The objective of the opening

Capture attention in the first 7-30 seconds.

The beginning of any public speech is the most critical moment of the entire speech.

Studies on the psychology of attention indicate that the speaker has an extremely small window of opportunity, ranging from 20 to 30 seconds, to convince the audience that he or she is worth listening to.

In today's digital context, this window has narrowed even further, becoming similar to the behavior of a user who decides to "skip the ad" in an online video after just five seconds.

If a powerful hook is not offered in those initial moments to justify the listener's time investment, attention will be irremediably dispersed.

The primary objective of the opening is not to inform, but to sell the idea that what comes next is valuable.

It is necessary to make an implicit or explicit promise about the benefit to the audience, whether it is solving a problem, acquiring a skill, or discovering a hidden truth.

If the beginning is predictable and boring, the viewer's brain labels the talk as "background noise" and switches off.

Therefore, the first words must be designed with surgical precision to break inertia and generate immediate impact.

Avoid "Hi, I'm..." and apologies.

One of the most common and destructive mistakes is to start with bureaucratic formalities or apologies.

To start by saying "Good morning, my name is X and I'm here to talk about Y" is to waste the most valuable seconds on information that is generally already known or irrelevant to the emotional connection.

The personal introduction should be relegated to the background and integrated later once interest has already been captured. Even worse is to start by apologizing.

Phrases such as "Sorry I'm late," "I'm a little tired today," or "I didn't have much time to prepare" act as an immediate sabotage of one's authority.

By verbalizing these excuses, the speaker deva lues himself and predisposes the audience to expect a mediocre performance.

The audience does not need to know the speaker's logistical or personal difficulties; they need a confident leader on stage.

Banning apologies and extended protocol greetings is the first step in projecting professionalism and respect for the audience's time.

Summary

The beginning is critical as you have thirty seconds to capture attention. You must sell the idea of value to prevent the audience from irremediably disconnecting.

Avoid bureaucratic presentations or unnecessary apologies that sabotage your authority. The audience needs a confident leader and not to know about your logistical problems or personal fatigue.

Prohibiting lengthy protocol greetings projects professionalism and absolute respect. Design the first words with surgical precision to break inertia and generate immediate impact.