How to Craft an Unforgettable Opening and Closing That Moves Your Audience

Dewayne Hill
May 1
4 min read

I Once Opened a Talk So Flat, I Lost Them Before I Even Began

I’ll never forget this one.

It was a big audience — the kind I usually love. Lights were bright, seats were packed, energy was buzzing. And then I stepped on stage… and started with:

“Hi everyone, thanks for having me. I’m Dewayne Hill and today I want to talk about…”

And just like that, I felt the energy sink.

It was bland. It was forgettable. It was everything a good opening shouldn’t be. I spent the rest of the talk trying to win them back — and let me tell you, it’s way harder to climb uphill when your first step slips.

That day taught me something that forever changed my speaking:

Your opening isn’t just an intro — it’s your launchpad. Your closing isn’t just a wrap-up — it’s your legacy.

Why Your Start and End Are the Most Important Parts of Any Speech

Let’s be honest: people judge fast.

Research says audiences decide in the first 7–30 seconds if they’re going to listen. And what they remember most? The first thing you say… and the last.

That means your intro and outro aren’t just bookends. They’re the moments that define the whole experience.

Start weak and you’ll spend your time chasing attention. End weak and you’ll lose the momentum you worked so hard to build.

The Psychology of First and Last Impressions

There’s something called the primacy and recency effect — it’s how our brains retain information.

We remember:

The first thing we hear (primacy)
The last thing we hear (recency)

Everything in the middle? Eh… a bit fuzzier.

But it’s not just what they remember — it’s how it made them feel. Emotion sticks. Energy sticks. Moments stick.

My Go-To Opening Techniques That Grab Attention Instantly

Over the years, I’ve tried it all — and these are my favorite ways to start strong:

Tell a story — especially a personal or vulnerable one.

People love connection. The more real you are, the faster they trust you.

Ask a bold question.

Something that challenges them, makes them think, or hits a nerve.

Start with a statement.

Not just facts — something powerful. “What if I told you most great speakers weren’t born confident?”

Break the script.

Use humor, improv, a show of hands — anything to engage the room with you, not just talk at them.

The goal? Create curiosity. Create emotion. Make them lean in.

Mistakes Speakers Make in the First 30 Seconds

Here’s what to avoid:

“Hi, my name is…” followed by your resume
Over-explaining your topic or the agenda
Apologizing before you begin (“I’m not a professional speaker…” ← don’t do that!)
Starting flat and hoping it gets better later

The beginning should make people want to hear the rest — not wait for it to get interesting.

How to Close With Power, Not a Fizzle

Now let’s talk about how you end.

So many speakers finish like this:

“Um… yeah, so that’s it. Thanks.”

No recap. No emotion. No lasting impression.

Here’s how I teach people to close strong:

Loop back to your opening (create a full-circle moment)
Reaffirm the main takeaway in one strong sentence
Leave them with a phrase, image, or story they’ll take home
End with a call-to-action — even if it’s just “reflect on what this means for you”