Missed opportunities

The introduction is probably the single biggest missed opportunity in many presentations.

What’s the purpose of your first sentence?

Some people would probably answer it’s to introduce yourself. Or to welcome everybody. Some would answer to provide an overview of what follows. Others disagree and answer that one needs to tell a story. Or cite a surprising statistic. Build rapport with the audience by making a local reference.

While any of those might be valid introductions, this misses the point.

The purpose of the first sentence is to make your audience want to hear the second one. And, of course, the purpose of the second sentence is to make your audience want to hear the third one.

Does yours?