How a speaker can get people's attention

Let's return to public speaking tips. Speakers want the audience to pay attention right away. Great speakers gain attention in many different ways, but three methods are easy to use and work just fine. Suppose that you want to present a speech against excessive corporate downsizing. (Note: this is just an example of how to gain attention. I'm not an expert in corporate downsizing.)

1. Give a startling (true) fact. If this is your method, the startling fact ought to be your speech's very first sentence. Do your research so you're not caught giving a startling falsehood! GState your startling fact, then give your preliminaries ("thank you for inviting me," "greetings to our visitors," whatever)

Example of a startling fact: Contrary to what many executives think, companies that downsize often go downhill. That's why economist Bernard Baumohl calls it "dumbsizing." (Disclosure: I'm not an expert in corporate downsizing; this is just an example of a public speaking technique.)

2. A quotation. To work, the quotation needs to be well-phrased, relevant to your topic, and absolutely accurate.

Example: According to Ronald Henkoff in Fortune magazine, companies that repeatedly downsize, "rather than becoming lean and mean, often end up lean and lame."

3. Tell a story. A made-up story is OK as long as you're honest about it; a true one is even better.

Example: A leading restaurant chain downsized its wait staff. The company thought it was a great idea, but the new policy soon endangered customer service. The wait staff was overworked and customers felt neglected. The company may have saved staffing money, but it wasn't worth it. Hungry people don't want to sit around waiting for a server to show up.

And never begin your speech with a question or a tasteless joke. Never! Never!