How to Start a Speech
90-Minute Audio Program

Get Undivided Attention, Create Anticipation and Connect with the Audience in Two Minutes or Less.

Dear Public Speaker:

It's no secret that those first few tension-filled moments make or break your speech.

In that short, but crucial, time frame, you have to generate enough momentum to get your speech off the ground.

If you don't create that momentum, things go from bad to worse in an instant … but it feels like an eternity.

• The blank stares.
• Audience members impatiently looking at their watches.
• People sending "tweets" about who knows what!

The scene makes you feel deflated and defeated. It's like you've been punched in the gut and all the air has been sucked out of the room. You know you've lost the attention of the audience, but you have no clue how to get it back.

Unfortunately, that feeling in your gut gets worse when you realize you're not just losing attention … you're losing sales. You're losing opportunities for advancement. Even worse, your reputation is taking a terrible hit.

The start of your speech is not where you want to screw up.

The Challenges of Starting a Speech

There are three reasons that starting a speech is such an overwhelming obstacle for most speakers.

① You're never more nervous than when you start a speech.

The start of a speech is when your imagination goes into overdrive and you have visions of everything that could go wrong … like the audience slowly slipping into a coma while you bore them to tears.

That's a confidence killer few speakers ever rebound from.

② Conflicting "Expert" Advice

Search the internet, read books and peruse articles that teach you how to start a speech. Here's what you'll find:

• Always start with a joke
• Never start with a joke.
• Always thank the audience.
• Never thank the audience.
• Throw balls into the audience (I'm not making this up!)
• You only have 30 seconds before the audience decides if they're going to listen to you.
• Before you open your mouth, the audience has decided if they're going to listen to you.

How are you supposed to know which advice is correct?

③ Deciding how to start a speech is putting the cart before the horse.

Public speaking experts have been telling you "how" to start a speech.

• Tell a story.
• Use a shocking statistic.
• Begin with a quotation from a famous person.

Here's what they haven't been telling you:

• Deciding how to start a speech is only 1/3 of the process that successful speakers use to get the undivided attention of an audience.
   
• There are two crucial steps you need to take before you can decide how to start a speech. Skip those steps and you're setting yourself up for failure.

You Can Start Strong

Once you learn how to use the 3-step process for starting a speech, here are some possibilities to look forward to:

• Keep the audience on the edge of their seats anticipating what you'll say next.
   
• Calm the overwhelming waves of nervousness that threaten to sink you at the start of your speech.
   
• Break down the barriers and lower the defenses of resistant audience members by meeting them on common ground.
   
• Capture and keep the undivided attention of the audience in two minutes or less.

These are just some of the results you can expect after listening to the 90-minute audio program on "How to Start a Speech".

"Full of great tips and ideas that help take the fear, confusion and pain out of speech writing. This is the most complete work I have seen on the opening of a speech."

Lethia Owens
Personal Branding Expert, Lethia Owens International Inc.

20 Years Worth of Lessons in 90 Minutes

My name is John Watkis. I help business professionals give better speeches and get better results.

After reading a gazillion books on public speaking and speech writing, I realized everyone was teaching what to do and how to do it, but not when or why to do it. I've spent over 20 years learning the best ways to start a speech. Some lessons were harder to learn than others.

In 90 minutes, I'll shorten your learning curve and teach you everything I know about how to start a speech … minus the bumps and bruises.

The 90-minute audio program is available in two formats.

MP3 Download with 10-page PDF workbook $69.97

2 CDs with 10-page PDF workbook $89.97 (shipping incl)

LIMITED-TIME ONLY BONUS: ORDER BY JULY 3, 2010

Free 15-Minute Consulting Session ( $75 Value)

What You Don't Know About How to Start a Speech Can Hurt You and Your Reputation

• Discover the 3-step process master speechwriters have kept locked away in their secret treasure chests for centuries. Once you know the secrets, you'll have the key to creating captivating opening statements.
   
• 30 seconds? 60 seconds? Two minutes? How long before the audience loses patience, drifts off and takes a mental vacation? The answer will surprise you.
  
   
• 16 different ways to start your speech, so you'll never be stuck for a fresh approach that engages your audience.
   
• The 7 most common "roles" the opening of your speech will serve. Can you name them all?
   
• Location, location, location. Find out how this 8-letter word quickly gives your speech momentum.
   
• Want the audience to feel like you're an insider? 10 critical questions you must know the answer to.

“John is perhaps the most engaging, humorous and relevant speaker I have had the pleasure of working with. I was so intrigued with his presentation on the topic of "How to Make Your Speech Sound Like Music to Their Ears!" that I brought John to London to present to the local chapter of my speakers' association. He did not disappoint!”

Mia Doucet
Managing Director, Sales Development Institute

Major Mistakes … Are You Making Them?
 

• Do you like to begin with a bang? Discover why that technique will eventually blow up in your face.
   
• Three things you should never, ever do when you start a speech. The audience will be more likely to forgive you if you're flatulent.
   
• Are you trying to make the opening the most memorable part of your speech? Avoid this recipe for disaster that will wreck your chances of persuading the audience to buy from you or see your point of view.
   
• Should you start with a joke? Or should you avoid jokes at all costs? Learn when it's appropriate to start with a joke and when it can do irreparable damage to your speech and your reputation.

“John Watkis is truly gifted as a speechwriter and speaker. What a combination! I have seen John hold an audience in the palm of his hand and elicit laughter with seemingly no effort (he only makes it look easy). Best of all, he leaves the group with key messages they'll always remember.”

Donna Papacosta
Owner, Trafalgar Communications

"Insider" Secrets That Strengthen Your Start
 

• Will you be using an introduction? Learn how to create a compelling introduction that gives you credibility before you even say a word.
   
• When the unexpected strikes, does your confidence crumble like a cookie? Learn how to stay cool, calm and collected so your credibility gets a boost in the eyes of the audience.
   
• Are there "status gaps" between you and the audience? Uncover the gaps and learn how to build a bridge that allows communication to flow freely.
   
• Will your audience be in the mood to listen? Find out which red flags indicate your audience "has a headache" and will have trouble getting excited about the speech.
   
• Do you have to deal with hostile audiences that want to shoot the messenger? You'll be equipped with the steps of how to craft bulletproof openings that deflect and disarm hostile energy.
   
• Breathe easier knowing you have inside information you can share that will automatically endear you to the audience.
   
• Uncover the "wild card" that will keep your audience engaged and give you more time to establish your credibility. It's so simple, you'll want to kick yourself for not knowing it.

"John provided a unique perspective on how to develop and deliver meaningful content that would be remembered, repeated and responded to by audiences. His presentation was practical, interactive, entertaining - and very fresh. I could see even the veterans in our chapter were furiously taking notes. That's the highest endorsement any presenter could ask for."

Michel Neray,
Chief Differentiation Officer, The Essential Message

Tips & Tricks For Your Toolbox
 

• Master the art of the sneak peek. You'll whet the appetite of your audience and leave them wanting more.
   
• Slowly reel in your audience and hook 'em using one simple time-tested, fail-proof technique. Hint … it's something you do in your everyday conversation.
   
• When you use a statistic to start your speech, do you know the "next step" on the critical path to making the numbers meaningful? If you don't, you may as well tell them about last night's sports scores.
   
• Speaking to a skeptical audience of experts? Use this sure-fire strategy to open their minds so they hear you out.
   
• Learn how to get your audience laughing early and often. You can do it even if you've been told you don't have a funny bone in your body.
   
• A seldom-used strategy you can use to position yourself as an authority and thought leader on your topic. When you use it, the audience will be putty in your hands.

Here's What You Get

• The complete 90-minute recording on 2 CDs or in MP3 format.
   
• A comprehensive 10-page PDF workbook. Have you ever forgotten a great idea because you failed to write it down? The 10-page workbook will allow you to capture your best ideas, remember them and use them when you need them most.

Plus … For A Limited Time Only!
Free 15-Minute Consulting Session ($75 Value)

To take advantage of this offer and jump-start your speech-opening strategy, you must order by July 3, 2010. After that, the offer vanishes!

Once you've listened to the 90-minute recording and written the opening for your speech, you still might feel hesitant about whether or not you've mastered the techniques to capture the attention of your audience. A 15-minute phone consultation with me will fix that.

Before the consultation call, I read through your speech opening — word by word and line by line — and pinpoint everything that gives your speech momentum. Then I weed out the words and phrases that prevent you from connecting with the audience.

I normally charge $300 for a one-hour consultation call, but we won't need 60 minutes to make your opening a masterpiece. 15 minutes will be enough time to polish your opening and answer any questions you have about how to create a captivating opening every time you give a speech.

To make sure you get the most out of the call, I'll record the conversation and send it to you in MP3 format. That way you don't have to fuss and furiously write things down when we speak, because you know you can go back and listen to the recording as often as you would like.

Once you order the "How to Start a Speech" recording, I'll send you an email with the details on how to cash in on your $75 bonus and set up your FREE 15-minute consultation call.

Remember … this offer is only valid until July 3, 2010. After that, you'll have to pay for the consultation call.

Order the 2-CD set with 10-page PDF workbook $89.97

Download the 90-minute MP3 with 10-page PDF workbook $69.97

How to Pay

You can pay online by credit card or PayPal using our secure server.

CD recordings will be mailed (U.S. Postal Mail) within 24 hours of your purchase. You will immediately be given access to the 10-page PDF workbook.

When you order the MP3 version, you will be given immediate access to download the recording and 10-page PDF workbook.

If you prefer to pay by check or money order, please make it payable to "Well Written, Well Said " and mail to:

6039 Cypress Gardens Blvd. #192
Winter Haven, FL 33884

Satisfaction Guaranteed!

I want you to be 100% satisfied that this teleclass delivers on its promises. I'll give you 90 days, risk-free, to listen to the recording and implement the techniques I recommend. If you try the techniques in this teleclass and they don't work for you, I'll give you your money back. That way, you risk nothing.

Order the 2 CD set with workbook $89.97

Download the 90-minute MP3 with workbook $69.97