How to start a speech with greeting
A common value we all share when we meet people, not only for the first time, is that we greet them. Greeting eases people up to expect a next thing—especially when the parties involved are not so familiar with one another.
There are many ways we greet, apart from the conventional ways—like, “hello”, “hi”, “gentle men and ladies”, “good morning”, “good....”
In this essay, I highlighted some of the non-conventional ways we can greet, and how to use greeting in the intro of your speech.
Non-conventional ways to greet
The weather or temperature of the venue.
A common trend or characteristics in your audience members —and, perhaps, poke some fun with it in the process.
The aesthetics of the venue: for example, how beautiful and hopeful members of your audience look; or how beautiful the venue looks.
Appeal to emotions by thanking audience members for their bravery (if at all), or express how you feel speaking in their presence.
There are other creative ways to greet.
Combine various forms of greetings creatively—for example, gratitude and aesthetics, conventional greeting and shared characteristics of your audience members.
Use the type of greeting that resonates well with you and your audience members and the purpose of your speech.
And after greeting, set the tone of your speech, that is highlight the key message(s) of your speech in a way that it will elicit surprise or expectation. Be poetic as you do this.
An example of greeting in a speech
“Hello Springfield! ...Look at all of you. Look at all of you. Goodness. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Giving all praise and honor to God for bringing us here today. Thank you so much. I am——I am so grateful to see all of you. You guys are still cheering back there? [to audience on left.]
Let me——Let me begin by saying thanks to all you who've traveled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today. I know it's a little chilly——but I'm fired up.
—Barack Obama— former US president.
In announcing his candidature for presidency of the United States of America in 2004, Barack Obama opened his speech by greeting the crowd and bonding with them for a moment.
“Hello Springfield! … You guys are still cheering back there….”, he said.
Obama combined different forms of greeting in this particular speech.
Apart from conventional greeting, “Hello Springfield!”, he expressed gratitude: “Thank you so much… Giving praise and honour to God… Let me begin by saying thanks.…”.
He acknowledged the weather or temperature of the venue (a shared characteristics): “I know it's little chilly…” ), the general mood of his audience members (another shared characteristics): “You guys are still cheering back there…”), and emotion(He thanked and acknowledged the sacrifices of his audience members, who “travelled far and wide to brave the cold today”.
He then set the tone of his speech by highlighting the key message of his speech.
"…We all come here for a reason", Obama said.
And what were those reasons?:
"...You came here because you believe in what this country can be: In the face of war, there can be peace; in the face of despair, there can be hope; in the face of a politics that has shot you out, ... you believe we can be one people...".
By setting the tone, he highlighted the issues that made up his speech.
Obama would try to hold the attention of his audience members by explaining why his presidency will pursue those issues.
Understand: Be subtle while setting the tone of your speech—not to let your audience members have the full picture of your speech beforehand. Use the element of surprise. You will only reveal the full package of your speech during the course of your entire speech. That's how you stand a chance to catch and sustain attention.
Greeting and story
Understand that beginning your speech with a greeting is similar in goal to beginning it with a story.
You are not going to dwell on your greeting or story. Instead use a greeting or story as instrument to connect with your audience members, reach shared beliefs, values, and experiences, and to prepare the ground to deliver your key message or takeaway.
Unlike a story, greetings may not have the advantage of conflict—at least obvious. But a greeting should not be lacking in images, action, and stories, so that conflict is intrinsic.
Present your greeting in a way that brings out images, memories, shared experiences in your audience members.
In Obama's speech, for example, the words “chilly”, “brave the cold today”, “traveled from far and wide”, “giving thanks and praise to God”, “you guys are still cheering back there” are rich in images, stories, and hidden conflicts.
Henceforth be conscious about using greeting in your speeches.