How to Start your Presentation with Impact – Video

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Introduction: How to Grab Your Audience’s Interest in the First Seconds

This video explains why the most common opening lines fail to engage an audience and why you need something more meaningful than “Good morning, I’m here today to talk to you about…”. You’ll learn how these bland openings waste valuable seconds and how to replace them with something that genuinely sparks interest.

What you’ll learn: Creating Attention-Grabbing Speech Openings

• Why generic greetings weaken your opening
• Why phrases like “I’m here today to talk to you about…” add no value
• How these openings fail to give the audience any useful information
• What to consider instead for a stronger, more engaging start
• How to open with purpose, relevance and energy

Summary: Moving Beyond Bland Openings to Capture Attention Fast

Many speakers begin with lines that feel polite but offer nothing: “Good morning… I’m here today to talk to you about…” These phrases don’t inform, don’t excite and don’t give the audience a reason to listen. They’re filler — and they waste the most valuable moments of your talk. Instead, think about what you could say. Offer insight, relevance or a hook that gives your audience something to latch onto. When you replace empty phrases with a purposeful opening, you draw people in immediately and set a stronger tone for the whole presentation.

Mini FAQ: Opening Your Presentation With Impact

Why shouldn’t I start with “Good morning, I’m here today to talk to you about…”?
Because it adds nothing. Your audience already knows who you are and that you’re about to speak.

What makes a stronger opening?
Something relevant, interesting or surprising — anything that earns attention rather than filling space.

Do I still need to greet the audience?
You can, but keep it brief. Then move quickly to something that matters.

How do I decide what to say instead?
Think about what your audience care about most and start with a point that speaks directly to that.

Transcript (edited)

How can you grab their interest quickly? Starting with “Good morning, I am here today to talk to you about…” is one of the worst openings you can use. “Good morning” — yes, we know. “I’m here today” — we know that too. You’re not giving any useful information and you’re not grabbing interest. You’re just repeating obvious words. So think about what you could say instead.

Suggested Links

• Open your presentation with real impact
• Build a stronger, more engaging first line
• Understand what your audience want from your opening
• Avoid common presentation opening mistakes

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