SPEECH OPENINGS

How to start a speech

A chatbot can hand you twenty openings in a minute. Then you have to pick one that sounds like you, walk up and say it to a room full of people.

The opening is the one part of a speech you can plan word for word, and it has two jobs. It gives people a reason to listen, and it tells them what you're going to talk about. Then you move on to your first point. Below are seven ways to open, sample first lines for different occasions, what to skip and how to practice.

How to start a speech in four steps

Walk up, put your notes down and find a friendly face. Take one breath before you say anything.
Give your hook, using one of the seven openings below.
Say what the talk is about and why it matters to these listeners, in a sentence or two.
If the talk runs longer than a few minutes, say how it's laid out: "I'll cover three things: what happened, what we changed and what's next." Then start the first one.

A greeting before the hook is fine when the event expects one, like "Good morning, everyone" at a school assembly. Keep it to one line. If someone just introduced you, skip your name.

7 ways to start a speech, with examples

Pick the one that fits your topic and the room. The sample lines are made up.

1. Start in the middle of a story

Skip the background and drop people into a moment: a place, a time and something going wrong. You can explain how you got there once they're listening.

"It was 6 a.m., and I was standing in an empty parking lot with 200 flyers for a charity run nobody had signed up for."

2. Ask a question they can answer in their heads

Pick a question almost everyone in the room can say yes to. Wait a beat before you go on, so they have time to answer it. If you want a show of hands, raise yours first so people know what to do.

"Have you ever hit send on an email and wished you could pull it back?"

3. Say your point first

Give your conclusion in the first sentence. It suits meetings and persuasive speeches, where people want to know where you stand before they hear why.

"We should cancel our weekly status meeting. Here's what I'd do instead."

4. Use a number that matters to them

Use a number only if it's true, you can say where it came from and it's about the people in the room. Round it so they can hold it in their heads.

"Last month our team answered about 9,000 support emails. Almost half of them asked the same question."

5. Ask them to imagine something

"Imagine" puts people inside the problem you're about to solve. Keep the picture small and specific.

"Imagine it's your first day at a new job. Nobody has told you where to sit, and your laptop won't let you log in."

6. Open with a quote you've checked

A quote works when it's short, the room hasn't heard it many times and your next sentence ties it to your point. Famous lines often get pinned on the wrong person, so look one up before you name its source. Quote Investigator traces where many of them came from. A line from someone the audience knows, like a coach or the person you're toasting, can work better than a famous one.

"My first manager told me, 'If it doesn't fit on a sticky note, you don't understand it yet.' Everything I show you today fits on one."

7. Mention the room or the moment

Point to something everyone there shares: the last speaker, the weather or the reason you're all in the room. It tells people you're talking to them, today.

"Two hours ago this room was empty, and Maria was taping signs to the doors. Thank you, Maria."

Example openings for school, weddings and more

The speakers and details are made up. Swap in your own.

A class presentation or school speech

"Raise your hand if you've ever studied for a test that got moved. Keep it up if you forgot it all by the new date. That's my topic today: how to study so it sticks."

A student council speech

"The water fountain by the gym has been broken since September. I checked. If you elect me, it's the first thing I'll push to fix, and I'll tell you how."

A speech about yourself

Lead with one specific detail instead of a list of facts. "I've moved eleven times. Each time, I learned that the first person to say hello becomes your friend, so today I'm saying hello first." In a job interview, see how to answer "Tell me about yourself".

Introducing another speaker

Give the room a reason to listen and save the speaker's name for last, so it's the cue to clap. "Our next speaker has rescued more late projects than anyone I know, and she's never once raised her voice. Please welcome Dana Park."

A wedding toast

Say who you are and how you know the couple, then go straight to a story. "For anyone who doesn't know me, I'm Sam's older brother. I've known him for 31 years and been blamed for most of them." For the rest of the toast, see how to practice your wedding speech.

A eulogy

Start with who the person was to you, through one small detail the room will recognize. Humor is fine if it sounds like them. "Anyone who visited my grandmother knows the jar of buttons on her kitchen table. Every one of her grandkids learned to count with it."

A persuasive speech

Open with the problem as the audience lives it, then say what you want. "Most of us waited more than ten minutes for the 42 bus this week. I'm asking the city for two more buses at rush hour, and I'd like your signature."

How to start a presentation at work

At work, people want to know early what you need from them. Open with the decision, the problem or the result.

Say what you want by the end: "By the end of this meeting, I'd like a yes or no on moving the launch to March."
Leave the title slide up while you give your hook. There's no need to read it out.
Put the agenda after the hook, or drop it if the talk is under ten minutes.
On a video call, use someone's name or ask the group a question early. It's harder to tell who's listening when you can't see the room.

To rehearse the whole thing, see the best app to practice a presentation.

Openings to skip

Apologies, like "Sorry, I'm not much of a speaker" or "I'll try to keep this short." They tell people to expect less.
Telling the room you're nervous. If it slips out, smile and go to your hook.
"Is this on?" Test the microphone before people sit down.
"Today I'm going to talk about..." as your first words. Say your topic after the hook.
A dictionary definition. Most audiences have heard "Webster's defines..." many times.
A joke you haven't tried on anyone. A true story that happens to be funny is safer.
A long list of thank-yous. Thank the host in one line, then begin.

How to say your first 30 seconds

Learn your first two or three sentences word for word, so they come out even with your heart racing. How to memorize a speech has a method.
Say your first sentence slower than feels natural. If you rush when you're nervous, see how to talk slower.
Pause after your hook and before the line that matters most. A beat of silence gives each one time to land.
Let your sentences end on a lower note so they sound sure. If yours rise at the end, see how to stop upspeak.
Look at one person for each sentence, then move to someone else.

How to practice your opening

Write your first three sentences. Read them aloud and change any word you trip on.
Stand up and say them from memory, the way you will on the day.
Record a take on your phone and play it back. Check that you started without "um" or "so", paused after your hook and reached your topic within 30 seconds.
Do five takes and change one thing each time. Then say it to a friend and ask what they remember.
On the day, say it out loud once more before you leave.

Give the opening more takes than any other part of the speech, and the ending nearly as many: how to end a speech has seven closings. How to record yourself practicing a speech covers the setup.

Practice your opening with an AI coach in Charisma Lab

Charisma Lab is a speaking coach on your iPhone. In Speak, tap the center and tell the coach you're practicing the opening of a speech. Say your first few lines. A pause of about two seconds ends a take, and you hear it played back. Then the coach tells you what to fix and sends you back in.

To drill the pause before a big line, Train's Strategic Pause is open from the start in the Presence track. It hands you a line like "The most important thing is... consistency." and times your pauses as you say it. A take passes when you say at least half the line, including its key word, and your pauses average between 0.4 and 1 second. Setup is free and includes a short live session with the coach. After that, Speak and Train need Pro, which is $14.99 a month in the US. See pricing.

Get the app

FAQ

What is the best way to start a speech?

It depends on the room. For most speeches, a short story or a question the audience can answer in their heads works well. At work, start with your point or the decision you need.

How do you start a speech in school?

Greet the room in one line if your teacher expects it. Then give your hook, like a question for the class or a short story, and say your topic in one sentence.

Should I introduce myself at the start of a speech?

If someone has already introduced you, no. If not, say your name and why you're speaking in one sentence, just before or just after your hook.

How long should the opening of a speech be?

Short. In a five-minute speech, aim to reach your first point within about 30 seconds. In a longer talk, take a minute or two at most.

Is it OK to start a speech with a quote?

Yes, if it's short and the audience hasn't heard it many times. Tie it to your point in the next sentence, and check who really said it first.

How do you start a presentation?

Say what you need from the room, or open with the problem the presentation solves. Leave the title slide up and skip reading it aloud.

What should you not say at the start of a speech?

Skip apologies, "Is this on?" and a long list of thank-yous. Save "Today I'm going to talk about..." for after your hook.

More practice guides

Updated November 2, 2026.