Hobbies And Interests
Appetizers
The idea of using an appetizer as an introduction means that the audience is not only fully prepared for the speaker to come on stage, but also excited about it as well. This puts them in a more-receptive frame of mind. The speaker should write his own introduction, or appetizer, but the person introducing him should read it. The speaker can then come on stage when the audience's attention is focused clearly on him.
Key Question and Other Methods
Start a speech with a relevant question so the audience becomes involved right from the start. In this way, you grab their attention and hold onto it by solving the question with an answer that they will appreciate. You can use other methods to open speeches as well -- whether humorous or dramatic. You could start a speech with an amusing story or one that is rather more serious in nature, but the point of keeping your audience captured remains crucial.
Closing Speeches Effectively
Repetition allows the speaker to reinforce the central idea of the talk. If there is a moral involved, it is worth offering this to the audience when closing it. Anecdotes work well when finishing up a speech; they add a personal and informal touch to what could have been a very serious talk. The whole point of closing speeches by summarizing the main topics is so that the speech comes to a relevant and concise conclusion.
Feel Comfortable
Learning effective ways to open and close speeches means thoroughly knowing your subject and your audience -- what they're looking for, the solutions they're seeking and their desire to know more about the topic. It is about knowing your subject inside and out so you feel comfortable talking about it in every possible way.