds,givesyouraudienceenoughtimetositandquietdown.mostaudiencesexpectaspeakertobeginrightaway.ifyouwanttogettheattentionofanaudience,takingthatextrapausewillhelpyourcause.peoplewillstartwonderingwhyyouarebeingsoquietastheygatheraround,andwhenyoubreakyoursilenceandstartspeakingyoucanusethatpausetoillustrateakeypoint.sometimesthemainchallengeinpublicspeakingeventsistogettheaudienceintoasilentstate..thechallengeopenaudienceswanttobechallengedandmotivatedtocontributetosomethingtheyfeelpassionateabout.openyourspeechwithachallengeifyouarelookingtoincreasesales,raisingmoneyforaproject,askingforvolunteers,orwantinglegislativechange.itisn&#;tjustaboutbuyingintoyourmessagebutalsotakingtheactionstomanifestit.startyourspeechwithsomethinglikethis:"leadersseepossibilitieswherefollowersseeobstacles.iamheretodaytocallforleaderstoencouragethosewhoareunsureabouttheprojecttolookpastthestumblingblockswefaceinthedevelopmentofthislocalparkandconsidergivingcitizensabetterenvironment.".multiplechoicetestpresentingyourownmultiple-choicetestcandrawyouraudiencetoyourtopic,andthisapproachistailor-madeforatalkwithmultipleperspectivesaboutanissueordifferentsolutionstothesameproblem.anexampleofthisopenwouldbetosaythefollowing:"asacompany,wehaveseveralrouteswecantakeregardinggrowthandincreasedsales.wecoulda)buysmallercompaniestodiversifyourportfolioofservices,b)moveresourcestofocusononlyafew,orc)wecouldopttofranchise.afterweevaluatetheseoptionstogether,iwilloffertheoptionthatithinkisthewayforustogo.".themysteryopentheoddsarelikelythatyouraudiencelovestosolvemysteries.whethertheyarereadinbooksorwatchedontelevision,mysteriesgrabtheattentionofpeoplesimplybecauseoftheuncertaintythatiswrappedaroundthem.whenusingthisopenpresentsomecluesonstage,regardlessofwhichsideoftheargumenttheyleantowards.remindtheaudienceofthesecluesthroughoutthespeechandencouragethemtocomeupwiththeirownconclusionsbeforerevealinghowyourmysterygetssolved..haveaudiencememberstalktoeachotherallaudienceswillbesittingclosetogetherinasettingwheretheywillbevisibleinfrontofyou,soyoumightaswelltakeadvantageofthis.encouragepeopletotalktoothersthataresittingnexttothem,andspecificallytoletthemknowwhattheywouldliketolearnfromyourspeech.encourageyouraudiencetodiscusswitheachotheranyparticularpoints.anycommandsorshowofleadershiponyourpartwilleasilyinfluencetheaudience,aslongasyoudoitwithconfidence..bringupstatisticsevenifyoudon&#;tbringanychartsorgraphstoillustrateyourpoints,simplymentioningimportantstatisticswillresonatewiththeaudiencetogetyourmessageacrosstherightway.statisticshavethepotentialtotriggertheemotionalappealoftheaudience.oneexampleofpresentingstatisticsinyouropenwouldbesomethinglike:"intherewere,homelesspeopleroamingthestreetsincalifornia.bythatnumberisexpectedtonearlydouble."thiskindofopenhighlightstheneedtoaddresstheproblemofhomelessnessbecausethestatisticispowerful,personalizedandsurprising..theunexpecteddefinitionopendictionariesareobviouslyaccurate,buttherearetimeswhenwordsgainmorepowerwhentheyareredefined.ifyouareavaledictorianandyouwanttosharehowmuchyourfellowstudentsmeantoyou,theopencangolikethis:"thedictionarydefinesclassmateasamemberofyourclass,butmydefinitionforyouallismuchbroaderthanthat.wewerefriends,teammates,andmentors.asworthyopponents,wechallengedeachotheronthefieldandintheclassroom.and,wenowcandefineourselvesasfellowgraduates."conclusionhowyoustartyourpresentationwilldependonwhatkindofpresentationyouaregiving,andwhattoneyouwanttosetforyouraudience.regardlessofwhichyouchoosetobeginwith,incorporatingoneofthesestrongtoolsintoyourspeechensuresthatyourpresentationisasuccessfromtheverystart.