Read Time: 5 Minutes

Want to deliver a speech that people will love? 

One that will be remembered months, if not years, later? 

One of the most powerful concepts you should know about is something I call The 4-Part Intro.

It means engaging your audience from the moment you open your mouth, and keeping them hooked throughout your talk. 

If you don’t, your audience’s attention will wane even faster than it normally would. 

So how do go from the dotted line to the solid line in the graph below?

 

It’s the difference between being forgotten and being remembered on stage.

You might fall victim to over-scripting. Or, you might look back at your slides too much. Or, you might default to a “Hi, my name is…” intro because you don’t know what else you could say.

Your audience will scroll their phones as a result.

So today, I want you to understand the 4 components of 4-Part Intro that will set you up for success.

Let’s dive in. 

The 4 Components of The 4-Part Intro

• The Yes/No Question

• The Segue to the Story

• The Takeaway

• The CTA (Call-To-Action)

PART 1: The Yes/No Question

The Yes/No Question is the first thing you say – a simple question that prompts your audience to immediately answer “yes” or “no.” 

This is such an effective hook because people who actively listen are more likely to stay attentive and remember your talk than those who passively listen. 

My goals with the Yes/No Question are three-fold: 

1. Make it SUPER EASY for my audience to identify (or not identify) with what I’ve said  

2. Ask a question that gets the vast majority of my audience to either say Yes or No. I avoid 50/50 responses unless that’s my intent

3. Get my audience to ask themselves why would he ask that question? 

Here’s my framework for coming up with potential Yes/No Questions:

• How many of you __________?

How you complete that question can be one of several possible categories that ties closely to your audience: 

• A commonly held belief or question

  • For example: how many of you believe that playing sports are good for kids? Raise your hands.

• A relatable pain

  • For example: how many of you have ever gotten nervous before delivering a speech? Raise your hands if you have.

• A commonly taken action 

  • For example: how many of you graduated from a 4-year college? Raise your hands if you have.

• A common destination or origin

  • For example: how many of you came to this conference from the United States? Raise your hands.

It’s important to understand your audience before you begin your speech. Oftentimes, speaking with the event organizer or advocates in the room can help you determine which question is likely to get an overwhelming response. 

Once you’ve hooked them, how do you keep them engaged? 

PART 2: Segue to the Story

Remember one of the goals of the Y/N question? Get them to ask themselves: why would he ask that question?

Your story should answer that question. 

I like to tell a story following this framework: SPAT

‘S’ Stands for SCENE

There are a few great lines that you can experiment with to naturally segue into your story: 

• I can remember a particular time when…

• When I was [in X time period of my life OR had X major life event]...

• Imagine…

I love these openers because they immediately transport your audience to a specific relevant scene, just like an opening scene in a movie. 

It doesn’t need to be more than 3 sentences. For example: 

I can remember a time when I was 8 years-old and challenged a 10 year-old to a 1-on-1 basketball game… this seemingly normal recess event in our elementary school’s backyard actually changed my life in a way I would never have imagined.

Notice: 

• Specific details immerse your audience in the story, keeping them engaged

• There’s an intriguing preview – changed my life in a way I would never have imagined – that leaves the audience wondering, “What happened?” 

‘P’ Stands for PROBLEM

The problem is a quick description of the challenge the hero in your story faces. 

In my example, it could be: 

As I drove down the lane for a layup, Thad body-checked me with his shoulder, leaving a 5-inch gash on my elbow as I crashed onto the pavement. He looked down at me and sneered, “CHINK! Where were you trying to go, you blind bat? I could blind you with dental floss.” That was the first moment in my life where I became self-aware – that I, as an Asian American, looked different from my White classmates. That maybe I didn’t belong. 

There are many ways to tee up the problem. Here are my guidelines: 

• Give a detail or quote from the scene

• Describe the impact – why was this a problem for the hero?

‘A’ Stands for AGGRAVATE

Aggravate is our way of making the problem hurt for your reader to hear.  This makes them feel more emotionally attached to the hero and stay tuned in for a potential turnaround.

For example: 

The next day, my mother called me to get ready for school. “Preston, it’s 7:30! We’re gonna be late!” I remember locking my door, burying myself under the bed sheets, and drawing all over my arms with white crayons. I didn’t want Thad to see me. I didn’t want anyone to see me. And this feeling stayed with me for almost a decade.

Show your audience why the problem hurt so much for the hero in your story. A few guidelines: 

• Emotionally, why was this such a painful problem? 

• What was the negative outcome from this problem? Why was the outcome severe?

• How long did the problem hurt your hero? 

T Stands for TURNAROUND

Turnaround is a description of how your hero overcame the problem. 

For example: 

It wasn’t until I was 18 years-old, when I began coaching younger kids in table tennis and tutoring sophomores on their SATs, when things began to change. There was nothing more satisfying to me than seeing someone who needed my help go from point A to point B, and beaming ear-to-ear because they felt proud of their progress. I did that for White people, Hispanic people, Black people, Asian people. It didn’t matter what their race was. It didn’t matter what my race was. These experiences gave me a sense of purpose, which was to help people grow through coaching. It helped me turn those dark, inward thoughts about things I couldn’t control into outward goals that I could. And that’s what’s motivated me today to speak in front of you as an impromptu speaking coach. 

I often want the turnaround to relate to the present moment – for example, what led me to speak in front of you today. 

PART 3: THE TAKEAWAY

The takeaway is all about relevancy for your audience. 

I tend to include the word “you” in this part. 

My goal is to make it super clear to my audience what benefit they’ll get out of this story. 

For example: 

You have probably faced your own mental block due to your past that’s preventing you from being your best self. I know that for me, reframing my struggle as my purpose helped me love myself again. And I’d love for you to do the same. 

PART 4: THE CTA (CALL-TO-ACTION)

The call-to-action is a request for your audience to do one concrete thing after your talk. 

The simpler, the better. 

The CTA should answer the question: how can I apply the takeaway? 

Here’s an example: 

So the next time you have 5 minutes, I’d encourage you to try the following. It’s called your What’s And Why’s. Write down a sentence that describes WHAT you want in life, and a sentence next to it that describes WHY you want it. Rank your top 5 WHAT’s and WHY’s. This applies to your personal goals, professional goals, or both. If you’d like a sample, make a copy of this template HERE and fill it out for yourself. (Note – this template is more career-oriented.)

You’ll likely need to iterate on it. But reflecting on the experiences that gave you the most joy can help you identify your purpose. It will focus you on what truly matters, not the traumas that could be preventing you from being your best self. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

To nail your speech, you need to initially hook them, keep them engaged, and make your talk relevant to them. There’s no one right way, but the 4-Part Intro is a great way to experiment. 

—> This week’s action step: Bullet out your next intro. Each bullet can correspond to each piece of the framework. Try to avoid scripting everything word for word. You can access the template to help you get started HERE. 

Hope this helps.

Preston

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