On Saturday I attended an all-day workshop for educators.  Our first presenter was an attorney who did such an excellent job with his opening that I feel compelled to write about it!

In my experience, if you want to engage your audience, it is critical to begin any presentation with the Three C’s: connection, credibility, and common cause.  Here are a few thoughts on each, along with examples from our attorney.

Connection

With most audiences, I recommend starting with a personal connection.  What do you have in common with the group?  How are you similar in thinking, background, approach, etc?  Our Saturday presenter started his talk by letting us know that he had been a teacher (with Teach for America) and that he is married to a teacher.  You could see the smiles spread around the room of educators instantly!

Credibility

Next comes what you know and how you know it.  What gives you the credibility to talk to the audience about this topic?  Our attorney let us know that he want to law school at Notre Dame and that he had been specializing on the day’s topic for more than 10 years.

Common Cause

This last item sounds a bit like “connection” but it means something different.   Connection helps your audience to relax.  They feel safe because they feel like you have said that you are like them, not better than them.  Common cause is about the bigger purpose that unites you and the audience.  Our attorney told us that he does what he does because he wants to improve the quality of education in America.  So did we!  Why else would we be at an 8-hour workshop on a Saturday?

For more ideas telling stories that help you connect with and engage your audience, check out Annette Simmon’s book, The Story Factor.

For some specific techniques to use at the start of your talk, check out this great blog post from presentation advisor, Jon Thomas:  5 Ways to Start Your Presentation Off Strong.