The right start to a public speech is 50% of the success of the entire speech. Before you learn how to start speaking at a conference, prepare a greeting, an example plan, you need to consider the most important thing - time. A maximum of 6 seconds is allotted to make a first impression, and for the listener to form an attitude towards the speaker. The audience scans through nonverbal cues in your voice and body to see what and how you say. Experienced speakers devote 20% of their speaking time to the introductory part.
The beginning of the speech is like a movie trailer - short, catchy, a set of catchy points. The goal is to quickly captivate the audience. What's the point of speaking without the proper attention of the audience?
HOW AND WHY ORGANIZE AN OPENING CEREMONY
An opening ceremony is a formal event that marks the beginning, opening or launch of something new. It is important to carry it out without any hitches.
If a new plant or factory floor opens, the company’s managers not only want to celebrate another event in the life of their organization, but also plan to attract the attention of the public and the media to the enterprise.
If a new project is launched, its reputation will begin to form with the opening ceremony, thanks to which it is possible to attract sponsors and investors.
If a new store opens, the opening ceremony primarily attracts customers. In addition, with such an event, owners inform their competitors how serious they are about continuing to compete for customers.
From an internal corporate perspective, a well-organized opening ceremony is a reason for company employees to be proud of themselves. And this, in turn, raises corporate spirit, motivates employees to work better, etc.
However, if something goes wrong at such a large-scale and serious event, such an event risks remaining in the annals of history with a tarnished reputation.
“Whatever you call the boat, so it will float” - so if you do not want to ruin the reputation of the “new corporate brainchild” in the bud, make every effort to avoid mistakes and provide for several options for the development of events at once.
Program and script
In order for the opening ceremony to go as smoothly and professionally as possible, you need to draw up an event program and a detailed script in advance (Example). Try to take into account as many details and nuances as possible. If there are many participants in the celebration, instruct everyone in advance. It is important that everyone knows their entrance time, their role and the moment to leave the stage.
Who opens the object
It seems logical that the head of the company – the hero of the occasion – should cut the ribbon or press the “Start” button. But he rarely does it alone. Much more often, a famous politician, athlete, artist, public figure, etc. is invited to attract public attention.
Of course, it is necessary to take into account that the image of the invited person must correspond to the company’s brand values and be logically linked to the direction of its activities. That is, it would be strange to invite Nikolai Valuev to the opening of the “Everything for Cutting and Sewing” store.
Don't forget that a well-known politician or any other public figure who is active in politics can have a positive or negative impact on the company's image. It all depends on how the public perceives the political views of the invited guest.
If you are the organizer of the opening ceremony, then keep in mind that the more famous the invited person and the higher his status, the more difficult it will be for you to find an equivalent replacement in the event of force majeure. And this often happens with media and high-ranking people due to their extreme busyness.
In addition, many celebrities sometimes have an impressive rider - a list of requirements that the organizers of the event must fulfill in order for the star to attend it. And even the absence of a rider is still fraught with additional difficulties for the organizers of an event with the participation of invited celebrity guests: increased security, allocation of accompanying persons, special accommodation, dressing room, food and transfers of the appropriate level, etc. And this is not to mention the colossal costs of fees.
However, with the correct organization of the event, all efforts and expenses will pay off beyond measure, when the company’s image will skyrocket, and therefore interest in it from potential clients, partners and customers.
Who is hosting the opening ceremony?
The host of the opening ceremony is almost like a toastmaster at a wedding. The degree of interest of viewers and guests, including the press or television, depends on it. And even if your leader almost personally built the object being opened, you should not shift the responsibility of the leader onto him. Not only may he not have the abilities of a mass entertainer, but working as a presenter will not give him the opportunity to be a hospitable host and hero of the occasion: greet guests, accept congratulations, etc.
The best solution is to hire a professional presenter. In the case of organizing a budget version of the ceremony, think about who from your company’s team could cope with this difficult and specific task and not be offended by such a proposal (after all, this is already a social burden, and not the performance of direct work responsibilities). Do not forget that the best person to conduct the opening ceremony is the one who is well acquainted with the background and specifics of the object being opened, as well as with all the participants in the project.
Let's look at what options there may be for holding the opening ceremony.
Greeting at a public speaking: how not to cause a yawn
Most people are constrained by fear, tension from the attention of a group of people, and a strong desire to run away arises. Even professional speakers experience difficulties - they worry about how to start a public speech and quickly get into a productive state. Vladimir Gerasichev - head of the Business Relations company, an expert in the field of business education - admits that he does not like the first minutes of the speech, he needs to warm up, get into the flow. By the way, a great technique: honestly admit to the public how you feel. But truly experienced speakers do it competently.
How best not to start a speech:
- “Hello everyone, let’s get straight to the point...” Don't skip the greeting in public speaking. Don't jump straight to the main part until you've made contact. The audience has questions: “Who are you?”, “What is the benefit of your speech?” It's like inviting a girl to your wedding night without a first date.
- “Sorry, I’m not an experienced speaker, don’t judge strictly...” People’s mental reaction: “Then why did you come out? Prepare yourself, don’t waste your time!” This is not a winning way to start a speech at an academic conference or when defending an important business project. Such phrases raise doubts about the speaker’s competence. The audience is waiting for a leader, play the role of a confident speaker to the fullest.
- “How can you hear me..?” Do you think this helps create a successful image? It looks like an inept attempt to pacify the excitement, to achieve any response from the audience. Do not do it this way. Everything you do either works for you or against you.
- Duplicate information from presentation slides. People either read or listen. Why do you need a speaker if you can read the text?
RED RIBBON CUTTING
To organize a classic red ribbon cutting ceremony, you will need a red ribbon and scissors with a tray. In this case, you need to take into account who will stand and where. Diagram 1 shows the opening ceremony with the cutting of the red ribbon with optimal organization of space.
Red satin ribbon
The ribbon can be of any color, including with an inscription on it. The most popular, of course, is a red ribbon 5 cm wide. The length of the ribbon is calculated based on the number of people who will cut it. If several people are involved in cutting, then you need to allocate 1 meter for each. If one person cuts the ribbon, 1.5 meters of ribbon is taken.
Scissors
The elegance of a red satin ribbon can be lost if you cut it with kitchen or office scissors. For the red ribbon cutting ceremony, get yourself some golden scissors. At the same time, prepare as many pieces as there are people who will participate in the opening ceremony.
You can add gloss and solemnity to the ongoing event by carrying golden scissors not just in your hands, but on an elegant tray with a red pillow, on which a cut piece of satin ribbon will then lie (after cutting it should not fall to the ground).
Ability to convey information correctly
Any speech delivered by a speaker is a dialogue. Even if there are no direct questions to the listeners, there is interaction with the audience through gestures or facial expressions.
Words of greeting may or may not be approved by the listeners. For example, the posture of crossed arms on the chest can express one or another degree of mistrust. On the contrary, open palms show friendliness. But in order for such a dialogue to work, it is necessary to set up the audience for interaction, constantly maintaining contact with the listeners.
A welcome speech should not be very complicated, because even if people are oriented to the topic of the event, the perception of oral speech is significantly different from the perception of written speech.
It is necessary to maintain eye contact with the audience, ask questions that the audience will not answer, but which will show that the speaker is interested in their opinion.
And, of course, the speaker must be able to speak freely and confidently, without creating a tense atmosphere at the event. The speaker must have oratorical qualities: speech must be precise and expressive, sentences must be logically connected with each other.
A speaker is a person who is self-confident, emotional (in moderation), able to improvise and be in any situation.
Even in a short welcoming speech, it is important to have these skills so that the listeners have a good impression of the subsequent meeting.
LAYING THE FIRST STONE
Often the start of construction of an enterprise or building is marked by a symbolic laying of the first stone ceremony.
Traditionally, participants in such events are:
• management of the enterprise;
• government representatives (local/federal);
• representatives of the media;
• business partners.
In addition to resolving general issues, the organizer of an event of this format will need to ensure the participation of each of the listed groups. To do this, you need to prepare and send appropriate letters to relevant committees, invitations to business partners and journalists from publications of interest. In this way, information about the status of the participants can be collected, based on which the ceremony will need to be planned.
If investors are interested in the participation of the head of the region or other high-ranking speakers in the ceremony, the date of the event will depend on the schedule of officials.
Providing equipment and machinery
Laying the first stone is a ceremony that is usually held at the construction site of a future facility. For the organizer of a special event, this means that, with a high degree of probability, there will be no conditions on site for a comfortable ceremony: sheltered from bad weather and a presentable place for gathering and staying of participants, stationary toilet rooms, electricity, etc.
In this case, the organizer will have to rent a huge amount of relevant equipment, technology and structures: from tent structures with a floor and heating and low-noise electric generators to chairs and microphones.
Organization of space
The layout of the space organization is one of the most important points in the preparation program for the ceremonial laying of the first stone. Moreover, ideally, it is advisable to prepare two such schemes: a working one and one for guests.
The working diagram shows the “general plan”: the location on the territory of tent structures for the ceremony and service tents for catering[1], guest and technical arrivals, parking spaces for cars and buses, placement of generators and elements of the external design of the site - flagpoles, guy ropes, etc. .P. This diagram is convenient to use in the process of preparing an event (Scheme 2).
The guest diagram displays a “close-up” of the ceremony site - as a rule, this is a large tent or canopy with explicit or symbolic internal zoning: a press zone, a welcome zone, where arriving guests await the start of the event, a ceremony zone with a stage platform and, if the format requires seating arrangement with chairs placed in front of him for spectators. Such a scheme can be sent in advance to guests (or the appropriate protocol services) for review.
Having prepared plans for organizing the space at the site for the ceremonial laying of the first stone, do not forget that the organizer must also think through the movement of guests between objects on the site in advance. The route of movement of key guests is planned from the moment of their arrival at the event until the end of the ceremony.
What kind of stone are we laying?
Today, there are many companies that are ready to manufacture or decorate to order any stone for a symbolic bookmark, as well as a corresponding plaque according to an individual design, taking into account the company’s logo and style. If you are going to organize a special ceremony, then let every little thing be perfect, especially if this little thing is the main “hero” of the event.
Addressing a Stranger
In modern Russian, with the exception of some cases, there is no form of polite address. These are the exceptions:
1.
a man as
“young man” (if he is a young man) or “man” (if he is middle-aged or older).
To a woman
you can address yourself as “woman” (if she is an older lady) or “girl” (if she is a young or middle-aged woman).
It happens that not a single appeal is used at all.
2.
If your interlocutor introduced himself first
, you should use the same form that the interlocutor chose in your address.
3.
If your interlocutor has NOT introduced himself
, try to address him by his first name and patronymic (if you know them) or by his last name, for example, “Mr. Sidorov” / “Mrs. Sidorova”.
LOADING THE CAPSULE
Not always, despite the established name, a stone is laid. The action performed by the speakers - participants in the ceremony - is only a symbol of a new beginning, and this is often the installation of some art object or stele illustrating the profile of the future enterprise, the laying of a capsule, etc.
Alternatively, when construction begins, a time capsule is placed with a message for future generations.
The capsule can contain:
• object passport;
• photographs of builders and management;
• a list of people with the help of whom the project was able to be implemented;
• parting words from city authorities;
• parting words for future generations.
How to briefly say hello to a guy or girl in a friendly way
With a guy:
Hello my friend!
Buddy, how are you?
Hey, handsome!
Hello me!
Hello, my friend!
Hi bro!
Whats up man?! (from English “What's up, man” - “How are you, man”)
Hi dude!
With girl:
How are you, princess?!
How are you, beauty?!
Hello baby!
Hey baby!
Baby, you are fire!
Hello, sweetie!
OTHER SYMBOLICS OF THE OPENING
When the honorary participants of the ceremony press the symbolic “Start” button, the lines begin to move and the plant’s mechanisms begin to work. If the situation allows, the speakers put their signatures on the products that have just come off the assembly line.
If the opening ceremony takes place outdoors, it is possible to use other symbols: speakers planting trees, raising flags or opening a stele.
Regardless of the chosen option, every little thing must be of proper appearance and 100% functional - be it the fabric covering the stele, a tray with scissors, or a start button.
Firstly, because the guests of honor are in direct contact with these objects, and secondly, they get into the key frames of photographers and video reporters.
The meaning and role of a welcoming speech for the speaker and listeners
In order to win over your audience, you need to start any speech correctly. The mood of the audience and its interest in the topic of the speech depend on the first words of greeting.
If listeners like the speaker, his manner of speech, the peculiarities of the conversation, then subconsciously they are ready to perceive information with much greater attention.
The welcome text is an introduction during which listeners are immersed in the topic of the event and get to know the speaker. The success of the entire event depends on the greeting.
MEDIA AND PERPETUATION OF THE EVENT
If you plan to hold an opening ceremony with the participation of media representatives, take care in advance to compile and send a press release about your event to the appropriate editorial offices.
It can also indicate not only the organizational details of the upcoming event (purpose, date, time, location of the event), but also the history of the company opening the facility, a list of team members most involved in the work on the project, and their “profiles,” additional information about the object of discovery - history of creation, technical characteristics, prospects, etc.
Even if the media is present at the opening ceremony, invite your corporate photographer or cameraman to the opening area. The media make stories based on their own goals and objectives - to attract a certain audience, increase their own citation rates, etc. It is important for you to preserve the epoch-making moment for your corporate history in the form that you consider best.
Don't rely on others - organize everything yourself.
[1] Catering (English catering; from cater - “to supply provisions”) is a branch of public catering associated with the provision of services at remote locations, including all enterprises and services that provide contract services for catering for employees of companies and individuals on premises and on-site service, as well as providing services for events for various purposes and retail sales of finished culinary products. In practice, catering means not only food preparation and delivery, but also service, setting, table decoration, pouring and serving drinks to guests and similar services (https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catering).
Welcome Speech Sample
Welcoming speech by the rector of a famous university to graduates of a technical lyceum.
Good afternoon, dear graduates, teachers and parents! I am glad to welcome you to this hall today! We have all gathered here to celebrate a very important event in the life of our university and each of you. This university was built over 100 years ago. Physicists and mathematicians studied here.
Two of them received the Nobel Prize for outstanding achievements. Today our university is the best educational institution in the country.
I want to thank everyone who is present with us at this celebration, as well as those who participated in organizing the graduation. I would especially like to pay attention to our dear teachers.
Thanks to them, the students achieved results and are ready to study at the most prestigious universities in the country in the future.
And now the solemn moment has come for you! We all got together for the last time. Each of you will need to look for your own path that you will take in the future.
Today you will receive your certificates and see the concert that your parents and your classmates prepared for you.
May this day forever remain in the memory of each of you as a warm, bright memory! We will learn about your successes and be proud that you studied with us.
A lot has happened during your training within these walls, there have been many ups, downs and many more difficulties throughout your life.
And so now I wish you not to give up, move forward, achieving your goal! Good luck to you, good luck!
Of course, this is an approximate layout of the speaker's speech. When a person speaks on stage, he supplements his speech with different phrases and small stories.
We hope that this article will help you prepare for any public speaking and to compose your welcoming speech. We wish you confidence and eloquence!
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Sberbank in Kazan: reformatting continues
The children, who were brought to the celebration by regular clients of the bank, were especially happy with the fruits: after all, the best partnership traditions are passed on from generation to generation. The guests were treated to robots that can carry on small talk, tricks from the All-Russian cycling champion “Velotrial”, and classical music lovers from the performance of an actress from the Florida Violin Theater.
Meanwhile, the presenters announced the beginning of the ceremonial part. A new path in a new format The first to deliver a congratulatory speech was Vyacheslav Vdovin, deputy manager of the Bank of Tatarstan branch No. 8610 of Sberbank of Russia OJSC.
“Sberbank today is one of the largest banks in Central and Eastern Europe, it is the undisputed leader of the Russian financial services market,” he said. — And the leadership position obliges the bank to constantly improve and strive for new achievements.
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The cinema hall is a corner of culture in our city, where it will be possible to hold extracurricular activities, show program films on the history of our native land, social studies, geography, biology, and literature. Show classical music concerts and sports competitions with the participation of the national team. Special words of gratitude to Magna-Tech LLC - professional solution and software development, its commercial director Karpov S.A.
The material includes all the necessary parts, the action, details, technical conditions and protocol are described.
The art of public speaking Leshutina Irina • Use respectful address: respected, respected, dear, dear; deeply respected - with official congratulations, when addressing an elder, a boss, a manager.
Story about the event Explain why this event is exciting and useful, emphasize its significance and importance. For example: “Gifted children will build the future. Therefore, it is very important that we can transfer our knowledge and skills to them. The opening of the Center is the first step on our road to the future.”
And here is how the governor of the Penza region Vasily Bochkarev opens the exhibition. This is an exhibition of products from Penza small and medium-sized businesses. Bochkarev talks about its importance. You will need to do the same at your event. Look how enthusiastically Bochkarev speaks.
Have a nice holiday!
- There is a tour conducted by the head of the settlement.
- At the end of the excursion, in any form, acting. The head of the region is invited to write a wish in the “Book of Reviews” of the KFOR.
- The guests of honor enter the auditorium.
For example: “And now I am pleased to introduce you to our teachers. After this, the first students will cut the red ribbon, and a small festive concert will take place.”
But speech is not only the process of speaking itself, but also various speeches on a wide variety of topics in front of certain audiences.
Solemn speech from the school director at the line on September 1
On the long-awaited day of September 1, every child in the country begins a completely new time: first-graders take their first steps into the world of knowledge, high school students discover the next stages of understanding the depths of previously known sciences and new subjects. On this glorious autumn morning, the doors of all city and village schools are open to new inhabitants. Teachers are looking forward to meeting their future students, parents are excited to see off the children into the arms of a friendly team, the school director mentally repeats the solemn speech at the assembly on September 1, for fear of forgetting or missing out on something very important and necessary. After all, he is the head of the entire educational institution, the head of the pedagogical process, the “father” of all newly-minted schoolboys and schoolgirls. A ceremonial speech from the school principal at the assembly on September 1 is an integral part of the holiday, its official beginning or a beautiful end.
An example of a solemn speech by a school principal for a festive line on September 1
Dear friends!
Congratulations to all students, parents and employees of the education system on the beginning of the new school year!
The bell will ring, and a new great educational life will begin in classes, auditoriums, educational workshops, and scientific laboratories. Knowledge Day is perhaps the only holiday that affects the entire population of our huge country. I wish all the children exciting journeys into the world of knowledge and excellent friends for life, parents - a keen interest in knowledge and success in the studies of their children, teachers - grateful students and new heights in the art of teaching.
For many, September 1st marks the beginning of a new year, a new school year. May it lead to new knowledge and discoveries that will certainly bring success, happiness, luck and professional growth. Learn and live passionately! Happy new school year!
Story about the place of performance
You need to pay attention to the location of the performance. If there is a celebration in the house, you should definitely praise the owners and note the individual features of the home: good repair, style, beautiful garden.
A ceremonial event in honor of the opening of a center, store or salon must begin with a speech about it. You can add some numbers about statistics or a poem and song on the topic of development. Here we need information content so that everyone begins to imagine the place correctly.
It will be especially interesting to highlight the changes. Each site is unique in its own way. Thanks to the story about the place, you can pay attention to what new things have been brought in and what development paths are planned. This is especially true for opening shops and shopping and entertainment centers.
