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Every once in a while, a study pops out that proves the importance of
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the first few seconds of a speech.
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Often the conclusion is that the first impression would be the most
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important part of your speech.
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Yet, one crucial aspect usually gets overlooked by these studies.
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And here it is.
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Great speeches are often great from the start.
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Not the other way around.
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As humans, we are quite good at estimating the quality of
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a talk from a few impressions.
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Body signals, voice signals, but also the clarity and the text.
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We're super quick to make first estimations based on these signals.
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Amazingly often these estimations prove to be correct.
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Here's the pitfall.
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The speech is not great because it begins great.
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The beginning is just an accurate snapshot that we base our estimation on.
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Judging from a short snapshot of the middle or the ending of a great speech
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would quite likely predict the quality of the speech just as accurately.
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So, great speeches are usually great throughout the entire
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duration of the speech.
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Because the speaker cares, actually knows what they're talking about,
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prepares well, and rehearses thoroughly.
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It's a mistake to focus on the beginning of the speech as the deciding factor.
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If only because great speeches exist, that started poorly and vice versa.
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So the better strategy is to make a great speech and make it great from the start.
