2. Building
a Strong Opening [1]
Things to Avoid When Presenting
- Apologetic beginning (I'm pretty nervous so I hope you'll
bear with me; I'm not sure that I'm qualified; Sorry the
room is too small.)
- Potentially offensive beginning (off-color joke)
- Excessively flattering openings (I am deeply humble
to stand before such an illustrious group.)
- Gimmicky beginning (Write SEX on blackboard - "Now
that I have your attention.")
- Statements like "Before I begin" (you already
have), "I did not have time to prepare my comments"
(so why are you speaking) or "When I gave this speech
last week" (Let me think I'm special.)
- Wrong names (If you have to acknowledge a VIP, do it
as the second item in your introduction, and be sure you
have the names correct.)
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[1] Adapted with permission from Soil
and Water Conservation District Outreach: A Handbook for Program
Development, Implementation and Evaluation . Ohio Department
of Natural Resources, Division of Soil and Water Conservation, 2003.
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