Opening strong

The first minute decides whether the audience leans in or checks their phone. Don't waste it on "Thank you for having me, my name is, today I'm going to talk about...".

Good openings

• A concrete problem: "Last monsoon, a farmer in Wayanad lost half her pepper crop before anyone identified the disease."
• A surprising fact: "Half of the papers one AI committee accepted, a second committee would have rejected."
• A question: "How many of you could tell a healthy leaf from an infected one in this photo?"
• The answer first: state your one sentence, then explain how you got there.

Then, quickly

After the hook, within the first minute:

1. Your name and affiliation (briefly; the chair may have introduced you).
2. Your one-sentence message.
3. A roadmap if the talk is longer than about 10 minutes: "First the problem, then our method, then three results."

Know your first lines by heart

Nerves are worst in the first 30 seconds. Memorise your first two or three sentences exactly, so you can say them even if your mind goes blank. After that, it gets easier.

Avoid

• Apologising ("I'm not very good at this", "Sorry, this slide is busy").
• Starting with a long outline or background history.
• Reading your title slide aloud.

RememberStart with a concrete problem, a surprise, a question or your answer. Memorise the first lines, and state your message within a minute.