Sites like

tonsofthanks.com
Alternatives

Freethankyounotes.com

Morethankyounotes.com

THANK YOU NOTE WORDING FOR ALL OCCASIONS

Beautiful thank you note wording examples for weddings, baby showers, birthday, friendship, sympathy, interviews, business referrals & more. FREE resource!

Thank-you-note-samples.com

Thank You Note Samples - Thank You Note Samples

Free thank you note samples for the gift, the interview, the donation, the dinner... thank you notes to your teacher, your boss, and more.

Thank-you-note-examples-wording-ideas.com

Sample Thank You Notes Wording - Business And Personal

Tons of messages of thanks and appreciation. Free sample thank you notes, thank you for condolences, birthday wishes, professional and personal thank you messages

Vantagecircle.com

Global Employee Engagement Platform - Vantage Circle

Vantage Circle is a Global Employee Engagement Platform to create great workplaces using solutions for Employee Rewards & Recognition, Corporate Wellness, Employee Feedback, and Corporate Discounts.

Futureofworking.com

FutureofWorking.com | Career Advice for the Future

When giving a speech or presentation, how you start can make or break you. You want the beginning to be strong and instantly pull your audience in so that you have their full attention from the get-go. Here are 25 effective ways to start a speech or presentation. 1. The Common Ground Open Opening with a real life experience, goal or interest is a great way to grab the attention of the audience to show them that they can gain something by listening to you. By establishing common ground with the audience, especially if it is done with humility and grace, you put yourself on the same level as your audience. If you are an elderly CEO of a company and you discuss finances with a group of younger entry-level employees, you have to share your own business experiences when you were younger so that the audience will better understand your message. 2. Ask a Question If you want to make your audience think right away, ask them a question to start your speech. Ask either a rhetorical or literal question. Whether or not an answer to that question is called for, when people are posed with a question that matters to them, they will intuitively answer. When you ask a question, raise your hand to indicate what you want the audience to do. After asking a question like "How many people here are self-employed?", see if any audience members raise their hands. Take advantage of this engagement by getting into the heart of your speech. 3. Quote Sometimes it is as easy as opening with a relevant quote. You can set the tone for the rest of your speech if you have a quote that is memorable. You should keep in mind that whoever you quote has to be well known by the audience because if it is someone like your next-door neighbor, the quote will fall flat with everyone. If you are discussing topics related to politics, for example, it is wise to quote a former United States President. "If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance." -Abraham Lincoln 4. The Contrast Open If speeches feel like boxing matches to you, this type of opening would often be used. Showcase the difference between diametrically opposed concepts, positions, ideas or words, and the end result will be that some audience members will feel persuaded to change their perspective or embrace something new. There are always two sides to every story, and both sides have to be equally presented. What are the differences between a need and a want? Obstacles and opportunities? Problems and solutions? Highlighting the differences will get audiences to understand the points you are trying to make. 5. Tell a Story Before making the key points of your speech, telling a story to start can draw your audience in. Some of the most powerful words that can immediately grab the attention of the audience would be "Once upon a time" because regardless of age people will love stories of any kind. When you start your speech with a line like "Once upon a time", the audience will know that a story is coming. People will immediately calm down, become quiet, and listen to what you have to say. Whether it is fiction or non-fiction, telling a story will resonate with audience members. 6. Imagining Something If you want people to go on a unique journey with you, encourage them to imagine certain scenarios. For example, if you are working for a non-profit organization that brings water to people who lack the resources to get water, a good opener would be something like "Imagine being thirsty all the time, but never having anything to drink." By having them imagine scenarios like that, you make the audience a part of your presentation. They can actively empathize and engage with the content of your speech because they actually put themselves into that setting. 7. Humor Though this should never be forced onto the audience, when properly implemented you will put a lot of smiles on the faces of those you speak to. Being funny during a speech can be very difficult, but it is a way to give yourself relief as a public speaker. Telling jokes in your opening is a sign to the audience that you don't take yourself too seriously, and that they can relate to you in some way. One witty opener would be "If you can hear me, please start clapping as to confuse those that cannot make out what I am saying." 8. "This Day In History" Open One main reason why audiences gather to listen to speeches is that they can learn something. If you start your speech with a historical fact, the audience will immediately pay attention. For example, if the day of your speech falls on March 5, you would open your speech with "On this day, March 5, 1963: the Hula Hoop, a hip-swiveling toy that became a huge fad across America when it was first marketed by Wham-O in 1958, is patented by the company's co-founder, Arthur "Spud" Melin. An estimated 25 million Hula Hoops were sold in its first four months of production alone." 9. Thank the Organizers and Audience If you want to stick to the basics of public speaking, simply mention the people who made it possible for you to have a presentation. Thanking the event organizers and the audience compliments them, makes them feel proud and happy about your presence, and strongly connects you to the audience. Refer to the person who introduced you to one or more of the senior people in the organization in the audience, and compliment that person as a showing of respect. Be humble and genuine in your positive comments toward the organization. 10. Positive Statement Staying positive throughout a speech can be challenging, but it will become easier if you start your speech with a positive statement. You can begin by telling the audience how much they will like and appreciate what you have to say. For example, you could say something like "You're really going to enjoy the time we spend together today. I'm going to share with you some of the most thought-provoking ideas my company has ever made." The upbeat tone of this opening is enough to make the audience invested in whatever follows. 11. The Skeptical Audience Open A doubting audience is a difficult audience to handle. From the start, they may not trust your ideas or they could be against what you are proposing. Whether they were disappointed in the past or if they are simply stuck in their ways, they will put up a brick wall in front of you. The more hostile the crowd, the faster you must address the gap. Blending your goals and the needs of the audience requires a careful combination of anticipating the major objections, avoiding defensiveness, acknowledging the obvious truths early, and understanding the divided loyalties between the intractable, the undecided, and the supportive. Identify which of those must hear your message and adjust accordingly. 12. The Puzzle Open Brain teasers and mind puzzles tend to capture the attention of audiences that like to be given mental exercises. As the audience tries to figure out what it will take to solve them, they become highly engaged with the practice. Capitalize on this behavior by proposing a riddle, asking a puzzling question that you promise to reveal in the end, and suggesting that the audience complete a mathematical equation and promising to give the answer context as you go along during the speech. Alternatively, reveal one puzzle piece after another throughout the course of your speech to help your audience find the right solution. 13. Refer to Current Events Bringing documentation of something that is currently relevant to the public will help you to illustrate your point the way you want to. Use a current event story that is on the front page of your local newspaper to transition into your subject, and hold it up as you refer to it in your introduction. This serves as a visual image to the audience that they will keep in their minds as they see you hold up this documentation. When they hear you recite or read a key point of the news story, they will carefully pay attention to you. 14. Refer to a Recent Conversation One way to keep the topic you wish to talk about relevant to the audience is to refer to a recent conversation you had with someone attending this public speaking event. Hours or minutes before you get on stage to address the audience, you could be engaging in a thought-provoking conversation with someone in a lobby, and that person might tell you that this is one of the best times to be working in a specific industry. It is likely that many audience members will share the same view as that person, so when you mention this conversation in your introduction they will have something to relate to. 15. The Activity Open An active audience is one that will be more likely to keep listening to you after you finish your introduction. Keeping an audience preoccupied with an activity works well during training sessions and workshops when you are trying to teach a specific skill. Engaging in activity right from the start allows the audience to recognize the benefits of listening to your message. The activity has to be fun but also challenging enough. If they quickly get through it they will spend the rest of the workshop sitting in their chairs doing nothing. 16. The Study Hall Open If you are someone who loves using data-heavy charts and graphs to illustrate your points, you have to be careful about how you present your data to the audience. While they want to be informed, people in the audience also don't want to be bombarded with too much information all at once. Establishing a school setting and distributing paper handouts of data to your audience to begin your session helps them to follow along. Ask them to read the charts and graphs, and following their review you are well on your way to making your key points. 17. The PowerPoint Open When PowerPoint technology is used correctly it is a highly effective tool for the audience. Otherwise, it immediately makes your presentation feel boring. Slides that are overly literal will fall flat, but conceptual and eye-catching images give strength to your words. Pick captivating and intriguing images. If you present a talk on how to make ice cream, you could begin with a slide that shows the finished product of your ice cream brand. Describe the process of making ice cream in your introduction, and as you proceed you show slides in reverse, moving from final product to the very beginning. Along the way, you guide the viewer through each step. 18. The Audio Clip Open Your voice remains front and center for your talk, but additional sounds can bring more clarity to your message. Your words will be given more meaning with the help of a short audio clip as it makes your message more memorable. If you are teaching a music school, you can include two brief audio excerpts, a before and after of student instruction. Though your words do matter, these clips can have a better impact in persuading students to join your school. Audio testimonies, song recordings, oral accounts, and speech snippets all make for good audio clips. 19. Silence A subtle pause of silence, even if it extends to only 10 seconds, gives your audience enough time to sit and quiet down. Most audiences expect a speaker to begin right away. If you want to get the attention of an audience, taking that extra pause will help your cause. People will start wondering why you are being so quiet as they gather around, and when you break your silence and start speaking you can use that pause to illustrate a key point. Sometimes the main challenge in public speaking events is to get the audience into a silent state. 20. The Challenge Open Audiences want to be challenged and motivated to contribute to something they feel passionate about. Open your speech with a challenge if you are looking to increase sales, raising money for a project, asking for volunteers, or wanting legislative change. It isn't just about buying into your message but also taking the actions to manifest it. Start your speech with something like this: "Leaders see possibilities where followers see obstacles. I am here today to call for leaders to encourage those who are unsure about the project to look past the stumbling blocks we face in the development of this local park and consider giving citizens a better environment." 21. Multiple Choice Test Presenting your own multiple-choice test can draw your audience to your topic, and this approach is tailor-made for a talk with multiple perspectives about an issue or different solutions to the same problem. An example of this open would be to say the following: "As a company, we have several routes we can take regarding growth and increased sales. We could a) buy smaller companies to diversify our portfolio of services, b) move resources to focus on only a few, or c) we could opt to franchise. After we evaluate these options together, I will offer the option that I think is the way for us to go." 22. The Mystery Open The odds are likely that your audience loves to solve mysteries. Whether they are read in books or watched on television, mysteries grab the attention of people simply because of the uncertainty that is wrapped around them. When using this open present some clues on stage, regardless of which side of the argument they lean towards. Remind the audience of these clues throughout the speech and encourage them to come up with their own conclusions before revealing how your mystery gets solved. 23. Have Audience Members Talk to Each Other All audiences will be sitting close together in a setting where they will be visible in front of you, so you might as well take advantage of this. Encourage people to talk to others that are sitting next to them, and specifically to let them know what they would like to learn from your speech. Encourage your audience to discuss with each other any particular points. Any commands or show of leadership on your part will easily influence the audience, as long as you do it with confidence. 24. Bring Up Statistics Even if you don't bring any charts or graphs to illustrate your points, simply mentioning important statistics will resonate with the audience to get your message across the right way. Statistics have the potential to trigger the emotional appeal of the audience. One example of presenting statistics in your open would be something like: "In 2019 there were 152,000 homeless people roaming the streets in California. By 2025 that number is expected to nearly double." This kind of open highlights the need to address the problem of homelessness because the statistic is powerful, personalized and surprising. 25. The Unexpected Definition Open Dictionaries are obviously accurate, but there are times when words gain more power when they are redefined. If you are a valedictorian and you want to share how much your fellow students mean to you, the open can go like this: "The dictionary defines classmate as a member of your class, but my definition for you all is much broader than that. We were friends, teammates, and mentors. As worthy opponents, we challenged each other on the field and in the classroom. And, we now can define ourselves as fellow graduates." Conclusion How you start your presentation will depend on what kind of presentation you are giving, and what tone you want to set for your audience. Regardless of which you choose to begin with, incorporating one of these strong tools into your speech ensures that your presentation is a success from the very start.

Writeexpress.com

Americangreetings.com

American Greetings - Shop Greeting Cards, Ecards, Printable Cards, Party Supplies, Gift Wrap & Gifts

Shop American Greetings For Our Huge Selection Of Greeting Cards, Wrapping Paper, Gift Ideas, And More! Perfect For Making Meaningful Connections Any Time!

6q.io

6Q Employee Pulse Surveys

Boost your company's culture, improve communication and increase productivity using our online employee feedback and engagement survey app. Sign up today!

Therightwording.com

Home - The Right Wording

Invitations Creative Baby Sprinkle Invitation Wording Ideas To Make Your Own Planning a baby sprinkle? Find the right baby sprinkle invitation wording ideas for your invites that guests will love! A baby sprinkle is a wonderful (and in some cases, more practical) way to welcome another child. It will help...

Wishesmsg.com

Wishes and Messages - WishesMsg

Unique wishes, messages, greetings and quotes for any type of relationship, celebrations, occasions and emotions.

Wishesmessages.com

WishesMessages.com

Quotes, Messages, Wishes and Poems for every relationship, emotion and occasion.

Textranch.com

Online editing with great prices, great service, great quality! |TextRanch

Write better English with TextRanch. Get an answer from our experts within minutes. Right now, for free.

Writethankyounotes.com

Funeralwise.com

Funeralwise.com: Your Complete Funeral Guide.

See how to plan a funeral, celebrate a life and create a memorial for a loved one. Learn about funeral etiquette and funeral customs.

Loveliveson.com

Confettiandbliss.com

Letterspro.com

Home - LettersPro.com

Help writing letters, memos notes, emails. 8,000+ FREE sample letters, notes and templates for any purpose. Customize according to your needs.

Tosaylib.com

Get an idea of what to say - Tosaylib

Looking for an idea of what to say with coworkers, strangers and your partners? Check out our tips how to put on the right voice in the right situation.

Foxandweeks.com

Gallerycollection.com

Business Christmas Cards & Corporate Holiday Cards | The Gallery Collection

Stunning Business Christmas cards and Corporate Holiday cards can be personalized with your company name & logo. Shop today to get an exclusive deal!

Funeralprogram-site.com

The Funeral Program Site | Funeral Programs & Memorials

The Funeral Program Site offers premium funeral programs, easy to use DIY templates, and personalized matching memorials. Shop Now!

Hallmark.com

Hallmark Greeting Cards, Gifts, Ornaments, Home Decor & Gift Wrap | Hallmark

Shop Hallmark for the biggest selection of greeting cards, Christmas ornaments, gift wrap, home decor and gift ideas to celebrate holidays, birthdays, weddings and more. Free shipping on $50+ orders!

Congratulationsto.com

Congratulations quotes and wishes

Congratulations quotes and wishes How to congratulate someone? You may find on our website a lot of free beautiful words and marriage wishes in english, spanish and other languages for wedding cards for your friends, relatives and family members (for sister, brother, daughter or son)getting married, congratulation quotes for new...

Papyrusonline.com

Shop Greeting Cards And Gift Packaging | Papyrus

Papyrus Cards And Gift Wrap Supplies Are Perfect Stylish Connections For Any Occasion Or Holiday. Shop Today!

Brandongaille.com

BrandonGaille.com - Small Business Articles on Marketing, Design, Finance, and Employees

Small Business Articles on Marketing, Design, Finance, and Employees

Automizy.com

Email Marketing Automation Software | Automizy

Automizy is an Email Marketing Automation software. We offer AI-powered Subject Line Tester, AB testing, Resend and Email Automation.

Samplemessages.com

Wishesmessagessayings.com

What to Write in Greeting Cards

This is the home page of WishesMessaesSayings.com. We provide many examples of wording to write in cards and notes for many occasions.

Berries.com

Chocolate Covered Strawberries Delivery Near Me | Shari's Berries

Chocolate covered strawberries delivery near me is the best gift for any occasion! Send gifts, flowers & chocolate strawberries delivered as soon as today!

English-at-home.com

english-at-home.com – Learn English for free

The secret for English fluency?Use fluency phrases. These are phrases we use all the time when we speak. Phrases like "Can I have...?" or "Never mind!"Use them again and again to build sentences. Get 10 free - now with the 'Fast Phrase Finder'! Speak English More Fluently With The 'Fast Phrase Finder' The world's first…

Brookhollowcards.com

Brookhollow Cards: Business Greeting Cards and Christmas Cards

Business greeting and holiday cards at Brookhollow Cards. Variety of holiday greeting cards, Christmas cards, calendars for your employees and business associates

Letters.org

Letters - Free Sample Letters

Communication is a very integral part of living creatures, animals and humans. Communication may be verbal or written. Written communication, however, is only applicable to human beings.Can you even imagine the world without communication? Verbal communication can be through telephones, webcams or in person. Written communication is through letters, Verbal communication can be through telephones, […]

Joincake.com

Cake: Create a Free End of Life Plan

Cake’s end-of-life planning tools guide you in creating living wills, advance directive forms, and estate planning documents that explain your final wishes. Share access with your family to make things easier on them after your death.

Mmaengage.com

My Wishes - mmaengage.com

My Wishes

Thetalka.com

TheTalka - Save Time. Live More.

Save Time. Live More.

Hallmarkbusinessconnections.com

Holidappy.com

Holidappy

Celebrations. It's time to celebrate, and Holidappy is here to help with all of your festivities. If you're looking for holiday advice and expertise, our party people are here for you!

Allwording.com

AllWording.com » Wording Ideas For Every Occasion

AllWording helps people find the right words to say for any occasion. Ideas and examples for party invites and more.

Wedskenya.com

Hispanicdiversity.com

Babyannouncementideas.info

© 2018 DigitalOcean, LLC. All rights reserved.

143greetings.com

Free Wishes, Messages, Quotes, Greeting Cards | 143 Greetings

Send free wishes, messages, quotes & greetings cards for friends and family on special occasions like Birthdays, Anniversary, Love, Weddings etc and much more.

Speakconfidentenglish.com

Speak Confident English | Change Your English, Change Your Life.

Get the confidence you want for your life in English with Speak Confident English. Proven strategies, resources, and online English courses.

365greetings.com

Free Ecards, Diwali Greetings, Birthday Cards, Wallpapers, Wedding cards, Invitations, Printable Birthday cards

Diwali Greetings Diwali Wallpapers Printable Diwali Cards Send Free E Cards, Beautiful New Year Greetings, Free Ecards, Diwali Greeting, Christmas Cards 2011, Christmas cards, dayspring ecards, free invitations, free wedding Cards, festival cards, Free greetings, New year Cards. Download Christmas Wallpaper. Cards similar to American greetings, Hallmark Cards, 123 greetings...

Greetingcarduniverse.com

Baudville.com

Employee Recognition Gifts & Custom Awards | Baudville - Baudville

Shop 100's of products to give team members for a warm welcome on their first days, recognition gifts, a celebration on their special days, & more!

Myrealpage.com

Awardsnetwork.com

Awards Network Home: Employee Awards | Employee Incentives Programs

Awards Network creates employee recognition solutions that help organizations develop a culture of recognition.

Perkbox.com

Global Employee Benefits and Rewards Platform | Perkbox

Harmonise your employee benefits and rewards globally. Provide benefits, support wellbeing and create a culture of recognition to boost employee engagement.

Toughnickel.com

ToughNickel

If it's about earning money, saving money, or not spending money, our authors most likely have experience with it.

Elorus.com

All-inclusive business software for project-driven teams | Elorus

Online invoicing and time tracking software for teams. Invoice your hours worked, get paid online, manage your projects & keep your finances in order!

Answersafrica.com

Answersafrica.com

Learn all about your favorite African celebrities and in-depth biographies of notable people, trending stories, and Africa's beauty. Discover lesser-known facts about celebrities that matter to you including those that shape the African continent, and find out how you are connected.

Greeting-card-messages.com

Free greeting card messages

Lots of free greeting card messages for birthdays, weddings, get well soon, baby showers and lots more!! Save time and effort by using our ready made messages in your next greeting card.

Thank-you-notes.com

The Thank You Notes Blog - Stay Up To Date On Thank You Notes, Thank You Cards, And Thank You Letters.

Stay up to date on thank you notes, thank you cards, and thank you letters.

Workspirited.com