Avoid closing your speech with a quote.There are usually more powerful ways to grab your audience’s attention. I’ve watched speakers open with a quotation that wasn’t very powerful, and even irrelevant to their content. Starting with a quote can be effective, but don’t assume just any quotation will grab your audience’s attention. Open your speech with a quote (sparingly).Use your own words to open and close quote in the middle. One way I do this is to introduce a particularly important point as “Dlugan’s First Law of ( whatever topic I’m speaking on)” I’ve done this many times, and it always receives a positive audience response.
Referring back to their words will not only impress your audience, but also capitalize on the earlier speaker’s effectiveness. Suppose you are speaking at an event where an earlier speaker made some statements relevant to your message. Quote an earlier speaker at your event.If your desired quote comes from someone who your audience won’t immediately recognize, you’ll need to introduce the speaker and establish their credibility before delivering their quote. Quote a lesser-known expert in the field, but only with background context.Quote Aristotle on philosophy or Serena Williams on tennis - doing the opposite gets you in trouble. Quote a well-known expert in the field.ĭon’t quote individuals based purely on their fame or success base your decision on their expertise in the subject area you are talking about.A quotation taken out of context where you’ve garbled the meaning makes you look like you are deliberately misleading your audience.
Make sure you understand the intent of the speaker, not only their words. Your credibility is on the line.īe careful when quoting material on controversial topics.