The opening statement and the conclusion are the 2 most important parts of a speech. If you don’t grasp the audience’s attention with the first few lines, more times than not you’ve lost them. If you can hook them, reel them in, and leave them with a lasting nugget of wisdom then you’ve succeeded. Will we remember an entire speech? Maybe yes maybe no, but if you’ve got some good solid lines in there – I can almost guarantee you that those will be remembered.
How many of you can recite back the lines of your favorite books or movies? There are memorable lines from Shakespeare plays, Godfather movies, musicals, song lyrics, poems, and speeches. There are famous quotes that stick with me, as well as the non-famous (like the things my parents or grandparents said when I was growing up).
On any given day you can watch a reality TV show and still walk away with a line that will stay in your head to the point that you’ll say it in sync with whoever is saying it. (Please don’t judge at the number of reality shows I like to check in on.) You might smirk when the Bachelor is on because you KNOW the host, Chris Harrison will walk out to remind you ‘…Ladies, it’s the final rose … when you’re ready.’ Or Jeff Probst on Survivor will say, ‘I’ll go tally the votes.’ One of my favorites is when the host of the cooking show Chopped lifts the lid on the losing plate and says, ‘Let’s see whose plate is on the chopping block.’
Think of your words carefully (whether spoken or written) and always share your wisdom and laughter with others. You could unknowingly inspire, motivate, lift a spirit, or remind someone they’re not alone all with a well chosen word.
Today I’ll leave you with something I heard this week while watching this season’s premiere of Dancing with the Stars. One of the show’s judges, Bruno Toniolo, said, ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression.’ How good is that?
What are some of your favorites?
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