5 icebreakers to open your speech

The beginning of a speech is no different from the beginning of a book, song or movie: It has to capture the attention of the audience fast—or you’ll lose it.

Once the audience is lost, it’s very hard to get them back.

Enter the icebreaker. Icebreakers hook listeners and ensure they commit to listening to every word you say.

However, like six-pack abs, icebreakers are something everyone wants but few can produce. Never fear—here are five tips you can use to start your next speech:

1. Break some news.

Most human beings like to be “in the know.” We feel good when we have the inside scoop, the latest intel, the word on the street.

Make your audience feel good by sharing a bit of news with them. It can be big or small news, current or current-ish. Share an article you read in the paper that morning, or the fact the cafeteria just ran out of three-bean salad. It could be news about the Dow Jones taking a hit, or that you passed an accident on the way to your speech.

Do your best to tie in the news with your topic. For example, we all do the same thing when we see a car accident—we remember that life is short and fragile. That concept of the fragility of life can tie in with a speech on the power of good nutrition for our health. You get the idea.