sample of opening speech for conference

Conference Opening Speech Example

We’ve all been there, sitting through a dull opening at a conference, waiting for the moment things get interesting. The beginning sets the tone; if it’s lackluster, it can affect the entire event.

Unfortunately, many forget the importance of that initial spark, leading to uninspired attendees and a less impactful conference. But imagine if the opening speech was so compelling that it captured the audience’s attention and set a dynamic tone for the whole event.

That’s where a well-crafted conference opening speech example comes into play. By drawing inspiration from a solid model, organizers can ensure they kick off their event on the right note, making it memorable and setting the stage for valuable sessions to follow.

Opening Speech of the Conference – a Brief Overview

A conference opening speech is more than just a formality. It’s the pulse-setter, a tone-defining moment that can inspire or deflate. Crafting it requires insight, clarity, and precision.

The first words uttered at any conference bear the weight of anticipation. They serve as a mirror, reflecting the event’s ethos, aims, and expectations. Engage well, and you spark an energetic dialogue; falter and enthusiasm might wane.

Successful opening remarks often blend the past, present, and future seamlessly. They recount previous achievements, detail current objectives, and paint visions ahead. This narrative arc ensures continuity and builds anticipation for what’s next.

The speech must resonate with the audience, bridging the gap between speakers and attendees. It’s a call to collective action, a gentle nudge towards shared goals. Crafted carefully, it becomes the event’s heartbeat, driving momentum and engagement.

What Makes the Opening Speech Memorable?

The opening speech of any conference is its heartbeat. Its rhythm, tone, and pace can either captivate or lose the audience. So, what renders it unforgettable?

Emotional Resonance

Connecting emotionally strengthens any message delivered. An opening speech that taps into feelings will linger long in attendees’ minds. Evoking empathy, excitement, or motivation ensures engagement.

Clarity of Message

In the sea of words, clarity shines. A memorable speech delivers its core message without ambiguity or needless jargon. Simplicity paired with purpose often leaves a lasting impression.

Relevance to the Audience

Understand who listens; tailor the message accordingly. A speech that speaks directly to its audience’s interests and needs stands out. Personalized touches often differentiate routine speeches from memorable ones.

Compelling Narrative

Stories draw people in, providing context and color. By weaving a compelling narrative, the speech becomes more than just words. It transforms into an experience, capturing imagination and attention.

Authenticity and Passion

Genuine enthusiasm is infectious. A speech delivered with authenticity and enthusiasm captures hearts. When speakers believe in their message, their conviction becomes palpable, making the content memorable.

Setting the right tone at a conference’s commencement is pivotal. A compelling opening speech captivates and prepares the attendees for the journey ahead. Let’s explore five unique approaches.

1. The Inspirational Opener

“Good morning, everyone. Remember, every gathering like this has the potential to change our world. Let’s embark on this transformative journey together, believing in the power of collaboration.”

2. The Questioning Approach

“Have you ever wondered what drives innovation? As we congregate today, let’s explore that very curiosity, pushing boundaries and expanding our collective knowledge.”

3. The Reflective Start

“Years ago, when this conference first began, we had but a simple dream. Today, we’ve grown, learned, and evolved. Let’s celebrate our past and eagerly step into our future.”

4. The Challenge-Led Introduction

“In the face of pressing challenges, how do we respond? This conference aims to not just discuss but also design actionable solutions. Together, we’ll pave the path towards a brighter, better tomorrow.”

5. The Gratitude-Focused Beginning

“I stand before you, humbled and honored. Your presence, passion, and dedication make events like this possible. Let’s dive into these sessions, grateful for each shared insight and innovation.”

Perks of a Having Successful Opening Speech

An impactful opening speech isn’t mere rhetoric. It’s the catalyst that fuels conference engagement , setting the stage for everything to follow. Its benefits extend far beyond mere formalities.

Establishes a Positive Atmosphere

An eloquent and engaging opening speech casts a magnetic spell over the audience. It sets an enthusiastic and vibrant tone, ensuring attendees feel welcomed and valued.

Moreover, it can transform a room full of strangers into a unified assembly, ready to engage, share, and learn from the journey that lies ahead.

Fosters Networking and Builds Community

A compelling opener can help attendees find common ground or shared interests. When they resonate with the initial message, it becomes a conversation starter, promoting interpersonal interactions and networking.

As participants discuss the speech’s key points, a sense of community forms, enhancing collaborations and facilitating deeper connections throughout the conference.

Bolsters Speaker and Event Credibility

Opening with conviction and clarity sets a standard. It not only enhances the credibility of the speaker but also elevates the stature of the entire event.

With such a solid beginning, attendees are more likely to trust and value subsequent discussions, viewing them through a lens of respect and anticipation.

Sharpens Focus on Conference Objectives

A well-articulated opening speech reinforces the conference’s objectives, making them clear and prominent. This ensures that attendees grasp the core themes, aligning their participation accordingly.

As the event progresses, this clarity fosters a more cohesive and goal-oriented approach, ensuring the conference remains on track and achieves its intended outcomes.

Ensures Long-term Audience Engagement

When an event kicks off memorably, it captures and retains attention. Attendees, enthralled from the outset, are less likely to drift off or become passive observers.

This initial engagement not only boosts the success of the current event but also sows the seeds for future participation, ensuring a loyal and eager audience for subsequent editions.

Tips for Writing a Successful Opening Speech

Crafting an opening speech is an art that marries content with delivery. It sets the stage, ensuring the audience’s captivation and setting the event’s tempo.

• Know Your Audience : Understand your audience ‘s expectations and preferences. Tailoring your message to resonate with them ensures better engagement.
• Embrace Storytelling : Narratives captivate human minds. Weave a relevant story into your speech, making your message memorable and relatable.
• State Clear Objectives : Establish the purpose of your conference early. Providing clarity on objectives ensures attendees grasp the event’s essence quickly.
• Inject Authenticity : Genuine passion and belief shine through words. Deliver your speech with authenticity, ensuring it’s heartfelt and sincere.
• Avoid Overloading Information : Less often speaks more. Avoid cluttering your speech; focus on key messages to ensure clarity and maintain interest.
• Engage with Rhetorical Devices : Questions, pauses, or metaphors can amplify impact. They not only enhance delivery but also facilitate better audience connection.
• Practice, Practice, Practice : Even the best-written speech can falter without rehearsal. Familiarize yourself with content and refine delivery through multiple practices.
• Seek Feedback : Before the main event, seek feedback. Colleagues or friends can offer valuable insights to polish and refine your speech.

Final Considerations

Crafting an effective conference opening speech is a delicate dance of precision, passion, and relevance. When done right, it transforms a gathering of individuals into a unified audience primed for engagement.

Drawing insights from a well-crafted conference opening speech example can be the linchpin to ensuring an event’s success. By focusing on elements like emotional resonance, audience relevance, and clear messaging, organizers can set a resonant tone that continues to echo throughout the conference.

As we’ve seen, an impactful beginning isn’t just about words; it’s about creating a shared experience, fostering community, and igniting a collective passion for the content to follow.

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Welcome Speech for a Scientific Conference: Examples & Tips

Published on 15 Feb 2022

Having a well written welcome speech that you’re confident about goes a long way in overcoming public speaking nervousness.

A great welcome speech sets the tone for the conference. It makes everyone feel welcome and creates the appropriate environment for the exchange of knowledge. The speech should broadly outline the contents of the event and, most importantly, make everyone feel excited for what’s to come.

In this article, you will find our best tips to create a successful welcome speech and some examples with analysis for inspiration.

Quick Tips for a successful welcome speech

Formal vs. informal language.

The first thing you should decide is whether you want to use formal or informal language. For larger events that include scientists of various fields where everybody might not know each other, you may want to use formal language. For smaller yearly conferences for researchers in your field where most people know each other, it’s common to use informal language.

I find that, in general, a rather informal or casual speech is more successful. That way you set the tone and bring everyone to the same level, promoting questions, comments, and socialization during the event.

Greet and welcome everyone

Start with a warm welcome. As alluded before, this can range from very formal (“Good morning to all attendees”) to informal (“Hello and welcome, everyone!”). These will be your first words, so you need to grab everyone’s attention—use a clear, strong voice.

A smile goes a long way to make everyone feel welcome and in a good mood. Make eye contact as you start addressing the room.

It can be great to inject a bit of humor, if appropriate. It could be something as simple as, “We are lucky to be in such a beautiful location with so many beaches close by. I hope that is not the main reason you’re here!”.

Talk about the event’s history and purpose

Is it a first-time event, a yearly conference put on by a scientific organization? In any case, you’ll want to mention the motivation behind the conference, what brings you together. If the event is related to a specific organization, you can mention its history and purpose.

Mention any distinguished guests

It is common for scientific conferences to have one or more distinguished guests or speakers. Mention them and thank them for accepting the invitation to participate. Make sure you have their names, credentials and affiliations correct.  

Thank creators and/or organizers

If the event is being held for the first time, thank the creators by name. Give some words of appreciation to the organizing committee. You don’t need to mention every single person involved, but rather the essential ones.

State the main topic(s)

Mention the main topic(s) of the conference, the common interests for all attendees. For annual conferences of scientific organizations, a specific subject within the field is usually chosen for each year. For example, for an annual meeting of an immunology organization, the year's topic could be “Infectious Diseases” or “Immunotherapies.”

Touch on the agenda

Briefly outline the event’s agenda. You can mention whether there will be sessions with specific (sub)topics, poster presentations, spaces for exchange and networking. Don’t get  into too many details. You can direct people to the conference brochure, if there is one, for specifics on the schedule.

Motivate everybody

End your speech on a high note by getting everyone excited about the talks to come. Highlight all the strengths of the conference: any high-impact research that will be shown, the variety of topics that will be covered, the great number of attendees, the different countries represented.

Introduce the first speaker

If the first speaker follows your welcome speech, don’t forget to introduce him or her. Introduce them with their full name and credentials and give a brief description of their career achievements.

Rehearse a few times

Practice with colleagues and friends to get some feedback and familiarize yourself with your speech. You want to be familiar enough that you don’t need to look down at your notes constantly. However, don’t over rehearse. You don’t want to sound robotic, but rather natural and conversational.

Be sure you know how to pronounce all the names in your speech. Make eye contact with the audience and with specific attendees as you mention their names.

Keep it brief

In general, you should keep your speech short, usually around 5 minutes. Consult with the organizing committee so you know how long they expect you to talk.

In-person vs. virtual event

Virtual events are very common right now and likely will be for a while. This creates some challenges when giving a welcome speech. Making eye contact with the attendees is not possible when you’re on a video call. That being said, you can still give a great speech and get people excited virtually. Just make sure that people can clearly see and hear you before you start.    

Welcome speech examples

1. welcome and opening remarks - 2015 coast/ssew symposium.

In the above example of opening remarks for a scientific symposium , the speaker starts by welcoming everyone with a smile and lots of eye contact. It seems the attendees are in the same field of research and among familiar faces. Accordingly, her language is informal. She adds a bit of humor when she talks about collecting money in a bowl.

She follows by explaining the origin of the organization that the symposium is for, along with the main topics that will be covered. In the middle, she asks  the audience some questions to keep them engaged. Finally, she creates positive expectations by presenting a “sneak peek” of brand-new research and mentioning “leaders” in the field of microbiome.    

 2. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering Welcome Speech

Read this welcome speech for an annual international conference.

This seems to be a scientific conference with attendees from various countries and from a broad range of fields. The formal language used is therefore appropriate. The speaker welcomes the attendees and introduces the distinguished keynote speakers.

The origins and goals of the conference are outlined. He broadly describes the topics that will be discussed. Then, he thanks the organizing committee, companies and volunteers involved. Finally, he mentions “internationally notorious speakers,” a great way to spark people’s interest.   

 3. Welcoming Address | Dale Mullennix

In this welcoming address, the speaker starts by warmly welcoming the audience. He uses rather informal language since it seems this is a regularly held event where most people know each other. He throws in some humor, directly addresses the audience, and asks them questions to grab their attention at the beginning.

By conveying the value that the attendees will find in the lectures to come, he creates anticipation. He makes lots of eye contact throughout and doesn’t even have notes! By the end, he tells a personal story and connects it to the theme of the event.

With these tips and examples, we hope that you are inspired to write a great welcome speech.  Remember to keep it brief, conversational, and not overly formal, unless necessary. Eye contact and a smile go a long way.

If you’re looking for more general conference presenting tips, you should read our 15 Best Tips for Presenting at a Conference . 

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38 Top Opening and Closing Remarks for Meetings

You found our list of opening and closing remarks for meetings .

Opening and closing remarks for meetings are statements that introduce and wrap up workplace get-togethers. The purpose of these remarks is to set the tone of the subject matter and summarize topics covered during the meeting. Examples of opening and closing remarks for meetings include quick welcomes to attendees, announcements explaining the reason for the meeting, and conclusions that wrap up the content covered.

Utilizing opening and closing remarks is among the top public speaking tips for employees . You can use conference jokes or conference quotes as your opening or closing remarks. These icebreaker jokes are a great addition to your conference agenda .

This list includes:

• short opening remarks for a meeting
• opening remarks for a virtual meeting
• chairman opening remarks in a meeting
• opening remarks for a seminar
• sample closing remarks for a meeting
• sample closing remarks for an event
• simple closing remarks

Here we go!

Short opening remarks for a meeting

• Welcome, everyone. Thank you for taking the time to attend our meeting this morning. This meeting will address some announcements we think you will find interesting. We have a lot to cover, so we will get started without further ado.
• Good morning, folks. We appreciate you blocking out your calendar so we can discuss some important topics with you. We promise to get through this as quickly as possible so you can get back to your day.
• Hey, everyone! Great to see so many shining faces in the room, especially for the early hour! Apologies for calling this meeting on such short notice. We have some significant announcements to make, so we will get right to it.
• Hi, team. Thank you for making an effort to be here today. Some serious developments occurred over the weekend, and we wanted to inform you of the details before you heard any worrisome rumors. Here is everything we can tell you so far.
• Hello, all! Glad you could make it on such short notice. We have some exciting news to share, and we just could not wait to spill the beans! Rather than wasting any time, we can get right to the good stuff.
• Good afternoon. Thanks for making time to be here today. As you know, we hit some important milestones this week. We thought sharing the success and discussing what comes next would be helpful. Away we go!
• Greetings, everybody! Here we are at another super exciting monthly meeting, our chance to share the highs and lows we all have been through since the last time we met. Would anyone like to get things started for us?
• Well, hey there! It has been a long time since our last meeting. We have all been quite busy, as you know. We have a lot to catch up on, so how about we jump right in and get started?

Opening remarks for a virtual meeting

• Good morning to everyone on our video call today. We have participants joining today from locations all over the world. Before we get started, we would like to take a moment to share our appreciation for everyone lining up their schedules across the time zones in this way. We understand how difficult it was to coordinate this meeting so all major stakeholders could attend. We promise to make it worth your while. If anyone on the call knows of a colleague who cannot attend, please feel free to share our discussion with them when you can. You should have a meeting deck in your email to help you follow along. Feel free to open it, and we will get started.
• Cyberteam: Assemble! Cheers to our remote crew, tuning in from the various workspaces around town and throughout the country. It is truly incredible that technology allows us to get together, even if only in digital form. You may have heard about some developments across several departments. We will address those topics and field any questions or concerns you may have. We will also discuss future developments in as much detail as possible. Much of what we will cover is still in the works, so we do not have as much information for you as we would like. However, we promise to do our best to get you up to speed and keep you informed as we learn more.
• Good afternoon, team. You may have seen the email announcing our new project calendar. This timeline includes tasks spanning multiple teams, so we have a coordinated effort. We wanted to get everyone on a call to brainstorm ways to approach our rollout of various tasks. Depending on the needs, you may find your name on multiple lists, or you may not appear on any lists. Our hope is to distribute the work as fairly as possible among the team to minimize potential overload. Because you are the players involved, we want you to have a say in how we assemble the list.
• Hello, everyone. Thank you for firing up your cameras and getting online this morning. We have a few special announcements to go over as well as updates on items we left in limbo during our last meeting. We also have a special guest joining us today. This guest speaker has information about making the most of your remote work experience. I know we have discussed workplace wellness in the past, and I thought we should hear from an expert on the subject. They will hop on for the last 30 minutes, which gives us the first 30 minutes to cover everything else. I will dive right in so we can have time for Q&A before our guest appears.
• Hey, crew! We have gotten away from our meeting schedule as of late, and for a good reason. Great job on catching up on the backlog! Now that we are ahead of the curve again, I would like us to pick back up on our semi-monthly schedule to stay informed in a more unified setting. I think it is also a good idea for us to see one another’s shining faces every so often so we can remember what we all look like! More sincerely, our remote team needs face-to-face interaction, which is what these meetings are all about. I will put new items on our calendars to keep us on track through the end of the year.

Chairman opening remarks in a meeting

• I am pleased to be speaking to all of you today. As the leader of this board, it is my duty to bring us together when necessary. This task can be challenging, considering our other obligations. I would like us to take this opportunity to review developments that occurred since our last meeting and cover several lingering action items.
• Good morning, fellow board members. It is a privilege to address you all this afternoon for such a fortunate occasion. It is not often that the board has the opportunity to honor the accomplishments of its own members. Today, we will celebrate the successes of a long-standing trustee who has reached the pinnacle of personal and professional achievement. Before we start, please join me in welcoming our esteemed member with a round of applause.
• Thank you all for attending. As chairman, I would like to begin this meeting by reviewing the minutes from our last session before covering our new agenda. You all know how quickly the new corporate strategy is unfolding. We have a growing list of issues to address, so we should get started.
• I would like to extend a warm welcome to all in attendance today. As your newly appointed chairman, I think it best to begin this meeting by introducing myself and explaining my background before having each member do the same. Once introductions are complete, we will review the charter and attend to any new business.

Opening remarks for a seminar

• Welcome, everyone, and thank you for being with us today. For those who may not know, this seminar is our opportunity to share our latest developments and explain how this progress will lead us into our next phase. We have laid out a roadmap that puts us on solid footing the whole way through. We are eager to share the details and get your input on what improvements we can make. As key stakeholders in the business, your viewpoints count as much as anyone on the team. We hope you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts.
• There are few moments in which our group can assemble for a subject as important as improving our culture. We feel the need is critical enough to halt operations and bring us all together. This company remains dedicated to the well-being of every employee, but dedication means nothing without action. We have created a seminar-style meeting that presents information intended to help make the most of your experience in the workplace. This is your space, after all, and we will do all we can to create an enriching culture for all of us.
• I can think of few workplace developments less stressful than learning new software. Unfortunately, we have outgrown our old platform and have no choice but to move to a bigger and better model. After a great deal of deliberation, we have chosen a package that will make your current work much easier while also accommodating future growth. To get a head start on learning, we have put together this seminar with a representative from the software company. This speaker will provide an overview of the system and its functions before going into detail about how each feature fits in with our current system. Please feel free to ask questions and share your insight as we proceed.

Sample closing remarks for a meeting

• We have covered a lot of material in a short time. If you need more details, you can schedule one-on-one time with your supervisors, who will have additional information shortly. Please write down any questions that arise so you can get answers and feel settled about our next steps.
• I hope you enjoyed our brainstorming session. We are off to a great start and should have a great second meeting. I will add an item to the calendar to continue with our planning phase. If everyone will kindly send me their notes, then I will create a master folder we can all access. I will also email today’s meeting minutes out so we can create a living document as we go. More to come!
• As you can understand, this meeting is only a first step. We will continue business as usual until we receive further word about new developments. Once we know more about the acquisition, we will put together another meeting for updates. You may have questions and concerns before then, which you may discuss with your manager, of course. To avoid creating unnecessary anxiety, we would ask that you refrain from speculating on details we have yet to disclose. I appreciate your cooperation.
• I hope you can all agree that it is important for our team to spend quality time together outside of our usual tasks. These team building meetings are a perfect forum for showing off other sides of our personalities and connecting in fun and exciting ways. This meeting is the first of many! To ensure everyone feels a sense of ownership, I would like you all to send me your ideas for events we can include in future meetings. If you know of any games or icebreaker activities we should include, please send me a note or drop by my office to chat. The more input we have, the better variety of activities we can draw from.

Sample closing remarks for an event

• We hope you enjoyed attending our event as much as we enjoyed putting it together. As always, we are ready to assist our clients in any way possible. If you have concerns after you head out, please get in touch with your account manager or a supervisor and let us know how we can help. We truly appreciate serving you and cannot wait to see where we go together next. Thank you for coming!
• Thank you for coming to our get-together. We know breaking away from your busy day can be challenging, and we do not take it for granted. That said, it is always great to see our team come together for time away from the daily grind! We would not be able to do what we do without you. You are all integral to this organization’s success, and we are grateful to have you.
• We have come a long way since the last time we were all together. The organization has grown considerably, and we know more growth will come. We hope we have clarified what comes next for this company and how we intend to achieve our goals. The agenda may seem ambitious, but we have no doubt that the people in this room are the right people to make the effort successful. Thank you, as always, for your continued support and dedication to our cause. We hope to see you again next time.
• Before we all head out, I would like to thank everyone who showed up tonight. You really came through and made this event a smashing success! I would also like to give a shout-out to our event team, who put together everything from decorations to catering without falling behind on their daily tasks. This team is phenomenal, and the credit for such a winning event goes to them. Please join me in showing our appreciation for all they have done.

Simple closing remarks

• Thank you all for coming. Enjoy the rest of your day!
• This meeting went quicker than expected, so I will give you 30 minutes back.
• Apologies for this meeting taking longer than scheduled. I appreciate you taking the extra time needed to finish up.
• If you have any questions after the meeting, please feel free to come to my office.
• Anyone needing more information can reach out to the contacts listed on the calendar item for this meeting.
• We have much more to discuss, so I will schedule a follow-up meeting for a week from now.
• As you can see, we have some serious challenges ahead of us. But I know that our usual team spirit will help us rise to the occasion.
• This topic is highly sensitive, so we ask that you treat it with the proper discretion.
• As a thank-you for your time and attention, there are treats in the breakroom. Feel free to drop by and grab a few!
• You all put the “dream” in “dream team.” Thank you for your incredible effort and amazing output during such a demanding time!

Preparing opening and closing remarks will provide definitive starting and ending points for your meetings. You can set the tone while alerting attendees to the main topic as well as sharing a list of agenda items. These remarks also create an opportunity to open your meeting with a warm welcome and close on a note of gratitude and encouragement.

Next, read about virtual workshop ideas and virtual brainstorming ideas , and team meeting tips .

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FAQ: Opening and closing remarks for meetings

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about opening and closing remarks for meetings.

What are opening and closing remarks for meetings?

Opening and closing remarks for meetings are introductions and conclusions that bring a sense of organization to your agenda. You can use opening remarks to announce the topic of your meeting, while closing remarks will provide a wrap-up and alert attendees to any follow-up meetings or actions needed.

Why are good opening and closing remarks important?

Good opening remarks are important because they set the tone for the meeting, set goalposts, and keep listeners engaged. Similarly, good closing statements summarize essential topics, establish goals for future sessions, and provide calls to action.

What are some good opening statements for meetings?

Some options for good opening remarks include quick reasons for the meeting and brief rundowns of topics you will cover. Choosing an opener that matches the tone of the topics you want to address is essential.

How do you create good closing remarks for meetings?

Preparing good closing remarks can be as simple as reiterating information already covered and assigning the next steps. Additionally, these remarks should leave meeting attendees with a sense of understanding and accomplishment. Examples of some good closing remarks include thank yous to workers for attending, confirmations of the following steps, and reminders of follow-up items.

Author: Grace He

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com. Grace is the Director of People & Culture at TeamBuilding. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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• Welcome speech

How to write a welcome speech in 3 steps

With a printable welcome speech planner, outline and a sample welcome speech

By:  Susan Dugdale  

So, you've been asked to give a short welcome speech for an event. Congratulations! And now you want to be doubly sure you get it right. The right content. The right tone. Plus, the right length!

You'll find everything here you need to do that easily, from start to finish. 

Jump in. You are just three steps away from a completed welcome speech. Shall we start?

The fastest and best way to get your speech done is to:

• skim read this page to get an overview of the speech writing process, ( the welcome speech template and the planner you're going to use), to  read the example welcome speech , and to find out more about the function of a welcome speech and the importance of its tone .
• then download, print and complete the welcome speech planner .
• and lastly, use the notes you made in the planner to write your welcome speech . To help with that, you can download and print the outline of my example welcome speech to use.  Edit, and add your information to make the speech your own.

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The welcome speech template

To be effective your welcome speech needs to meet expected, as well as any specific, requirements dictated by the occasion.

The 6 standard welcome speech content ingredients

There are six common or standard content items in a good welcome speech.

• Greetings to welcome everyone and thanking them for coming along.
• Acknowledgement of special guests, if there are any.
• An introduction of the event itself and a brief overview of special highlights the audience will want to know about.
• Any important housekeeping information, for instance: where the bathrooms are, where lunch will be served and when...
• An introduction for the next speaker, if there is one.
• Thanking everyone for coming once more and then concluding having made everybody feel at ease, eagerly anticipating what is to come.

Numbers 1, 3, and 6 are basic essentials you cannot do without. Numbers 2, 4 and 5 may, or may not, be applicable. Pick what you need from them to fit your occasion.

Short sample welcome speech for a conference 

Now let's put all six ingredients into an example of a short welcome speech to open a conference that you can adapt for your own speech.

* (This speech is pure fiction! I made it up to show you how it's done. You'll see its tone is formal rather than informal to fit the occasion. I don't think there is a group called Parents United. However, there are others with a similar mission: 10 Inspiring Organizations that Promote Literacy and Education .)  

Example welcome speech - "Readers by Right"

"Sue-Ellen Thomas, Jim Smith, Jane Brown and all of our guests, good morning!

My name is April Molloy, and it's my privilege and great pleasure on behalf of Parents United to welcome you all here today.

We are delighted to have you with us to participate and share in this special occasion, our 5th annual Children's Day Conference. Thank you for coming. That many of you have willingly traveled long distances to be here serves as a reminder to us all just how important our work is.

Parents United is committed to actively raising the quality of life for every child. We want all children, regardless of race, creed or circumstance to achieve their full potential. Our task is to make it possible. Our mission is to provide practical, step by step assistance.

This year our theme is literacy. We've named the day 'Readers by Right'.

Thanks to the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we are aware of 'rights' in many spheres, including education.  Article 26 declared it should be compulsory and free for children.

That goal is as pertinent today as it was then. And it's a goal I know we all share - the full development of every child. As a body, Parents United recognizes good reading skills established in childhood as the foundation of fulfilling, and ongoing education.

We are honored to have Sue-Ellen Thomas, Jim Smith and Jane Brown with us today. All three are esteemed specialists in teaching young children to read.

Sue-Ellen has worked for a long time with educational authorities to establish programs putting in place necessary pre-reading skills. Her hard work needs no introduction. The results speak for themselves.

Jim and Jane bring their passion, and knowledge of how to reach those in our communities who are frequently overlooked or bypassed. Their work among disadvantaged English-as-a-second-language families has bridged gaps that were deep dark chasms.

Prepare yourself to be challenged, excited and inspired.

And before I handover to Lesley Watts, our coordinator for 'Readers by Right', who will outline the day's various events, I want to say once more on behalf of the Parents United organizing committee, welcome. It's wonderful to see so many of you here." 

Get your welcome speech started

To shortcut wondering, "Should I say this?" or "Maybe I should say that?" and "Then again there's also ...", I have a very simple solution for you.

Get yourself a printable welcome speech planner

Download and print my  special greeting address planner .

It covers ALL the necessary ingredients that go into preparing a successful welcome speech. It's simple to use and easily filled out. Once it's done, writing your speech will be a lot less hassle as you'll have the core content ready to work with.

Writing your welcome speech

Tips to help you get your speech right.

When you're entering information into your speech planner:

• ensure you've got all the names of individuals or special guests you need to mention specifically and, that you know how to pronounce each of them. Also check that you know and use their preferred pronouns: them/they, she/her, he/him...
• double check the remarks you're going to make about them, or anything else, are factually correct.

Use your introduction of your guests/or the event, as a "teaser" for what is going to come. It will help create anticipation in the audience. Don't ruin it by giving too much away! Just enough to tempt and no more.

Keep it brief. One to two minutes is generally sufficient.

(The word count of my sample welcome speech is 357. It will take approximately 2 minutes to say .) 

Use the S-S-S formula for success: Short, Simple and Sincere. Your listeners will appreciate it.

Get a printable welcome speech outline

If you would like to use and adapt the structure I used in my sample speech as the foundation for your welcome speech, click the link to download the printable: welcome speech outline .

Then edit; delete, amend and add, until you are done.

Get a hand with vocabulary

If you're stuck for words, here's a large selection of  adaptable welcoming phrases with example s entences.  Reading through them could help you to find exactly what you want.

What does a good welcome speech do?

An effective welcome speech has three important functions. It:

• signals the official beginning of an event . It says to the audience, hush, sit down, stop talking and listen. What you came for is starting!
• sets the tone for the occasion through the choice of language used . For example, using light-hearted and informal words to welcome guests to a dear friend's birthday party may be completely appropriate.  However, the same type of language to welcome family and friends to a memorial service is unlikely to be. In that setting, people generally expect a more solemn and formal word choice. They could be deeply offended and think the use of casual language is disrespectful.  Understanding and getting tone right is a key element in the overall success of your welcome speech.  
• unites the audience . It draws everyone together in the common purpose at the heart of the occasion. For example, at a birthday party, the welcome speech invites everyone to join in celebrating the person whose birthday it is. The welcome speech opening a specialist conference will affirm its principal purpose: the coming together of people with mutual interests to meet and share new knowledge. Or if a welcome speech is given to newcomers in a workplace, club or educational setting, its purpose is to give an introductory overview of how things work to help them feel more at ease in their new situation - to help them develop a sense of belonging.

Getting the tone right for an event

What is tone.

Tone is the combined impact of the words chosen to express something, with how they are structured and, delivered.  All three elements come together to create tone * . 

Get tone wrong, and your welcome speech is a disaster.

Get it right, and it's a triumph!

(Yes, that's hyperbole but I'm sure you get the idea. ☺)

* Tone - a mood, quality or feeling

How to choose the right words

The beginning of getting tone right is to think about your audience and the event itself. Your goal is to unite and bring them together in the main purpose at the core of the occasion. What type of language will do that most appropriately and easily?

To answer that question, think about the common interest everybody shares - the principal reason behind them getting together.  It will help guide your language choice.

Is it a fun event like a birthday party for close friends and family? If so, then informal language is likely to be the most apt.

You might hear something along the lines of: "Well, here we all are! The big day has finally arrived. Jean-Marie is 50! Half a century! How on earth did that happen?"

If it's a remembrance service for someone who has recently died, the language you're likely to hear is more formal.

For example: "Friends, family, colleagues, thank you for joining us today to celebrate and give thanks for our dear Jean-Marie. Your presence is gratefully appreciated." 

What is appropriate? What is expected?  Do spend some time thinking tone through. Misunderstanding and getting it wrong can be very embarrassing for everyone. If in doubt, ask someone whose opinion you trust.

Related helpful pages

Help rehearsing your welcome speech.

Get  step by step instructions on how to rehearse  including how to make and use cue cards.

And please do rehearse. It makes a huge difference! You'll sound, and look better. Taking the time to rehearse shows respect for yourself, the audience and the event. Truly.

Help to manage pre-speech jitters

Nervous? If you're shaking in your boots at the thought of having to speak in front of an audience, click  overcoming public speaking fear  for assistance. Take your time. The page has 14 tried and tested suggestions to consider.

Help with other types of welcome speeches

Or perhaps you need  welcome to the family speeches   or a  church welcome speech sample ? Click the links to find easily adaptable examples.

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How to Write a Welcome Speech | Academic Conference Edition

Have you ever been to a conference where the welcome speech left you wanting more information or didn’t make you excited for what’s to come? Yikes! You may not be alone in that sentiment.

But were you invited to give the welcome speech for the upcoming conference you’re attending, and want to do a better job? Fun stuff, congratulations!

We can’t take the conference jitters away, but we can help you learn about welcome speeches and how to write one in this article. In the end, you’ll see how Orvium helps the research community prepare for a conference.

What is a Welcome Speech?

A welcome speech (or address) sets the tone for a conference or event. The speech must describe what’s to come and get everyone excited for the event and feel welcome. It should also create an appropriate environment for knowledge sharing.

Anyone can deliver a welcome speech, but a minimum of excellent presentation skills, fun and creative demeanor, and the ability to be personable are major pluses. If you haven’t given a speech of this caliber before, remember that preparing your notes, writing your speech, and delivering it are all a part of the process . Practice makes perfect.

An excellent welcome speech will unite the audience, helping them come together for a common purpose.

See some examples of welcome speeches here , and learn how to write your own below.

How to Write a Welcome Speech for a Conference

1. get the event focus and tone right.

Since a welcome speech sets the tone for a conference or event, you must ensure it’s informative and interesting. While thinking about this, decide whether or not you’ll use formal or informal language . How you choose, structure, and deliver your words matters. These all come together to create the “tone”.

To decide between formal and informal language for your welcome speech, consult the graph below:

Typically, you’ll want to use formal language for a conference (but not overly formal) depending on your audience demographics and ensure everyone can understand you. A welcome speech has the following structure:

• opening and welcome
• theme and main topics
• outcome (or agenda)
• thank yous (to attendees, sponsors, volunteers, vendors, speakers, etc.)
• a closing statement.

Pro tip : you want to connect with your audience, grab their attention, and get them excited about the event, so start with a strong but warm opening. Don’t mention everyone involved throughout your speech, as that can get lengthy; instead, mention the essential speakers, organizations, associations, or volunteers. Finally, end the speech on a good note to get everyone excited with stats and pertinent information, such as:

• the high number of attendees
• any high-impact research that will be shown
• the different represented countries
• the variety of covered topics.

If you don’t know where to start, follow this welcome speech planner and read the information below.

2. Take Notes and Draft an Outline

From our Full Guide to Planning an Academic Conference, you know that your welcome speech must add value to the conference , just as each keynote and session speaker does. To do so, research (and reach out to) essential participants (keynote, session speakers, vendors, etc.) to make sure you know what kind of approach you can take with your speech. Humor works in the right circumstances, but you must spend time thinking it through; not all jokes will be taken lightly, and you want to avoid any misunderstandings.

Remember, your goal is to unite and bring together like-minded individuals who all have a common purpose, that of advancing and sharing knowledge .

In your notes or outline, you’ll want to include the following steps:

• Welcome the audience - use a clear and strong voice to welcome all attendees and grab their attention.
• an example of an informal greeting: “Hello and welcome, everyone!”
• an example of a formal greeting: “Good evening to all attendees. It’s wonderful to see you all.”
• Introduce the event - say the event’s name, purpose, and age or history (if it’s a repeat event or conference), and talk a bit about the event’s organization.
• Mention any distinguished guests - ensure you get their names, affiliations, and credentials correct.
• State the main topics - the main topics are the attendees’ common interests, so you may choose to present a specific subject within the field selected that year.
• Outline the agenda - mention whether there’ll be sessions with specific poster presentations, (sub)topics, or areas and spaces to exchange and discuss ideas or network. Direct attendees to the conference website, content management tool , or brochure for schedule specifics.
• Motivate everyone - highlight any conference strengths and warmly introduce the first speaker or entertainment.

Important to note : for virtual events, ensure that attendees can see and hear you clearly and look up from your notes or outline often.

3. Write Your Speech

As you’re finalizing your notes or draft, ensure that your speech is around the five-minute mark to avoid boredom or giving the audience too much information right off the bat (to not take away from any speakers). Consult with the organizing committee about a time frame, as the length of the speech can vary from conference to conference.

Pro tip : add individual greetings as necessary for special guests, speakers, or sponsors.

4. Rehearse Your Speech

Once you’ve done the necessary research, outlined, and written your welcome speech, it’s time to rehearse it a few times to familiarize yourself with your speech. Read it out loud and practice it with colleagues or friends to get their input and feedback on areas of possible improvement.

However, don’t over-rehearse your speech . You want to still sound natural, not robotic or like you’re reading a script.

Again, ensure you know how to pronounce everyone’s name and credentials as you’re rehearsing, and practice making enough eye contact with the audience or specific attendees as you’re speaking.

Orvium Makes You Feel Welcome

No one can take the nerves of giving the opening speech at a conference away; however, Orvium can make it less nerve-wracking. If you’re having trouble finding colleagues or like-minded individuals to review your speech outline and give you feedback, you can reach out to one of the Orvium communities to get to know other people in the field.

Who knows, maybe you’ll meet members and form friendships that’ll last a lifetime.

As for giving your welcome speech, remember to get the tone right, keep it brief, and don’t make it overly formal (unless absolutely necessary). Also, a smile and a lot of eye contact go a long way . Let’s get people excited about new scientific discoveries!  Want to see more of what we do? Check out our platform to discover what matters to you.

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Roberto Rabasco

+10 years’ experience working for Deutsche Telekom, Just Eat or Asos. Leading, designing and developing high-availability software solutions, he built his own software house in '16

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Opening Speech

Whether you are opening for a small gathering such as minor events or a big one like global conferences, public speaking always gives people stage fright. If you are nervous, you have all the reasons to feel that way. You must already know it since you are here, but one helpful tip to combat nervousness is preparation. That said, turn on your gears and practice your speech writing skills as you compose your opening speech. 

10+ Opening Speech Examples

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What Is an Opening Speech?

An opening speech is a talk that people give to welcome guests and give a brief overview of what will happen in an event. People give this type of speech during formal and informal gatherings. Just as the name states, the purpose of an opening speech is to open programs. 

How to Compose an Impressive Opening Speech

Giving an opening statement means giving the people something to measure for their first impression. When you get on that stage and give your speech, you are doing the first performance of the event itinerary . It is your responsibility to set the vibe for the entirety of the gathering. That said, you should ensure to give a grand opening speech. 

1. Start With a Compelling Introduction

The first words that come out of your mouth when you hold the microphone are a defining factor in the quality of your speech. In writing this segment, ensure to incorporate a hook. It should be effective enough to captivate and retain the attention of your audience throughout your whole speech. One method that will help you to devise your introduction is by conducting an audience analysis . Doing this will give you an idea of how to catch the attention of your listeners. 

2. Acknowledge The Guests

Of course, one of the purposes of giving an opening speech at every event is to welcome the guests. Convey how thankful the organizers are for their acceptance of the event invitation . Also, do not forget to thank them for sparing time for the program. If there are important people on your attendance list , you should show them your appreciation by giving them a special mention. 

3. State the Purpose of the Event

The next step is to write the part where you explain the reason for holding the event. To make things interesting, you can give a very brief history or a fascinating fact about the program. Ensure to compose this segment properly. This part is what will give the audience an idea of what to expect for the ceremony.

4. Conclude Your Speech

In giving a welcome speech for guests , you should not consume too much of the people’s time. That said, after the previous steps, you should now start coming up with a conclusion. In concluding your speech, you should once again thank the guests. After that, you should introduce the next speaker or performer. 

What makes a good opening speech?

Good speech openings are those that can rouse the emotions of the audience. Despite that, you should tailor your introduction based on the formality of the gathering you are attending. For example, giving an opening speech for an event should be something that would brighten the atmosphere. On the other hand, when giving a welcome speech for conference , you should try a more formal approach and include essential meeting details.

How do you give a self-introduction speech?

Aside from mentioning your name, there are other things you should include in your self-introduction speech . Before deciding what details to add to what you will say, you should first consider your audience and the formality of the setting. Despite that, one universal tip that is appropriate for multiple circumstances is to give a brief background of yourself and your accomplishments.

What are essential things to remember when giving a speech?

In giving a speech, it is always advisable to compose a speech outline and practice what you will say. Another necessary thing that you should consider is how you will establish a connection with your listeners. One way to do this is by maintaining eye contact with your audience. Also, during your speech, you should use appropriate hand gestures.

Giving opening speeches are a heavy responsibility. Knowing that you would be the first person to go up the podium can make a person’s heartbeat twice as fast as it usually would. That said, you should prepare ahead and secure to write a killer opening speech. That way, you can walk towards the mic with confident steps.

Opening Speech Generator

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Welcome Speech for Conference for Students & Children

August 7, 2021 by Sandeep

Welcome Speech for Conference: The opening speech for a conference normally explains in a brief run-through about the list of events planned for the day against a corresponding timeline. The host discusses the theme and context of the conference in a welcome speech . Speakers and delegates of the events are introduced formally.

Find below the best welcome speech for conference delegates in English, written in easy and simple words, suitable for classes 7, 8, 9, and 10 students. Below provided sample on welcome address speech can be used in delivering the speech on different occasions like for cultural program, presentation, international conference, exhibition, event, meeting, etc.

Long Welcome Speech for Conference

Find below the best sample of welcome speech for conference in English.

Welcome, Ladies & Gentleman.

Honourable chief guest, respected director & all our other guests. My name is …………. & it’s a pleasure to welcome you all to the 20th Annual Conference of ……………….. We are grateful to Mr……………… the head of the organizing committee, the members of the organizing committee & all the volunteers who have arranged such a beautiful program.

I wholeheartedly welcome all the delegates across the country. We are fortunate enough to get supported by a group of sponsors with whom we will interact in the conference. I would also like to thank our media partners. As you all know, the current scenario of the health care system in India, we all have gathered here to discuss the theme of “Health Care System in India.”

The speakers in the programme are uniquely placed to debate, discuss & highlight the key points, trends & reforms in the system for the audience. It will be great to hear from our keynote speakers about the influence, priorities, development & comparison to international standards in the same field. We have arranged a paper & poster presentation opportunity for our delegates to put forward their reforming thoughts in this vast field.

Our special judge panelists will judge them. I want to inform our delegates & moderators to be very strict about the schedule & don’t let overrun any session. All the delegates are requested to collect their conference kit & food coupons from the reception after this session. After the whole day of speculation on the most demanding field of health care, we have organized a cultural program to refresh the minds of all of you in the evening.

Thank you all!

Short Welcome Speech for Conference

Below we have provided a short welcome speech for conference example, usually given for class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 students.

Good morning to everyone over here.

I warmly welcome our honourable chief guest, speakers & delegates across the world. I …………………. welcome you all to the 12th International Conference of Environmental Issues. The theme of this particular conference is a special discussion on Carbon footprints.

A massive round of applause for our platinum, gold & silver sponsors who have contributed to this great cause & the media persons. It’s a pleasure to have you all with us. I thank all the industrialists across the globe who have joined today to describe their ongoing process & work on carbon footprint.

Today we will have sessions, debates & discussions on the greenhouse emissions by individual, event, organization, or product comparing various national & international levels. We will discuss the impact on the present & how detrimental it can be in the future. A vivid discussion on methods & suggestions for reducing the same at various levels will be discussed.

We are also eager to hear from our delegates about their ideas & innovations in reducing the carbon footprint. A detailed schedule of the three-day conference has already been shared with you in your conference kit, kindly note down your time slot & try to be exact & to the point to express your views in the time frame given to you.

I urge you all to collect the food coupon from the reception for your lunch & dinner. For the first time, we have also incorporated various industry-level models that are already working on the issue with paper & poster presentation. I urge you all to pay a visit to the exhibition section. All the sessions & exhibitions will be individually judged by our special penal.

I wish you all the best & hope you all have a pleasant stay in the city for the next three days. Thank you all for your presence & participation. I thank the organizing committee, volunteers for giving such a platform to all of us to raise the issues & go through the solutions of such a burning issue. It is a privilege for all of us to host you all in our city. I sincerely hope you all will enjoy today & the next two days of debate & networking. I declare that the conference is open for further proceedings.

How to write a MUN Opening Speech

With Examples

Writing an opening speech in MUN can be a bit challenging.

Common questions we get from delegates before going to a conference. “What should I say in my opening speech?” “Should I read out my Positions Paper?” “How do I take all the research I did  and fit it into a short opening speech?”

Before you start working on your MUN opening speech, you should know the topic, done some research, and preferably already have written a position paper . 

A MUN opening speech should cover the following:

• Problem The specific problem you want to solve – 1 line.
• Clash Solution – What you want to do about the issue – 1 line.
• Information Back up your views on the issue and solutions with facts from research . – 2 lines
• Action Solution Details – The step by step how to solve the issue. – 3 + lines

What not to do:

Do not repeat the problem . Everyone knows what it is. Repeating the problem is a great way to waste precious speech time. Your first sentence should be what you want to do. That is what the other delegates are more interested in.

Your first sentence should be a clear clash. To impact the committee it is not enough to bring vague ideas. There needs to be engagement between delegates and your ideas need to be discussed by others.

You know your idea is important when countries that oppose your idea fight against it while countries who are on your side support it. Other delegates’ ideas clashing with yours is what gives them both life and makes them interesting and relevant.

For this reason, a good MUN opening speech needs to have:

Information

Clash is your solution in one specific sentence. The Clash is framed as a two-sided solution which the other side can object to. Information is properly used facts. Call to Action is the policy you want to see implemented. The guide below will explain how the CIA formula works and how to use it to create your influential, informative, and rhetorically sound opening speech. Let’s get to it!

• Intro to CIA
• Opening Speech Structure
• Topic Types
• Opening Speech Examples

Introducing CIA

CIA is the foundation for any MUN opening speech. A strong CIA speech, will convey a clear and consistent message to your fellow delegates that you know what you are talking about and have a plan. Clear communication is the key to  successful MUNing in your committee. Missing your C lash, I nformation or A ction can result in confusion about where you stand on the matter and your outlook on how to solve the issue at hand. 

Just Remember CIA:

I nformation

C la sh – What you want to do in one specific sentence. .

I nformation – Relevant facts. numbers, that support your speech. Information can also be facts about your country that justify your position.

Call to A ction – How you will carry out the one line “what” you states in the Clash.

Before we explain how each part of CIA works, it is vital to understand clashing with at least a few other delegates is an important litmus test for how relevant your talking points are.

Why 100% Agreement = Irrelevance

A Model United Nations opening speech should present a problem, as you perceive said problem, and give one or more practical policy proposals on how you propose to solve it. However, if everyone agrees with you, no one will talk about your ideas.

When no one talks about your ideas, they will fade from the discussion. This is why your framing of the problem needs to clash with the world view of other delegates. The debate between you and those who oppose your ideas will keep both ideas alive. Hours later, if you find a compromise with the other side, you will get credit for making the biggest difference. If you cannot find a compromise, you get credit for sticking to your principles. In both cases, if your clash is central to what takes place in the committee, you will get the credit for shaping the discussion and bringing the ideas that led the direction the committee took.

This is why it is not enough to say what is correct, or even important. It needs to arouse some kind of response to remain relevant and important. Ideally, the way you frame the debate will be so relevant and well presented that the committee clashes along the lines you set and the rich and relevant discussion takes up a central place in the committee, or at least is relevant to enough delegates to keep it going as a secondary discussion. For this reason, the first part of your MUN opening speech is called a Clash.

What you want to do.

Clash definition: A confrontation of solutions.

We cannot censor people who incite violence in a country with freedom of speech. Vs We must censor people to ensure physical safety from those who successfully incite violence.

You cannot censor and not censor at the same time and there you have a strong clash.

For something to be a clash, delegates from your committee need to be on either side of it. If there are no two sides, the committee won’t debate it. Instead, your ideas will either unanimously go straight to the unimportant clause section of the resolution or fall entirely out of discussion. Either way, it will not be central to determining the direction the committee goes.

Examples of Clash:

Revoking asylum status for anyone who does not agree to get vaccinated at the border.

Advocating for megacities to have their own independent legal system.

The United Nations should fund water filtration in countries that suffer volcanic eruptions.

In all of these examples, there is a clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. The answer to these questions will be the main one to divide the committee room.  

An idea that everyone agrees on is Off Clash . Off Clash statements (Like the Ebola virus is bad or tornados are dangerous) are a waste of precious speech time that could be further used to develop your Clash or Call to Action. (More on Clash and Off Clash in the expanded explanation below)

Which clash should you choose?

  Some topics have many possible clashes. In those cases, you should choose the one you feel will be most relevant to the discussion.

Committee : World Health Organization

Topic: Combating the Zika Virus

Clash 1: Increase the number of doctors sent to Peru to treat Zika.

Clash 2: Remove patent restrictions to let countries locally develop medicines to counter Zika.

Clash 3: Suggest countries around the world teach children about the world’s top deadliest diseases.

 The general concept of combating Zika is an Off Clash topic. No one will say the Zika virus is a good thing. To find the Clash you need to go one level deeper and decide what type of discussion will best serve our country’s interests.

It is clear that Clash 3 will save the least leaves and bring the least immediate benefit. It will also likely get little or no discussion time.

When choosing between Clash 1 and Clash 2, Paraguay would open for Clash 2, as creating generic medicines would be cheaper not only for fighting Zika but could also make medical treatment cheaper across the board. This idea would also be of interest to Angola, who faces similar constraints on creating generic medicines, even though they do not have the Zika virus. As a rule of thumb, it is better to choose a clash that is not only relevant to your country but many others can also agree with it.

Information = Hard facts that support your case

A strong MUN speech needs to have relevant facts and numbers that support parts of your speech.

Without information, your fellow delegates can only rely on your word, which might not give enough credibility to what you have to say. Numbers, names, dates and hard facts show what we are saying exists in the real world and is not an opinion. Numbers are the best form of information to use and the hardest to argue with.

No “Information”

The coral reefs are very important. Huge numbers of people who live near a reef. Corals also protect the shoreline of many countries. Also, many countries, like the US, and make a lot of money from tourism.

With “Information”

The coral reefs are very important. 962 million people (Roughly an eighth of the world’s population) lives within 60 miles of a reef. Additionally, corals protect 100,000 miles of shoreline in over 100 countries from being batters by the ocean’s force. The coral reefs also generating billions of dollars in tourism revenue. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service estimates the annual commercial value of U.S. fisheries from coral reefs to be over $100 million.

Which sounds smarter?

Information does not exist in a vacuum. There is no such thing as facts for facts sake. 

Information in a CIA speech should always do one of the following:

• Supports why your Clash is the most relevant
• Shows why your Call to Action is the most important
• Shows why your country has the position it does
• Disproves information brought by another delegate

Information in follow up speeches usually moves between these four. In earlier speeches the “I” focuses more on your own world-building and less on countering other countries. However, MUN simulation has a lot going on and the Information should be used, as deemed appropriate, on a case by case basis.

Call to Action (CtA) is a statement designed to give instructions for an immediate response.

In MUN, your CtA is the practical policy to solve the issue you set up in your clash.

Without a clear CtA other delegates will not know what to do with the Clash and Information you presented. Worse, they can use what you set up in your speech to justify other CtA’s.

A Call to Action needs to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound (SMART). 

Your CtA needs to be specific as to:

• Where you will get funding from
• Which organizations will be involved
• What you will send

Clash: Let’s send teachers to the refugee camps in Ethiopia.

CtA : Hiring 300 teachers who specialize in teaching English and Math, to United Nations run high schools at the 3 refugee camps in the Tigray region in Ethiopia.

We can’t send “teachers” as we don’t know what types how many, where to send them or what they are going to do. However, when we look at the CtA, we can guestimate the cost of 300 teachers who specialize in English and Math and now know where to send them.

A good Call to Action explains the problem, the solution and what it’s going to do.

Specific actionable policy ideas will allow you to direct the discussion, and later take credit for the ideas when everyone else has the same general stance (ex. “humanitarian aid”).

Structure of an opening speech

The opening speeches at most MUN conferences are 60 seconds. 

However, you should ask your conference team if you are unsure about the opening speech times since this could differ. Take into considerations, a delegate could motion to change the opening speeckers time during the course of the conference or a chair could change the time due to other unforeseen reasons …. So  even if the opening speech is as short as 30 seconds, or as long as two minutes, the structure remains the same.

• Information – Sprinkled throughout

Call to Action

Clash breaks into two parts, clashline and explanation.

How to start an MUN opening speech

A good MUN opening speech goes straight to the point. The longer you take the more of a risk you run that they’ll find someone else to focus on like passing a note, writing an opening speech of their own, chatting to the delegate next to them, etc. Your strong opener is your Clashline.

Clashline – Your first few lines. It tells the listener what clash you want to focus on. Shouldn’t be more than 10 seconds.

Examples of Clashlines:

Syrian refugees who spent over three years in refugee camps should get work visas Countries should be responsible for their own epidemics The UN should send food aid to the people of North Korea

Clash explanation – Your next few seconds should explain why what you are speaking about is important by showing why your clash is the correct one.

Examples of Explanation: Clashline: “The UN should send unconditional food aid to the people of North Korea.” Explanation: “The leadership is stable and not looking to change any time soon. Life will continue the same for the elites as the people are starving. This is why the food should be sent now.”

This is a good example of getting straight to the point. Within four sentences we have a clear idea that human rights come second to the leadership of the DPRK. This clarity of Clashline and Explanation can be used in any MUN committee from the General Assembly, ECOSOC, DISEC, SOCHUM and WHO to the Security Council and even a crisis committee.

Information Facts in your speech always have a purpose. That purpose is almost always one of the following: – Show why your Clash is the most relevant – Show why your Call to Action will make the biggest difference – Explain why your country has the position it does – Disprove information brought by another delegate

Use of information to strengthen a speech

Clash: The UN should send unconditional food aid to the people of North Korea. Kim Jong Un is 35 years old. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon. At the same time, 10.5 million people, which is 41% of the total population, are undernourished. Life will continue the same for the elites as the people are starving.

You should describe your policy / solution halfway through your speech at the latest. This is because you need time to elaborate on your solution. No idea is clear in one sentence. You will need time to explain why it is important and why it is going to work.

Use of Call to Action

The United Nations should send 240 million tons of food aid to the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea. This food should be sent over two years. 30 million should be sent every three months as long as Kim Jong Un abides by the following.

• Regular scheduled UN inspections every six months.
• Surprise inspections are accommodated.

This text can be turned into clauses for a draft resolution. The main idea is clear.

Closing your Opening Speech

After your Call to Action, a summary sentence can be a nice way to close your speech.

However, this should not come at the expense of your content or important details of your Call to Action. Style should never trump substance.

What if you have extra time in my opening speech?

If you find yourself with extra time in your opening speech, and you used the CIA format in your speech.

Do the following:

• Elaborate on additional points you didn’t get enough time to introduce.
• Set up ideas that you can follow up in your next speech.
• Reinforce your main points.
• End your speech early if you really have nothing to add.

It should be rare to have extra time in your opening speech if you planned wisely, when you happen to find yourself with extra time use it strategically.

Types of MUN Topics

How it impacts your opening speech.

There are three types of MUN topics, Open, Semi-Open and Closed.

Types of MUN Topics:

Open Open topics are very broad and should be significantly narrowed to create the clash in an opening speech.

Example – Combatting the Slave Trade

This topic is very broad and could be about anything that has to do with slavery in the world today.  What does slave trade mean? It could be child slavery, forced labor or the sex trade. It could be placed in the developed world or developing world. It could be about countries of origin, transit countries or destinations. To be debatable the opening speech needs to move from the topic to something specific to set the Clash.

Semi-Open Semi-Open topics are similar to open topics and should be narrowed and focused. They have more direction than open topics but you are still required to choose from a few directions to set the clash.

Example – The right to the internet of children in developing countries

There is an understanding of what types of countries and populations that we’re focusing on but there is still work needed to set a Clash. What ages are the children? Who is providing the internet, government, the UN or an NGO? What about the devices to use the internet?

Closed topics have a clear main clash. Most, or all, of the countries in the committee will fall onto one side or the other. For closed topics, countries without a clear point of view still need to pick a side before they can begin discussing the issue.

Example – Sending aid to the people of North Korea.

While you still need to decide what types of aid, how much and what conditions, the question of “should we send aid” is a yes or no question that each country should have an opinion on and which strongly influences their starting point in the discussion.

You can learn more about the three types of MUN topics here.

Below are MUN opening speech samples for an open and closed topic.

MUN Opening Speech Examples

The following MUN speech examples show both good and bad opening speeches. After the speech, there will be a breakdown according to CIA and an analysis of the speech evaluating what worked, what didn’t and why.

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MUN Opening Speech Example – Open Topic

Committee: World Food Program

Topic: Eradicating Global Hunger

Country: Norway

Honorable chair distinguished delegates,

The first step to stopping starvation is improving access to clean water, critical for food growth. Half of the 800 million people without access to clean water live in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Kingdom of Norway believes that the WFP’s efforts should focus on community-oriented aid to promote self-sufficient living. Norway thinks self-operated water harvesting devices are a good way to do this. The University of Akron in Ohio developed a water harvester that produces 10 gallons of drinking water per hour from thin air. The UN should purchase, and distribute, water harvesters to the countries most in need such as Niger, Burundi and Mozambique. For the UN to ensure long term success, the WFP should transfer harvesters and not funds to the countries in need.

The Breakdown

The first step to stopping starvation is improving access to clean water , critical for food growth. Half of the 800 million people without access to clean water live in Sub-Saharan Africa . The Kingdom of Norway believes that the WFP’s efforts should focus on community-oriented aid to promote self-sufficient living. Norway thinks self-operated water harvesting devices are a good way to do this. The University of Akron in Ohio developed a water harvester that produces 10 gallons of drinking water per hour from thin air . The UN should purchase, and distribute, water harvesters to the countries most in need such as  Niger, Burundi and Mozambique . For the UN to ensure long term success, the WFP should transfer harvesters and not funds to the countries in need.

Clash – Improving access to clean water is how we tackle global hunger.

When asked in a question, “Does stopping starvation means providing access to clean water as the first priority?” Some countries will agree and some will not.

Information – 400 million people don’t have access to water in sub-Saharan Africa. (Numbers) Water harvester in the University of Akron produced 10 gallons of water per hour. (Numbers and names) Niger, Burundi and Mozambique are countries that could use this. (Names)

Call to Action – The UN should replace cash with water harvesters and give them directly to the people in need.

This Call to Action has two parts. In a follow-up speech, Norway can say that they give $975 million in aid to sub-Saharan countries. This can support why they want to make sure their investment is spent correctly. Also, even if the committee doesn’t go for water harvesters, or even water, the idea of not sending cash to the countries in need can still be central to the discussion.

Speech Analysis

Norway is hedging her bets and, while going in strong, leaves room to maneuver. The subtext of her case is countries should use whatever they are given responsibly and handing cash to governments is not an effective means. As long as whatever policy is chosen is done more responsibly (by what Norway considers responsible) she can still have a strong impact on the committee even if none of her policies go through.

MUN Opening Speech Example – Closed topic

Committee: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Topic: Changing visa policy to combat illegal migration

Country: United Kingdom

Honorable chair distinguished delegates, 

The United Kingdom is strongly against making visa access easier. While the death of the 39 Chinese found inside a refrigerated lorry from Bulgaria on October 23rd, 2019 is regrettable, our only option is informing potential migrants of the danger to themselves.

Illegal migration into Britain is around 650,000—give or take a couple hundred thousand. Many of these enter countries on tourist visas and then stay. Changing the laws will only give smugglers more opportunities.

Britain proposes the UN create translated online platforms to apply for legal visas, while also showing the dangers of illegal migration. The UN should invest in the proliferation, so this information reaches the right people. The smugglers who get past our x-ray machines, canine units, heartbeat monitors and carbon-dioxide sniffers are extremely resourceful. If we loosen visa laws, they will adapt and continue to take money from the poor but now with the white hats, we handed to them.

Honorable chair distinguished delegates,  The United Kingdom is strongly against making visa access easier . While the death of the 39 Chinese found inside a refrigerated lorry from Bulgaria on October 23rd, 2019 is regrettable, our only option is informing potential migrants of the danger to themselves . Illegal migration into Britain is around 650,000 —give or take a couple hundred thousand. Many of these enter countries on tourist visas and then stay . Changing the laws will only give smugglers more opportunities.

Britain proposes the UN create translated online platforms to apply for legal visas, while also showing the dangers of illegal migration . The UN should invest in the proliferation , so this information reaches the right people. The smugglers who get past our x-ray machines, canine units, heartbeat monitors and carbon-dioxide sniffers are extremely resourceful. If we loosen visa laws, they will adapt and continue to taking money from the poor but now with the white hats, we handed to them.

Clash – Do not change the visa laws. Like at all.

Information – 39 victims inside a lorry from Bulgaria (numbers and names), Illegal migration into Britain + – 650,000 (number), x-ray machines, canine units, heartbeat monitors and carbon-dioxide sniffers (specific names of detection methods.)

Call to Action – UN online platform in local languages explaining the visa process and warning of dangers. UN should create a mechanism to make sure the platform reaches relevant people. (How to reach people needs elaboration in later speeches) 

This speech starts with the UK clearly stating that they are against changing visa status, which shows which side of the main clash he is on. He brings information which he knows those who want to change visa status to save lives will bring up and says, despite that, he is against.

The UK brings many new stakeholders into the discussion such as the resourceful smugglers and how most illegal migrants come with tourist visas and stay.

As draft resolutions are practical policies, it isn’t enough to be against changing visas. The UK also needs to propose something proactive. The online resource is a good policy proposal in that it gives the IOM sometimes to advocate for which does not require a change in visa law. All countries that don’t want to change their immigration policy can get behind this idea that does not really change anything. It’s a position that many countries could back and might even get a majority. By putting the focus on resourceful smugglers, the UK is moving away from the danger to human life by saying the real enemy is the smugglers, who will be empowered by changing visa law.

Examples of Bad MUN Opening Speeches

Example bad opening speech - #1.

Committee : ECOSOC

Country : Egypt

TOPIC :  Rebuilding the Middle East

We, the Arab Republic of Egypt believe that we should help rebuild the Middle East and specifically Syria .

While the 580,000 casualties of the civil war in Syria are extremely regrettable, the real victims are the people trying to stay alive in the conflict zone that is modern Syria. More than 6.2 million people are displaced . 13.1 million are still in need of humanitarian assistance . The estimated unemployment rate stands at 54 percent . Also, 83.5 percent of the 19,454,263 Syrians live below the poverty line . Cities have been engulfed in crime, police stations closed down and the overall police personal dropped from 100,000 officers to 20,000 . Rates of theft increased, with criminals looting houses and stores. To fix this problem we need to rebuild the Middle East by rebuilding Syria!

Clash – Rebuilding the Middle East = Rebuilding Syria 

Information – A lot of facts about how difficult life is in Syria.

Call to Action – There is none.

This speech starts with the clash going half way. It focuses the rebuilding efforts on Syria. This excludes Iraq, and other candidate states, but is also a fairly predictable option which could be expected from a majority of delegates (at least if the committee takes place late 2019).

After the place setting in Syria, the speech brings many facts. This shows research but a clear lack of focus. The facts shows life in Syria is difficult, but the knowledge that life is difficult for Syrians is something everyone in the committee probably knows. The information is scattered between those who need aid, those who are unemployed and the information about dropping police forces. There is no Call to Action to make use of the data so the listener is left with the conclusion that life in Syria is hard, which they knew before the committee began.

Furthermore, the information in this speech can be used to support almost any Call to Action, from sending emergency humanitarian aid workers throughout the country to giving 100% support to Bashar Assad to reassert full control. This is the danger in giving a speech with a sort of Clash, Information and no Call to Action. Anyone can use your facts to support their own agenda.

Example Bad Opening Speech #2

Country : Ireland

The Republic of Ireland declares that we need to rebuild the Middle East ! Ireland believes that we should take action against the war and apply sanctions against the rebel terrorists in Syria and even resort to military action if necessary to stop the war. Syria is in such a poor condition because of the west’s irresponsible behavior regarding the war. The millions who died and fled are directly our fault. This is the same level of neglect seen after the Vietnam war in 1975 , when we left over 2 million as the casualty count and fled to lick our wounds and rebuild ourselves. Once the war is over, we should send financial aid to rebuild Syria again and prevent any future wars from happening. 

Clash – Unclear. 1) Rebuild the Middle East (off clash), 2) Apply Sanctions against rebel terrorists in Syria, 3) Resort to military action.

Information – Vietnam war ended in 1975. Casualty count of over 2 million.

Call to Action – Send financial aid.

This speech is a mess of mixed messages. The Clashline is Off Clash, as there likely isn’t a country who would say they do not support the idea of rebuilding the Middle East (whatever that means). We then hear “we should apply sanctions against the terrorists in Syria” with no further explanation of how this will work or who they are. We then hear “resort to military action to stop the war” with no explanation about who we are taking action against. It could be the undefined terrorists mentioned before. It could be the Syrian army. It could be someone else.

The information in this speech is about the Vietnam war. The example is extremely dated, and the numbers undefined and possibly incorrect. However, the larger issue with the information is that it doesn’t serve a purpose. The west abandoning the Middle East is never even hinted at in the beginning of the clash. It also has nothing to do with the one liner Call to Action that comes later.

The Call to Action, if we can even call it that, has nothing to do with any previous part of the speech. If anything, sending aid is the opposite of sanctions and war, both of which have nothing to do with the American withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975.

Overall, this is a confusing speech where each part sends a different message from the other parts. This speech is very open to highjacking by another delegate who will say that this speech supports their ideas. Another option is this speech is ignored. What is clear is the direction the committee takes will likely not be set by this speech.

Example Bad Opening Speech - #3

Committee : ECOFIN

Country : Peru

Topic : Responsible Usage of Arctic Resources

Peru believes that every Arctic country has the sovereignty to use their resources .

However, because of the climate changes, we should create a special committee that will discuss this subject and find ways to decrease the ecological damage. The Arctic region contains major reserves of uranium, copper, tungsten, gold, diamonds and most importantly gas and oil . In addition, it’s one of the largest freshwater reservoirs in the world. Climate changes and release of contaminants in the Arctic have potential to affect European and global weather patterns. The Arctic is particularly sensitive to the effects of global warming, and icebergs are melting at a rapid rate. Scientists fear that it will cause a significant rise in sea levels around the world, and that in the 20th of the 21 century there will be no ice zone at all during the summer.

Clash – Countries can use resources within their territory.

Information – Names of resources in the arctic and some more scattered data.

Call to Action – Create a special committee.

This speech starts with a pretty clear Clash, that countries who have access to the arctic can use their resources as they please. The next line contradicts the first and presents either an alternative Clash or a Call to Action in the form of creating a “special committee” to find ways to decrease egonolical damage (first time this is mentioned).  The rest of the speech is an array of information that doesn’t really point at anything. Some of it counts as Information in the form of new facts but most of what is said doesn’t really serve a purpose. At the end of the speech we are left wondering what was the point. From the third sentence the speech rambles on with no connection to the Clash or Call to Action which end up forgotten by the end of the speech..

Example Bad Opening Speech - #4

Country : Cuba

The Arctic states are completed and integrated by customary international sea law and several treaties. The Arctic includes areas of the national sovereignty. Cuba fully respects these sovereign rights and will be ready to play their role to confront global challenges with its scientific and technological expertise and leading companies to contribute to a sustainable Arctic development while respecting the ecosystem and indigenous people.

In this frame, Cuba expects the extending bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the Arctic, in the framework of international law to create a committee to cooperate in the following subjects : wider access of geo- strategic interest , scientific cooperation on climate change and environmental protection , economic expertise in the use of mineral resources , cooperation on human lives in extreme climate conditions .

Clash – None.

Information – None.

Call to Action – Create a committee to do basically everything.

This speech opening with what is clearly not a clashline. Cuba then says they “fully respect sovereign rights” and continue with a run on sentence (specifically how they will “ play their role to confront global challenges” using “scientific and technological expertise and leading companies” to “contribute to a sustainable Arctic development” while “respecting the ecosystem and indigenous people.”)

This delegate’s opening speech, unknowingly, tries to cover everything. The same can be seen in their call to action where the committee is created to do 5 separate things, which could each be an entire Call to Action in its own right.

This speech is hard to follow and tries to commit to so many different things. As a result, almost any other delegate can say that Cuba supports them. There are buzzwords like terms that have no clear link between them such as “sustainable Arctic development”,  “ecosystem”, “indigenous people” and more. Overall, it is a difficult speech to follow where the listener is left without a clear idea of what the delegate wants, unless if what they want is absolutely everything.

Country : Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic says we have to take care of the arctic . It is important because there are many resources there which the world will be sad to lose. It also has endangered species.

We have not been careful with the arctic. Countries could also go to war over it. We need to be responsible. This means setting up mechanisms to protect the environment. We should also create treaties to protect nature and the natural resources there.

We owe it to our children and their children to take care of the arctic . We will have failed them if they ask us “why were you not responsible”. We need to be able to have an answer. As ECOFIN, we need to make sure the United Nations ensures that its member states use the arctic responsibly or do not use it at all. If we want an arctic when we are older we need to protect it today!

Clash – The clash in this speech is off clash.

Information – There are zero facts in this speech.

Call to Action – “take care of the arctic” which could mean anything.

This speech could have been written by someone who only read the name of the topic. Everything in it is general. No fact is present and no original idea is presented.

The only merit of this speech is that it can be read dramatically but even then there is nothing to remember except for lines like “we owe it to our children and their children to take care of the arctic.” At best, this speech shows eloquence and a knack for drama. What it does not do is set or drive debate in any way. Coming away from this you can assume no research was done and there is possibly a lack of understanding of how a MUN works.

Adapting Your Opening Speech in Real Time 

At this point, you should be able to understand the different parts of a MUN opening speech and how they work together. Inspired by the examples and opening speech analysis, the patterns and characteristics of a good MUN opening speech should be clear. The final part of the opening speech process is the modifications you will sometimes need to do to adapt your speech to the previous speeches that came before yours.

MUN RULE: Always ready to adapt in real-time. This rule applies to your opening speech.

Just because it’s your first speech , doesn’t mean it’s the first speech in the committee room. 

Ideas will come up from the very first opening speech in the committee. Once a delegate utters the words,“Honorable chair distinguished delegate” you should be ready to make a few modifications to your opening speech. Adapting  to the room and the ideas is key to success in MUN.

Factor in the speaking order

Opening speeches are usually heard alphabetically. Other options are reverse alphabetical , in order of seating or completely at random . 

Write your speech to build on top of others

Take note of the first letter of your country, write your speech with your place in the speaking order in mind. Countries with the letters A through C often give the first speeches, since not every committee has interviews countries with every letter in the alphabet. : )

(Remember although most conferences have opening speeches in alphabetical order, this is not a guarantee) 

The countries who start their opening speech have first crack at defining the terms, setting the Clash and introducing the first Calls to Action.

More delegates on your Clash = Better

If you are not the first delegate making an opening speech, it is very possible you will join an existing Clash. Joining other delegates with the same idea is not a bad thing. The more delegates who subscribe to your world view the better chance you have to get a majority.

Hearing your Clash by another delegate in previous speeches is a very good thing. This lays the foundation to start building your coalition already during the opening speech stage through a tactic called echoing .

If you are not the first delegate making an opening speech, think what is likely to have been said and add to it. It is very possible you will join an existing Clash. This is not a bad thing. The more delegates there are who subscribe to your world view the better chance you have to get a majority.

As long as it isn’t Off Clash, hearing your Clash in some of the previous speeches is a very good thing. This means you can start building your coalition already during the opening speech stage through a tactic called echoing.

Echo others

Echoing is mentioning another country by name in your speech. You can echo that you agree with them or disagree. You can directly quote or paraphrase. Echoing is not limited to opening speeches but it is a very potent strategy to use when you aren’t the first speaker.

How to Echo:

Echoing in an opening speech is usually best done right before your clash. You can also echo a country in the middle of your speech but it has a larger chance of getting missed.

Echoing in an opening speech can look something like this:

“Portugal agrees with Denmake, France and Haiti and disagreed with Russia and Pakistan.”

When you mention another country by name their ears perk up and they listen. You want allies and the opposing bloc to listen. You definitely want the countries you mention by name to listen.

Echoing in an opening speech needs to have a purpose. The purpose is usually to start putting your coalition together. Mentioning someone else in your speech grants you street credit with them. On a secondary level echoing helps set the Clash. Other countries will see that a number of delegates see your Clash as the issue to discuss and can choose to come on board, or at least acknowledge the Clash as something to be addressed.

If you are not one of the first speakers echoing it is also a way to show other delegates that you’re listening. If you mention countries who spoke at the beginning when you’re one of the later delages to speak, it sounds like your stopped listening at the beginning. It’s better to echo a country from the beginning, middle and a few speakers before you. This way the delegates in the room know your are attentive. 

Echoing other delegates as a way to communicate with them from within your opening speech. Those extra words can help you start building coalitions, and agreeing on what reality the committee is taking place in, before the opening speeches end.

Finally, remember that echoing is part of your word count . If you’re going to echo, factor that into your speech time. A strategy some delegates use is writing their opening speech with 10 words less than fits a minute to leave room for echoing.

Saying CtA Best > Saying CtA First

Some MUN topics have a limited number of policies that can be implemented. If you’re a further down the opening speech list it is very likely someone said your policy, or something like it. This too is a good thing. When the topic has only three or four viable policies, it should be expected that some ideas will repeat themselves.

If you’re dealing with an earthquake there are only so many ways to rescue people from under the rubble.

If you’re dealing with a virus, there are only so many ways to vaccinate and research an antidote.

This is why would should not worry about saying the Call to Action first. On some topics, if you’re the only one to say it, you likely have a much larger problem

This is where going into detail and SMART policy come into play. You can echo the other countries who mentioned your policy idea in one line and develop it. If they gave one line at the end of their speech but you take 25 seconds to explain, the credit will go to you.

Remember that your opening speech is not the end, it’s a beginning. The delegate who best develops the idea, and pushes it the furthest over time, is the one who gets the credit. Also, you don’t need to do it alone. Having one or two strong allies will make a big difference when it comes to getting your Call to Action a central place of the draft resolution. MUN is a team activity and there is no promise of an easy ride to a majority. That is also part of the fun and the magic that is MUN. Be open to working with others and see the other delegates who try to set your Clash or introduce your Call to Action as an opportunity. CIA alone is more work for you. Others joining and supporting  your CIA is the essence of cooperation and leveling up in Model United Nations.

There you have it. The secret to writing a great MUN opening speech. Remember, a speech alone is not though. You need to combine it with proper country representation , good coalition work, and resolution writing . However, if you give a bad opening speech you will need to work extra hard to catch up afterward. This can potentially be especially hard in an expert room.

You will also have to give other speeches after the first one. There are all types of follow up speeches that are needed to keep your CIA going. Once the ideas are out, their repetition is key to keeping your ideas on the table and yourself relevant. However, now that you gave a great opening speech, you have a much better chance to influence the direction the committee takes.

You should also use the tools of CIA speech writing to critically listen to others. Listen to hear what they are missing, whether it’s a Clash, a Call to Action or data to back it up. Write notes on their speeches and factor that into your general strategy.

The tools you gained here are relevant for high school MUN, college or university MUN as well as for other platforms that involve public speech. More importantly, these tools can also be used outside of MUN. After all, being relevant, interesting and driving conversation are even more important outside of a Model UN committee simulation. Make these tools second nature and they should serve you well for a long time.

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Opening speech sample, How to start presentation in scientific events?

When you stand in front of a crowd of attendees and you want to start your speech; sometimes you wonder how to start the presentation. This problem is more challenging at a scientific event . You must welcome the audience and be focused on the content? How should you start talking? What should you tell people? In this post, we have listed tips and opening speech samples. Those are useful for conferences and seminars and webinars .

Opening speech sample: Useful guide

1) mention the event organizer.

All the experts in opening Speech examples recommend that start the presentation with an appreciation to the event organizer. You can tell that you are thankful that the event planner has invited you to speak at the scientific event.

Benefits of this tip

The event organizer will be so happy and delighted to invite you to the next events . The other reason to thank the planner is that the audience connects and trust you better.

2) Make a positive statement

Start your speech by telling the audience how much they will enjoy this presentation. Speaking is an art. be creative about what they would love to hear.

3) Provide some compliments

One of the best opening speech samples is complimenting the audience, Remember to be polite and members sincerely mention the challenges in the situation you`ll want to talk about.

4) Talk about a famous person

Use You can start by quoting a well-known person or publication that recently made an important statement.

5) Refer To A Historical Event

Especially the lives and campaigns of the great generals and the decisive battles they won. One of the best opening speech sample in historical examples is Alexander the Great.

6) Refer To A Well Known Person

You can start by quoting a well-known person or publication that recently made an important statement.

7) Refer To A Recent Conversation

Start by telling a story about a recent conversation with someone in attendance.

8) Make A Shocking Statement

You can start your talk by making a shocking statement of some kind.

9) Quote From Recent Research

You can start by quoting a recent research report.

10) Start Your Speech By Giving Them Hope

The French philosopher Gustav Le Bon once wrote, “The only religion of mankind is, and always has been hoping.” When you speak effectively, you give people hope of some kind.

Remember, the ultimate purpose of speaking is to inspire people to do things that they would not have done in the absence of your comments.

Do you want to have a speech at the upcoming education conferences ? There are various conferences in the field with interesting themes and topics to join.

You can attend top-ranked business conferences where very interesting opening speeches are being delivered by experts in business, management, and leadership.

Very useful suggestions

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How to Write a Welcome Speech

Last Updated: July 29, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz . Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,636,830 times.

Are you on welcome speech duty for an upcoming program or event? You’ve got nothing to worry about—with the right format and tone, it’s super easy to write and present a welcome speech for just about any occasion. We’ve outlined everything you need to know, from your opening greetings and acknowledgments, to establishing the right tone and nailing your closing remarks. You’ve got this in the bag!

Greeting the Audience

• Keep the tone more serious if it's an important occasion. Use more formal language and don't crack any inappropriate jokes. For example, at a wake, you might say, "We're so glad to have you all here tonight. We appreciate your presence at this difficult time."

• For an event with close friends and family, more informal language might be appropriate. Include a few jokes and keep your speech more lighthearted.

Patrick Muñoz

Grab your audience's attention with a strong opening. Start with a loud voice and a strong presence that welcomes everyone and gets them involved. Ask a question they can respond to or tell a joke — anything to connect with the audience. Do something that grabs their attention and excites them and makes them thrilled about the event.

• Special guests include any people of honor, those that may play a particularly important part in the event, or those who have traveled a long way to be there.
• Make sure that you practice all of names, titles, and pronunciations of the special guests before your speech.
• For example you could say, "We'd like to extend a special welcome to our guest of honor, Judge McHenry, who will be speaking later tonight."
• Alternatively to welcome a group of people you might say, "While we're excited to have you all here tonight, we'd especially like to say welcome to the students from Johnson Middle School."

• For an informal event such as a birthday party, you could say, "We're so happy to have you here tonight to eat, drink, and celebrate another year of Jessica's life. Now, let's get to it."
• For a more formal event such as one run by an organisation, you could say, “We are so excited to have you all here to participate in our 10th annual pet’s day, organised by the Animal Rescue Group.”

Forming the Body of the Speech

• An example of acknowledging individual people is saying, “We couldn’t have pulled off this fundraiser without the hard work and dedication of Grace and Sally, who worked tirelessly from day 1 to make today a reality.”
• Avoid reading off a long list of people or sponsors, as your audience will begin to get bored. Stick to just a handful of highlights.

• For instance, at a conference, you might point out when the dinner will be held, or where particular sessions will take place.
• At a wedding reception, you might note when dancing will start or when the cake will be served.

• Alternatively, you could end the body of your speech during an informal gathering by saying, “I can't wait to see you all out on the dancefloor!”

Ending the Speech

• You could also say that you hope that the audience takes something away from the event. For example, “I hope that today inspires ideas and discussions around the ways that we can make our city a better place!”

• At a formal event, you might say, "Now, for our speaker. Rebecca Roberts comes here from Montreal, Canada, and she is a leading expert in the study of the human brain. She'll be speaking tonight on what drives humans to make decisions. Let's welcome her."
• For a more informal event such as a party, you could say, “Next up is Sam, who has been Kyle’s best friend for 10 years strong. He has a decade of embarrassing stories about Kyle to share with us tonight!"

• Alternatively you might say, “Thank you again to everyone for being here tonight to celebrate Joe and Kathleen’s 50th wedding anniversary! Let the celebrations begin!”

• If you are unsure, ask the organiser or host what an appropriate length of time for your speech will be.

Writing Help

Community Q&A

• Practice your speech in front of trusted friends and family in the days leading up to the event. [12] X Research source Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/effective-welcome-speech
• ↑ https://www.examples.com/education/speech/welcome-speech-for-conference.html
• ↑ https://penandthepad.com/how-5574707-write-welcome-speech.html
• ↑ https://penandthepad.com/write-after-dinner-speech-8035341.html
• ↑ https://uark.pressbooks.pub/speaking/chapter/closing-a-speech/
• ↑ https://www.unr.edu/writing-speaking-center/student-resources/writing-speaking-resources/speech-delivery

About This Article

To write a welcome speech, start with a greeting to your audience that’s appropriate to the situation. For example, you could try “Good evening ladies and gentlemen” if you’re introducing a formal event, or “Thank you everyone for coming on this sunny day” for a more relaxed occasion. After you’ve finished the greeting, introduce the event by talking about who organized it and what its purpose is. In the main body of your speech, acknowledge 2 or 3 people who played important parts in organizing the event. You should also emphasize special parts of the event that people should pay attention to, such as where dinner will be or where a conference session will take place. When you’re ready to conclude your speech, tell the audience to enjoy the event by saying something like “I hope you all enjoy the exciting speakers to come.” Finish your speech by thanking the audience for attending. For tips on how to introduce people at a special occasion, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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12+ Opening Speech Examples for Presentations & Quick Tips

Last updated on October 17th, 2023

These days, most of the audience prefers an informal approach in presentations, but at the same time, it must sound professional. When people prepare for any type of presentation, they often face this dilemma: how to start a presentation? What should be the opening speech? How much time should we take for the introduction part?

The first three minutes of your presentations are crucial to get to your audience with an engaging message and make the overall presentation effective. With the proper opening speech for your presentation, you can hook your audience, win the audience’s attention and get them audience interested in what you have to say. Check out some speech introduction examples to get familiar with this topic. Undoubtedly, if the beginning of your presentation is solid and exciting, the chances of success of your presentation increase. Opening your persuasive speech entirely depends upon your style and choice because when you are giving a presentation, you are required to be yourself and avoid putting artistic elements. So, choose something with which you are entirely comfortable.

If you are looking on how to start a speech then this article can help you to get some ideas. Here is a list of opening speech examples that you can use to prepare your presentations with a persuasive speech that convinces the audience. Find useful phrases and strategies to make your presentation a success:

1. Opening Speech with Greetings

This is the very basic, common and important step in which you need to greet your audience by wish them good morning/afternoon or evening (as per the time of session in which you are giving presentation). How to start a speech? Check out some of the examples below including a simple but effective speech introduction greeting example.

Example of Opening Greetings

Hello, everyone. I’d like, first of all, to thank the organizers of this meeting for inviting me here today.

Another example of opening Greeting speech.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am honored to have the opportunity to address such a distinguished audience.

2. Open the Speech by Giving Compliment & Show Gratitude towards your Audience

Secondly, just after wishing greeting to your audience give them compliment and choose some words which show that you are delighted to see them there.

Example: 

It’s great to see you all, Thank you for coming here today.

3. Give your introduction: Introduce Yourself

How you introduce yourself during a presentation is important. There are many ways to introduce yourself. Here we will see some examples on how to introduce yourself in a presentation. First of all, give your introduction start from telling your name. You can show some casual attitude by telling your short name or nick name, and then tell the audience more about your background and what you do.

For example, a good way to start introducing yourself could be:

My name is Louis Taylor, friends call me Lee sometimes.

Then introduce yourself professionally and give quite information about what you do and why are here today. For Example:

I am a software engineer by profession and working in ABC Corp. Today, I am here to provide you some exciting information about new technology, which is going to be very beneficial for you in future.

Another example of self-introduction speech:

For those of you who don’t know me already, my name is Louis Taylor, and I’m responsible for the software department at ABC Corp.

Using a self-introduction template and slide in your presentation, you can support your speech while presenting the information about you in the projection. You can also visit self introduction speech examples to find out some examples on how to introduce yourself and download self-introduction templates for PowerPoint & Google Slides.

4. Opening with the Topic of the Speech

Next is the part where you introduce the topic of your presentation or speech. Here are some examples of good opening speech for presentations examples on a specific topic.

What I’d like to present to you today is…

Or here is a simplified example of a good introduction for presentation in which we try to get the audience’s attention over the screen where you are presenting the content of your PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation.

As you can see on the screen, our topic today is…

5. Signpost

Put all your information in front of them and then put your proposal and its related information and key point by which you can implement and utilize that idea effectively. Now let collect these points to make a summary and concise illustration. Here is an example of presentation starting speech that you can use:

“Good afternoon every one, it’s great to see you all here, thank you for coming. My name is Louis Taylor, friends call me Lee sometimes. I am a software engineer by profession and working with ABC Ltd. Today we are here to know about new software so that we can take most of it. Firstly, we will look how it work, next we will discuss where can we use it, then we will learn what are its advantages and finally we will discuss what precautions are required to kept in mind while implementing it.”

6. Creating an Emotional Connection in Your Opening Speech

An effective opening speech is not just about presenting information or stating facts; it’s about forging an emotional connection with your audience. Building this connection can make your presentation more engaging, relatable, and memorable. Here are some strategies to achieve this:

Storytelling: One of the most powerful ways to establish an emotional connection is through storytelling. Sharing a personal anecdote or a relevant story can evoke emotions and draw your audience into your presentation. Make sure your story aligns with the overall theme of your presentation and adds value to your message.

Example of speech opening:

“Good morning, everyone. When I was a little boy, I used to watch my grandfather work tirelessly on his old typewriter. The clacking of the keys was a lullaby that lulled me into dreams of creating something impactful. Today, I am here to talk about the evolution of technology and its effect on communication, from typewriters of old to the smartphones of today.”

Relatability: Find common ground with your audience. This could be based on shared experiences, values, or aspirations. Doing so helps to humanize you, making it easier for your audience to relate to your message.

“Like many of you, I too struggle with maintaining a work-life balance in this fast-paced digital world. Today, I’ll share some strategies I’ve discovered that have significantly improved my quality of life.”

Utilizing Emotions: Use emotions like humor, surprise, curiosity, or inspiration to engage your audience. Different emotions can be used depending on the tone and purpose of your presentation.

“Did you know that the average person spends two weeks of their life waiting for traffic lights to change? That certainly puts our daily commute in a new light, doesn’t it?”

Remember, authenticity is crucial in building an emotional connection. Be yourself, share your experiences, and speak from the heart. This helps to gain your audience’s trust and keeps them engaged throughout your presentation.

7. Harnessing the Power of Visual Aids in Your Opening Speech

Visual aids are a potent tool in any presentation, particularly in your opening speech. They can grab your audience’s attention with a visually appealing cover slide, support your message, and make a lasting impression. Here are some ways you can utilize visual aids in your opening speech.

Images: An image is worth a thousand words, they say, and it’s true. An impactful or relevant image can pique the curiosity of your audience and set the tone for your presentation. Ensure the image aligns with your topic and contributes to your overall message.

“As you can see on the screen, this is an image of a barren desert. It may surprise you to learn that this was once a thriving forest. Today, I’ll be talking about climate change and its irreversible effects.”

Short Videos: A short video can be a great way to engage your audience. This could be a brief clip that illustrates your topic, a short animation, or even a quick introductory video about you or your organization.

Example of a presentation opening statement:

“Before we start, let’s watch this brief video about the incredible journey of a raindrop.”

Infographics and Charts: If you are sharing statistical data or complex information, infographic slides or charts can simplify and clarify your message. They are visually engaging and can help your audience understand and remember the information.

“Take a look at this chart. It shows the exponential increase in cybercrime over the last five years, a topic that we will delve into further today.”

Slides: A well-designed slide can provide a visual structure for your opening speech. It should be clean, easy to read, and should not distract from your speech. Avoid cluttering your slides with too much text or complex graphics.

“According to the infographic on the screen, we can see the three core areas we’ll be focusing on in today’s presentation.”

Remember, the goal of using visual slides is to enhance your message, not overshadow it. They should complement your speech and provide visual interest for your audience. Always test your visual aids beforehand to ensure they work properly during your presentation.

8. Engaging Your Audience with Rhetorical Questions

A rhetorical question is a powerful tool you can use in your opening speech to provoke thought and engage your audience. By posing a question that doesn’t require an answer, you can pique your audience’s interest, make them think, and steer their focus towards your presentation’s key points. Here’s how to use rhetorical questions effectively in your opening speech:

Spark Curiosity: Use a rhetorical question to spark curiosity about your topic. This question should be thought-provoking and relevant to your presentation.

“Have you ever stopped to wonder how much of your life is influenced by social media?”

Highlight Key Issues: A rhetorical question can help highlight the key issues or problems that your presentation aims to address. This will help your audience understand the importance of your topic.

“What would happen if our natural resources were to run out tomorrow?”

Encourage Reflection: Encourage your audience to reflect on their personal experiences or beliefs. This will make your presentation more relatable and engaging.

“How many of us truly understand the value of our mental health?”

Set the Tone: You can also use a rhetorical question to set the tone of your presentation, whether it’s serious, humorous, or contemplative.

“Is there anyone here who doesn’t love pizza?”

Remember, rhetorical questions are meant to stimulate thought, not to put anyone on the spot. Make sure your questions are relevant to your topic and are appropriate for your audience. With the right questions, you can grab your audience’s attention, keep them engaged, and guide their thinking throughout your presentation.

9. Leveraging Statistical Data in Your Opening Speech

Using statistical data in your opening speech is a powerful way to capture the audience’s attention and lend credibility to your message. Surprising or impactful statistics related to your presentation’s topic can instantly make your audience sit up and take notice. Here’s how you can incorporate statistical data effectively in your opening speech:

Relevant and Interesting Data: Choose statistics that are directly relevant to your topic and are likely to pique your audience’s interest. This data should enhance your message and provide valuable context for your presentation.

“Do you know that according to the World Health Organization, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting over 264 million people?”

Simplify Complex Data: If you’re presenting complex or dense data, make sure to simplify it for your audience. Use percentages, comparisons, or visual aids like infographics or charts to make the data easily understandable.

“Look at this chart. It represents the staggering 80% increase in cybercrime incidents over the past five years.”

Credible Sources: Always ensure your data comes from credible and reputable sources. This not only adds legitimacy to your presentation, but it also boosts your credibility as a speaker.

“According to a recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Science, air pollution contributes to 1 in 8 deaths worldwide.”

Shocking or Surprising Data: If you have statistics that are surprising or counter-intuitive, they can be an excellent way to grab your audience’s attention and spark curiosity about your presentation.

“Can you believe that, according to the United Nations, we waste approximately 1.3 billion tons of food every year, while one in nine people worldwide go hungry?”

Using statistical data in your opening speech can help to highlight the significance of your topic, draw your audience in, and lay a solid foundation for the rest of your presentation. Remember to present your data in a clear, accessible way, and always cite your sources to maintain credibility.

10. Creating a Powerful Hook with Anecdotes and Quotations

Anecdotes and quotations can be a powerful tool in your opening speech, serving as hooks that draw your audience into your presentation. They can provide a human element to your topic, connect with your audience on an emotional level, and add depth to your message. Here’s how you can effectively incorporate anecdotes and quotations in your opening speech:

Relevant Anecdotes: Sharing a relevant anecdote, whether personal or related to your topic, can make your presentation more relatable and engaging. Your anecdote should be brief, interesting, and serve to illustrate a point related to your topic.

“When I was a teenager, my family’s home was destroyed by a fire. That experience ignited in me a passion for safety measures and awareness, which brings us to today’s topic: fire safety in residential areas.”

Inspiring Quotations: A well-chosen quote can add depth and perspective to your topic. It can inspire, provoke thought, or set the tone for your presentation. Presenting it with a visually appealing quote slide increases the chances to make a lasting impression. Make sure the quote is relevant to your topic and from a credible source.

“Albert Einstein once said, ‘The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.’ This leads us into our discussion today on the importance of mindset in personal development.”

Humorous Anecdotes or Quotations: Depending on the formality of the setting and the topic of your presentation, a funny anecdote or quote can help to relax the audience, making them more receptive to your message.

“Mark Twain once said, ‘I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.’ As a fellow writer, I can relate to this sentiment, which brings us to our topic today: the art of concise writing.”

Remember, your anecdote or quote should serve to enhance your message, not distract from it. It should be interesting, relevant, and appropriately timed. With the right anecdote or quote, you can create a powerful hook that engages your audience from the outset.

11. Integrating Storytelling in your Opening Speech

Storytelling is a compelling method to make your opening speech memorable and engaging. A well-told story can create a strong emotional connection with your audience, making your presentation more impactful. Here’s how to effectively weave storytelling into your opening speech:

Choosing the Right Story: The story you tell should be relevant to your topic and capable of illustrating the point you’re trying to make. It could be a personal experience, a case study, or a historical event.

“Years ago, I worked on a project that, at the outset, seemed destined for success. But due to a lack of clear communication within the team, the project failed. Today, we will be discussing the importance of effective communication within teams.”

Creating Suspense: Build suspense in your story to hold your audience’s attention. You can do this by posing a problem or a conflict at the beginning of your story, which gets resolved by the end of your presentation.

“One day, as I was walking through a remote village in Africa, I came across a scene that profoundly changed my perspective. But before I reveal what it was, let’s discuss the issue of clean drinking water in underdeveloped countries.”

Showing, Not Telling: Make your story more vivid and engaging by showing, not telling. Use descriptive language and paint a picture with your words to make your audience feel like they’re part of the story.

“As the sun rose over the bustling city of Tokyo, I found myself in a small sushi shop tucked away in a quiet alley, experiencing what would become a pivotal moment in my culinary journey.”

Relatable Characters: If your story involves characters, make them relatable. Your audience should be able to see themselves in your characters, or at least understand their motivations and challenges.

“Meet Sarah, a single mother of two, working two jobs just to make ends meet. Her struggle is the reason we’re here today, to discuss the issue of minimum wage in our country.”

Storytelling is a powerful tool that can bring your presentation to life. A well-told story can captivate your audience, making your message more memorable and impactful. Be sure to select a story that aligns with your overall message and is appropriate for your audience.

12. Incorporating Interactive Elements in Your Opening Speech

Involving your audience from the get-go can make your presentation more engaging and memorable. By integrating interactive elements into your opening speech, you can foster a sense of participation and connection among your listeners. Here’s how you can do it:

Audience Polling: Modern presentation software often includes real-time polling features. You can ask your audience a question related to your topic and display the results instantly.

“To start, I’d like to ask you all a question. (Show poll on screen) How many of you think that Artificial Intelligence will significantly change our lives in the next ten years?”

Questions for Thought: Pose a thought-provoking question to your audience at the beginning of your speech. It can stimulate curiosity and get your listeners thinking about your topic.

“Before we delve into today’s topic, I want you to ponder this: what would you do if you had only 24 hours left to live? Keep that in mind as we discuss the importance of time management.”

Physical Engagement: Depending on the formality and size of your audience, you can incorporate physical engagement. This can range from a simple show of hands to engaging activities.

“By a show of hands, how many of you have ever felt overwhelmed by the amount of information available on the internet? That’s what we’ll be discussing today: information overload in the digital age.”

Interactive Quizzes: Quizzes can be a fun and interactive way to engage your audience and test their knowledge on your topic. It can also serve as a hook to introduce your topic. You can use a free Quiz PowerPoint template to ease the job of creating a quiz for your presentation.

“I have a quick quiz for you all (show quiz on screen). Let’s see who can guess the most common fear among adults. The answer will lead us into our topic of discussion today: overcoming fear.”

Remember, the goal of incorporating interactive elements is to engage your audience, so it should be relevant and add value to your presentation. Tailor your interactive elements to suit the needs and preferences of your audience, and you’ll have a winning opening speech.

What are the Objectives of Preparing a Good Introduction and Opening Speech?

As we mentioned earlier, the first minutes of your presentation are crucial to hook the audience and let them pay attention to the message you want to convey. This will depend on the type of presentation (if it is persuasive presentation, informative presentation or a presentation for entertaining the audience), but in general terms, when presenting we need to:

• Capture the audience’s attention
• Present information, opinions, ideas to the audience.
• Present important details about a specific topic.
• Sell an idea.
• Make the information memorable so it can persist over the time.
• Get your audience to take action, a Call to Action. E.g. purchase a product, enroll to something, fundraise, etc.

Real-Life Examples of Effective Opening Speeches

Barack Obama started his speech in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner saying: “You can’t say it, but you know it’s true.”

In same cases, humour can be a great companion for your speech. If you can use humour in a positive way, then getting a laugh in the first seconds of a presentation can get your audience hooked. It is a great way to open your speech.

Final Thoughts

Try to make habit of starting your presentation this way, it will sound great. You may come across several more opening speech examples for presentation but, once you implement this you yourself will realize that this is the best one. Alternatively you can learn more on quotes for presentations & speech topics  to use during your presentation in PowerPoint, learn how to close your presentation , or find other relevant speech introduction greeting examples.

49 comments on “ 12+ Opening Speech Examples for Presentations & Quick Tips ”

thank you very much

Hi Kavishki, we hope the article was useful for you. Will be great to learn more about how you have used the speech examples. If you need more speech ideas, I’d recommend you free Persuasive Speech topics .

hi,good morning all of you.i’m shadi.now i’m going to do a panel discussion.we want some informations from you we believe all will support us.

Hi Kavishki, good morning. Can please provide more information about the Panel Discussion needs and if it involves a PowerPoint presentation? We’d be happy to be of help!

This was very useful to me! But i need more speech ideas!

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Thank you for the information about the introduction during pesentation.Truely,i really need to study lot about how to start my presentation so that the audience are interesting to hear what i want to talk about and do not feel bored.

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Thanks for the useful information. Can I ask how can I improve my self-confidence so as not to be embarrassed when presenting? Any idea? Thank you.

thank you..i’ll try to use those information for my presentation so i’ll be the best presenter in my class

this information very nice and useful to me.i get many new thing and tips after i read this article.this information can help me to make a good and better presentation later.thank you for useful information and meaningful for me

first of all, thank you for the help. there are a lot of great idea for me to use for my next presentation

Hi please i would like you to help me write an introduction for a speech about myself to my teacher

It’s help my presentation

Thank you so so much I will tell this at the UNIVERSITY presentation

please i really love your speech but can you please throw more light on the introduction

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Model un 101: how to give the perfect opening speech.

Whether you’re a Model UN newbie or a seasoned veteran, public speaking is a skill that we can always continuously hone and improve, and it’s one that we focus on here at the MUN Institute . It’s a key aspect of MUN that is at the heart of the activity – as a MUN delegate, you need to be able to communicate with your fellow committee members, and you need to know exactly how to effectively promote your country’s policy.

Many of us have sat through speeches, MUN-related or otherwise, that were all over the place. The speaker had no structure to their speech, and they just rambled on with no rhyme or reason. Having a well-structured speech is a great way to ensure that you’ll be able to not only catch, but also keep, your audience’s attention. Additionally, they’ll understand exactly what the point of your speech is, and what they should take away from it.

Watch the video below to learn more about how to structure the perfect Model UN opening speech from Best Delegate Co-Founder Ryan Villanueva!

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Five of the Best Speech Opening Lines

Great opening lines to a speech get us curious and can set the direction for a powerful talk.   In those first few seconds you have the chance to gain your audience’s attention, earn their trust, and persuade them you are someone worth listening to.   The best introductions to speeches are a mile away from the standard welcomes and thank yous that set the snoozometer to max. Get it right, and those initial words can captivate the crowd from the off, creating a connection with every individual in the room.   But how do you go about opening your speech with something different and memorable? A great place to start is looking at examples of introductions to successful speeches to see what you can learn from them.   To show you what we mean, we’ve picked some of our favourite opening lines from TED talks, home to some of the best conference speeches in the world. From funny stories to hard-hitting introductions, TED talks show the art of the possible when it comes to getting your speech off to a kick-ass start.   Have a go at guessing the speaker, or the focus of the rest of their talk (hint…we give you the answers later on).  

Do you want to improve your public speaking? Why not view our  Public Speaking Courses !

Guess the Speech: Five of the best speech opening lines

Speech A:  Good morning. How are you? It’s been great, hasn’t it? I’ve been blown away by the whole thing. In fact, I’m leaving.

Speech B:  For a long time, there was me, and my body. Me was composed of stories, of cravings, of strivings, of desires of the future. Me was trying not to be an outcome of my violent past, but the separation that had already occurred between me and my body was a pretty significant outcome. Me was always trying to become something, somebody. Me only existed in the trying. My body was often in the way.

Speech C:  Sadly, in the next 18 minutes when I do our chat, four Americans that are alive will be dead from the food that they eat.

Speech D:  Okay, now I don’t want to alarm anybody in this room, but it’s just come to my attention that the person to your right is a liar. (Laughter) Also, the person to your left is a liar. Also the person sitting in your very seats is a liar. We’re all liars. What I’m going to do today is I’m going to show you what the research says about why we’re all liars, how you can become a liespotter and why you might want to go the extra mile and go from liespotting to truth seeking, and ultimately to trust building.

Speech E:  Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack. It sounds scary. Well I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D.

Answers: Who delivered these great opening lines?

These examples pack a punch for very different reasons. There’s absolutely no chance of the audience zoning out when the speaker goes straight in with such a powerful start.   So, who gave these speeches, and why are the introductions so good? Time for the big reveal….

A:  Sir Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

Deceptively simple, the opening lines for this speech set the tone for what has become the most viewed TED talk of all (currently nearly 57 million views). Far from being just ‘throat clearing’, Sir Ken’s funny introduction cleverly paves the way for a talk that will gently but profoundly show us a new way of looking at education. It’s as if we are at a dinner party, being hosted by Sir Ken – he makes us feel comfortable, interested and open all at once. We are not being lectured to (which is always a possibility when education is the subject matter of choice), we want to learn and hear more. Very skilful indeed.

Ginger tip: funny introductions

Using humour in your introduction can be a great way to get your speech off to a flying start – but only if you do it in a way that feels natural. This example shows how you can make people laugh without telling a joke. It’s about finding your own funny and feeling totally comfortable with what you’re saying. If it feels a bit forced to you, it definitely will to your audience. You don’t have to make people roll around on the floor laughing, but light-hearted and amusing anecdotes can add energy and engagement to your talk – which is especially needed if you’re in the dreaded after-lunch slot . Remember, when you open your speech with something funny, you are setting the tone for the rest of your talk – so you’ll need to pepper humour throughout.

Extra Ginger nuggets

How to write a funny speech Funny inspiring speakers talks 

B:  Eve Ensler: Suddenly, my body

As you’d expect from a the writer of the Vagina Monologues, the start of this speech opening was profound, stark in its honesty and inviting. We empathize and want to know more. Unfortunately this speech suffered from a common affliction that writers face; in getting focused on the precise words of the speech (in this instance, Eve Ensler read her speech), we can get disconnected from the full power of the material. Whilst the words were powerful, we would have enjoyed the rest of this speech more if Eve had given herself permission to find the right words in the moment, rather than needing to be perfectly scripted.

Ginger tip: going unscripted

You want it to be perfect. You’re worried about forgetting something vital. You’re scared of doing it wrong. These are common and perfectly understandable reasons why people opt to script their speech and read it word for word. But rather than delivering a foot-perfect performance, you’re more likely to lose the vital connection with the audience. Not to mention risking plunging yourself into the dreaded ‘I’m sorry I’ve lost my place’ scenario. More than anything, people want you to be human and to speak from the heart. It takes confidence to ditch your notes, but with some simple techniques, you can prepare and remember your speech in a way that allows you to deliver a clear, compelling and authentic talk.

How to start a speech with power and confidence How to remember a speech without notes

C:  Jamie Oliver’s TED Wish: Teach every child about food

This is one of our favourite ever TED talks, and it doesn’t pull its punches from the very first line. Jamie Oliver manages to balance preparation (statistics, stories, well-developed ideas) with heart in his TED talk. This speech opening line both makes our jaws drop to the ground in shock at such a statistic and opens our hearts to the human side of the story. Powerful stuff.

Ginger tip: punchy facts

Opening your speech with a hard-hitting fact can quickly add credibility to your talk and demonstrate the scale of an issue. It’s best to keep statistics simple and make them as relevant to the audience as possible, so it feels memorable rather than dry. Resist the urge to stuff the rest of the speech with stats. Try to stick to a few powerful facts and bring them to life with real examples.

Extra Ginger nuggets:

The key to presenting data…is not to present data How to make a powerful point with your speech

D:  Pamela Meyer: How to spot a liar

We love talks that balance humour and connect us to the subject matter in hand – and Pamela Meyer does this perfectly in her TED talk opening line. By bringing a challenge straight to us, in our very seats, Pamela engages us and makes sure the talk is about ‘me’ the audience member. We’re laughing and ready to listen. Great job.

Ginger tip: setting up a problem

Setting up a problem at the start of your speech immediately creates a reason for listening and a direction for your talk. And if you involve the audience in the problem, it’s even more powerful. It doesn’t have to be something completely new, in fact telling us what we already know and explaining why that’s a problem can be a really engaging way to start. Depending on the subject matter, you can frame the problem in different ways – from serious to humorous. And it gives a natural structure to the rest of your talk as you explore how to solve the issue.  

The best way to engage your audience Five methods to master audience interaction

E:  Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashed

Wow, what an opening! Who wouldn’t want to know more? Ric Elias showed here how powerful it is to jump straight into a story, with no fussing around with thank yous and throat clearing. Unfortunately after the winning start, the rest of the talk lacked some of the gusto and drama of its opening lines. What can we learn from this? Start with power, but make sure you structure your talk to include a journey that will continue to keep us involved all the way through.

Ginger tip: start with a story

Stories are one of the most effective ways to inspire others. We’re hard wired to connect with stories and your experience of the world is one of the most valuable speaking tools that you possess. Telling a story is a popular way to open a speech because it can quickly build that all-important human connection with your audience. If you have a message that’s personal, or if you’re trying to influence your audience to make a change, a story is a great place to start.

Why is it so important to tell your story? 3 storytelling secrets for public speaking

Creating the best introduction for your speech

We hope these examples of great opening lines demonstrate that you don’t have to conform to the ‘safe’ introductions we’re all used to hearing at corporate conferences. In fact, at Ginger, we dare our speakers to rip up the ‘rulebook’, to be courageous, and to take a different approach to setting the scene. You can find even more tips in our free guide,  The 10 best ways to start your talk .   We’d love to hear your thoughts on these and other examples of great opening lines – so please share your ideas in the comments below.

Beyond introductions

Of course, it’s all very well creating a captivating introduction, but you don’t want the rest of your talk to fall off a cliff edge after you’ve built it up so spectacularly. Maintaining the audience’s attention for the rest of your speech is just as important.   We’ve developed the  TED-style Talk Guidebook  to help you through the process of writing a brilliant speech. Whether you’re crafting a short talk or a keynote, it will help you create a speech that’s as good as a TED talk – so you can wow your audience from the first word to the final thank you.   If you’d like to get hands-on support with becoming a better public speaker, then take a look at our  training courses.  There’s something for every level, from nervous beginners to becoming a leading speaker on the world stage. We’d love to welcome you along.

UK based? Here’s some courses that you might enjoy: 

• Presentation Skills and Essentials
• Leadership and Communications
• TED Talk Presentations

Ginger Leadership Communications

This showcase of inspiring female speakers is part of Ginger’s work with game changing leaders.

[2024] Samples Of Welcoming And Short Opening Remarks For A Program

Short opening remarks for a program.

If you’ve ever been to a corporate program, you know that everyone pays close attention to the welcome speech.

The opening remarks are what entice the audience to listen with interest or not want to participate at all.

Given this, short opening remarks for a program are quite significant and should be both lengthy enough to appropriately address everyone in the room and concise enough to avoid boring anyone.

Naturally, everyone looks forward to short opening remarks for a program, and the reason for this is that the opening speech for any event or function sets the tone for the entire event.

A compelling first line and introduction can quickly grab the audience’s attention. Therefore, making a good first impression is crucial to maintain their interest and excitement throughout the entire event.

If writing speeches for any program is not your cup of tea, we have prepared short opening remarks for a program in this article.

Opening Speech For An Event

Welcome speech for party, welcome speech for conference, welcome speech for virtual event, short welcome speech for new students, welcome speech for students by teacher, welcome speech for religious gathering, short welcome speech for church, opening remarks sample for different purposes.

Using short speeches is useful when the speaker wants to keep it straightforward, succinct, and impactful without detracting from the main event.

Here are some examples of short opening remarks for a program.

1. You are welcome to [program name]. We’re so happy you could be here with us today.

2. We appreciate your attendance at [program name] and wish you a good [morning/afternoon/evening].

3. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to you on behalf of [organization] to [program name].

4. The launch of [program name] with all of you present today excites us.

5. I’m glad you could join us for [program name]. We are eager to get started since we have a fantastic program of events planned.

6. Today, we have a great [program/event/workshop] planned for you, and we are so happy that you can join us.

7. We appreciate your attendance at [program name]. We have a jam-packed schedule of speakers and events in store for you.

8. Here you are at [program name]. We’re so happy you could join us today to take part and learn.

9. Thank you for attending [program name] this today. We are eager to share with you ideas that will transform your life.

10. I’d like to give you all a warm welcome to [program name] on behalf of [organization]. Let’s get going!

Here is an example of an opening speech for an event that you can use as a model or template if you’re unsure of what makes a opening speech.

1. Hello everyone, I hope we are all well and good. I and _ are your hosts today. We welcome you to this special event. This is this company’s anniversary and it’s a proud moment for us to host such an event at this. We hope you have an explosive time. Let’s begin!

2. Welcome to our award show. I am _. We feel honoured to kickstart our prestigious ceremony. We have a special guest who will be unveiled soon. Meanwhile, sit back and have fun.

3. I _ welcome everyone to our 11 biannual event in our department. It’s wonderful seeing how many people chose to be here. Your enthusiasm is contagious. We have a lineup of events that will surely tickle your toes. Please stay tuned as the events unfold. Enjoy!

4. Welcome! Welcome everyone to the GlamUp party. It’s such a pelasure to stand before you all. Please clap for yourselves for making it early today. We owe _ a huge thank you for supporting this cause. And thann you everyone for taking the time out for this today. We appreciate you. Do have a wonderful time.

Drafting welcome speech for party can occasionally be challenging because it can be hard to strike the right balance between being too formal and being too casual. Use any of the examples below if you’re stuck on writing one:.

1. You are welcome to [party name]. We are very happy that you could share in our celebration.

2. Thank you for attending the [name of the party], and good [morning/afternoon/evening].

3. I’d like to send a sincere greeting to everyone at [party name] on behalf of [host/hosts].

4. We’ve got a wonderful [party/celebration] planned for you today, and we can’t wait to unveil them to you.

5. We appreciate your attendance at [party name]. For you, we have a fun schedule of events and surprises planned.

6. We are so happy to have you all here for [party name] today. Let’s start the celebration now!

7. Welcome to [name of party]. We are looking forward to celebrating with you and having a terrific time.

8. Thank you for attending [party name] and good [morning/afternoon/evening]. We have a ton of entertaining events and surprises planned for you.

9. I’d like to welcome you to [party name] on behalf of [host(s)]. We can’t wait to tell you about the wonderful schedule of events, games, and activities we have in store for you.

10. Welcome to [party name] and good morning. We’re so happy you could join us in our celebration. Let’s make this a celebration to remember!

If you’re hosting a conference, wow your attendees with these welcome speech for conference ideas:

1. Welcome to the conference this year, everyone. It is a pleasure to be with you all today, and we are incredibly appreciative of the chance to gather together and share knowledge. We’re all gathered here with the same goal in mind: to impart our expertise, experiences, and enthusiasm about [the conference topic]. So let’s seize this chance and make the most of every second. I appreciate your presence and wish you a nice and fruitful experience.

2. Welcome to the conference this year! We join together to exchange ideas, insights, and experiences with tremendous excitement and enthusiasm. We’re all here because [conference topic] is something we’re passionate about, and I do not doubt that the coming days will be full of insightful conversations, new connections, and lots of motivation. I appreciate your presence and wish you a wonderful time.

3. Everyone is welcome to our annual conference. We are incredibly appreciative of the chance to get together and share knowledge. This is a unique opportunity to share our knowledge, our skills, and our enthusiasm for [the conference theme]. Let’s take advantage of this chance and leave this conference feeling motivated, inspired, and prepared to face the difficulties that lie ahead. I appreciate you coming, and I wish you a great time.

4. Welcome to the conference this year! We are honored to have you all here with us, and we can’t wait to exchange ideas and experiences, as well as to learn from one another. We’re all here because [conference topic] is something we’re all enthusiastic about, and I do not doubt that the coming days will be full of insightful conversations and fresh connections. I appreciate your coming, and I hope you have a great time.

5. Welcome to the conference this year! We are incredibly appreciative of those who put this program together. Thank you for making time for this. Have a blast!

Make an awesome welcome speech for virtual event with the following ideas:

1. Welcome to the online event for this year, everyone! We get together with a lot of energy and enthusiasm to share our thoughts, views, and experiences. We’re all here because [event topic] is something we’re passionate about, and I know the next few hours will be full of fascinating conversations, new connections, and tons of inspiration. So let’s make the most of this chance and leave this event with the attitude that we can take on the world! I appreciate you coming, and I hope you have a memorable time.

2. Welcome everyone! We are really happy to have the chance to collaborate online and share knowledge. Feel free to ask questions, share ideas and more importantly, network.

3. Welcome to the online event for this year, everyone! We appreciate having you all here with us (virtually, of course), and we can’t wait to share our knowledge and experiences with you all. We’re all here because [event topic] is close to our hearts, and I do not doubt that the coming hours will be full of fascinating conversations and new connections. So let’s make sure to leave this gathering with a sense of empowerment! Thank you again for coming.

4. Welcome viewers! Thank you for joining us as we gain knowledge from one another. This is a unique opportunity to impart our knowledge, our expertise, and our enthusiasm regarding [the event topic]. Have a swell time.

Make every new students feel at home in your school with these short welcome speech for new students:

1. Welcome! We are thrilled to have you here with us and are eager to get to know everyone. We want you to enjoy yourself and get the most out of your stay here at [school/university]. Ask if you need anything or if you have any questions. We’re here to encourage you and support your success. Welcome to the community of [school/university]!

2. Hello there, freshmen! I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to everyone at [school/university]. We are thrilled to have you here with us and sincerely hope you enjoy your stay. Never hesitate to ask for assistance or questions if you need them. We want you to succeed. The [school/university] family is happy to have you!

3. Welcome! We are overjoyed to have you here with us and are eager to get to know you all. We wish you the best of luck and hope you study and develop as much as you can while you are at [school/university]. Please inquire if you need assistance and ask plenty of questions. We’re here to encourage yo your success. Welcome again to school/university!

4. Hello there, freshmen! I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to everyone at [school/university]. We are thrilled to have you here with us and sincerely hope you enjoy your stay.

5. Welcome! We are thrilled to have you here with us and are eager to get to know everyone. We wish you the best of luck and hope you study and develop as much as you can while you are at [school/university]. We are all a part of the same community, whether you are a transfer student or a first-year student. There are many ways to become involved and make the most of your time here, so don’t be hesitant to reach out and do so.

As a teacher, it makes a big difference when your students warm up to you. It makes learning a breeze for both of you. Get started with one welcome speech for students by teacher from this list.

1. Greetings, students! I’m most privileged to be your teacher this year and am eager to get to know everyone. I hope you are as eager to begin this new academic year as I am. We will put in a lot of effort together, learn a lot, and have a blast. Ask if you need anything or if you have any questions. I’m here for you. Greetings from my class!

2. Hello, pupils! I’m glad to have you all in my class today. This year, I’m thrilled to be your teacher, and I’m also eager to learn from you. We’ll be working twice as hard. No room for laziness. Ask if you need anything or if you have any questions. I promise to be your biggest support.

3. Greetings, students! I feel privileged to be your teacher this year. Tell me your name and what you do in the comments. We have a lot to learn and do together, and I am sure we can accomplish a lot. If you have questions or reservations, feel free to spill. Have a nice day.

4. Hello, pupils! I’m pleased to see a lot of new faces. I hope your holiday went well. My name is _ and I’m about to become your favorite teacher. Don’t be afraid. This year promises to be fun. I hope we get to know each other better with time. Send me your questions.

5. Hi students and welcome to another session ! I feel pleased looking at your warm faces. I hope we get to learn, relearn and unlearn. I’ll be your teacher as you will teach me too. Let the introduction begin.

If you feel overwhelmed writing a welcome speech for religious gathering, check the following for ideas:

1. Good morning everyone. Welcome to _. We feel blessed to have you hear today. Thank you for choosing to honor God. If you’re worshiping with us for the first time, you’re welcome to this big family. Enjoy the service.

2. A big welcome to service today . To our first-timers, thank you for making a wise decision. You’re our new brothers and sisters. Have fun to the glory of God.

3. It’s a wonderful thing to be alive, and it’s more wonderful to behold your lovely faces. If you’re just joining us, welcome to this part of the Kingdom. You are loved.

4. We thank God for bringing us today. We’re overjoyed to celebrate with the brethren. To every newcomer here, we say our biggest welcome to the family of love. Let’s worship God today with our whole hearts.

5. Good afternoon everybody. It’s great to behold you all again. I see some new faces in the crowd. Thank you for joining us. We have some special gifts for you. See the ushers after service. Now, let’s rise to the reading of the Word.

6. Hello and welcome again to God’s house. As we’ve gathered, let God’s spirit dwell within us. Allow yourself to enjoy God. If there’s a new person beside you, tell them welcome to church.

7. It’s a thing of joy to be present before the Lord. There couldn’t be a better time than now. Thank you for attending this mass. May your labor of love be rewarded.

8. You’re welcome to our second home on Earth. I thank God for bringing us together today. I lift thanks to all our consistent church comers and guests. I pray Christ touches you all.

9. It makes my heart glad that you’re all here. To the newbies, you have a special place in our hearts. I pray that God’s love overwhelms you in worship today.

10. Welcome everyone as we glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I am pleased to welcome every brethren new and old to church. I hope you came prepared. The Lord is about to make mighty moves. Be blessed.

A short welcome speech for church can be a great way to make your church me

1. A big welcome to church. Thank you for choosing to worship God in this place. We hope you have a great time here.

2. Happy Sunday everyone! Thank you for respecting the Sabbath day. I’m glad to see a repeat of those who attended the last time, and I’m happier to see new faces. May this be the beginning of a beautiful relationship with Christ.

3. As we have gathered to honor God, may you all be honored as well. Thank you for worshiping with us today.

At times, there will be need to make opening remarks sample for different purposes. You don’t want to be stuck when those periods come.

Prepare ahead with these samples below:

1. Everyone is invited to the conference this year. We are grateful for the chance to get together and share knowledge. We’re all here because [conference topic] is something we’re passionate about, and I do not doubt that the coming days will be full of stimulating conversations, new connections, and lots of learning. I appreciate your presence and wish you a nice and fruitful experience.

2. Good morning to all. I’m glad to have you all here for this significant business gathering. We have a lot to talk about today, but I am optimistic that we can move forward and accomplish our objectives. Let’s collaborate and take advantage of this chance. We appreciate you being here, so let’s get going.

3. Welcome to this year’s charity event, everyone! We are incredibly appreciative of the chance to band together and help [cause/charity]. We are all present because we value the value of giving back and the strength of the community. We appreciate your presence; let’s work together to change the world.

4. Good evening to all. Being joined by you all on this important day—our wedding—means the world to us. We are incredibly appreciative of the chance to celebrate with you and wish you all the best. Let’s celebrate love, joy, and happiness together. Thank you for coming.

5. Welcome to this year’s graduation ceremony, graduates, family members, and friends! We are thrilled to have the chance to recognize the accomplishments of our graduates. This is a unique event, one on which we should reflect on all that we have accomplished and look ahead to all that we will accomplish in the future. Thank you for coming, and on this historic occasion, congrats to our graduates!

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SRB Legal Conference 2024: Navigating legal frontiers in the EU Banking Union and beyond

Opening speech at the srb annual conference 2021 by elke könig.

[Check against delivery]

[Introduction]

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, fellow speakers; and good morning to our audience joining us online, from around the world.

First, may I thank each of our speakers for taking part in this event – the quality and calibre of speakers this year is outstanding. I also want to thank all of you for connecting this morning, and I hope you are looking forward to the discussions as much as I am.

[Optimistic outlook]

This is the second year that we are holding our major annual event in a hybrid format, with no audience physically in the room. But this year, I am speaking to you in a much more positive context, both in terms of the public health situation and the economic outlook.

We can look to the future with cautious optimism, buoyed by progress in vaccinations and recent economic and earnings forecasts.

As we come together today, with the theme of ‘Delivering for financial stability’, I would like to mention three other reasons to be cheerful.

First , the banks under the SRB’s remit have delivered good progress towards resolvability and, particularly, in building up loss-absorbing capacity. Overall, we can say that banks and regulators have worked well together to overcome the crisis in the past year.

Second , I’m glad to say that the SRB has delivered over the past year. We have delivered on resolution planning for banks , setting clear expectations and monitoring progress on resolvability.

And third , we have seen that our financial stability framework has delivered during this terrible crisis.

[Work still to do]

However, even if I open on a cheerful note, I would not like to give the impression that our work here is done. Far from it.

There is much to do over the coming years, particularly as we get ever closer to the milestone of full resolvability for all banks by 2023 .

Our expectations are clear. We have set the benchmarks. It is now time for banks to complete their ‘to do’ lists and demonstrate that they are fully resolvable.

Here at the SRB , we also have a mission for the next year, to provide clear guidance and set priorities, both for individual banks and the sector as a whole. In 2022 , our focus will be, in particular, on liquidity and funding in resolution, separability and reorganisation plans as well as information systems and data capabilities. Our resolvability heat-map will help gauge and assess performance in these, and other, areas.

[Bigger picture – Banking Union]

We are ready to deliver , and we are proud of the work done together with the banks, the national resolution authorities and our other partners.

But when we zoom out to look at the overall Banking Union picture , we see there is much still to deliver on that front.

Our framework contributed to helping the EU cope with a huge health crisis, and to avoiding it becoming a broader financial crisis. But we are not bringing the full benefits of the Banking Union to European citizens or to the banking sector while it is not yet complete.

I very much welcome the Commission and the Eurogroup’s shared focus on carrying out the reforms needed for more efficient, fair and effective solutions for bank failures, which will also contribute to cross-border financial integration and stronger banks. Let us continue to deliver for financial stability.

[Conclusion]

Ladies and gentlemen, let me once again thank our fantastic speakers for giving their time and insight today. And I hope all of you watching enjoy the conference.

It is now my very great pleasure and honour to introduce our first speaker , European Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union, Mairead McGuinness.

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Recent speeches

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Keynote speech to the world health summit 2021 – 24 october 2021, unicef executive director henrietta fore.

Excellencies, colleagues, friends … it is a pleasure to be with you here today for the World Health Summit.  

I am honoured and inspired by the spirit of collaboration among experts in science, politics, business, government and civil society represented at this Summit.   

On behalf of UNICEF, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak with you now at this critical moment in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic – a pandemic which continues to impact so many aspects of our lives.   COVID-19 has hobbled economies, strained societies and undermined the prospects of the next generation. While children are not at greatest direct risk from the virus itself, they continue to suffer disproportionately from its socioeconomic consequences. Almost two years into the pandemic, a generation of children are enduring prolonged school closures and ongoing disruptions to health, protection and education services.  

That is why today I am here to discuss the health threats facing the 2.2 billion children around the world who UNICEF serves, and the opportunity we have to protect them.  

Driven by new variants of concern, the virus continues to spread. While successful vaccination campaigns in the wealthy world have driven down rates of hospitalization and death, millions in low income countries await their first dose, and fragile health systems – on which children rely – are in jeopardy.  

Yet the gap between those who have been offered vaccination against COVID-19 and those who have not is widening. While some countries have protected most of their populations, in others, less than 3 per cent of the population have had their first dose. Those going without vaccines include doctors, midwives, nurses, community health workers, teachers and social workers – the very people that children, mothers and families rely upon for the most essential services.  

This is unacceptable. As a community of global health leaders, we have a choice. We can choose to act to reach more people with vaccines. This will keep people safe AND help to sustain critical services and systems for children.  

Today, almost 7 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, less than a year since the first vaccine was approved. And we are now on track to produce enough vaccines to protect the majority of people around the world before the end of next year.  

But will we protect everyone?   

Will we send lifesaving, health-system-saving COVID-19 vaccines to the world’s doctors, nurses, and most at-risk populations?  

Will donors continue to fund ACT-A and COVAX sufficiently to procure and successfully deploy the tests, treatments and vaccines needed to end the pandemic? Or will the costs of in-country delivery fall on struggling economies so that they are forced to cut other lifesaving health programmes such as routine childhood vaccinations? 

Will we stand by as the lowest-income countries, with the most fragile health systems, carry on unprotected – risking high death rates due to shortages of tests, treatments and vaccines? Or will we invest so that community health systems everywhere can withstand further waves of the virus, and bounce back from future shocks?  

Will we allow new variants of the virus to flourish in countries with low vaccination rates? Or, will we reap the benefits of global cooperation to defeat this global problem, together?   

The world has learned that financing for prevention, preparedness and response is insufficient and not adequately coordinated. And that is a vital lesson.  

But even more fundamentally, we have learned that the underlying strength of the health sector in general is a critical factor in a country’s ability to weather a storm like COVID-19.  

After all, what good are vaccines if there is no functioning public health system to deliver them?  

How do we hope to contain outbreaks if there are not enough trained and paid healthcare workers?  

This pandemic has been crippling for high income countries where average spending on healthcare per capita exceeds $5,000. So, it is hardly surprising that it is causing critical strain in lower-income countries where the average per capita expenditure on healthcare each year is less than $100.  

The past 22 months have shown us that even as we battle immediate threats such as a pandemic, we must also ensure continuous access to essential health services. If we do not, there will be an indirect increase in morbidity and mortality.  

As COVID-19 took hold of the world, healthcare workers serving pregnant mothers, babies and children faced unthinkable choices. As COVID patients gasped for breath, desperate for oxygen, mothers and babies needed it too. As wards filled up with virus victims, staff were not free to help the very young. As health budgets were stretched to the breaking point, routine healthcare began to go by the wayside.   

These are some of the reasons why more than twice as many women and children have lost their lives for every COVID-19 death in many low and middle-income countries. Estimates from the Lancet suggest up to nearly 114,000 additional women and children died during this period.  

I greatly fear that the pandemic’s impact on children’s health is only starting to be seen.  

While the pandemic has underscored that vaccination is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions, we have already seen backsliding in routine immunization. In 2020, over 23 million children missed out on essential vaccines – an increase of nearly 4 million from 2019, with decades of progress tragically eroded.  

Of these 23 million, 17 million of them did not receive any vaccines at all. These are the so-called zero-dose children, most of whom live in communities with multiple deprivations.       

Here are some of the most urgent choices we could make to address these problems: 

Governments can share COVID-19 doses with COVAX as a matter of absolute urgency and resist the temptation to stockpile supplies more than necessary.  

Governments can also honour their commitments to equitable access and make space for COVAX and other parts of ACT-A at the front of the supply queue for tests, treatments, and vaccines as they roll off production lines.  

Manufacturers can be more transparent about their production schedules and make greater efforts to facilitate and accelerate equitable access to products. This will help to ensure that COVAX and ACT-A get supplies faster. 

Governments, development banks, business and philanthropy can target strategic, sustainable investments in building robust and resilient primary healthcare services – embedded in each and every community.  

We can and we must choose a path ahead that is equitable, sustainable and rooted in the principle that every human being, young and old, rich and poor, has the right to good health.  

And there is good reason to believe that now is the time to set ourselves upon that path.  

A look back at history shows us that global threats and crises that challenge multiple interests and equities have a way of pulling together diverse partners to solve shared problems. Indeed, it is out of some of the most tragic crises that the world has found some of the best solutions.  

I believe now is such a time. We have a historic opportunity to both end the COVID-19 pandemic and set out on the road towards eradicating preventable diseases, ending avoidable maternal, newborn and child deaths, and building a strong foundation for community health that will serve this generation and the next.  

We can and we must seize this moment together.  

Thank you.  

Media contacts

About unicef.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.

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Donald Trump trial day 5 recap: Lawyers make opening plays in sweeping hush money case

NEW YORK — The heart of former President Donald Trump 's New York hush money trial, overseen by Judge Juan Merchan , kicked off on Monday with opening statements and witness testimony.

Matthew Colangelo delivered the opening argument for the prosecution, alleging that the former president's actions were "election fraud, pure and simple." Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, criticized accounts from Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen and porn star Stormy Daniels , telling the jury "There's nothing wrong with trying to influence an election."

Jurors are deciding whether Trump falsified business records to cover up a hush money payment from Cohen to Daniels.

Trump authorized the payment in order to keep Daniels from hurting his 2016 presidential campaign by going public with her story that the pair had sex, according to the prosecutors. Trump denies Daniels' claim and has pleaded not guilty.

David Pecker , the former head of the National Enquirer’s parent company, was the first witness called to the stand in the case. He's expected to face further questions about how the company routinely paid for scandalous stories that it didn’t publish, under what others called a “catch-and-kill” strategy.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Catch up with USA TODAY's live updates from inside and outside the Manhattan courthouse:

Donald Trump insists payments were ‘legal expense’ rather than attempt to affect 2016 campaign

After a morning of opening arguments by prosecutors and defense lawyers in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, the former president gave his own eight-minute summary to reporters in the hallway outside the courtroom.

Trump is charged with falsifying business records to pay hush money to silence women before the 2016 election. But he insisted that his payments to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, were correctly marked as legal expenses rather than what prosecutors contend were a reimbursement for the $130,000 paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

Trump said Cohen was imprisoned for other charges dealing with taxi medallions and tax fraud. But Cohen also pleaded guilty to a campaign finance violation for the payment to Daniels. Trump repeated that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s predecessor and federal prosecutors investigated him and declined to prosecute.

“This is what I got indicted for?” Trump asked. “It’s very unfair.

– Bart Jansen

Donald Trump exits courtroom after day 5 of hush money trial

Donald Trump exited the courtroom at 12:43 p.m. ET. Proceedings will resume Tuesday with arguments over whether Trump has violated Judge Juan Merchan's gag order.

Those will be held in the morning outside the presence of the jury. Jurors have been instructed that proceedings involving them will start at 11:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, and will end at 2 p.m. ET in light of the Passover holiday.

– Aysha Bagchi

What is ‘catch-and-kill’?

The National Enquirer, a tabloid, routinely paid sources for stories and sometimes refused to publish them, under what prosecutors and witnesses in the Donald Trump hush money trial called a “catch-and-kill” strategy.

The publication’s parent company, American Media Inc., denied a catch-and-kill policy after The Wall Street Journal revealed a $150,000 payment to Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who claimed a year-long affair with Trump, without ever publishing the story.

But instead, the company put her picture on a couple of magazine covers and had her write a few fitness columns.

AMI later acknowledged spending more than was routine to block McDougal’s story because the company expected to be reimbursed by Trump. The silencing of derogatory stories before the 2016 election is at the heart of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s charges against Trump that he falsified business records to pay hush money.

Lawyers, Judge Juan Merchan talk over lingering trial issues

Although jurors have left for the day, lawyers and the judge are continuing to discuss trial issues, including instructions the judge should give when lawyers introduce newspaper articles later in trial. Trump lawyer Emil Bove also raised concerns about "hearsay" coming into trial that's tied to Dylan Howard. a former editor of The National Enquirer who is unable to travel and come to the trial, according to earlier testimony. 

"Hearsay" is a technical legal term referring to statements that were made outside a courtroom but are introduced in court in order to prove the truth of what was said. Such statements are prohibited unless they fall into specific exceptions.

Jurors excused for rest of day

Judge Juan Merchan said proceedings would need to wrap up for the rest of the day. He earlier said they would need to end by 12:30 p.m. ET for an alternate juror's emergency appointment over a toothache. The jurors have exited the courtroom. The lawyers have approached Merchan's bench for a private conversation.

Prosecutor asks Pecker about former National Enquirer editor, 'juicy stories '

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Pecker about Dylan Howard, who was once the editor of The National Enquirer. Howard now lives in Australia and has a health condition that prevents him from traveling, to the best of Pecker's knowledge, Pecker said. Pecker confirmed Howard would run "juicy stories" by Pecker.

Donald Trump listening intently to David Pecker testimony

Donald Trump has his arms on the table in front of him and is leaning his body forward slightly as he faces David Pecker directly.

Why is David Pecker tied to Donald Trump's hush money case? Publisher says he had 'final say' as former head of tabloid publisher

Pecker is describing his responsibilities when he was chairman, president, and CEO of American Media Inc. or "AMI," which owns The National Enquirer and other publications. He worked there from 1999 to 2020.

Pecker described having say over what would get published, including approving expenditures. He confirmed prosecutor Joshua Steinglass' statement that he would have "final say" over whether to publish an article involving a famous person.

David Pecker called to the stand

We have gotten our first witness in the case: David Pecker, a tabloid publisher. Prosecutors have alleged Pecker was a key member of a "catch-and-kill" conspiracy involving Donald Trump to prevent stories that could hurt his 2016 presidential campaign from becoming public.

Donald Trump returns to courtroom

Donald Trump returned to the courtroom at 12:01 p.m. ET, trailed by members of his defense team. Judge Juan Merchan just asked for jurors to be brought into the courtroom.

Judge Juan Merchan enters courtroom

Juan Merchan re-entered the courtroom at about noon ET. Prosecutors are also in the courtroom. We are waiting for Trump and his defense team to return.

Trump leaves the courtroom

Trump exited the courtroom at about 11:50 a.m. ET for a short break in proceedings.

Trump lawyer ends opening statement

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche ended his opening statement by telling the jurors to "use your common sense." He added: "We're New Yorkers."

Blanche reminded jurors they promised to put aside any views they have about Trump and decide the case based on the evidence presented in the trial. If they do that, there will be a "very swift" not guilty verdict for Trump, Blanche claimed.

Trump lawyer and prosecutors argue over Cohen's alleged lies

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche began telling jurors that Michael Cohen has lied multiple times under oath . But prosecutors objected and there was just a private conversation at the judge's bench. "The objection is sustained," Judge Juan Merchan said.

Blanche then told jurors they will learn Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying under oath. There was no objection – Merchan appears to be allowing that statement to the jurors. 

Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in 2018.

Michael Cohen 'has a goal, an obsession, with getting Trump,' lawyer for Trump says

Todd Blanche in his opening statement has been focusing on Michael Cohen, a potentially key witness for prosecutors.

Michael Cohen "has misrepresented key conversations, where the only witness who was present for the conversation was Mr. Cohen and allegedly President Trump," Blanche told the jurors.

"He has a goal, an obsession, with getting Trump, and you're going to hear that," Blanche added. "I submit to you that he cannot be trusted."

Trump's lawyer says Stormy Daniels' claims are "false" in dramatic moment

Whether Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump actually had sex may be beside the point in this case, which deals with whether Trump falsified business records to cover up an attempt to unlawfully interfere with the 2016 election through the hush money payment to Daniels.

But Trump lawyer Todd Blanche still took his time in emphasizing Trump denies Daniels' claim. Paying Daniels for her agreement to not publicly spread "false – false – claims" about Trump isn't illegal, Blanche told the jurors.

Trump lawyer : 'There's nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. It's called democracy.'

"There's nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. It's called democracy," Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told the jurors. Blanche added that prosecutors have put a "sinister" spin on this, as if it's a crime, but jurors will learn it's not.

Defense lawyer denies Donald Trump was reimbursing Michael Cohen for Stormy Daniels hush money

Donald Trump's defense is beginning to take shape. Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said a series of payments Trump sent to Michael Cohen weren't payback for Cohen paying porn star Stormy Daniels hush money.

That contradicts prosecutors, who say they were reimbursement payments. Blanche said Cohen was Trump's personal attorney. According to prosecutors, Trump falsely labeled his checks to Cohen as being for legal services.

Trump is now looking over in direction of jurors and lawyer

Donald Trump largely looked forward as prosecutor Matthew Colangelo delivered an opening statement to Trump's right, in the direction of the jurors who are also to Trump's right.

Now that Trump lawyer Todd Blanche is addressing jurors, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has turned his body and face toward his right, facing the jurors often and sometimes turning his head to see Blanche, who is standing both to Trump's right and slightly behind him.

'He's a husband. He's a father. He's a person': Trump lawyer addresses jurors

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said his team will refer to Trump as "President Trump" throughout the trial out of respect for the office he held. Blanche added about his client: "He's also a man. He's a husband. He's a father. He's a person, just like you and just like me."

'President Trump is innocent': Trump lawyer begins opening statement

"President Trump is innocent," Trump's defense lawyer said to begin his opening statement on behalf of the former president.

Prosecution ends opening statement in Trump hush money case

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo ended his opening statement by alleging Donald Trump is guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Michael Cohen's testimony will be 'backed up by Donald Trump's own words ,' prosecutor says

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told jurors Michael Cohen's testimony in the trial will be backed up by a paper trail that includes phone logs and business documents. It will be "backed up by Donald Trump's own words on tape, in social media posts, in his own books, and in video of his own speeches," Colangelo added.

Will the jury be sequestered in the Trump trial?

No. While Merchan has cautioned the media to refrain from reporting on some personally identifiable attributes of jurors , he has not decided to sequester the jury.

During Trump's defamation trial earlier this year, the jury was sequestered from the public during breaks and transported to the courthouse by the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the Associated Press . 

– Kinsey Crowley

Trump not looking at prosecutor during prosecutor's opening

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo is standing at a lectern to the right and slightly behind former President Donald Trump. The lectern is facing the jurors on the right side of the courtroom. Trump has been looking forward through most of the statement, rather than at Colangelo or the jury.

Trump has a screen in front of him that shows live video feeds of the proceedings from different vantage points. He has shaken his head at least once so far during the prosecution's opening. He has also leaned over to communicate with his lawyer, Todd Blanche, at least twice.

Prosecutor: 'It was election fraud, pure and simple.'

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo described the alleged scheme to buy porn star Stormy Daniels' story for $130,000 in order to keep it from American voters: "It was election fraud, pure and simple," Colangelo alleged.

Prosecutors describe flurries of calls surrounding release of scandalous stories

Years before Donald Trump’s trial, FBI investigators uncovered flurries of calls between his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, and National Enquirer executives when scandalous stories were breaking.

One cluster of calls happened Oct. 8, 2016, the day after The Washington Post released the now-infamous "Access Hollywood" tape, while negotiations were under way to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels.

Cohen called David Pecker, CEO of the National Enquirer’s parent company, briefly at 7:39 p.m. and again four minutes later. Then Cohen got a call from Dylan Howard, the company’s chief content officer. After conferring with a Trump spokesperson, Cohen got a call from Pecker and then called Trump. Cohen got two more calls from Howard at 8:39 p.m. and 8:57 p.m.

Another group of calls erupted Nov. 4, 2016, before  The Wall Street Journal  reported the National Enquirer paid Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, for her story about the affair and never published it.

Jurors hear Stormy Daniels' story of affair with Donald Trump

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo is now describing to jurors the effort to buy the rights to porn star Stormy Daniels' story of an affair with Trump (Trump denies her story).

Cohen sent a $130,000 payment to Daniels' lawyer to kill the story before the 2016 election, Colangelo says. "Cohen made that payment at Donald Trump's direction and for his benefit," he tells the jurors.

Donald Trump asks 'So what do we gotta pay for this, 150?' on tape, prosecutor says

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told jurors about a recorded conversation in which Cohen and Trump are discussing McDougal's story. He said the jurors will hear Trump in his own voice on the tape saying, "So what do we gotta pay for this, 150?"

Cohen recorded the conversation to show David Pecker that Trump planned to pay him back for buying McDougal's story, Colangelo said.

Playboy model's catch-and-kill story

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo is describing a "catch-and-kill" effort to secure the story of former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said she had an affair with Trump – a claim Trump denies.

Pecker agreed to have his company pay McDougal $150,000 to keep her quiet. The core reason for the payment was to keep the story from hurting Trump's presidential campaign, Colangelo said.

Who is Matthew Colangelo, the prosecutor starting off opening arguments?

Matthew Colangelo, who is starting off the prosecution’s opening arguments, joined the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in December 2022 after serving as a senior official at the Justice Department in Washington.

Colangelo,  who was the former acting Associate Attorney General at DOJ, specialized in housing & tenant protection, labor & worker protection and white-collar investigations at the DA’s office.

“Matthew Colangelo brings a wealth of economic justice experience combined with complex white-collar investigations, and he has the sound judgment and integrity needed to pursue justice against powerful people and institutions when they abuse their power,” DA Alvin Bragg said at the time.

  – Josh Meyer

Prosecutor describes three-pronged conspiracy to interfere with 2016 election

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo described to jurors a meeting between Donald Trump, his former lawyer Michael Cohen, and a tabloid publisher, David Pecker. The three agreed to a three-pronged conspiracy to interfere with the 2016 presidential election, Colangelo said:

• Pecker would be the campaign's "eyes and ears," reporting potentially harmful information to Cohen, who would work to keep it quiet. Colangelo described this as the "core" of the conspiracy.
• Pecker would publish flattering stories about Trump.
• Pecker would use his publications to attack Trump's political opponents.

'This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up': Opening statements begin in Trump's hush money trial

"This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up," said Matthew Colangelo, in beginning his opening statement for the prosecution.

Colangelo continued by telling jurors that Trump orchestrated a criminal scheme to interfere with the 2016 presidential election, and covered it up by lying in his New York business records "over and over and over again."

If Trump testifies, prosecutors can inform jurors of Trump civil fraud case, E. Jean Carroll defamation trial

Before jurors entered the courtroom, Judge Juan Merchan said that, should Trump testify, prosecutors would be able to inform jurors that Trump was found liable for violating state law by fraudulently inflating the value of his assets. That determination ties to his civil fraud case, in which Trump is appealing a $454 million judgment against him.

Merchan also said prosecutors could inform jurors that Trump was found liable for defaming New York writer E. Jean Carroll, even though Merchan didn't indicate they can inform jurors about Trump's liability for sexually abusing Carroll.

Merchan also said prosecutors can inform jurors that Trump was found to have violated a gag order twice in his civil fraud case. And prosecutors will be allowed to inform jurors of an agreement that the Trump Foundation would be dissolved as a result of an investigation into self-dealing transactions.

If Trump testifies and prosecutors seek to introduce those determinations, jurors will be instructed to only consider the determinations when it comes to evaluating Trump's credibility.

Jurors not permitted to speak to others about the case

Judge Juan Merchan instructed the jurors that they are not permitted to speak with others about the case because only they are authorized to decide the case.

Jurors instructed on how to approach deliberations at end of trial

Judge Juan Merchan is giving jurors extensive instructions on the trial and their role within it. He tells them not to be influenced by stereotypes or implicit biases, including when it comes to political affiliation.

Who is Stormy Daniels?

Stormy Daniels , born Stephanie Clifford, is an adult film star.

Daniels claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006, months after Melania Trump gave birth to Barron Trump. Michael Cohen paid her $130,000 to stay quiet about the alleged affair ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Daniels sued to cancel the non-disclosure agreement signed 11 days before the election, which was  dismissed in 2020  She also  sued Trump for defamation  in 2018 over some of his tweets, but that lawsuit was also thrown out.

What is Trump on trial for?

Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges that he falsified business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels that was designed to unlawfully interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

The payment was made by former  Trump lawyer Michael Cohen  and violated federal campaign finance laws, according to prosecutors. They say Trump authorized the payment to help his presidential campaign, and falsified records to cover up the checks he sent to reimburse Cohen for the hush money.

–  Aysha Bagchi

Will the Trump trial be televised or live streamed?

New York court rules  state that  audio-visual coverage  of trials is not permitted unless a representative of the news media submits an application and the judge allows it, which has not happened for this trial.

–  Kinsey Crowley & Aysha Bagchi

Judge indicates prosecutors can't tell jurors about E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse case

Before the jurors entered, Judge Juan Merchan ruled that prosecutors will be able to inform jurors of six legal determinations against Trump if he chooses to testify. However, Merchan didn't mention a jury's determination in a civil case that Trump sexually abused New York writer E. Jean Carroll, indicating that determination won't be allowed in the criminal case. Trump denies Carroll's claim.

Jurors enter the courtroom

The jurors entered the courtroom at about 9:55 a.m. ET. Judge Merchan is instructing them on how things will unfold, including his plan to give them introductory instructions that will last about 30 minutes.

Trump Media stock price

At open on April 22, Trump Media & Technology Group Corp share price fell to $35, down 3.79% from previous close

Donald Trump attacks officials over hush money trial without offering proof

Donald Trump sharply criticized the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Monday morning as opening arguments were set to get underway, telling reporters that the hush money case against him amounts to unfair election “interference.”

“Everybody knows it,” Trump said outside of court, claiming that the trial is preventing him from being on the campaign trail.”

“Fortunately, the poll numbers are very good. They've been going up because people understand what's going on. It's a witch hunt and it's a shame. And it comes out of Washington,” Trump said, without offering any proof.

There is no indication that anyone in Washington, including the Biden administration, has played any role in the first criminal prosecution of Trump on charges of paying hush money to two women just before the 2016 election who claimed to have had sex with him.

Who is Judge Juan Merchan? What to know as Donald Trump's hush money trial continues

Judge Juan Merchan is presiding over the  first criminal trial of a former president  in U.S. history. Donald Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up the hush money payments issued to  Stormy Daniels .

Merchan has been a felony judge  for 15 years .  

Before that, Merchan served as an assistant attorney general for Nassau County, on suburban Long Island, and in the Manhattan district attorney’s office for five years.

He received his bachelor’s degree is from Baruch College and his law degree is from Hofstra University.

– Kinsey Crowley and Bart Jansen

Juror #9 will remain in trial despite expressing concern over media

Judge Merchan announced that Juror #9, who expressed concern about continuing due to media attention, will remain in the trial. Merchan just met with the juror outside the courtroom. – Aysha Bagchi

Juror expressed concern about continuing due to media attention

A juror called the court expressing concern about attending the trial due to media attention, but the juror is here today, Judge Juan Merchan said. Merchan and members from each legal team are currently meeting with the juror outside the courtroom.

Court to end early at 12:30 p.m. ET due to alternate juror toothache

Judge Merchan announced court will be ending at 12:30 p.m. ET today because an alternate juror needs to get to an emergency appointment due to a toothache. Court was already scheduled to end early at 2 p.m. ET today and tomorrow for the Passover holiday.

Judge Merchan enters the courtroom

Judge Juan Merchan entered the courtroom at 9:31 a.m. ET.

Trump enters the courtroom

Former President Donald Trump entered the courtroom at 9:26 a.m. ET.– Aysha Bagchi

What happens if Trump is found guilty? Will he go to prison?

If Donald Trump is convicted on all counts in his  New York criminal hush money trial  that started last week, he could theoretically face more than a decade in prison.

But most legal experts who spoke to USA TODAY said such a dramatic outcome is unlikely. Instead, he would likely be sentenced to something between probation and four years in prison.

And he would probably still be out, free to campaign for president as the presumptive or actual 2024 Republican nominee, while his all-but-certain appeal was pending.

Donald Trump enters NY courthouse

Donald Trump has entered the Manhattan courthouse as the second week of his hush money trial begins

What is hush money?

Hush money  is a wide-ranging term used to refer to paying someone to not speak publicly about an issue. It's not necessarily illegal, so why is Donald Trump in court over a hush money case?

The former president isn’t actually charged with making a $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement. Instead, he's accused of falsifying business records to hide the payment.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin  Bragg described the payments to Daniels  and another woman,  former Playboy model Karen McDougal , as part of a “catch-and-kill” strategy to prevent the women from telling their stories. But the criminal charges are that Trump falsified his company’s business records to conceal the payments.

Who are Donald Trump's lawyers?

Trump's defense team is led by Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles .

Blanche was a federal prosecutor for nine years in the Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan. As a prominent white-collar defense lawyer he has defended Trump advisor Boris Epshteyn and Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort.

Necheles is ranked among the top criminal defense lawyers in New York by the legal rating and head-hunting firm Chambers and Partners. She was also a  former counsel to Venero Mangano , the former Genovese crime family underboss known as Benny Eggs..  

–  Josh Meyer

Is the Trump trial being televised?

No, the trial won't be televised or available to watch online or aired on TV.

New York court rules  state that audio-visual coverage of trials is not permitted unless a representative of the news media submits an application and the judge allows it.

Records show an application was submitted to cover the arraignment, but not the trial.  Judge Juan Merchan   rejected the request  to televise the arraignment.

– Kinsey Crowley and Aysha Bagchi

Who is Karen McDougal?

Karen McDougal indirectly received a hush money payment in 2016 after claiming to have an affair with Donald Trump. Cohen funneled the money through the National Enquirer under a  "catch and kill" approach , paying the tabloid to buy rights to her story and prevent her from telling anyone else about it.

The National Enquirer, owned by American Media Inc., was  fined $187,500 by the Federal Election Commission  for paying McDougal $150,000 for exclusive rights to her story with the intent of influencing the election. McDougal  also sued the company . She has since spoken out about her  affair with Trump , saying it lasted for 10 months starting in 2006.

How long will Trump's trial last?

Donald Trump's  hush money trial  that begins Monday in Manhattan could last as long as eight weeks.

It is the first time a former president has been criminally charged, although Trump has now also been charged in three other criminal cases in other jurisdictions for attempting to overturn the 2020 election and hoarding classified documents after leaving office.

In New York, the presumptive  Republican presidential nominee  faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records for allegedly disguising  hush money payments  issued to porn star Stormy Daniels. He has pleaded not guilty.

– Aysha Bagchi and Kinsey Crowley

What time does trial start today?

Proceedings in Donald Trump's hush money trial are expected to begin at 9:30 a.m. local time in New York.

– Marina Pitofsky

Who is David Pecker? Here's what to know about the first witness in Donald Trump's trial

David Pecker , the former head of the National Enquirer’s parent company, is expected to be the first witness in Donald Trump’s hush money trial about how the company routinely paid for scandalous stories that it didn’t publish, under what others called a “catch-and-kill” strategy.

Pecker was president and CEO of American Media Inc. (AMI) in August 2015, when he met with Trump and his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to “help deal with negative stories about Trump” by purchasing them and not publishing them, according to a Federal Election Commission agreement with the company.

After a lawyer for Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who claimed an affair with Trump, contacted the company, Pecker and Dylan Howard, the company’s vice president and chief content officer, notified Cohen, according to the FEC agreement.

In August 2016, the company McDougal $150,000 for her life story, including about any relationship with “any then-married man” and then didn’t publish the story, according to the FEC agreement.

Wonder what it would be like to watch the Trump trial? Graphics take you inside courtroom.

Opening statements are expected to start at 9:30 a.m. today at Donald Trump's criminal trial. The former president ffaces 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a payment of $130,000 in hush money to an adult film actress ahead of his 2016 presidential campaign.

But where is the trial? Who are the key players? Go deeper with USA TODAY's graphics team:

More: Wonder what it would be like to watch the Trump trial? Graphics take you inside courtroom.

Trump's $175 million appeal bond under scrutiny

While the hush money trial is underway Monday morning, Judge Arthur Engoron will be hearing arguments in a courthouse next door over whether Trump's $175 million appeal bond passes muster in his New York civil fraud case.

The bond, if accepted by Engoron, will prevent New York Attorney General Letitia James from seizing Trump's assets while his appeal over the $454 million judgment against him is pending. James is arguing that Trump hasn't demonstrated he provided enough collateral to truly back up the bond, which was provided by Knight Specialty Insurance Company.

The Knight company is owned by self-proclaimed Trump supporter and California billionaire Don Hankey .

An appeal bond functions as a guarantee that a judgment will be paid once the appeal is over, at least in the amount of the bond. A New York appeals court allowed Trump and his co-defendants to post just $175 million, instead of the full $464 million judgment they face – all but $10 million of which Trump faces personally.

'Jesus cried': Pastor leaves stage after comments at James River Church men's conference

A guest pastor was kicked off the stage for comments about a sword swallowing performance during James River Church's Stronger Men's Conference in Springfield this past weekend.

The Stronger Men's Conference is an annual event by James River Church, which "exists to inspire and equip men to live out God’s vision for manhood to be the husbands, fathers, and leaders God has called them to be," according to the church's press release. The church said that attendees from 38 states and 42 countries were present April 12 and April 13 at Springfield's Great Southern Bank Arena.

Pastor Mark Driscoll , who leads a "family ministry" in Scottsdale, Arizona, said the performance demonstrated "the Jezebel spirit" in a video posted online . Alex Magala, who has performed on various Got Talent shows including America's Got Talent, had opened the conference with what he calls "aerial sword swallowing," an act that consists of sword swallowing while performing acrobatics on a vertical metal pole.

"Before the Word of God was open, there was a platform. It was a high place. On it was a pole, an ashera, the same thing that's used in a strip club by women who have the Jezebel spirit to seduce men. And in front of that was a man who ripped his shirt off like a woman does in front of a pole at a strip club," said Driscoll, who has courted controversy in the past . "That man then ascended — See, our God is not arrogant. He is humble and he descends. And then, he swallowed a sword and Jesus cried."

James River Church's pastor John Lindell could then be heard saying, "Out of line, Mark," at which point Driscoll acknowledged Lindell and left the stage.

More: James River Church threatens to cut ties with controversial pastor if he 'will not repent'

In the video, the crowd booed as Lindell stepped on stage and shouts of "You're not in charge" could be heard as he began to speak.

"Let me just say this: If Mark (Driscoll) wanted to say that, he should have said it to me first," Lindell said. "Matthew 18: 'If your brother offends you, go to him privately.' I talked to Mark (Driscoll) for a half hour; there was not one word of that. He's out of line."

In the past, conference performances have included BMX/motocross, professional bull riding, monster trucks and a car-crushing tank.

More on James River Church: An Ozarks church leader claims prayer regrew a woman's toes. Others aren't so sure.

In a video posted by an attendee , Driscoll and Lindell said they talked in private and reaffirmed their friendship before Driscoll gave his planned sermon alongside Lindell.

"I honor, respect, love and admire you as the father of this house. This is the greatest men's event, I believe, in the country right now," Driscoll said on stage, in what he said was a "model of how brothers can work through their" differences. He expressed remorse for not speaking to Lindell directly before speaking to the crowd.

"I apologize to you for not going that route, which would have lead us from the most awkward moment in the history of any men's event," Driscoll said.

Lindell said while people can have different opinions, he and Driscoll agree on the things that mattered.

"People are going to make mistakes, they make misjudgments, but if we are going to penalize people and kill friendships over that, then we've damaged the body of Christ," Lindell said.

The day after the conference, Driscoll tweeted about the conference.

As of publication, neither Driscoll nor James River Church have responded to requests for comment.

Who is Mark Driscoll?

Driscoll is an Evangelical pastor who co-founded Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, in 1996.

He was ousted from the church in 2014, following "accusations that he bullied members, threatened opponents, lied and oversaw mismanagement of church funds," according to an article in the Seattle Times . The departure was spurred by a 2013 radio interview where he was accused of plagiarizing another pastor's work for his book. That interview led to a Christian magazine uncovering that Mars Hill paid a company $25,000 to buy up and distribute Driscoll's book so it would make best-seller lists.

In 2016, he founded Real Faith with his wife and daughter in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its website says it is a family ministry "created for real people with real questions about real life with Jesus."

Susan Szuch reports on health and food for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].