THE OPENING MOMENTS OF A PRESENTATION ARE CRITICAL TO ITS OVERALL SUCCESS. People form opinions about speakers quickly, and once they do, their first impressions can prove difficult to reverse. A strong beginning gives audiences confidence that you're going to deliver a message worth hearing, and takes advantage of your presentation's opening minutes, when listener attention is at its peak. This book will introduce you to a broad range of speech starters, using dozens of real-life examples and original suggestions. You will find opens intended to surprise, persuade, motivate, engage, and amuse your audiences. Some tell a story, others help frame your topic, and a few rely on modern technology. In 101 Ways to Open a Speech, you will learn: - How to captivate your audience from your first words - Why there are actually three opens for every speech - How to select the right open for every occasion - How to connect your open to your speech topic - How not to begin a presentation 101 Ways to Open a Speech is the first and only in-depth book to focus solely on the open itself, and is an indispensable desktop reference for everyone who ever presents to any audience.