The document provides techniques for effective presentation openings, emphasizing the importance of engaging the audience within the first three minutes. It outlines three main 'hook' strategies: presenting a problem, sharing amazing facts, and telling stories or personal anecdotes. Additionally, it discusses the significance of signposting to guide the audience through the presentation structure.

1. Giving Presentations
Openings, Signposting

2. Effective Openings
• The first three minutes of a presentation
are the most important.
• The speaker needs a ‘hook’, a simple
technique for getting attention.
• A good start makes the speaker feel
confident.

3. Effective Openings
• Three ways of ‘hooking’ your audience:
– Give them a problem to think about.
– Give them some amazing facts.
– Give them a story or a personal anecdote.

4. Effective Openings
• Problem Technique
1. Suppose ……………………………………
How would you ……………………………
2. Have you ever wondered why it is that …..?
You have? Well, if I could show you ………
….. would you be interested?
3. How many people here this morning ……..?
Well, imagine ………………………………
….. Do you think that is possible?

5. Effective Openings
• Amazing Facts Technique
1.Did you know that ………………………..?
2.According to the latest study, ………..….,
3.Statistics show that ………………………..
4.I read somewhere the other day that ……

6. Effective Openings
• Story/ Anecdote Technique
1.You know, ………………………………..
When I think about ……………………….
I’m reminded of …………………………..
2.Have you ever been in a situation where
…………….?
I remember when …………………………
It turned out ……………………………….

7. Signposting
• What you say - the content - is more
important than anything else.
• Structure helps
• When moving to the next point or when
changing direction, tell the audience.

8. Signposting
• Signposts to guide your audience
through your presentation:
To move on To expand on
To digress To go back
To recap To conclude
To summarize To turn to
To elaborate on

9. Signposting
• Neat, short signposts are more
effective.
• Keep it simple
OK. So ……………..

10. Signposting
• Neat, short signposts are more
effective.
• Keep it simple
OK. So ……………..