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Powerful OpeningsLesson 13.1 · 5:32

How to start a speech

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Lesson notes

  1. Choose your first sentence
  2. Say it aloud
  3. Check the audience’s reason to listen

Ever walk to the front of the room and suddenly forget how to begin? 😅 A weak opening can make even a good speaker look unsure—but starting confidently is a skill you can practice.

In this episode of Public Speaking 101 for Kids, you’ll learn how to start a speech without awkward pauses, apologies, or long setup. You’ll practice getting ready before you speak, looking up at your audience, and launching your first sentence clearly and on purpose.

You’ll also learn the Ready → Look → Launch method, a simple way to make your first few seconds feel calmer, cleaner, and more confident.

In this lesson, you’ll discover:

• Why the first few seconds of a speech matter • How weak openings make speakers sound unsure • Why you should not start speaking before you are ready • How a short pause can make you look more confident • Why apology openings hurt your message • How to skip long, awkward setup • How to use Ready → Look → Launch • How to make your first sentence sound intentional • How to compare a weak opening with a stronger one • How to practice only the first ten seconds of a speech

Perfect for kids, middle schoolers, and teens who want to feel more confident during classroom presentations, speeches, oral reports, and everyday speaking.

🎯 TODAY’S MISSION:

Try the First 10 Seconds Challenge.

Choose one simple topic:

Why students need more sleep. Your favorite hobby. A school rule you would change. Something interesting you learned.

Try it yourself

Choose a topic and write its opening sentence. Say it aloud twice, keeping your first sentence intentional instead of beginning with an apology.

Check your work: Can a listener tell what the talk is about and why it is worth hearing? Revise the opening if it needs an explanation before it works.

Course lessons · 61 of 73
  1. 1.1 Why Speaking Well Changes Everything
  2. 1.2 How to Build Confidence
  3. 1.3 The 3 Things Every Good Speaker Does
  4. 1.4 What Makes People Want to Listen?
  5. 1.5 How to Hook an Audience Instantly
  6. 2.1 How to Stop Mumbling and Speak Clearly
  7. 2.2 Speak Slower Without Being Boring
  8. 2.3 How to Stop Rambling and Speak Clearly
  9. 2.4 How to Start and End a Speech Strong
  10. 2.5 How to Explain Complex Ideas Simply
  11. 3.1 How to Stop Saying “Um” and “Like”
  12. 3.2 Use Confident Pauses (Stop Saying “Uhh”)
  13. 3.3 How to Catch and Fix Filler Words
  14. 3.4 How to Practice and Improve Any Speech
  15. 3.5 Fun Speech Game to Stop Saying “Um”
  16. 4.1 Stop Being Nervous Before a Presentation
  17. 4.2 Stop Your Mind From Going Blank
  18. 4.3 Recover From Mistakes Without Panicking
  19. 4.4 Look Calm and Confident When Nervous
  20. 4.5 The Oops Recovery Challenge
  21. 5.1 Stop Using a Robot Voice
  22. 5.2 Make Your Voice Match Your Meaning
  23. 5.3 Control Your Voice: Fast, Slow, Loud, Soft
  24. 5.4 How Emotion Changes the Meaning of Your Words
  25. 5.5 Can Your Voice Show an Emoji? 🎭 Voice Challenge
  26. 6.1 Why Stories Beat Plain Facts
  27. 6.2 The 4 Parts of a Great Story
  28. 6.3 Tiny Details Make Stories Feel Real
  29. 6.4 How to Make People Feel Something With a Story
  30. 6.5 Turn a Boring Moment Into a Great Story
  31. 7.1 Is Your Audience Interested, Bored, or Lost?
  32. 7.2 Talk TO Your Audience, Not AT Them
  33. 7.3 How to Make Eye Contact Without Feeling Awkward
  34. 7.4 How to Make Your Audience Care
  35. 7.5 Can You Spot a Bored or Confused Audience?
  36. 8.1 How to Find the Main Idea When Someone Talks
  37. 8.2 How to Listen for Feelings
  38. 8.3 Ask Better Follow-Up Questions
  39. 8.4 How to Make People Feel Heard
  40. 8.5 Can You Pass the Listening Detective Challenge?
  41. 9.1 How to Join a Conversation
  42. 9.2 When to Join a Conversation
  43. 9.3 Keep Conversations Going With Questions
  44. 9.4 How to Speak Up in Class
  45. 9.5 Conversation Skills Challenge
  46. 10.1 How to Share Ideas in a Group
  47. 10.2 How to Disagree Respectfully
  48. 10.3 Build on Someone Else’s Idea
  49. 10.4 Help Your Group Move Forward
  50. 10.5 Group Communication Challenge
  51. 11.1 Why People Get Confused
  52. 11.2 Use Examples to Explain Clearly
  53. 11.3 How to Explain Anything: The Alien Test
  54. 11.4 How to Check Understanding
  55. 11.5 Explain a Toaster to an Alien
  56. 12.1 Why Messy Speeches Lose Your Audience
  57. 12.2 Organize a Speech: Beginning, Middle, End
  58. 12.3 Build Strong Ideas: Point, Reason, Example
  59. 12.4 Connect Your Ideas With Smooth Transitions
  60. 12.5 Fix a Messy Speech Challenge
  61. 13.1 How to start a speech
  62. 13.2 Grab Attention With a Question Hook
  63. 13.3 Start Your Speech With a Story Hook
  64. 13.4 Grab Attention With a Surprise Hook
  65. 13.5 Upgrade Your Opening Challenge
  66. 14.1 Avoid Weak Speech Endings
  67. 14.2 End With One Big Lesson
  68. 14.3 End With a Call to Action
  69. 14.4 Bring Your Talk Full Circle
  70. 14.5 Upgrade an Ending Challenge
  71. 15.1 Why People Change Their Minds
  72. 15.2 Facts vs. Feelings: Use Both to Persuade
  73. 15.3 Build Stronger Reasons