Playing music as you walk up to the presentation area and for a few seconds before you start to speak shares your personality and gets the audience’s attention. This works best if you can reference the lyrics or artist as the music fades and you begin your presentation.  If you don’t have music that can tie to your presentation, you can use a song with the theme of beginning. For example, if you are presenting at a sales meeting, play some soft jazz as participants enter. Then, when it’s time for you to start, play the Black Eyed Peas chorus of “Let’s Get it Started” to get your audience’s attention. You can then open with an energetic “Good morning!” or “Good Afternoon” as the music ends. Remember to choose music that’s appropriate to the event. An academic conference may not be the best place for pop music, for example (unless you are presenting research on pop music, of course). Share a short, relevant quote before you say your name. This can get your audience interested in the topic. It’s even better if the author of the quote is a big name in the industry you are speaking to. The audience will recognize the name and it will lend credibility to your presentation.  For example, if you are presenting on the design of a new user-friendly coffee machine, you may start your presentation by referencing Elon Musk: “Any product that needs a manual to work is broken,” and then go on to say “My name is Laurie Higgens, and my coffee machine doesn’t come with a manual.” Speak briefly about your relevant experience and qualifications, and then dive into presenting your design. Avoid cliche or overused motivational quotes the audience has probably already heard many times. Be sure to correctly cite your quote. Starting by presenting a statistic that illustrates a problem that your presentation will address or attempt to solve can be a great attention-grabbing move. In many cases, the audience might not even realize there is a problem until you point it out to them. Once you do, they will be more alert and invested in hearing solutions from you.  For example, you might start with “According to Time magazine, Americans filled 4.3 billion prescriptions and doled out $374 billion on medicine in 2014.” Then, introduce yourself and your qualifications in medical research and transition into a presentation about how to prevent doctors from over prescribing medication to their patients. Remember to cite the source of your statistics. You will look more professional and reliable, and the audience will be able to follow up on the information if they wish. Asking a question transforms your audience into participants. Try to pick universal situations that everyone in the audience will have some experience with or opinion about. Make sure it ties directly into your presentation material, too.  If you are giving a presentation about a new airport security-friendly travel bag, try starting your presentation with “How many of you have ever stood in line at airport security and nearly missed your flight?” You can also invite your audience to close their eyes and imagine something as you lead up to your question. Don’t be discouraged if your audience doesn’t raise their hands when you ask a question. Sometimes these questions seem more rhetorical to an audience, or maybe they are just shy. You can often see signs that they are still engaging with the question if people are nodding or smiling after you ask it. Laughter can create an instant connection between a speaker and the audience. Start your introduction by making fun of yourself or exaggerating your own experiences in a humorous way. Don’t overdo the humor. Make it natural without trying to force a laugh. Be sure that any jokes or ironies you use are appropriate for the context in which you are speaking.  Try telling stories, showing pictures on a powerpoint, or using quotations. Being funny not only puts your audience at ease, but it also helps them remember you after the presentation. Giving a presentation can be a very lonely and isolating experience. If you have a small audience, however, you can involve them in your introduction. After you introduce yourself, ask the audience members to introduce themselves and state a question or concern that relates to your presentation topic. You will take a bit of pressure off yourself, keep your audience alert, and get to know them at the same time. For example, if you are making a presentation about a pizza delivery app, ask your audience members to tell their name, their favorite pizza topping, and a situation where they’ve had a particularly amazing or awful experience with food delivery.
Set the mood with music to get the audience energized. Use an attention-grabbing quotation before you introduce yourself. Get the audience thinking by leading with a revealing statistic. Connect to the audience and invite them to reflect with a question. Employ humor to relax yourself and the audience. Involve the audience if you are presenting to a small group.