The first 90 seconds of a speech is where it is won or lost
A practical guide to opening like a Hall of Famer
“I went fishing… and the fish caught me.”
Yes, you can use a line like this to open a speech.
Why?
Because, it hooks you in… (pun intended).
But also? It’s unpredictable. You’re not expecting it. It opens a curiosity loop. Now, you want to know more.
That’s how you start a speech.
In my book, The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint, I write this all the time: Never open with housekeeping.
Your first job isn’t to “welcome” people and tell them where the bathrooms are, or how to evacuate. You can do that later. Your job upfront, is to reel them in.
If you waste your first 90 seconds, they’re mentally gone. They might still be in the room but they’ve slipped into inbox mode, or they’re checking the time, or wondering what’s for lunch.
But when you open with something unexpected, something that cracks open curiosity, that’s when you’ve got them.
This post is for anyone writing, rewriting, or rethinking a speech.
I sat down with Alan Weiss, NSA Hall of Fame speaker, bestselling author, and certified keynote weapon — and we broke down what actually makes a keynote land.
Watch the full conversation here, or grab my takeaways below.
There were stories, roasts, turtle analogies, and even a crowd moment that gave me chills.
The role of a keynote is to shift energy, not teach content.
A keynote speech is not a workshop in disguise.
It’s not where you squeeze in your five-part framework and end with a breakout room.
It’s where you open the space, set the tone, and create appetite. You’re not feeding the whole meal, you’re the entrée that gets people excited for what’s coming next.
“A keynote is about setting the stage,” Alan said. “If someone says they’re doing the closing keynote, that’s an oxymoron. The keynote sets the key note.”
There are 3 types of speakers: only one gets rehired
This bit was gold, and also a bit ouch.
According to Alan, keynote speakers fall into one of three categories:
Speaker-centred: They're in love with their own voice. Every keynote is a victory lap.
Audience-centred: They want to be liked. Their self-worth is tied to applause.
Buyer-centred: They care about one thing — whether the client gets what they paid for.
That third one? That’s the one that gets the repeat gigs, the referrals, the Work Fame.
60 / 30 / 10: The perfect keynote recipe
This structure will change how you think about your content:
60% = Your core message. The hits. The stuff that works every time.
30% = Tailored stories, industry examples, cultural relevance.
10% = Made up on the spot. Responding to the room/
This is how you scale impact without becoming robotic, or having to re-write a speech every.single.time.
When you’ve got a rock-solid 60%, you’re never reinventing the wheel.
Alan: “Once a story works, I never change the cadence. I’ll keep using it until it goes out of date.”
Cut the slides. Keep the spotlight on you.
This might make your inner Canva-lover flinch, but here it is:
“Visuals take attention off of you. In a keynote, you are the message.”
If your audience is reading slides, they’re not watching you. And if they’re not watching you, they’re not feeling anything.
Point. Story. Social Proof. Repeat.
Alan’s go-to structure is simple and powerful:
Make a point
Tell a story
Add social proof (a stat, a quote, a moment)
Repeat for 3–4 main points
End with a call to action
Close with a story
The stories are the bridge. The social proof locks it in.
You don’t need a PhD in storytelling but you do need real stories that land.
I loved Alan’s advice to keep a “story log”, a living list of stories, tagged by theme or metaphor.
So when you need a story about risk, or perception, or seizing opportunity? You’ve got one ready to go.
Btw, here’s my latest speaker reel. Had a ton of fun putting it together!
Final thought: You don’t have to be famous. Just Work Famous.
Not everyone needs to go viral. You don’t need to be Insta-famous, TED-famous, or TV-famous.
But if you want to attract great clients, be top-of-mind in your industry, and be the one they think of when a big opportunity drops?
Then how you deliver a speech is one of the best tools you’ve got.
Want to watch the full episode?
🎥 Here’s the replay of Talk the Walk #17 with Alan Weiss that sparked this post.
And if you liked this, share it with a fellow speaker. Hit the heart. Leave a comment. Or bookmark it for when you next rewrite your keynote.
See you in the green room,
Leanne