Image consultants will tell you that those first few moments of any meeting are the most important.

The way you act, move and speak will largely influence other peoples' lasting impressions of you.

It's good advice. And yet, the same wisdom is rarely applied to professional speeches and presentations, which seems strange when you consider how much may hang in the balance.

A successful pitch before a new client - which could translate into sizeable business deals - depends largely on your ability to present well. A successful presentation, in turn, relies heavily upon a good start. First impressions last, in speaking, as in life.

With that in mind, what is the most common thing you will hear a person say when they first stand up to speak? How about: "It's a great pleasure to be here"? Or, "Thank you for the opportunity to address you"? Or even worse, "I'll try not to take up too much of your time"?

Although these opening lines are polite in a banal sort of way, they are also overused, essentially meaningless and when you get right down to it, just plain boring. And the first rule of public speaking is: don't be boring! There must be a better way to manage your first impressions as a speaker.

Learn from the newspapers.A good speech opening should be constructed in the same way as the front page of your favourite newspaper.

Picture it - a newspaper always has a strong, boldly typed headline. A good speech should have a bold, attention-getting opening line. And like its newspaper equivalent, you want the line to be short, punchy, and easy to understand.

What comes after the headline? Actually no, text would be the wrong answer. The right answer is: open, white space. Or in speaking terms: silence.

After your strong opening line, allow a couple of seconds of silence for the audience to "digest" what you have just said, to get used to your voice, and frankly, for a smidgeon of dramatic effect.

After that white space comes the body text, or in speaking terms, the beginning of your presentation. With a strong start behind you, you can now get down to business.

But what about etiquette?

Once your presentation is off to a good start, there is no reason to back-track slightly and "greet" your audience.

For example:

Headline: "Three years ago, our company made a promise."

White space: (pause)

Etiquette: "Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon." (pause)

Body Text: "That promise was to deliver the finest widgets in the industry at the lowest conceivable prices. And today I'm proud to tell you..." etc.

Notice how there is no softening of the message with empty words of thanks and meaningless rambling.

The opening has energy, direction and purpose. And yet it does not lack the adequate degree of formality.

And remember, nothing wins people over like a smile!

Douglas Kruger is a motivational speaker, trainer and author. www.douglaskruger.co.za, e-mail: kruger@compute.co.za.