Why Most Presentation Openings Are Dull – And How to Fix Yours

How many of us start a presentation with:

“I’m here today to talk to you about…”

It’s the presentation equivalent of a beige sandwich - brown bread, beef or mushroom pate filling. Safe, polite, and sadly very forgettable.

But what if you started with something that made your audience sit up, lean in, and think, “Ooh, this is different”? And different in a good way.

That’s where my Ten Kapows come in.
They’re the moments in your presentation that make people wake up and pay attention. Think of those comic-book flashes from the old Batman series – Biff! Bang! Kapow! Each one grabs you and refuses to let go.

A Kapow can appear at the start, middle, or end of your talk – anywhere you need to jolt your audience into life. Health Warning: a Kapow without connection, humanity or purpose is just confusing noise. The magic happens when it’s connected to something that matters to your audience.

Here are three of my favourite kapows:

1. Story
Stories are gold dust. They connect us instantly because we’re wired for them. The best stories are human, short, punchy, and one step removed from your main point, acting as an analogy. If your data, message or pitch lacks spark, add a story. It’s how you turn “beige” into “brilliant.”

2. Interactive
Ask questions. Run a poll. Get them to type in the chat or vote with their hands. When people participate, it becomes about them and they invest. And once they’re part of the conversation, you’ve got them.

3. Surprise
My favourite example? A teacher who threw a bucket of water across his primary school classroom to teach “displacement.” No one forgot that lesson! In fact pupil, suitably inspired, went on to become a top head teacher specialising in maths.  You don’t need an actual bucket, just something unexpected that makes people sit up and go, “Wait, what?”

Those are just three of the ten Kapows I use in presentations. Want to know the rest, or try these tools in action, come along to one of my Taster Sessions. They’re a lively, practical 90 minutes packed with tricks, techniques, and yes, loads of Kapows!
Book your spot here: standupanddeliver.co.uk/taster-sessions.

Because life’s too short—and audiences too precious—for boring openings.