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First impressions are everything in business and presentations are no exception. The first 30 seconds of a presentation is make or break time and by using a carefully constructed opening you can engage and relax your audience by applying simple presentation skills. Below you will find several ideas for how to open your presentation in an impactful way to grab their attention.

Directness and purposefulness are valuable presentation skills and a trait of confidence which can be applied to any presentation by opening with a bold claim. The claim should be linked indirectly to your overall objective and needs to capture the attention of your audience. This leaves the audience hanging on what you have said to see how you will make it relevant to the overall objective.

Ask the audience to imagine. This call to action directly involves every individual in the presentation in a non intrusive way. You are not asking them to immediately participate but to use their imagination to picture something positive. This will put them in a more receptive frame of mind, however it must be relevant to the presentation.

Jolt your audience out of any reverie they might be in by presenting a cold hard statistic or fact. This needs to be accurate, backed up with a source reference, interesting to the audience and relevant to your overall objective. Accuracy and relevancy are crucial presentation skills. So far in the opening you have appealed to a wide range of psychometric profiles ensuring that everyone is involved.

Now, another call for action in the form of a direct question can keep their minds active. The question can be rhetorical and ideally should allude to one of your main points later in the presentation. The audience will then be aware that you are prepared to engage them, meaning they cannot drift off during the presentation, one of the more subtle presentation skills.

Using some sort of narrative vessel, such as a story or anecdote is an excellent way to make a point. If you can relate it to yourself or your career this will engage the audience on a personal level, making you seem more human. It should be clear, concise and related to your preceding and succeeding points so as not to seem superimposed for effect.

Aphorisms and proverbs are sometimes clumsy but they are common ground for everyone and can be applied as presentation skills. Many people live their lives by mantras such as these so it can be a great way to illustrate the relevancy of your presentation providing it fits in. Analogies and metaphors are also useful, adding to the mystery of your carefully planned points providing they are not too abstract.

To add validity to narrative thread you are developing, why not drop in a quote from a recognisable source. This should be imaginative and illustrate that your overall objective has been carefully considered by an esteemed individual. This can be an abstract source however ensure you have your facts straight and are prepared for background questioning.

Humour is a great way to put your audience at ease before moving into the substance of the presentation. It is advisable to make it relevant and topical, staying well clear of anything that might offend.

By applying these presentation skills you can hook your audience within the first 30 seconds meaning they are more likely to absorb the rest of your presentation.

Dominic Donaldson is leading consultant in presentation skills and impact training, contributing regularly to national newspapers and trade magazines.