speech words starting with n

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260+ N Words, Phrases, Sentences, and Reading Passages

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Initial N by Syllables

nail polish

neighborhood

Netherlands

New England

New Hampshire

New Year's Eve

New Year's Day

New Zealand

neighborhood watch

neurologist

noncommittal

nonrestrictive

Medial N by Syllables

chicken pox

banana split

peanut butter

spontaneous

table tennis

unhappiness

developmental

inadequately

manufacturing

miniaturize

Final N by Syllables

bus station

fire engine

gas station

ice cream cone

complication

hibernation

hot-air balloon

policewoman

satisfaction

supervision

SEE ALSO:   The Best Free App for Speech Therapy

Initial N Phrases and Sentences

sharp knife

paper napkin

silver necklace

pointy needle

next door neighbor

number nine

sticky note

She is holding her knees.

The knife is made of metal.

Knock to see if they are home.

Hit the nail with the hammer.

She is taking a nap.

He wrote on the napkin.

She is touching her neck.

She is holding her necklace.

I used the needle to sew.

She had her neighbor over for tea.

There are eggs in the nest.

She bought new pink shoes.

She gave me a nickel for change.

It is a cloudy night.

The address has a nine in it.

She is pointing to her nose.

She left him a note for tomorrow.

The nurse offered her help.

Medial N Phrases and Sentences

blender smoothie

natural blonde

brick chimney

family dinner

warm doughnuts

sweet honey

bright lightning

paper money

peanut shell

planet earth

pretty rainbow

start running

strong wind

She made a smoothie in her blender.

The lady had naturally blonde hair.

I see a bunny in the grass.

They paddled the canoe on the lake.

The chimney is made of brick.

They sat down for a family dinner.

I want to have 2 doughnuts for breakfast.

His hand reached for the sky.

We bought honey at the store.

Lightning touched the ground.

He put the money in his pocket.

He took off the peanut shell.

We live on planet earth.

I see more than one rainbow.

He enjoyed running in the morning.

The desert is full of sand.

The magician's wand disappeared.

The wind was so strong it broke her umbrella.

Final N Phrases and Sentences

jet airplane

crunchy bacon

red balloon

brown crayon

round button

chain links

chicken coop

fireman courage

green crayon

bright moon

snowy mountain

phone message

silver spoon

We flew in an airplane.

She likes her bacon crunchy.

The balloon floated in the sky.

He colored the tree brown.

I had to sew a button onto a shirt.

It was a strong chain.

The chicken was by the coop.

He is touching her chin.

The fireman was very brave.

I always color the grass green.

The lion was hungry.

The moon was shining bright.

It took 3 days to climb the mountain.

The ocean looks beautiful today.

Give me a phone call in 10 minutes.

He likes to run by himself.

I eat cereal with a spoon.

The dog is sitting in the wagon.

N Reading Paragraphs

Smoothie party.

Ned's smoothie party was in nine hours and he needed groceries. He wanted his friends to be able to make any kind of smoothie they wanted.

At the store he bought doughnuts, honey, peanut butter, chocolate bunnies, bacon, chicken, green onions, dinner rolls, sandwiches, rainbow sherbet, and some extra blenders.

"Tonight is going to be legendary," he thought, "None of my friends have ever had my famous chocolate bunny, bacon, and green onion smoothie."

He was so excited that while he was paying for his groceries, he invited the cashier to come to the party. 

"I hope to see you there," he said as he left the store. Tonight was going to be the best smoothie party ever!

Danny's Job

Danny didn't know what he wanted to do for a job. He was interested in so many things that it was hard to choose just one.

His friend's dad was a fireman. He ran into buildings to save people. That sounded fun, but scary. His brother was a nurse. He thought it sounded cool to help people get better when they were sick.

His mom was a money manager at a bank.

"I could make a good banker, I am good at math," Danny thought.

His dad flew an airplane. Traveling sounded exciting. To fly like the wind and see oceans and mountains. He would see the moon at night and the sun by day.

He went to a circus once. "Maybe I should become a lion tamer," he thought. He didn't want to smell like lion breath all day though.

He went to his mom and said, "Mom what job should I do when I grow up?"

His mom said, "Danny, you're only nine. You have a few years to figure it out. In the meantime, think about what you would like to do and start learning more about it."

"Ok, thanks mom," said Danny, and he grabbed some books and began to read.

Running Bunny

Ben went running all the time. It was his passion. He would run anywhere on the planet, at any time, and under any condition.

He ran at night. He ran during lightning storms. He even ran when I chained a chicken to him as a joke! He just picked up the chicken, held it, and started to run. I thought the chicken would have stopped him for sure.

One day, Ben was running in the sand by the ocean and saw his neighbor Natalie. Natalie was running with her new bunny on a leash.

"Natalie, why are you running with your bunny?" he said.

"He helps my knees," she said.

"What do you mean?" said Ben.

"I don't know how to explain it. Whenever I run with my bunny, my knees don't hurt," she said."

"Did someone at the pet shop wave their wand to make him a magic bunny?" he asked.

"They must have," said Natalie.

The two friends finished their run together and Natalie told Ben more about her "magic" bunny. 

This list of functional words was professionally selected to be the most useful for a child or adult who has difficulty with producing the "N" sound.

We encourage you to use this list when practicing at home.

Doing home practice will help your child make much faster progress toward correct production.

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are only able to see students/clients 30-60 mins (or less) per week.

This is not enough time  for your child to overcome an articulation disorder with the "N" sound. But with high caseloads...

...it's all SLPs can do.

There's  only so much time  in the day.

Every day that your child goes without practice  it becomes more and more difficult  to correct an "N" error because he/she continues to say it incorrectly. 

SEE ALSO:   The Best Books for Speech Therapy Practice

We know life is busy , but if you're reading this you're probably someone who cares about helping their loved one as much as you can.

Practice 5-10 minutes whenever you can, but try to do it on a consistent basis (daily).

Please, please, please use this list to practice.

It will be a great benefit to you and your loved one's progress.

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380+ Free N Words for Speech Therapy (Articulation PDF)

Are you a speech therapist or parent looking for n words to practice with your child or student? Then this blog post is just what you need! It has over 300 initial, medial, and final n words that will help strengthen your child or student’s n sounds. This post about n words for speech therapy also encompasses various techniques and exercises that a speech-language pathologist (SLP) might use to help individuals strengthen their articulation skills. 

Key Takeaways

• N word lists to help target the proper pronunciation of words with the nasal sound in them.
• Speech-language pathologists design personalized techniques and exercises for each individual.
• Consistent practice and engaging activities lead to improved articulation in speech.

N Words Speech Therapy

For individuals working on mastering the “N” sound, it is crucial to practice hearing and saying words with the n sound in different positions of words, such as initial, medial, and final words. 

Target Word List

Here’s a list of n articulation sounds for you to use in therapy or at home practice to work on your student or child’s new skill.

• For Example: nose, nap, net, knee, knit, banana, dinosaur, panda, tent, skunk, green, bean, ten, bin, button.

You can try incorporating these words into fun and interactive activities to make your practice more engaging and fun for your students. 

• For example , you can point to different noses on people or toys while saying “nose” or throw balls into a net and say “net” before each turn.

See full list of words, phrases, and sentences below.

Be sure to grab my one page freebie of n sounds below. Simply scroll to the bottom of this post and grab your free copy!

By doing consistent practice, mastery of this sound will come which can lead to improved language skills and clearer communication.

Word Positions: N Words Speech Therapy 

Initial position of words.

The initial position of the n sound is at the beginning of a word. For example, “nest” or “nice”.

Medial Position of Words

Some words have the n sound in the medial position of a word, such as “rainbow”, “bunny”, and “pencil”.

Final Positions of Words

The final positions of words are when the target sounds are at the end of a word. For example, “muffin” or “pen”.

Correct Production – N Words Speech Therapy

The n consonant sound is a nasal sound that is produced within the nasal cavity. 

• Tongue Tip – The first steps are to place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth just behind your upper front teeth, touching the alveolar ridge. (The alveolar ridge is the bony ridge immediately behind your upper teeth where the hard palate starts.) When teaching your client or student where their alveolar ridge is it can be helpful and fun to use a sucker or peanut butter and instruct the client to touch there.
• Mouth –  Slightly lower your jaw to create a small gap between your teeth. 
• Teeth – Ensure the sides of your tongue are touching your upper molars on both sides.
• Air Flow – Once you’ve found the correct tongue position, practice producing the n sound by allowing the air to flow through your nasal cavity. (You can do this by closing off your mouth and allowing the air to escape through your nose.)
• Voiced – The n sound is one of the voiced sounds in the English language. You make a voiced consonant by vibrating your vocal cords and the movement of the vocal cords is what makes it a voiced sound. You can tell that you’re vibrating your vocal folds by placing your hand on your larynx or voice box (where an Adam apple is located) and feeling for a vibration. 

Treatment Approach

An efficient way of mastering the n sound is by following a structured approach to speech therapy. You can start by practicing the isolated n sound and gradually move on to syllables, words, sentences, and eventually conversations. Here’s a simple progression to follow:

• Isolate : Begin by solely practicing the n sound, focusing on proper tongue positioning and nasal airflow.
• Syllables : Incorporate the n sound in various syllables, like na, ne, ni, no, and nu.
• Words : Practice words with the n sound in different positions, such as “nap,” “penny,” and “sun.”
• Sentences : Create sentences using words containing the n sound to improve your fluency.
• Reading: Practice words with the n sound while doing a structured reading task.
• Conversations : Engage in conversations and pay close attention to the accurate pronunciation of n sounds.
• Generalization: Lastly, have your clients or students practice their n sounds across multiple contexts of people and settings.

One thing to keep in mind is that selecting words that are meaningful to the client can improve their motivation and increase the likelihood of successful outcomes. 

Visual Feedback

Visual feedback can also play a crucial role in articulation training and making faster progress. 

Implementing tools that provide real-time visualizations of speech sounds, such as electropalatography or ultrasound, can help clients better understand the position and movement of their tongue, vocal cords, or lips during speech production with more precision.

Speech Errors

Nasal sounds involve the proper functioning of your nasal cavity and the velopharyngeal valve, which directs sound and airflow to create specific speech patterns. 

When you produce nasal consonant sounds (like /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/), the valve opens, allowing an acoustic coupling between your oral and nasal cavities.

As a speech therapist, it is important to pay close attention to nasal sounds when diagnosing and treating an articulation disorder.

Issues with nasal sound production in speech can be a sign of speech problems, such as resonance disorders ( source: american speech-language-hearing association ) :

• Hypernasality – too much air in the nose
• Hyponasality – too little air 

These conditions affect speech intelligibility and make it challenging for listeners to understand or differentiate certain sounds.

Physical Problems to Consider

When working with speech therapy clients, you might encounter complex cases, such as those involving Down syndrome or other conditions that require additional considerations. 

In these situations, it’s essential to consult with healthcare providers and perform oral peripheral examinations to ensure you’re providing the best support possible.

Down syndrome often affects speech and language development due to various factors, including oral anatomy, cognitive abilities, and hearing issues. 

As a speech therapist, you’ll need to focus on individualized treatment plans tailored to meet your client’s unique needs. Collaborate with healthcare providers, such as pediatricians and audiologists, to acquire valuable information about your client’s overall condition.

Oral peripheral examinations are essential to understand the client’s oral structures and functionalities. Through these evaluations, you’ll gain insights into potential issues, such as motor impairments or anatomical abnormalities, which can significantly impact speech therapy outcomes.

Initial N Words at Word Level

Some ways to practice include having your child or student say each written word one by one as they go through a list. 

Using a dot marker can also be a fun way to practice having your child put a dot under each initial n sound. 

In addition, I’ve compiled an easy-to-download one page overview of initial n sounds below. Simply scroll down to the bottom of this post and download your free copy.

• 1 Syllable: no, near, net, nine, now, night, new, nut, nice, name, north, nick, neon, Nile, neck, nest, need, news, none, nose, nap, note, Noah, noon, Nike, noise, ninth, naive, nog, next, nurse, numb, nerd, niece, nail, names, nag, notch, nod, nape, notes, nip, nope, neat 
• 2 Syllable:  nature, nothing, Nina, number, never, nuclear, ninja, nova, nation, Nora, Nancy, Nathan, nucleus, numbers, naughty, nervous, nasty, narrow, noodle, needle, nanny, Nelson, nightmare, nacho, noble, noble, Nepal, nerve, neutral, NASA, neighbor, nowhere, Nemo, Norway, northern, navy, novel, notice, native, nickel, nephew, napkin, neutron, Norman, Nissan, network, nurture, Newport, normal, nosey, Neptune, nuisance, noggin, nursing, narwhal, nibble, necklace
• 3 Syllable:  ninety, natural, November, Natalie, nutrition, nineteen, nitrogen, nobody, Nicholas, nirvana, national, nothingness, Nashville, narrator, negative, Nebraska, nonsense, neighborhood, nemesis, Nevada, nightingale, Netherlands, Neverland, nutrient
• 4 Syllable:  necessary, notorious, nativity, Niagra, Nigeria

Practice in Flash Card Mode Right Here from Your Computer!

Initial N Words Speech Therapy

Medial N Words Speech Therapy

Final N Words Speech Therapy

SEE ALSO: 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy

Short sentences or phrases.

When working on n sound production, it’s important to work on short words or phrases once your child or student has mastered the sound at the word level at or near 80% or higher accuracy.

Here is a list of n word phrases to try:

Initial N Words Speech Therapy in Phrases

Medial N Words Speech Therapy in Phrases

Final N Words Speech Therapy in Phrases

Sentence Level: N Words Speech Therapy

The next step after working at the word and phrase levels is to work on the n sound at the sentence level to practice longer utterances.

For example, you could give your child or student a list of sentences to read aloud while they work on their n sound. 

Another idea would be to give your child or student pictures with their n sound in them and then have them create a sentence about those pictures.

Below is a list of sentences to use with your child or students.

Initial N Words Speech Therapy in Sentences

Medial N Words Speech Therapy in Sentences

Final N Words Speech Therapy in Sentences

N Words Speech Therapy Ideas

Young children.

Speech therapy can be an enjoyable and engaging experience for both therapists and young children, especially when incorporating fun activities tailored to their needs. 

As you explore various techniques to make speech therapy more effective for little ones, consider the following ideas that incorporate learning and play.

• THE PRESCHOOL SLP: /n/ Articulation Coloring Flip Book w/ Speech Sound Cues by The Preschool SLP is a low prep activity that you can print and go! This is an activity created for preschool age children that is engaging and highly rated.
• N Final Words – Articulation Therapy FREEBIE (Print & Go) by slpsmartdotcom – Eli Lowham is a great, print and go resource! It is a page full of target N sounds that is interactive and fun for young children.
• Drag N Drop Articulation Boom Cards Halloween Theme FREEBIE by Speaking Louder than Words is a highly rated boom card set perfect for Halloween and this fall! Younger kids will love this game as they practice their N sounds. 

Incorporating speech therapy exercises at home can greatly contribute to your child’s progress in overcoming articulation challenges. By practicing regularly, you can reinforce the skills they learn during their sessions with speech therapists.

One way to practice speech therapy at home is by focusing on short words that contain the “N” sound like “nose”, “nice”, “new”, and “net”. Make sure to keep the sessions fun and engaging, as this will help maintain your child’s interest and motivation.

You can incorporate the N sound words into everyday activities for a more natural and entertaining learning experience. 

For example, when playing with toys, encourage your child to point out their noses, or put their toys down for a nap while saying “nap”. When playing with a ball, ask them to try and throw the ball into a net, exclaiming “net” before each turn.

Additionally, there are several therapeutic techniques you can use to promote proper pronunciation and articulation therapy of the N sound. 

One effective method is to practice simple phrases, sentences, and reading passages containing the target sound together with your child. Have them mimic how you produce the sound, and provide feedback when needed.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different strategies and approaches to find what works best for your child or student. 

Remember that patience and consistency are crucial factors in achieving progress in speech therapy. By incorporating these practices at home, you’ll be providing your child or student with extra practice opportunities that can greatly contribute to their overall improvement.

Do your students need a little extra practice? Why not send home some practice worksheets?

Here are a few favorite activities to send home: 

• Phoneme n – articulation word list – all positions by Hey Speech Mama is a neatly organized, print and go sheet of target N articulation words to send home with students!
• {freebie} Free Articulation Worksheets (Final Consonant Deletion) by kendallpartrickslp is a highly rated set of worksheets that target n articulation. Print these worksheets out and send them home with students for quick and easy at home practice!
• /n/ Fall/Thanksgiving Articulation Freebie NO PREP Print and Go! By Speech and Stuff is a great packet to send home for students to practice N articulation. It is highly rated and straight forward for students to do on their own and or with their caretakers.

SEE ALSO: Free Articulation Games for Speech Therapy

Minimal pairs.

Do your students mix up the n sound with other sounds, such as the m or ng sounds? If so, here are a few worksheets to practice minimal pairs with the n sound.

• articulation-Minimal Pair Bingo Sample by AriTherapyMaterials is such a fun game to play with students that substitute n for m! 
• Lola Sandcastle Freebie- Boom Cards by Lady in the Box is another great activity to do with kids who need minimal pair practice. This game is interactive and great for elementary aged students!

Tongue Twister

My students always have so much fun using tongue twisters so I’ve gone ahead and found you a couple you can use during your next therapy session.

• Tongue Twisters-Articulation by Speech2u is a fun game to play with students! Use these tongue twisters with students to engage them in N articulation practice.
• Silly Frog Tongue Twister Poem Cards Intro to Speech Actors Articulation Drills by The World is our Stage is a set of fun poems that target N articulation! These are great for young elementary.
• Free Tongue Twisters for Kids by Sarah Wu – Speech is Beautiful is a set of beautiful flash cards with a variety of tongue twisters on them to practice in speech therapy sessions. 

Articulation Coloring Flip Book

A great way to enhance speech therapy sessions is by including colorful and interactive tools like articulation coloring flip books. 

These books combine visual and auditory stimulation, allowing the child to practice their speech skills while expressing their creativity. 

The flip books can display target words, phonemes, or even specific sounds.

• THE PRESCHOOL SLP: /n/ Articulation Coloring Flip Book w/ Speech Sound Cues by the Preschool SLP is a fun and engaging book for students to color as they practice the N sound!
• Thanksgiving Turkey Articulation Coloring Page N by Speech of Cake is a fun coloring page for students to work on as they practice N articulation!
• Letter Sound Book 1 – S A T P I N by Xiana’s Classroom is a such a fun set of pages for kids to color/use stickers on as they practice N articulation. 

SEE ALSO: 279+ Free Speech Therapy Digital Materials

Articulation Flashcards

Articulation flashcards are another beneficial speech therapy tool that can be easily transformed into a fun and motivating game. 

You can use these flashcards to practice their n sound at the word, phrase, sentence, reading and answering question levels. 

The versatility of these flashcards ensures that young children stay engaged and focused on their speech goals.

• Initial N Flashcards  
• Medial N Flashcards
• Final N Flashcards

Created by Speech Therapy Store these are perfect because they are interactive flashcards that can be used right from your computer and they cover the word level, phrase level, sentence level, as well as reading and answering a question.

Other Specific Speech Sounds

Next time you’re looking for other articulation word lists to practice with your clients then be sure to check out my complete list of articulation words to help get you started!

In Conclusion: N Words Speech Therapy

We hope you have found this article helpful for working on your child or student’s n sound. 

Consistency is key when it comes to working on your student’s sound disorders. 

By frequently exposing your students or clients to various n words, you will not only improve their articulation but also boost their confidence in communicating with others.

Be sure to grab your freebie of 20 words to start practicing 5 minutes a day!

Grab Your Free N Word List with Pictures Here!

Simply enter your name and email to have this free (no credit card needed) N Words list with pictures emailed directly to your inbox! If you want all 3 (initial, medial, and final) be sure to sign up for each one you want!

Grab our Initial N Words List!

Grab our medial n words list, grab our final n words list, frequently asked questions, what exercises can help with the n sound in speech therapy.

There are several exercises you can try to help with the n sound in speech therapy. 

Start with activities that focus on identifying the n sound. 

Practice saying the sound in isolation, then in syllables, eventually moving on to words and phrases. 

It’s crucial to teach the proper tongue placement for the n sound – pressing the tip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth, just behind the upper front teeth, while nasal airflow is occurring.

How can I help my child produce the N sound correctly?

To help your child produce the n sound correctly, begin by demonstrating the correct tongue placement and encourage them to mirror your actions. 

Break down the steps to create the sound and practice them together. 

You can also try using the n word list above to practice words, phrases, and sentences. 

What are some initial n words for speech practice?

Here are a few examples of initial n words for speech practice: nose, nap, net, night, and nine. 

These words can be used to help your child practice the n sound at the beginning of words. 

Try incorporating them into fun and engaging activities that will make the learning experience more enjoyable and hopefully more effective.

Can you suggest final n words for speech development?

There are plenty of final n words you can use to work on speech development. 

Some examples include sun, rain, pen, fan, and bun. These words provide an opportunity to practice the n sound at the end of words.

How can I create sentences with n sound words for therapy?

One effective way to create sentences with n sound words for therapy is to use words containing the n sound in various positions (initial, medial, and final). 

Construct sentences that require the child to produce the sound in these different contexts. 

For example, you could say, “Nina put the pen in the new bin.” 

This approach will help your child become more comfortable with producing the n sound in a variety of word positions.

What is the role of nonsense words in speech therapy?

The use of nonsense words in speech therapy can be beneficial because they require the child to focus on the target sound without relying on familiar words or patterns. 

Nonsense words help with sound discrimination, pronunciation, and generalization skills. Using them in therapy sessions, along with real words, can help improve your child’s overall speech and language abilities.

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How to Teach the /N/ Sound: A Comprehensive List of /N/ Words

Young children famously love to use the word ‘no’ around the age of two or three, much to their parents’ despair. This is partly because the /n/ sound is one of the first they master during speech development. 

However, articulating this sound can be tricky for some children or take longer to master due to restricted movement of the tongue, language development problems or even growing up in a bilingual household. 

Producing speech sounds in general takes time because it involves excellent control of the vocal cords, mouth, lips and airflow to produce clear, understandable speech. Every child is unique so this can happen at different times for different children.  In this article, we’ll be sharing a comprehensive list of /n/ words, phrases and sentences that you can use to help your child pronounce this sound. You’ll also discover which games and activities you can play with your child to make it fun and how our patented Forbrain headset can accelerate learning and mastery. 

Word Lists: /n/ sounds

If you want to support your child and help them improve their articulation of the /n/ sound, start by getting familiar with where this sound appears in everyday language. 

We’ve created a comprehensive list of the most child-friendly /n/ sound words, dividing them according to whether they appear at the beginning, middle or end of the word. 

You can refer to these words whenever needed or read through them with your child to help them get familiar with this speech sound.

Further /n/ sound practice using short phrases and sentences

Congratulations! You’ve helped your child master the /n/ sound in isolation. Next, you can help them boost fluency, gain confidence and further improve their skills by using these words in short phrases and sentences. 

This will help them use the words in real-life situations, communicate effectively and overcome other speech and language development problems so they can fulfill their potential in life. 

Our team of experts here at Forbrain recommend that you follow this short /n/ sound program to get the best results. 

• Begin by working through the /n/ word list and checking that your child has the right articulation to produce the sound. If not, touch the place behind their front teeth with a lollipop and then repeat the exercises. This encourages them to seek that sweetness and get that tongue positioning correct! 
• Use carrier phrases to help them put these words into context immediately. 
• Move onto using short phrases and sentences for the /n/ sound
• Practice with child-friendly games and activities 

Carrier phrases 

Carrier phrases are an excellent speech therapy tool as they allow your child to practice those tricky sounds within very simple sentences. Simply choose a carrier phrase, insert an /n/ word then practice saying them aloud! 

Here are some of our favorite carrier phrases: 

• “I found a…”
• “I want a…”
• “He found a…”
• “She found a…”
• “I have a…”
• “He has a…”
• “She has a…”
• “I like to…”
• “He likes to…”

Put into practice, it looks like this:

• “I want a NUT”
• “I like LEMONADE”
• “She found a RAINBOW”

Short phrases for the /n/ sound

Below you’ll find some useful short phrases that include the /n/ sound, organized according to where the sound appears in the selected word: the beginning, the middle or the end. 

Read through these with your child and you’ll further improve their pronunciation of the /n/ sound. 

Short sentences for /n/ sound

By this point, your child should be more comfortable articulating the /n/ sound and using it in short phrases. 

Now we will move on to practicing longer sentences to help boost their fluency and confidence. Again, these are organized into three groups: sentences that include the /n/ sound as the start, middle or end of the word. 

Games & activities with /n/ sounds

As mentioned earlier, the /n/ sound is one of the first sounds to be learned during speech development. That’s one of the reasons why two and three year olds are renowned for their love of the word ‘no!’. 

With this in mind, it’s a good idea to use age-appropriate games and activities to make their home speech therapy fun, develop their language skills and grow in confidence. Besides, when it’s fun, they’re more likely to want to practice. 

Here are some game and activity suggestions to help practice the /n/ sound and boost overall articulation and communication skills. Use these alongside the Forbrain headset for best results. 

Play ‘I Spy’

When your child is under the age of five, saying words yourself and asking them to copy is a highly effective strategy to help them master certain sounds. It also helps them use these words in everyday contexts. 

Throughout your day, look for nouns (naming words) for everyday things, people and places that you encounter such as ‘nose’, ‘rainbow’, ‘window, ‘net’, ‘fan’ and ‘bunny’. Say these words when you see them and encourage your child to repeat them. 

If you can be silly, make faces, do a crazy dance or get your child physically involved, they will learn much faster and have lots of fun!  

Play ‘Articulation Bingo’

• Start by printing out two copies of the free Articulation Bingo Boards on this website, choosing the /n/ sound at the beginning, middle or end of the word.
• Cut out the pictures from one and put them into a pile face down then give the other to your child.
• Let your child pick a word from the pile and try to pronounce it. 
• When they get it right, give them a token to cover the circles at the bottom. 
• Once your child has mastered three pictures in a row, they are a winner. 

Do a Scavenger Hunt

Everyone loves a scavenger hunt because it’s fun! It’s also a great way to teach your young child how to practice and master the /n/ sound. 

• Start by gathering items from around your home that include the /n/ sound, referring back to the list we shared earlier if you need more help. 
• Then hide a few selected items and offer a prize if they can find them all. We recommend that you stick to just small items and a small space such as a sandbox or bathtub filled with bubbles.
• If they find all the items and pronounce them correctly, they are a winner!

There’s nothing quite as memorable as curling up and reading a good book with your child. It’s cozy, strengthens your child-parent bond, opens up their imagination and improves their language comprehension skills. 

That’s why we highly encourage you to seek out the following /n/ sound books and read them aloud to your child. As you do so, ask them to practice the sound with you. 

• The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman
• Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
• Just a Nap by Mercer Mayer
• The Nose Book by Al Perkins
• Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant & Mary Szilagyi

How to pronounce the /n/ sound

If you want to help your child pronounce the /n/ sound, it’s useful to understand exactly how it’s made. With this information, you can troubleshoot any articulation problems to help improve their language skills. 

Before we start on the technical side of things, you need to know that we make those speech sounds using several parts of our bodies. We send the air from our lungs, pass it over our vocal cords then shape them using our tongue, lips and nose. 

The /n/ sound is a voiced alveolar nasal sound. This means your vocal cords need to vibrate (voiced), your tongue should touch the alveolar ridge (the place just behind your front teeth) and the air should pass through your nose (nasal). 

Here is more specific guidance. 

Pronouncing the /n/ sound

Choose one of the /n/ words from the lists we shared above such as ‘no’ or ‘night’, and then practice saying it aloud. 

Repeat the sound as many times as you like, paying close attention to the shape of your mouth, the position of your tongue, your nose and whether your vocal cords are vibrating. 

If you’re unsure about what your vocal cords are doing, place your hand on your neck and see what you feel. 

Hopefully, you’ll notice that your vocal cords are indeed vibrating, your tongue is positioned just behind your top front teeth, your mouth is slightly open and air passes through your nose to produce this sound. 

As you most likely noticed, producing speech sounds requires excellent control over your tongue, lips and airflow. This is why certain sounds are trickier than others to pronounce. 

However, the /n/ sound is usually one of the first to be mastered and usually happens around the age of 2 or 3. 

If this doesn’t happen, the most common cause is a problem with their tongue movement. If they struggle to place the tip of their tongue behind their front teeth, this makes it much harder to produce this sound. 

The good news is that by working through the /n/ sound word, phrase and sentence list, playing the suggested games and activities, reading often together and using the patented Forbrain headset , you will see a significant improvement.

How to produce the /n/ sound correctly

Want to help your child master the /n/ sound? Follow these steps: 

1) Ask them to lower their bottom jaw just a tiny bit, leaving some space between their top and bottom teeth. This will look as if they’ve opened their mouth to say something. 

2) Then ask them to gently place their tongue behind their top teeth, touching the bumpy bit (the alveolar ridge).

3) Finally, ask them to push air from their lungs, through their nose and let their vocal cords vibrate.  Brilliant! Well done. If you prefer to see a live speech therapist in action, watch this child-friendly video by Peachie Speechie .

Using Forbrain to Upgrade Sound Practice

Your child can learn to master the /n/ sound more quickly and effectively if you use these wordlists, phrases and sentences with our patented Forbrain headset. 

Use it for just 10 minutes per day and your child will hear the /n/ sound more clearly, get instant feedback as they repeat this sound and grow in confidence at the same time. 

By combining cutting-edge technology with an enhanced auditory feedback loop via bone conduction, the headset provides the targeted practice your child needs to overcome speech and language difficulties. 

In just 6-8 weeks, you’ll notice a significant difference. That’s why it’s used widely by speech therapists, language therapists, educators and parents who want to provide their child with the best opportunity for the future. 

Find out more about Forbrain here . 

Final Words

The /n/ sound is one of the first sounds your child will learn to pronounce during their speech development. Although this usually happens by the age of two or three, some children can find it tricker due to limited tongue movement or other developmental problems. 

However, if you use our comprehensive list of /n/ words, phrases and sentences, bring them to life with fun games and activities and use the patented Forbrain headset for just 10 minutes per day, they could soon overcome their speech difficulties, increase in confidence and improve their overall language skills. 

Charlotte Witts

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N Word List

If your child is having trouble saying the sound N, my N Word List can help! 

If you are a speech therapist and you need some N speech therapy materials, you have come to the right place! 

Below you will find lots of free materials!

• First, there is a FREE worksheet (for non-members) and link (for members) to access new articulation materials.
• Second, there is a word list for  quick viewing .
• Next, you can sign up for a FREE newsletter and receive  A LL THE WORD LISTS in one Folder in your Google Drive.
• After that, check out a brief explanation on how to say the target sound.
• Last, there are ideas for  articulation practice  that do not require flashcards or word lists. This is the most functional option and appropriate for children working on generalization.

Enjoy the FREE materials!!!

N Worksheets and More!

There are articulation worksheets for teaching, drill practice, generalization, and language-based articulation games! 

• If you are a member log in, download, and you are ready to roll  here.
• If you want to join,  sign up here. 

To access the free smashmat, just fill out the form below!

21 free smashmats.

Sign up below to receive your free materials.

Google Drive N Word List

Sign up with your email address to receive all the word lists instantly! They will be yours now and forever!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Google Drive. I can access my word lists from any device; laptop, desktop, or phone. 

Also, I can access my word lists WITHOUT the internet. 

If you want a copy, fill out the form above. I put all the word lists in one folder.  Once you receive your email with the materials, make a copy of the files and they are yours to use and tweak as needed.

• If you need help saving the word lists to your Google Drive, click here:  Save Google Document
• If you LOVE Google Drive as much as I do, check out our  Speech Therapy Documentation Page. 

Complete N Articulation Packet

This is MY FAVORITE NEW RESOURCE! I HONESTLY use it all the time for each articulation session and handouts for home practice.

The words chosen for speech therapy can make all the difference between a good therapy program and a great one! For the generalization phase, it is crucial to use high-frequency words!! It only makes sense to use words that the client will actually say outside of the therapy room. Right?!

For only $5, you will receive  35 pages  of materials including:

• Flashcards that can be used as Cariboo Cards too, yeah!
• Flashcard free games that can be used as home practice
• Dot sheets, smash-mats, and/or coloring pages
• Articulation warm-up sheets which can be used as a goal review sheet
• Flashcards which contain word, phrase, and sentence level practice
• Cut/paste sentence level worksheets
• Self-assessment sheets
• Parent handouts

Check it out here

How To Say N

Some quick tips on how to say /n/:

• Put your tongue behind your teeth on the “bumpy spot” (alveolar ridge)
• Turn your voice box on

Articulation Games for N

N is an earlier developing sound. Therefore, the games listed below are for younger children. Tweak them to meet the needs of your child as needed. Take turns with your child saying the desired words. It is important to practice  hearing  and  saying the  sound.

• Nose - Point to noses on people or toys and say “nose”
• Nap - Say “nap” as you put your toys down for a nap 
• Net - Throw balls into a net and say “net” before each turn
• Night - Say “night night” and pretend to sleep
• Nine - Write the number 9 and say “nine”
• Stand - Practice sitting and standing and say “stand” as you stand up
• Window - Say “window” as you point to all the windows in the house
• Fan - Use a piece of paper and make a fan, say “fan” as you move it up and down
• On - Say “on” as you put toys on a box
• Can - Say “can” as you put blocks in a can

Membership Site

If your child has trouble saying multiple sounds AND you want a step-by-step guide to help your child AND you want ideas on how to increase vocabulary, improve grammar, follow directions, and much more, consider our  member’s site .

If you are a professional and you want: 

• Articulation Screening Tools
• Data tracking sheets
• Templates in Google Drive for easy data tracking and graphing
• Homework sheets/parent handouts on articulation therapy
• General flashcard games
• 36 flashcards for each sound: B, D, F, G, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, Z, SH, TH, CH
• 8-10 functional games for each sound
• Language based worksheets to spice things up!
• Picture description tasks
• Short story stimuli

Our  membership might be just what you need!

• Word Lists For Speech Therapy
• N Word List For Speech Therapy

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40 Nifty Words That Start With 'N' to Add to Your Vocabulary

By paul anthony jones | jun 29, 2022, 5:32 pm edt.

Despite their similar sound and appearance, the letters M and N are actually unrelated: M likely comes from an Egyptian hieroglyph representing a wave, while N probably began life as a vaguely N -shaped snake. From there, N has found its way into English via Ancient Greek and Latin, and is today one of our most frequently used letters. You can expect it to account for around 7 percent of all the language you’ll use, and around one in every 30 of the words in a standard dictionary—including the words listed here.

1. Nameling

Ever met someone who has the same name as you ? Well, they’re your nameling .

An old English dialect word meaning “to play or fool around when you should be working”—or, perhaps as a result of that, “to change your employment frequently,” or “to do irregular work.”

3. Nannycratty

An old dialect word for an inquisitive, prying person.

4. Narrowdale Noon

Despite the name, Narrowdale noon is an old English nickname for one o’clock in the afternoon: Narrowdale is in England’s Peak District, and is said to sit beside a “narrow dale” with such steep sides that the light from the sun never reaches the bottom at all throughout the winter . When the sun finally does return to the valley in the summer, even then it never crests the tops of the surrounding hills until later in the afternoon—1 p.m., rather than midday. Saying that something will take place at Narrowdale noon , incidentally, implies that it’s still a long way off, while to put something off until Narrowdale noon means to defer it indefinitely.

An old slang word for insolent, impertinent talk or behavior.

6. Natation

Derived from Latin, natation is the proper name for swimming . Similarly, if you’re natatile , then you’re able to swim, while anything that’s natant is swimming or floating on the surface of a liquid—the supernatant part of a ship is all that is above the water when it’s afloat.

7. Naufragiate

Should you ever need a word meaning “to cause a shipwreck,” then here it is. And if you need this, then you might also need a word for a shipwrecked person, in which case you’re looking for naufrague .

8. Neargoing

If you’re neargoing or nearbegoing , then you’re tightfisted and ungenerous .

9. Needle-Noddle

An old Scots dialect adjective describing someone who always works at a leisurely, easy-going pace.

10. Nelophobia

If you hate the sight of broken glass, then you’re nelophobic . Other N -fears include nyctophobia (fear of the night or darkness), neophobia (a dislike for anything new or unfamiliar), and nephophobia (the fear of clouds).

11. Nemesism

Coined in the 1930s, nemesism is an old psychological term used to describe anger or frustration directed solely towards yourself—the kind of behavior that could literally bring about your nemesis . Bonus fact: The word nemesis itself is derived from the name of the Greek goddess of retribution and revenge.

12. Nemorous

An area of land described as nemorous or nemorose is covered in woodland . If you’re nemorivagant , then you like to wander through the woods.

13. Neogamist

A formal word for a newlywed.

14. Neoptolemus

A neoptolemus is a new or young soldier , or a new recruit. The word itself literally means “new warrior,” and initially ended up in English as it was the name of the son of Achilles in Greek mythology.

15. Nexible

The Latin word nexus ( which is also used in English ) literally means a bond or a tying together, and derived from that, the adjective nexible describes anything that is able to be bound or tied.

16. NEXILITY

Nexility is another word for conciseness or short, brusque speech—in the sense of someone tying many different points or words together in one single unit.

17. Nicebecetur

Also known as a nicebect or a nycibecetour , nicebecetur is an old Tudor-period word for a dainty or fashionable young woman. No one is entirely sure where it came from (nor, for that matter, precisely how it was pronounced) but one theory is that it is somehow related to nesebek , the name of a type of medieval pastry.

18. Nidulate

When an animal builds a nest —or, figuratively, when you make a comfy or cozy place for yourself—then it nidulates .

Niffer is an English dialect word meaning “to barter” or “to exchange.” A nifferment , ultimately, is a deal or trade, while to do something niffer for niffer is to do tit-for-tat, one thing for another.

20. Nip-Cheese

A 16th-century word for a miser, also called a nip-farthing or a nip-squeeze .

21. Nipperkin

An old 17th-century word for a tiny quantity or “nip” of liquor, although sometimes said to be equal to 1/8 of a pint.

22. Noctilucal

Noctiluca (without the L ) literally means “night-shiner,” and as a result is the Latin word for a glow-worm, an old poetic nickname for the Moon, and also the name of a family of bioluminescent jellyfish. The related adjective noctilucal means “phosphorescent” or “glow-in-the-dark,” while noctilucent clouds are a meteorological phenomenon found in cold climates caused by masses of frozen water vapor appearing to “glow” at twilight.

23. Noctilucy

A 17th-century word for moonlight .

24. Noctivagation

Wandering around at night.

25. Noddypoll

Noddypoll is one of a number of similar words for fools or simpletons, alongside hoddy-noddy , Tom-noddy , nodgecock , nodgecomb , and nodcock . In all of these, nod – is a shortened form of noddy , which has been used as another word for a fool (probably in the sense of someone unthinkingly nodding their head) since the 15th century. Poll is an old word for the scalp or crown of the head.

To daydream or to sit around in a dull, stupefied state is to nodge . As a verb , you can also use it to mean “to jog along at a leisurely pace.”

Nodos was the Latin word for a knot (and is the root of words like node and nodule ), and so something described as nodose or nodosous is knotty or tangled.

28. Noitled

If you’re noitled , then you’re drunk. It’s probably derived from an old Scots dialect word, knoited , meaning “knocked” or “stupefied.”

29. Noli-Me-Tangere

The Latin phrase nole me tangere (originally a quote from the New Testament) essentially means “do not touch me,” and because of that, it’s been used as a euphemistic name for various infectious diseases since medieval times. As a noun, however, noli-me-tangere dropped into use in English slang in the late 1500s as another name for a repellent, unpleasant person.

30. Nook-Shotten

A term coined by Shakespeare to describe anywhere full or angles or corners.

31. Nooklet

A little nook? That’s a nooklet .

32. Note-Shaver

An old American slang word for a dishonest banker or moneylender.

33. Novercal

Belonging to the same family of words as the likes of paternal, maternal, and fraternal , the adjective novercal means “relating to or acting as a stepmother.”

Derived from Latin, nugae (pronounced “nyoodgy” or “noogie”) are trifles or trivialities ; a single triviality would be a nuga . The word is more often than not used to refer to nagging, trivial issues or problems that, despite being relatively unimportant, are nevertheless difficult and time-consuming to put right—in which case, they’re also known by the Latin term nugae difficiles .

35. Nugacious

Nugacious is an adjective describing anything that is trivial or of little significance.

36. Nugaemania

Nugaemania is an obsession over pointless, trifling issues.

37. Nullibiquitous

Derived, like null and nullify , from a Latin word meaning “no” or “not any,” if something exists nowhere then it’s nullibiquitous .

38. Nullifidian

Nullifidian is another word for an atheist or non-believer (literally meaning “no-faith”).

39. Nulligravida

A nulligravida is a woman who has never been pregnant.

40. Nyingie-Nyangie

An old Scots dialect word for a bit of back-and-forth maneuvering.

A version of this story ran in 2016; it has been updated for 2021.

Initial N Sound Words for Speech Therapy

Free initial n sound words for speech therapy printable featuring words with the "n" sound can be a useful tool for improving pronunciation and vocabulary. some of the flashcards included in this worksheets are:- nurse, note, nail, nose, neck, nest, net, nut, nectar, noodle, nightstand, notebook, noose and nuclear..

Download Printable Free Initial N Sound Words Articulation Flashcards

Words That Start With N: Your Scrabble Cheat Sheet

Everyone needs nifty, new vocabulary words. Whether you’re playing games (like Scrabble or Words with Friends) or writing for a newspaper, it’s naive to think you’ll never be nagged by a not knowing what to say. Want to add nuance to your narratives? Nest some neat words within your notes, novels, and novellas. N is the 14th letter of the English alphabet ; nevertheless, it comes first in numerous next-level words! Naturally, if you’re looking for a nice way to show you’re a nimblewit, nothing beats naming a few words that start with the letter N. 

We’ve created this list of words for you, organized by the number of letters in each word. Many of these words have more than one meaning. For simplicity, we’ve only listed one definition for each word. Keep in mind, this word list doesn’t contain every single English word that starts with N; however, it’s a useful introduction to this very special letter.

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Here are some words that start with N [2-15 letter words]

15-letter words.

neurotoxicology – Noun | The study of poisons that impact the nervous system and their effects

nonbiographical – Adjective | Not pertaining to the true history of a real person’s life

northwesterlies – Noun | Winds or storms from the northwest

notwithstanding – Adverb | However, nevertheless

14-Letter Words

naturalization – Noun | The process of becoming a citizen of a new country

neurobiologist – Noun | A person who studies the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the nervous system

nominalization – Noun | To convert another part of speech into a noun or noun phrase

nonjudgemental – Adjective | Avoiding authoritative opinions, especially those based on moral standards (also spelled nonjudgmental)

13-Letter Words

nannoplankton – Noun | Aquatic organisms small enough to pass through a fine mesh net

narrativizing – Verb | Communicating or interpreting events in a narrative form

neuroblastoma – Noun | A malignant tumor of the embryonic nerve cells

nowheresville – Noun | A job or position with no chance for advancement and status

12-Letter Words

neighborhood – Noun | The people who live near one another

neurotypical – Adjective | Not affected by autism or any other developmental disorder

nontechnical – Adjective | Not having or requiring specialized skills and knowledge

notification – Noun | A written notice, announcement, or warning

11-Letter Words

neckerchief – Noun | A square of cloth used as a scarf around the neck

needlecraft – Noun | Work done with a needle, especially embroidery

netherworld – Noun | The world of the dead

nonchalance – Noun | The quality or state of being unconcerned

10-Letter Words

natterjack – Noun | A common, western European toad, known for running rather than hopping

necrophobe – Noun | A person who fears dead bodies

nitpicking – Verb | Engaging in inconsequential, minute criticism

nontaxable – Adjective | Not subject to taxation

9-Letter Words

newshound – Noun | A reporter, especially one who acts aggressively 

nightlife – Noun | Activity or entertainment enjoyed at night

nimblewit – Noun | A clever person

nomocracy – Noun | Government based on the rule of law

8-Letter Words

nascency – Noun | Origin

namesake – Noun | One who has the same name as another

nasalize – Verb | To produce a sound with resonance through the nose

newscast – Noun | A radio or television news broadcast

 7-Letter Words

nabbing – Verb | Seizing suddenly

naively – Adverb | In a manner marked by artlessness

naivete – Noun | The quality or state of being unsophisticated and ingenuous (also spelled naïveté, naiveté, naïvety, or naivety)

naphtha – Noun | A petroleum distillate used a solvent or diluent

narthex – Noun | An entrance hall leading to the knave of a church

narwhal – Noun | An arctic cetacean with males that have long, spiral tusks (also spelled narwal or narwhale) 

niblick – Noun | An iron golf club that delivers significant lift and little roll (also spelled niblic)

6-Letter Words

naevus – Noun | A congenital blemish on the skin, including a mole or birthmark (also spelled nevus, plural nevi) 

napalm – Noun | A flammable jellylike substance used in incendiary bombs

napery – Noun | Table linen

nautch – Noun | An intricate, traditional Indian dance performed by professional female dancers

nettle – Noun | Plant with stinging hairs of the family Urticaceae

nuzzle – Verb | To rub against something or snuggle gently

5-Letter Words

nabob – Noun | A person of great wealth and power

nacho – Noun | Tortilla topped with melted cheese and other toppings

nacre – Noun | Mother-of-pearl, the iridescent inner layer of some shells

nadir – Noun | Lowest point, opposite the zenith in astronomy

naggy – Adjective | Prone to fault-finding, characterized by complaining

nakfa – Noun | A unit of Eritrean currency

nappe – Noun | Sheet of rock thrust from its original position along a horizontal fault plane

nappa – Noun | Sheepskin, lambskin, or kid leather

nappy – Adjective | Having a fuzzy or shaggy surface

narco –  Noun | A drug dealer (US slang)

naris – noun | One nasal passageway

natty – Adjective | Smart, tidy, and neat

navvy – Noun | An unskilled manual laborer (British English)

neigh – Verb | To whinny, as a horse does

ninja – Noun | A feudal Japanese mercenary, skilled in ninjutsu

nixie – Noun | An undeliverable piece of mail with an illegible address

nobby – Adjective | Stylish and elegant (British English)

4-Letter Words

naan – Noun | Leavened Indian bread, baked in a tandoor

nabe – Noun | A neighborhood theater

nada – Noun | Nothing 

naff – Adjective | Unfashionable, lacking taste

naif – Noun | A naive, inexperienced person (also spelled naïf) 

nala – Noun | A gulch (also spelled nala, nallah, or nullah ) 

naoi – Noun | Ancient classical temples

nard – Noun | An ointment used by ancients, made from an aromatic Himalayan plant

nare – Noun | A single nostril (British English) 

nark – Noun | An informant for the police

neap – Adjective | Pertaining to a neap tide, which occurs at the first and the third quarters of the moon

neem – Noun | A large tree of India, Azadirachta indica,  which is used to produce pesticides and medicinal oil

neep – Noun | Turnip (Scottish English) 

nerd – Noun | A socially inept person, especially one dedicated to academic or intellectual pursuits

neve – Noun | A nephew or grandson (British English) 

neuk – Noun | A nook (Scottish English)

neum – Noun | A musical notation used prior to the 14th century (also spelled neume)

newt – Noun | A small, semiaquatic salamander

nock – Noun | The part of an arrow with a notch for the bowstring

nook – Noun | A secluded, sheltered place

nuke – Noun | A nuclear weapon

3-Letter Words

naw – Interjection | No (US slang) 

neb – Noun | The beak of a bird

neg – Noun | A photographic negative

nib – Noun | The point of a pen

nim – Verb | To steal

nip – Verb | To bite or pinch

nit – Noun | The egg of a louse

nog – Noun | A strong ale, originating in Norfolk, England

noh – Noun | A stylized, classical Japanese dance-drama (also spelled no)

nub – Noun | A lump or small piece

2-Letter Words

né – Adjective| Formerly called

no – Adverb | Not in any degree, not a bit

nu –  Noun | The 13th letter of the Greek alphabet

By looking at this list, you may be able to identify some common prefixes. Words that start with “neuro” often have something to do with nerves. Words beginning with “non” involve negation. Understanding these linguistic patterns can help you to intuit what a word means, even when you don’t have a dictionary handy.

Use words that start with the letter N to nominalize and nitpick. Notice your neighbor’s nonchalant word choices. Nobody will be able to neglect your natural knack for completing word finders, word jumbles, and crossword puzzles. From nu to neurotoxicology, this word list will nourish your nascent nerdiness. Study these words, and you’ll be nattering with new words in no time.

Click here for more Scrabble cheat sheets.

• https://word.tips/words-start-with/n/
• https://www.merriam-webster.com
• https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/
• https://www.dictionary.com

The Word Counter  is a dynamic online tool used for counting words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and pages in real time, along with spelling and grammar checking.

Kari Lisa Johnson

I’m an award-winning playwright with a penchant for wordplay. After earning a perfect score on the Writing SAT, I worked my way through Brown University by moonlighting as a Kaplan Test Prep tutor. I received a BA with honors in Literary Arts (Playwriting)—which gave me the opportunity to study under Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel. In my previous roles as new media producer with Rosetta Stone, director of marketing for global ventures with The Juilliard School, and vice president of digital strategy with Up & Coming Media, I helped develop the voice for international brands. From my home office in Maui, Hawaii, I currently work on freelance and ghostwriting projects.

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Words Starting with N

• nachschlage
• nachschlags
• nachtmusiken
• nachtmusiks
• Naemorhedus
• naevocarcinoma
• nagatelites
• naiadaceous
• Naidomorpha
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180 Positive Words That Start with N

If you’re looking for positive words that start with the letter N, we’re here to help.

As lovers and sharers of positive news (we publish good news online , in our free newsletter , on our positive podcast , and our beautiful monthly Goodnewspaper ) and so we’re always thrilled to help fill the world with more positivity.

We’ve compiled the best positive words that start with N into a simple and easy-to-scroll guide. No matter why you’re seeking out nice and kind words, may this list help you feel more positive.

Plus, explore more positive words that start with… A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N ‍ O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y |  Z

Nice, Kind, and Positive Words That Start with the Letter N —

• Nailed-down
• National Park
• National Park Service
• National Parks
• Nationality
• Nature-made
• Neat-handed
• Necessarily
• Necessitate
• Neighborhood
• Never-dying
• Never-ending
• Never-failing
• New-fashioned
• Newsletters
• Nice-looking
• Nimble-fingered
• Nimble-witted
• Nitty-gritty
• Non-violence
• Non-violent
• Noncommittal
• Nonnegative
• Notification
• Nourishment
• Nutrimental

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s a positive word that starts with n.

A few positive words that start with the letter N include: Nurture, Nutrient, Nonprofit, Nimble, Nightlife, Nest, Neon, Nectar, Navigate, and Nuzzle.

What words start with the letter N to describe a person?

A few positive words that start with the letter N that can be used to describe someone include: Nice, Noteworthy, Noble, Nifty, Nerdy, Neighborly, Neat, and Nurturing.

What are some loving words that start with N?

A few loving words that start with the letter N include: Nap, Nuzzle, Nice, Newlywed, Neighborly, Natural, Never-failing, and Nurture.

Plus, explore more positive words articles:

• Positive Words That Start with A
• Positive Words That Start with B  
• Positive Words That Start with C  
• Positive Words That Start with D  
• Positive Words That Start with E  
• Positive Words That Start with F  
• Positive Words That Start with G  
• Positive Words That Start with H  
• Positive Words That Start with I  
• Positive Words That Start with J  
• Positive Words That Start with K  
• Positive Words That Start with L  
• Positive Words That Start with M  
• Positive Words That Start with N
• Positive Words That Start with O  
• Positive Words That Start with P  
• Positive Words That Start with Q  
• Positive Words That Start with R  
• Positive Words That Start with S  
• Positive Words That Start with T  
• Positive Words That Start with U  
• Positive Words That Start with V  
• Positive Words That Start with W  
• Positive Words That Start with X  
• Positive Words That Start with Y  
• Positive Words That Start with Z
• Word of the Year Ideas
• Positive Words To Describe Someone
• Positive Words From A-Z

You might also like:

• The best positive quotes
• The best quotes about toxic positivity
• The best positive news sites

Article Details

New study finds the best things to say when offering someone support (and what to avoid)

List of Vegetables: 701 Veggie Names Around the World 🥕🌽

293 Positive Words That Start with M

195 Positive Words That Start with O

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8 Opening a Speech: Get Their Attention from the Start!

Get the audience’s attention, or the rest of your speech is a waste. I mean it!  Most people spend the majority of their speech preparation time working on the body of their speech and then they tack on an opening and a closing last minute.

The opening and closing deserve the most attention. Why?  If you don’t get the audience’s attention and get them to pay attention to you instead of…  the thoughts in their heads, their grocery lists, their neighbors, their social media…then all the rest of your brilliant content is wasted because they will never hear it. Lisa Marshall of Toastmasters International stresses the opening words are so important that “I spend 10 times more time developing and practicing the opener than any other part of the speech.”

Look at the description of Person A and Person B and tell me which person you like more.

Person A envious, stubborn, critical, impulsive, industrious, and intelligent

Person B intelligent, industrious, impulsive, critical, stubborn, and envious

If you are like most people, you have a preference for Person B.  This illustrates a study by Solomon Ashe. He had subjects rate these two people using a string of descriptive words. Now look back at the descriptions. Look closely and you will notice they are the same words in a different order. Most people put the most emphasis on the first three words in determining how they will create the person. Like Asche’s subjects, your audience will be evaluating those first three words. Let’s bring it back around to speechmaking. The first sentence out of your mouth is crucial and the first three words are especially important.

I am sure you are not surprised to know that people form opinions quickly. To prove this, researchers showed subjects either a 20-minute clip of a job applicant or a 20-30 second clip of a job applicant. They were asked to rate the person on likeability and self-assurance. People were able to form an opinion in under thirty seconds. Not only that but they were able to form the same opinions from a 30-second clip as a 20-minute exposure.

The Battle for Attention

Remember that every piece of content in our modern era is part of an attention war. It’s fighting against thousands of other claims on people’s time and energy. This is true even when you’re standing on a stage in front of a seated audience. They have deadly distracters in their pockets called smartphones, which they can use to summon to their eyes a thousand outside alternatives. Once emails and texts make their claim, your talk may be doomed. And then there’s that lurking demon of modern life, fatigue. All these are lethal enemies. You never want to provide someone with an excuse to zone out. You have to be a savvy general directing this war’s outcome. Starting strong is one of your most important weapons. Chris Anderson, TED Talks, The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking.

“People don’t pay attention to boring things,” according to John Medina, author of Brain Rules, “You’ve got 30 seconds before they start asking the question, ‘Am I going to pay attention to you or not?'” It is important to get your audience’s attention right away. In this chapter, I will share with you several ways to win the war for attention and to start your speech right. I will show you the basic opening and closing structure of speeches and give you many examples of what that looks like.  A speech, like an airplane, needs a good take-off and a good landing. Now it’s time to prepare to have a strong take-off and learn everything that goes into a speech introduction. This chapter is full of examples from a variety of talks. I included quotes from those introductions, but I also included links to each of those talks hoping you will be interested enough to want to listen.

Ways to Start a Speech

Chris Anderson likens this to battle. “First there is the 10-second war: can you do something in your first moments on stage to ensure people’s eager attention while you set up your talk topic? Second is the 1-minute war: can you then use that first minute to ensure that they’re committed to coming on the full talk journey with you?”

When thinking about your speech, spend a lot of time thinking about how to win the battle for their attention. Your introduction should make your audience want to put down their phones and listen. Your introduction should be so compelling they stop their wandering minds and turn their thoughts to you and you alone. Your introduction should start with three strong words where they form a strong opinion of you and your speech.  Let me share how to accomplish this. 

Capturing the audience through the story is one of the most powerful ways to start a speech. A story engages the brain in powerful ways and causes the audience’s brains to sync with the speakers. A well-told story will allow the audience to “see” things in their mind’s eye and to join the speaker’s emotions.

Watch this clip by Ric Elias for how he begins his speech with a powerful story. Particularly notice his first four words, “Imagine a big explosion.” 

Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft.   Imagine a plane full of smoke.   Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack.   It sounds scary.   Well, I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D. I was the only one who could talk to the flight attendants. So I looked at them right away, and they said, “No problem. We probably hit some birds.” The pilot had already turned the plane around, and we weren’t that far. You could see Manhattan. Two minutes later, three things happened at the same time.

Ric Elias, Three Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed. 

Consider these other examples and notice how the speaker uses a story.

More powerful introductions using story:

I love you, I believe in you and it’s going to be OK. The three things that I needed to hear three years ago when I felt more abandoned than ever. I remember that day as if it happen this morning. It was Sunday and I had just woken up early at a brisk 12:30 in the afternoon. Ryan Brooks, Honesty, courage, and the importance of brushing your teeth.  When I was nine years old I went off to summer camp for the first time. And my mother packed me a suitcase full of books, which to me seemed like a perfectly natural thing to do. Because in my family, reading was the primary group activity. And this might sound antisocial to you, but for us, it was really just a different way of being social. You have the animal warmth of your family sitting right next to you, but you are also free to go roaming around the adventureland inside your own mind. And I had this idea that camp was going to be just like this, but better. Susan Cain. The Power of Introverts. I grew up to study the brain because I have a brother who has been diagnosed with a brain disorder: schizophrenia. Jill Bolte Taylor, My Stroke of Insight. A few years ago, I got one of those spam emails. I’m not quite sure how, but it turned up in my inbox, and it was from a guy called Solomon Odonkoh.  James Veitch This is What Happens When You Reply to Spam Email. Eleven years ago, while giving birth to my first child, I hemorrhaged and was transfused with seven pints of blood. Four years later, I found out that I had been infected with the AIDS virus and had unknowingly passed it to my daughter, Ariel, through my breast milk, and my son, Jake, in utero. Elizabeth Glaser,  Address to the 1992 Democratic National Convention.

Good stories immediately set the stage and introduce you to the place and to the people. Doing this helps your brain can form a structure where the story takes place. It helps you see the story unfold in your mind.  If you need help starting a story, Vanessa Van Edwards suggests these prompts:

• Once upon a time.
• I’m here for a reason, and it’s an interesting story.
• The best thing that ever happened to me was.

There is an entire chapter on the Power of Story that can be found here.

Humor is a rubber sword – it allows you to make a point without drawing blood. – Mary Hirsch

  When Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane spoke at Harvard Commencemen t in the rain, he started with “There’s nowhere I would rather be on a day like this than around all this electrical equipment.” People laughed, people smiled, and the speech was off to a strong start. Humor works because it gives the audience a hit of the feel-good hormone dopamine. That is … if you are funny. If you decide to use humor, make sure you are funny. Test your humor on honest friends. In addition, the humor you use should fit your personality and your audience. Be warned, some groups would find humor inappropriate, do your research.

Watch this clip for how Tshering Tobgay begins his speech with humor. 

In case you are wondering, no, I’m not wearing a dress, and no, I’m not saying what I’m wearing underneath. (Laughter) This is a go. This is my national dress. This is how all men dress in Bhutan. That is how our women dress. Like our women, we men get to wear pretty bright colors, but unlike our women, we get to show off our legs. Our national dress is unique, but this is not the only thing that’s unique about my country. Our promise to remain carbon neutral is also unique, and this is what I’d like to speak about today, our promise to remain carbon neutral.

Tshering Tobgay, This Country Isn’t Just Carbon Neutral–Its Carbon Negative. 

More powerful introductions using humor

I didn’t rebel as a teenager.   I started late and was still going at it the summer I turned thirty. I just became an American citizen, I divorced my husband, I got a big tattoo of a bat on my arm, and I joined a New York City punk band. Danusia Trevino, Guilty I need to make a confession at the outset here. A little over 20 years ago, I did something that I regret, something that I’m not particularly proud of.   Something that, in many ways, I wish no one would ever know, but that here I feel kind of obliged to reveal. In the late 1980s, in a moment of youthful indiscretion, I went to law school. Dan Pink, The Puzzle of Motivation.  It is really interesting to be a woman and to get to 45 and to not be married yet and to not have kids, especially when you have pushed out your fifth kid on television. Tracee Ellis Ross, 2017 Glamour Woman of the Year. I am not drunk …but the doctor who delivered me was.” (reference the shake she has due to a botched medical procedure at birth causing her cerebral palsey). Maysoon Zayid, I’ve Got 99 Prolbems and Cerebral Palsey is Not One of Them .

Salutation followed by humor

Oh boy, thank you so much, thank you so much.   Thank you, President Cowan, Mrs. President Cowen; distinguished guests, undistinguished guests, you know who you are, honored faculty and creepy Spanish teacher.   And thank you to all the graduating Class of 2009, I realize most of you are hungover and have splitting headaches and haven’t slept since Fat Tuesday, but you can’t graduate ’til I finish, so listen up. When I was asked to make the commencement speech, I immediately said yes.   Then I went to look up what commencement meant which would have been easy if I had a dictionary, but most of the books in our house are Portia’s, and they’re all written in Australian.   So I had to break the word down myself, to find out the meaning. Commencement: common, and cement, common cement.   You commonly see cement on sidewalks.   Sidewalks have cracks, and if you step on a crack, you break your mother’s back.   So there’s that.   But I’m honored that you’ve asked me here to speak at your common cement Ellen DeGenres, Commencement Speech at Tulane. Well, thank you. Thank you Mr. President, First Lady, King Abdullah of Jordan, Norm, distinguished guests. Please join me in praying that I don’t say something we’ll all regret. That was for the FCC. If you’re wondering what I’m doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well so am I. I’m certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is — is leather. Bono at  the  54th annual National Prayer Breakfast.  

Starting your speech by sharing a little-known fact, can be powerful. For this to fully work, you need to have the audience’s attention from the very first word. Read on for how these speakers started strong.

Powerful introductions using facts

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. Jamie Oliver, Teach Every Child About Food. So I want to start by offering you a free, no-tech life hack, and all it requires of you is this: that you change your posture for two minutes. Amy Cuddy, Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are. 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 lie spotter and why you might want to go the extra mile and go from lie spotting to truth seeking, and ultimately to trust building. Pamela Meyer, How to Spot a Liar. You will live 7.5 minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because you watched this talk.  Jane McGonigal. The Game That Can Give You Ten Extra Years of Life. There are 900,000 divorces   in the United States of America every year.   Fewer than 10% of them   ever talked to anybody about their relationship.   So why would you need a science?   Well, we need a science to develop effective treatment   and understanding of how to make love work.   Why?   Why should we care about having great relationships?   Well, it turns out that in the past 50 years,   a field called social epidemiology has emerged,   and it shows that great friendships,   great love relationships between lovers and parents and children   lead to greater health – mental health as well as physical health –   greater wealth, greater resilience,   faster recovery from illness,   greater longevity –   if you want to live 10 to 15 years longer, work on your relationships,   not just your exercise –   and more successful children as well.   John Gottman. The Science of Love.  This room may appear to be holding 600 people but there is actually so many more because within each of us there is a multiple of personalities. Elizabeth Lesser,  Take the Other to Lunch.

Using a physical object can draw the audience’s attention. Make sure you plan the timing of the prop, and you practice with it. It is important that it is large enough for the audience to see and they can see it well enough that they are not frustrated. Depending on your speech, it may be appropriate to put it away, so it is not distracting.

Powerful introductions using props

Darren Tay walks onto the stage and stares at the audience. He pulls a pair of underwear out of his pocket and puts them on over his suit. “Hey loser how do you like your new school uniform. I think it looks great on you. Those were the words of my high school bully Greg Upperfield. Now if you are all wondering if the underwear that Greg used was clean, I had the same questions. Darren Tay, Outsmart, Outlast. Toastmasters 2016 World Champion of Public Speaking . Mohammed Qahtani walks onstage, puts a cigarette in his mouth … then looks up as if noticing the audience and says, “What?” As the audience laughs, he continues. “Oh, you all think smoking kills? Ha-ha, let me tell you something. Do you know that the amount of people dying from diabetes are three times as many [as the] people dying from smoking? Yet if I pulled out a Snickers bar, nobody would say anything.” He goes on to say, his facts are made up and his real topic is about how words have power. Mohammed Qahtani, Toastmasters 2015 World Champion of Public Speaking

JA Gamach blows a train whistle and then starts his speech as if he were a conductor, “All aboard! It’s a bright sunny day and you are taking a train. You are wearing a pair of sandals you proudly made yourself. As you board the train one of your sandals slips off and falls beside the track.  (J.A. loses one sandal that falls down the platform.)  You try to retrieve it. Too late. The train starts to pull away. What would you have done? I would have cursed my bad luck, mad at losing a sandal. JA Gamache, Toastmasters 2007 World Championship. 

Use a Quotation

Powerful introductions using quotes.

Rules for using quotes

• Be sure to use the quote purposefully and not just as placeholders.
• Quotes can just take up valuable space where you could put content unless they are not properly used.
• Let the quote be more important than the author. When using a quote at the opening, say the quote first and then the author. When using a quote at the end of a speech, say the author first and then the quote.
• Keep it short and sweet. Use a quote that gets to the point quickly.
• If you must use long quotes–put them on your slide.
• If you project a quote, read it to the audience. Never expect them to read it while you talk about something else. Never say stupid things like, “You can read, I’ll let you read this for yourselves” or “Your adults, I’ll let you process this.”
• Check the authorship and authenticity of the quote. There are so many quotes on the internet that are misattributed and misquoted. For example, who wrote the quote: “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel”?
• Do not go for the overused quote or your audience is prone to dismiss it.  Instead of quoting an overused “I have a dream quote” do as Jim Key, the 2003 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking did and pick an equally great but lesser-used Martin Luther King Quote: “The time is always right to do what is right!”

Watch Nate Stauffer at a Moth Grand Slam as he uses poetry to start and carry his story.

Watch this clip for how Andrew Solomon opens with a quote to make us think about depression. 

Andrew Solomon, Depression, The Secret We Share. 

Reference the Occasion

Ceremonial speeches often call for acknowledgment of those in attendance or a mention of the occasion. Here is how Martin Luther King Junior set up his famous speech. I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Martin Luther King Junior, I Have a Dream.

Get the Audience Involved

Having the audience stand, raise their hand, or even nod in encouragement can cause them to focus on your message. This can be particularly helpful if the audience has been sitting for a while. Let me show you a few examples of how that works.

Ask a Question

You can involve the audience from the start by asking them a question.

Watch the first few minutes of Amy Purdy’s speech and how she starts with a question, “ If your life were a book   and you were the author,   how would you want your story to go?” 

More powerful introductions using a question

I’m here today to talk about a disturbing question, which has an equally disturbing answer. My topic is the secret of domestic violence and the question I’m going to tackle is the one everyone always asks. Why would she stay? Why would anyone stay with a man who beats her? Why Domestic Violence Victims Don’t Leave- Leslie Morgan Steiner Here’s a question we need to rethink together: What should be the role of money and markets in our societies? Today, there are very few things that money can’t buy. If you’re sentenced to a jail term in Santa Barbara, California, you should know that if you don’t like the standard accommodations, you can buy a prison cell upgrade. It’s true. For how much, do you think? What would you guess? Five hundred dollars? It’s not the Ritz-Carlton. It’s a jail! Eighty-two dollars a night. Eighty-two dollars a night. Michael Sandel, Why We Shouldn’t Trust Markets with Our Civic Life.

How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions? For example: Why is Apple so innovative? Year after year, after year, after year, they’re more innovative than all their competition. Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action.  Can you remember a moment when a brilliant idea flashed into your head? Darren LaCroix,  Ouch! World Champion of Public Speaking.

Have the Audience Participate

If you ask a question you want the audience to answer, be sure to give them time to respond. If they raise their hands, be sure to acknowledge their response. You might have the answer by standing, by raising their hands, by speaking to their neighbor. You might call on one member of the audience to answer for the group.

If you ask a question you want the audience to answer, don’t let your presentation slide give away the answer. For example, one speaker had a slide behind him that said, “Lesson 1: Don’t Worry About IQ.” He has the audience raise their hand if they want to improve their grades then he asks, “So can I get a show of hands, how many would say IQ is going to be the most important to get those marks to go up?” Very few people responded because the answer was “written on the wall” literally.

Watch this clip as Allan Pease engages the audience.

Everybody hold your right hand in front like this in a handshaking position. Uncross your legs. Relaxed position. Right hand in front. When I say the word, “Now” here’s what we’re going to do. I am going to ask you to turn to someone besides you, shake hands as if you’re meeting for the first time, and keep pumping till I ask you to stop. Then you’ll stop and freeze it and we’re going to analyze what’s happening. You got that? You don’t have time to think about this. Do it now. Pick anybody and pump. Pump, everybody. Freeze it. Hold it. Stop. Hold it. Freeze it. Keep your hands locked. Keep them locked. The person whose hand is most on top is saying “I’ll be the boss for the rest of the day.” Allan Pease, Body Language, the Power is in the Palm of Your Hands. 

More powerful introductions using audience participation

I have a confession to make. But first, I want you to make a little confession to me. In the past year, I want you to just raise your hand if you’ve experienced relatively little stress? Kelly McGonigal, How to Make Stress Your Friend. So I’d like to start, if I may, by asking you some questions. If you’ve ever lost someone you truly loved, ever had your heartbroken, ever struggled through an acrimonious divorce, or being the victim of infidelity, please stand up. If standing up isn’t accessible to you, you can put your hand up. Please stay standing and keep your hand up there. If you’ve ever lived through a natural disaster, being bullied or made redundant, stand on up. If you’ve ever had a miscarriage, if you’ve ever had an abortion or struggled through infertility, please stand up. Finally, if you or anyone you love has had to cope with mental illness, dementia, some form of physical impairment or cope with suicide, please stand up. Look around you. Adversity doesn’t discriminate. If you are alive, you are going to have to, or you’ve already had to, deal with some tough times Thank you, everyone. Take a seat. Lucy Hone: The Three Secrets of Resilient People.  Advice from Moth Storytelling Club Have a great first line that sets up the stakes and grabs attention No: “So I was thinking about climbing this mountain. But then I watched a little TV and made a snack and took a nap and my mom called and vented about her psoriasis then I did a little laundry (a whites load) (I lost another sock, darn it!) and then I thought about it again and decided I’d climb the mountain the next morning.” Yes: “The mountain loomed before me. I had my hunting knife, some trail mix and snow boots. I had to make it to the little cabin and start a fire before sundown or freeze to death for sure.”  

Arouse Suspense or Curiosity

Watch this clip for how Kathryn Schulz creates curiosity by showing us Johnny Depp’s tattoo and then talks about her tattoo of regret. We hang on to her every word wondering, “Where is all this going and how bad can her tattoo really be?”

So that’s Johnny Depp, of course.   And that’s Johnny Depp’s shoulder.   And that’s Johnny Depp’s famous shoulder tattoo.   Some of you might know that, in 1990,   Depp got engaged to Winona Ryder,   and he had tattooed on his right shoulder   “Winona forever.”   And then three years later —   which in fairness, kind of is forever by Hollywood standards —   they broke up,   and Johnny went and got a little bit of repair work done.   And now his shoulder says, “Wino forever.”

Kathryn Schulz, Don’t Regret, Regret. 

  Saying unexpected things or challenging assumptions can get a speech started off right. A herd of wildebeests, a shoal of fish, a flock of birds. Many animals gather in large groups that are among the most wonderful spectacles in the natural world. But why do these groups form? The common answers include things like seeking safety in numbers or hunting in packs or gathering to mate or breed, and all of these explanations, while often true, make a huge assumption about animal behavior, that the animals are in control of their own actions, that they are in charge of their bodies. And that is often not the case. Ed Yong. Zombie Roaches and Other Parasite Tales. TED Talk

 Keys to Success

Memorize your first sentence so you can deliver it with impact. Memorize your whole speech opening if possible. Make sure your first three words have an impact.

Typical Patterns for Speech Openings

• Get the audience’s attention–called a hook or a grabber.
• Establish rapport and tell the audience why you care about the topic of why you are credible to speak on the topic.
• Introduce the speech thesis/preview/good idea.
• Tell the audience why they should care about this topic.
• Give a transition statement to the body of the speech.

Step Two: Credibility

First, you hook the audience with your powerful grabber, then you tell them why you are credible to speak on the topic and why the topic is important. If they know your credentials, you would not need to tell them your credibility but you may still want to tell them why you are interested in the topic. Here are a few examples of how some speakers included credibility.

Tell Why You Are Credible

I’m a doctor, but I kind of slipped sideways into research, and now I’m an epidemiologist. Ben Goldacre, Battling Bad Science.  I started studying resilience research a decade ago at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. It was an amazing time to be there because the professors who trained me had just picked up the contract to train all 1.1 million American soldiers to be as mentally fit as they always have been physically fit. Lucy Hone: The Three Secrets of Resilient People.  What I’m going to do is to just give a few notes,   and this is from a book I’m preparing called   “Letters to a Young Scientist.”   I’d thought it’d be appropriate to   present it, on the basis that I have had extensive experience   in teaching, counseling scientists across a broad array of fields.   And you might like to hear some of the principles that I’ve developed in doing   that teaching and counseling. EO Wilson: Advice to a Young Scientist. 

Step Three: Tell Why it is Important

Early on in your speech, you should tell the audience why they should care. You should connect the speech to things they care about. This is where you answer, so what, who cares?

You know, I didn’t set out to be a parenting expert. In fact, I’m not very interested in parenting, per se. It’s just that there’s a certain style of parenting these days that is kind of messing up kids, impeding their chances to develop.  Julie Lythcott-Haims, How to Raise Successful Kids – Without Over-Parenting

Step Four: Tell the Purpose of the Talk (aka Preview/ Thesis)

“If you don’t know what you want to achieve in your presentation your audience never will.” – Harvey Diamond, author

Tell the audience your purpose, clearly give them an overview of the main points.  MIT professor, Patrick Winston says one of the best things to add to your speech is an empowerment promise. You want to tell people what they will know at the end of your speech that they didn’t know at the beginning. It’s their reason for being here.  His empowerment promise was, “Today you will see some examples of what you can put in your armory of speaking techniques and it will be the case that one of those examples–some heuristic, some technique, maybe only one will be the one that will get you the job. By the end of the next 60 minutes, you will have been exposed to a lot of ideas, some of which you will incorporate into your own repertoire, and they will ensure that you get the maximum opportunity to have your ideas valued and accepted by the people you speak with.” Notice that this statement told you what to expect and why it mattered.

Here are examples of how various speakers accomplished this.

For years, I’ve been telling people, stress makes you sick. It increases the risk of everything from the common cold to cardiovascular disease. Basically, I’ve turned stress into the enemy. But I have changed my mind about stress, and today, I want to change yours. Kelly McGonigal, How to Make Stress Your Friend.   We’ve been sold the lie that disability is a Bad Thing, capital B, capital T. It’s a bad thing, and to live with a disability makes you exceptional. It’s not a bad thing, and it doesn’t make you exceptional. Stella Young, I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much

What I’m going to show you is all of the main things, all of the main features of my discipline, evidence-based medicine. And I will talk you through all of these and demonstrate how they work, exclusively using examples of people getting stuff wrong. Ben Goldacre, Battling Bad Science.  I would like to think that we (Arab women) poor, oppressed women actually have some useful, certainly hard-earned lessons to share, lessons that might turn out useful for anyone wishing to thrive in the modern world. Here are three of mine. Leila Hoteit, Three Lessons on Success from an Arab businesswoman We are often terrified and fascinated by the power hackers now have. They scare us. But the choices they make have dramatic outcomes that influence us all. So I am here today because I think we need hackers, and in fact, they just might be the immune system for the information age. Sometimes they make us sick, but they also find those hidden threats in our world, and they make us fix it. Keren Elazari. Hackers: The Internet’s Immune System Try This — Inspired by TED Master Class After you write your thesis, send it to three people with the question, “Based on what you read here, what do you think my speech will be about?”  

Putting It All Together

At this point, you know you need to have a grabber, a preview, a credibility statement, and a so-what-who-cares statement.  Let’s take a look at one of the top TED talks of all time by Jamie Oliver. This speech is a good illustration of everything we’ve been talking about so far and how all this works together.

“Everybody close your eyes.”

I don’t want to close my eyes; it makes me feel awkward and exposed to be in a group of people with my eyes closed. Because of that, I keep my eyes open. The problem is  when I keep my eyes open, I feel like some sort of horrible nonconformist rebel. I feel awkward with my eyes closed and I feel guilty if they are open. Either way, I just feel bad. Besides, half of the time when speakers tell audience members to close their eyes, they forget to tell us when we can open them. If you are wanting me to imagine a story, just tell me to imagine it, don’t make me close my eyes (rant over).

“Can everybody hear me?”

You should plan your opening to be intentional and with power. “Can everybody hear me” is a weak and uncertain statement and this is not the first impression you want to leave. Do a microphone check before the audience members arrive and have someone stand in different corners of the room to make sure you can be heard. Don’t waste your valuable speech time with questions that you should already know the answer to.

“How long do I have to speak?”

You should know that before you begin. Even if the presentations for the day are running over and you are the last speaker, you should ask the MC before you begin. Always plan your first words with power.

“Can you read this?”

You should make your slides big, really big. Test out your slides in advance of your speech, walk all around the room and make sure you can read them. Have a friend check them out as well. You should know they are big enough because you planned for it and tested it.

“Turn off your cell phones and laptops.”

People really hate having things taken away, not to mention that your audience may want to take notes on their devices. Chances are you are speaking to adults, let them determine if it is appropriate to have out their technology.

“I’m sorry, I’m losing my voice.” “I’m stopped up.” “I’m under the weather.”

Stop apologizing! Stop making excuses!  While these lines may be true, they just come of as excuses and can make the audience either feel like you don’t want to be there, or they just feel sorry for you.

“I’m so nervous right now.”

Talking about your nervousness will make you more nervous and will make them look for signs of your nervousness. Just start your speech.

“So, Um, Ok.”

Do not start with hesitation. Plan the first words, memorize the first words, practice the first words.  Do not start with “Ok, so um, now I’d like…” Plan strong and start strong.

Do Not Discuss Your Business with People Watching…Really! I Mean It! Many of us are giving and listening to presentations in an online format.  I have attended numerous presentations this year through Zoom where I have to sit and watch while the organizers engage in personal small talk or deal with the details of the presentation. This is how the speech I recently attended began. “Donna, you are going to share your screen, right?” “Yes. I have my PowerPoint ready to go. Will you push “record” when I give the signal?” “Sure. Where did you say that button is again? Do you think we should wait five more minutes, I think we had more who were coming? Dave, what was the total we were expecting?” “Yeah, we had 116 sign up, but the reminders went out late so this may be all we have. We can give them a few more minutes to log on.” “Donna, How is your dog? Is she still struggling with her cone since her spay surgery? My dog never would wear the cone –she tore her stitches out and broke her wound open. It was terrible. Well, it looks like it is about time to begin, thank you everyone for coming.” If you are organizing an event online, hosting a speech online, giving a presentation online–please keep it professional. Most platforms will allow you to keep the audience in a waiting room until it is time to start. If you have a business to deal with, keep the audience out until you have everything ready to go. Once the audience is in the meeting, you should engage the audience in group-type small talk or you should just start the presentation. In professional settings, you should start the meeting on time. Why punish those who showed up on time to wait for those who aren’t there yet?

A Conversation Over Coffee with Bill Rogers

I asked my long-time friend, Bill Rogers, to write an excerpt to add to the book.  I met Bill when he was the Chief Development Officer for a hospital in Northwest Arkansas and I met him again when he was reinventing himself as a college student getting a Master’s Degree in the theater.  He would love to share a symbolic cup of coffee with you and give you advice about public speaking. 

Perfect morning for a walk, isn’t it? Join me for a cup of coffee? Wonderful. Find us a table and I’ll get our coffee.

There you go; just like you like it. There’s nothing like a great cup of coffee on the patio of your neighborhood coffee shop, is there?

Now that you’re settled in your favorite chair, take a sip, and let that glorious caffeine kick in and do its stuff. Okay, let’s talk.

So, you were asking me about public speaking.

Well, let’s see. Where do we begin?

One of the first pieces of advice I ever received was to imagine that every member of your audience is sitting there in their underwear! Yeah, right. That never worked for me. I tried it once with a local civic group of community leaders both male and female. If the intent of that tidbit is to make you relax, it certainly didn’t work for me. It just made me more self-conscious…and more nervous. I not only got distracted, but I also lost my train of thought, I started sweating, and, of course, imagined myself standing there without clothes. Needless to say, that speech was a disaster and I’ve never used it again. I suggest you don’t either.

In the early days, I also relied very heavily on my typed-up speech. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that unless you find yourself reading it word for word as I did. Nothing is more boring nor puts an audience to sleep quicker than a speaker with their nose down reading a speech. There’s no connection and connection with your audience is key.

As you know, I love theatre and I’ve done a bit of acting over the years. Early on, I learned that the quicker I learned my lines, the more I could play, experiment, and shape my character. It relaxed me and gave me enormous freedom. It led me to find a mantra for myself: “With discipline comes freedom.” This freedom will allow you to improvise as your audience or situation dictates while still conveying the core message of your presentation. That discipline and its resulting freedom apply to public speaking of any kind and, I think, will serve you well.

Another old adage we’ve all heard is Aristotle’s advice. You know the one. No? Well, roughly, it’s to tell your audience what you’re going to say, say it, and then tell them what you just said. That’s the basic formula for public speaking. And it works as a good place to start.

However, effective speaking is much more and, to me, it starts with a story or even a simple sentence.

You know the feeling you get when you read the first sentence of a good book and it just reaches out and grabs you? That should be your goal with every presentation. One sentence to capture your audience’s attention. Something that causes them to lean forward. Something that sparks their imagination.

It doesn’t have to be all that profound either. It can be something very simple. A personal story that relates to your topic. A relevant fact or statistic that defines or illustrates the issue or subject matter at hand.

A couple of classics come to mind. The first is Alice Walker’s, “The Color of Purple.”

“You better not tell nobody but God.”

And the second one is from my favorite novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee.

“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm broken at the elbow.”

Both sentences hook you immediately. A few simple words speak volumes. After reading or hearing those words, you naturally lean in. You want to learn more. You want to find out what happens next. Every effective speech or presentation does the same thing.

Of course, make sure that the first and last thing you say to your audience is both relevant and appropriate. I share this out of an abundance of caution. I once worked for an internationally recognized and well-respected children’s research hospital and I was given the privilege to speak at a national educational convention. The room was filled wall to wall with teachers. I thought I’d be cute and add a little levity. I opened my presentation with this line, “You know, I’ve had nightmares like this…” Instead of the roars of laughter, I was expecting, a wave of silence ensued. Not only was the line not funny, but it was also wholly inappropriate and I immediately lost my audience. Not my best day. Learn from my mistakes.

Finally, let’s touch on the importance of approaching a speech as a conversation. You and I are sitting here enjoying our coffee and having a friendly, relaxed conversation. Strive for that every chance you get. You may not always have that luxury. Some speeches and presentations simply demand formality. But even in those cases, you can usually make it somewhat conversational. I always try to write my speeches in a conversational style. Like I’m talking to a friend…or trying to make a new one.

So, to recap: tell a story, learn your lines, hook your audience with a simple sentence, close with a question or call to action, use repetition, keep it conversational, treat your audience as a friend, and give yourself permission to relax.

Above all, be yourself. Allow yourself to be as relaxed as you are with those closest to you. If you’re relaxed, if you try to think of your audience as a friend, then, in most cases, they too will relax and they will root for you. Even if they disagree with what you are telling them, they will respect you and they will listen.

How about another cup?

Key Takeaways

Remember This!

• The most important part of your speech is the introduction because if you don’t get their attention, they are not listening to the rest of what you have to say.
• To get attention, tell a story, use humor, share a quote, tell a startling fact, show a prop, ask a question, reference the occasion.
• In addition to the grabber, a good introduction should establish rapport and tell the audience why you are credible.
• An introduction often includes a “so what who cares statement” to tell the audience why this should matter to them.
• The thesis/preview should be clear enough that someone could read just that sentence or couple of sentences and know what the speech is about.

Please share your feedback, suggestions, corrections, and ideas.

I want to hear from you. 

Do you have an activity to include? Did you notice a typo that I should correct? Are you planning to use this as a resource and do you want me to know about it? Do you want to tell me something that really helped you?

Click here to share your feedback. 

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50 Speech Opening Lines (& How to Create Your Own) l The Ultimate Guide

Hrideep barot.

• Public Speaking , Speech Writing

Ask a million people how to start a speech with a bang and you will get a million different answers.

While some prefer to start their speech with the good old charm of a quote, others prefer to put on their hats of creativity to discover new ways to capture the attention of their audience.

So, yes! There’s not just one best way to start your speech with a bang but you have a whole spectrum of ways- each unique on its own!

Sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and relax as I highlight 50 Powerful Speech Opening Lines from some of the World’s Most Influential Speeches along with guidance on how to use each of these techniques in your next speech/presentation.

Alright, let’s dive in!

How to Start your Speech/Presentation?

The attention span of your audience is at its peak at the very beginning of your speech. Shouldn’t you use this to your advantage? Of course, yes!

A strong opening remark captures the attention of your audience, sets the theme of your speech, and most importantly, instills curiosity for the remainder of your speech in the minds of your audience.

Before we analyze each of these speech opening lines, let me provide you with a quick list of techniques (all of which we are going to discuss in great depth!) for you to start your speech/presentation:

• 1. Don't just "Say!" Sing A Song

2. Uniqueness of An Unpopular Opinion

3. the power of a prop, 4. quest of a question, 5. hint of humor, 6. share a story, 7. surprise, surprise, surprise, 8. foster interest with facts.

• 9. Let's Visualize with "Visuals"

10. Capture Interest with your Clothes

11. activity for the audience, 12. element of fear, 13. invite them into your imagination, 14. quintessential quality of a quote, 100 best speech opening lines (the ultimate resource), 1. don’t just “say” sing a song.

Now, you must be thinking that I’m crazy to even suggest this but hear me out.

Doing something entirely different on stage just makes you stand out from the usual crowd. Because let’s admit it, we expect the speaker to simply start talking and when the speaker does something different, it surprises us and makes us intrigued for the remainder of the talk.

Having said that, singing is any day a safer bet since we all love to swing by the music.

But, if you are not at all confident about your singing skills, don’t go for it! Instead, you can try channeling the power of poetry, something very similar to singing but still light on your vocal cords. Don’t be confused! We’ve written an entire article on Getting Your ‘Wordsworth’: Poetry in Public Speaking , just for you! Do check it out.

How to Use A Song as your Speech Opening?

Step 1: Pick a relevant yet famous song related to the theme of your speech/presentation

Step 2: Choose how you wish to use the song to present your point. Do you wish to agree with the lyrics? Or disagree with the lyrics?

Step 3: Pick a few lines (not more than 2-3 lines) that suits your theme the best

Step 4: Craft a statement to explain the connection of the song with the topic of your speech/presentation

Step 5: What are you waiting for? Go ahead, warm up your vocal cords, and start singing

Examples of Speeches that Used Songs as Speech Openings

1. it is okay not to have a plan by mithila palkar.

(Sings the Song) “Some of you must have seen the video of this song online, and I’ll tell you the story of how I made it.” Mithila Palkar

Budding Indian Actress and Singer, Mithila Palkar started her TED Talk by singing a Marathi Song, a song that went viral on the internet and made her famous.

Instead of simply talking about how she marked the transition from a viral singing star to a renowned actress, she made her audience live her journey by singing the exact same song.

Two things happened here:

• Most of the audience members were able to recognize the song, which in turn, established her credibility as a speaker
• The song hooked the audience from the very beginning of her talk

No matter how much we deny it, humans are judgemental beings!

We have expectations for every single thing on this planet and when someone challenges these expectations, we’re left shocked.

And as a result, they’ve all our attention. That is exactly my mantra here, “Shock the audience to get their attention!”

How to Use An Unpopular Opinion as your Speech Opening?

Step 1 : Ask yourself, “Who is my audience?” Look for the basic information on their average age, level of education, pre-conceived notions, and cultural background. Still confusing, right? The Importance of Knowing Your Audience When Delivering a Speech is an article that carries the step-by-step guide, just for you.

Step 2 : Based upon this audience analysis, figure out their set expectation regarding the topic you are about to deliver your speech on.

Step 3 : Shred that expectation by challenging that set expectation in your opening remark. Remember not to be offensive and play by the rule of your moral compass

Examples of Speeches that Used Unpopular Opinions As Opening Remarks

1. grit: the power of passion and perseverance by angela lee duckworth.

“ When I was 27 years old, I left a very demanding job in management consulting for a job that was even more demanding: teaching “ Angela Lee Duckworth

When using this strategy in your speech, it’s critical that you do your research so that you can come up with an unpopular viewpoint on the subject.

Present that unpopular viewpoint as your introductory words, and then gradually (it must be a progressive process) lead your audience to the realization, which is your speech’s main goal. Just like this speaker did!

Visuals overpower our auditory senses! Why not use it to the best of our advantage?

As our immediate reflex, we first see and then, listen. Bringing a unique prop/placard onto the stage would intrigue the audience even before you “actually” start speaking.

Without any further delay, let’s discuss the steps to use props/placards the right way.

How to Use A Prop/Placard as your Opening Remark?

Step 1: Prepare a list of props/placards that resonate the best with the theme of your speech/presentation. Don’t just bring anything on the stage!

Step 2: From this list, remove the generic options. For instance, if you are delivering a speech on environmental conservation, bringing a plastic bag on stage is too generic and won’t instill curiosity in the audience’s minds

Step 3: Now, out of all the relevant props/placards, which one do you think is the most convenient and affordable to bring on the stage? And, you have your answer!

Step 4: Once you have decided on the prop, craft a statement to establish the connection between the prop and the theme of your speech

Examples of Speeches that Used Props As Opening Remarks

1. why i live a zero waste life by lauren singer.

(brings a jar filled with waste and speaks) “This is all of the trash that I’ve produced in the past 3 years!” Lauren Singer

When you witness the speaker, Lauren, showcasing a jar filled with all of the trash that she has produced in the past three years, you can’t help wonder, “Is this for real?”

Because even the packaging of all the junk food items that we consume every week can easily overflood this jar.

Taking advantage of this embedded curiosity, Lauren structured the rest of her talk talking about all of the steps that she takes to lead a zero-waste life.

2. Plus-size? More Like My Size By Ashley Graham

(stands in front of a mirror and speaks) “You are bold, you are brilliant and you are beautiful. There is no other woman like you. You are capable…” Ashley Graham

Breaking the norms of a traditional speech, Ashley Graham, instead of staring at the audience, stares at a mirror and speaks a few lines on self-affirmation.

Let’s admit it, most of us are critical of our own bodies, and standing in front of a mirror, we tend to focus upon all the possible flaws.

To set an example of positive self-affirmation, Ashley Graham takes upon herself to set an example with the help of a live exercise.

3. 25 Chemistry Experiments in 15 Minutes By Andrew Szydlo

*does chemistry experiments* Andrew Szydlo

Watch this TED Talk and I’m sure you’ll find all the presence, of all those chemical equipment on stage, fascinating!

When the audience witnesses the efforts you are taking to deliver your talk, they are impressed and trust me, you are halfway there at capturing the attention of your audience.

Now, of course, it doesn’t mean that you put all your heart and soul into getting that perfect prop on stage.

If it’s not feasible, don’t! But if you can, that’s a great way to win your audience!

4. I See Something By Dananjaya Hettiarachchi

*smells flower* Dananjaya Hettiarachchi

In the previous example, we saw how bringing a grand prop captures the attention of our audience.

But the power of a prop goes WAY beyond this!

When a simple prop is connected with a meaningful yet unique message, the impact manifolds.

In this TED Talk, the speaker uses a rose to explain how each individual is unique in terms of his personality. A powerful message is delivered with the use of a simple prop.

A tried and tested trick that psychologists swear by to awaken the distracted minds is to “shoot a question”.

You could do that too in your next speech/presentation.

How to Use A Question As An Opening Remark?

Step 1: Think of all the questions that can help you to set the theme of your speech

Step 2: Make a point to not include close-ended questions and questions that are simply TOO GENERIC

Step 3: The last element that your question must include is the element of curiosity. The purpose is to make the audience curious enough to listen to your entire speech looking for answers to that question. But while you are at it, make sure you don’t overpromise and your speech does have the answers to that question.

Examples of Speeches that used Questions as Opening Remarks

1. every argument against veganism by ed winters.

“So, when I say the word ‘Vegan’ to you, what do you think of?” Ed Winters

Just by hearing this question, our first thought is to run all the possible definitions of veganism and the audience of this speech did the same.

This question is very clever and I’ll tell you why. So, every time a definition would come into the mind of any audience member, the speaker would be presenting his arguments against veganism forcing the audience to align their thoughts with his thought process.

Without any possible digression, the speaker Ed Winters presents his thoughts on Veganism in a convincing manner with the help of the rhetoric of questions.

Now, this type of question sends the audience on a possible quest for answers but that’s not the only purpose that this technique serves. Next in order, let’s look at how questions set the theme of a speech.

2. Why Do We Ask Questions? By Michael “Vsauce” Stevens

“What is the best type of cheese to use to catch a bear?” Michael “Vsauce” Stevens

In this TED Talk, the speaker uses this technique as a rhetorical question and answers this question with the help of a cheese pun.

Moving ahead, he goes on unearthing the science behind asking questions. So, it only made sense for him to begin his speech with a question too to set the overall vibe and theme of the topic.

3. Marriage Material By Nina Donovan

“So from a glance, do I look like marriage material?” Nina Donovan

In this TED Talk, we shall discover the strength of an interrogative remark in generating curiosity regarding the theme of your speech.

Since time immemorial, society has been setting “so-called” norms to determine if an individual is a potential marriage material (mostly, in the case of women).

To fit under this category of “marriage material”, one has to behave as per the so-called expectations of the society, and anything that defies the norm fails to fit in.

With the help of her powerful voice, the speaker here challenges the notion of this concept of “Marriage Material” and highlights the importance of individuality.

And by asking if the audience perceives her as marriage material, she surprises the audience while cultivating a sense of curiosity in them.

4. After watching this, your brain will not be the same By Lara Boyd

“So how do we learn? And why do some of us learn things more easily than others?” Lara Boyd

Admit it or not- we’ve always wondered why some people learn things better than us. What exactly is their secret?

And when you throw this question at the audience, they become intrigued to know this very secret with the help of your talk.

Curiosity is what makes us stick to the remainder of any talk. So, it’s high time we channelize it!

5. The Value of Asking Questions By Karen Maeyens

“Do you know the people that are asked the most questions? Have A Guess!” Karen Maeyens

An open-ended thought-provoking question like this forces the audience to activate their minds in the search for answers.

As they become more active, they listen better and focuses better on what you have to offer.

When Karen asked her audience who are the people that are asked the most questions, different minds pondered different answers and when she herself answered the question, those who thought of different answers were intrigued to listen to her justification and as a result of this, they stuck by!

6. Two Easily Remembered Questions that Silence Negative Thoughts By Anthony Metivier

“How would you like to completely silence your mind?” Anthony Metivier

We, humans, have restless minds- always pondering over something or the other.

So, what’s likely to happen when someone asks us if we would like to silence our minds? Ironically, we’ll be restless to know the answer. That’s what the speaker did through his TED Talk.

The next time you are giving a speech, you can consider opening it with a question that would result in a similar effect of restlessness in the minds of the audience.

For this to truly happen, make sure that your question is not generic. Otherwise, all your efforts will be in vain.

Ain’t we tired of listening to the phrase, “Laughter is the best medicine”?

I’m sure we all are but the reason why it’s still so prevalent is because of its universality.

Of course, laughter is the best medicine to an opening remark too. It makes your audience laugh and who doesn’t love a good laugh? We all do!

Humor puts the minds at ease and makes you sound more human, because of which, the audience perceives you as a credible speaker.

How to Use Humor In An Opening Remark?

Step 1: Know your audience well. Your joke must resonate with them so as to make the desired impact. For instance, if you are addressing a school crowd and you make a joke about workplace communication mistakes. It won’t make the audience chuckle, would it?

Step 2: Puns? Self-deprecating humor? Or Funny Anecdotes? Identify the types of humor and figure out which one suits your personality in the best way. If you are not sure what types of humor are there and wish to seek a step-by-step guide on including humor in your presentation, make sure you read A Guide To Using Humor In Your Speech . Remember to choose the type of humor in alignment with your personality otherwise, it will look forced and won’t result in the impact you desired

Step 3: Step out and do a pilot survey! Try out the opener on a few folks who are similar to your target audience. Examine their reaction and, if required, adjust the joke

Step 4: Keep in mind that once you begin your speech with a pinch of humor, your audience will be expecting a few moments of laughter throughout the rest of your speech too. So, make sure you save 2-3 jokes (not more than that) for the remainder of your speech to meet those expectations

Examples of Speeches that used Humor in Opening Remarks

1. thoughts on humanity, fame and love by shah rukh khan.

“I’m a movie star. I’m 51 years of age. And I don’t use Botox as of yet.” Shah Rukh Khan

This TED Talk right here is the perfect case in point for you to witness all the four steps to humor (as discussed in the previous section) in action.

Known for his great performance in doing justice to a number of family roles in Bollywood films, the actor Shah Rukh Khan, in his TED Talk used the power of humor to make himself sound more human to align his talk with his perceived personality.

A humorous take on the drug, Botox, not only relates to the speaker’s professional credibility but also established the relatability quotient.

2. Ellen DeGeneres’ 86th Oscars Opening

“It’s been a tough couple of days for us. It has been raining. We’re fine. Thank you for your prayers.” Ellen DeGeneres

Two lessons on humor can be perfectly drawn from this talk:

• Make sure you include humor when the event calls for it in its truest sense.

Since Ellen DeGeneres was hosting the Oscars Opening Ceremony, nobody expected her to be all serious in terms of her talk. The audience is expecting a more relaxed and chill vibe from the speaker.

So, starting her talk with a piece of humor not only sounded like a safer bet but also the most effective one.

• Humor must align with the personality of the orator

What’s the thought that comes to your mind when you listen to the name, “Ellen DeGeneres”? I’m sure for most of us, it’s someone who’s great at presenting her opinions in a convincing manner with the help of comedy.

And that’s what you expect from her personality: Humor!

3. How Indian Parents Make You Tougher By Hasan Minhaj

“Do you know when brown kids get slapped? Every brown birthday party.” Hasan Minhaj

The element of surprise won’t work if your audience is familiar with what you are about to tell them.

So, make sure that you are addressing the right element of surprise to the right audience to make them chuckle. And Hasan Minhaj did it absolutely right!

In this TED Talk, Hasan Minhaj told a piece of surprising cultural information about Indian teens to the American Audience and not the Indian Audience (because they will be familiar with it and it won’t be a shock).

4. The Clues to A Great Story By Andrew Stanton

“A tourist is backpacking through the highlands of Scotland, and he stops at a pub to get a drink. And the only people in there is a bartender and an old man nursing a beer. And he orders a pint, and they sit in silence for a while. And suddenly, the old man turns to him and goes, “You see this bar? I built this bar with my bare hands from the finest wood in the county, gave it more care and love than my own child. But do they call me McGregor the Bar Builder? No.” Points out the window. “You see that stone wall out there? I built that stone wall with my bare hands. Found every stone, placed them just so through the rain and the cold. But do they call me McGregor the Stone Wall Builder? No” Points out the other window. “You see that pier on the lake out there? I built that pier with my bare hands, drove the pilings against the tide of the sand, plank by plank. But do they call me McGregor the pier builder? No. But you fuck one goat…” Andrew Stanton

When humor is combined with effective storytelling, a great laugh is expected from the intrigued minds sitting in the audience.

Remember how we used to tell small anecdotes as kids while telling any joke? That’s what needs to be done here.

Build up the curiosity with the help of a story and end that story by bringing in an element of surprise to make your audience chuckle. Unexpected humor is always welcome!

We’ve all grown up listening to bedtime stories.

As we approached our teenage years and adulthood, we switched to narrating anecdotes from our lives to our friends, family, and colleagues.

In a nutshell, it’s the stories that connect us and will continue to serve this very purpose.

Hence, it’s only fair for us to channel this magic of storytelling into our public speaking events as well.

How to Narrate A Story in An Opening Remark?

Step 1: Pick a story from your life or narrate something that happened to someone you know or simply form a gripping story. Whatever it might be, just make sure you are not exaggerating to come off as a relatable speaker. Most importantly, the story you choose has to be related to the theme of your speech

Step 2: Now that you have the story in mind, pick a narrative to design the structure of your story. Wait, don’t know what storytelling narrative structures are? Read 9 Storytelling Approaches For Your Next Speech or Presentation to know different ways to effectively narrate a story

Step 3: Use simple language while writing your story and be descriptive enough to help them imagine. Keep in mind that your audience should relate and it’s possible only when they can understand your story in its truest sense

Examples of Speeches that used Stories As Opening Remarks

1. life begins at the end of your comfort zone by yubing zhang.

“It’s a cold and foggy winter morning and I’m standing on the world’s tallest bungee platform. The platform I’m standing on is so tiny that I’ve to stand on my toes and balance myself against the wind…” Yubing Zhang

While highlighting how stepping out of one’s comfort zone is crucial, the speaker narrates a personal anecdote of her bungee-jumping experience.

To form a connection with the overall theme, she goes on to narrate how one bungee cord leap taught her the biggest lesson of her life.

Through the remainder of her talk, she then focuses upon sharing her lessons and guidance on how one can step out of his/her comfort zone to facilitate personal growth.

2. How to Figure Out What You Really Want By Ashley Stahl

“It was 2:45 pm on a rainy friday in Los Angeles. My dad was just brewing a cup of coffee in the kitchen when he answered a call from an unknown number…” Ashley Stahl

While the previous example on storytelling taught us to build a connection with the overall theme of our speech, this TED Talk by Ashley Stahl teaches the significance of body language and voice modulation in effective storytelling.

Observe how she narrates this story with effective pauses and uses inflection to create a sense of drama and suspense.

That’s something we all should keep in consideration while narrating any story.

Storytelling is only effective when conveyed properly with the help of facial expressions, body language, and vocal tonality. This is all done to appeal to the sentiments of the audience because eventually, it is what will make our talk all the more persuasive.

3. How “SHE” became an IAS Officer By Surabhi Gautam

“My story starts from a small, sleepy village of Madhya Pradesh with a population of barely a thousand people…” Surabhi Gautam

You don’t necessarily have to focus all your energy on writing your story with a proper build-up.

If you are using a story to build your credibility as a speaker as well as intrigue your audience, one simple way could be to just begin your speech with something as simple as, “My story starts from…”

Just like this speaker did!

Nothing fancy, nothing over the board but still manages to captivates the interest of the audience because of the following reasons:

• She communicates in the language of people by using simple words
• Starting with something like, “My story starts from…” sent an indication that she’s about to narrate the story of her life and as a matter of fact, we all are intrigued naturally to listen to different people’s life stories

4. Speaking Up Without Freaking Out By Matt Abrahams

“Panic. Embarassed. Exposed. No, that’s not how I’m feeling right now. Those are the feelings I had when I was a fourteen year old boy…” Matt Abrahams

Let’s be honest for a moment- we all have been through the feeling of “Panic, Embarrassed, Exposed” (just how Matt puts it) when asked to speak on stage.

By narrating a story that most of the audience members can relate to, Matt won the hearts of a majority of his audience members and established his credibility as a speaker.

5. The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything By Josh Kaufman

“Two years ago my life changed forever. My wife and I welcomed our daughter Lela in the world…” Josh Kaufman

“This has been the turning point of my life”

How do you feel when someone says something like this to you? Intrigued to know more?

This is the power that the speaker used here. He narrated a story of how being a parent changed his life and eventually, relates this experience to the topic of his speech, which to be honest, is fascinating to witness!

6. The Happy Secret to Better Work By Shawn Achor

“When I was seven years old and my sister was just five years old, we were playing on top of a bunk bed. I was two years older than my sister at the time — I mean, I’m two years older than her now — but at the time it meant she had to do everything that I wanted to do, and I wanted to play war. So we were up on top of our bunk beds. And on one side of the bunk bed, I had put out all of my G.I. Joe soldiers and weaponry. And on the other side were all my sister’s My Little Ponies ready for a cavalry charge. There are differing accounts of what actually happened that afternoon, but since my sister is not here with us today, let me tell you the true story –“ Shawn Achor

A descriptive story narrated using stylistic language has the strength to move the audience and immerse them into a fictional world.

In terms of storytelling, this technique is by far the most effective yet simplest way.

It’s commonly used while giving out persuasive speeches as it helps the speaker to align the audience’s thoughts with the speaker’s point of view. That’s what Shawn did through the help of his childhood story.

Of course, we all love surprises. Who doesn’t, right?

So, here’s a crazy idea! Why not surprise your audience with your opening remark?

Here’s how you can do so.

How to Surprise your Audience through your Opening Remark?

Option 1: Go up on that stage, say something totally unexpected and blow the minds! Now, your job doesn’t end here. Once you are done speaking your opening remark, provide your audience as to why you said what you said and what more are you going to offer through the rest of your content. Look at the first example in the next section to see its application.

Option 2: Another thing that you can do is to tell your audience something completely unknown related to the topic of your speech. Something that would make them go like, “Wait, what?” You can either present a shocking piece of information, an unknown taboo of that culture, or even a shocking habit of that cultural population.

Option 3: Tell something unknown not about the culture you are talking about but about yourself. We as humans are always attracted to gossip about other people’s lives. Of course, the audience would be interested in knowing something shocking about your life. But through the content of your speech, do remember to build that connection with your speech.

Examples of Speeches that Surprises its Audience through its Opening Remarks

1. how to start a speech by simon lancaster.

“Who wants to get high? Yeah, you up for some? Should we really get this party started?” Simon Lancaster

Who comes up on stage and asks the audience, “Who wants to get high?”

It’s purely unexpected and shocking!

But in this TED Talk, as the speaker focuses upon highlighting the steps to crafting a strong opening remark (just like we are discussing at this moment), he took it upon himself to use this very element of surprise to capture the audience’s attention.

2. Why I Don’t Use A Smart Phone By Ann Makosinski

“The last time I used a flip phone was 3 hours and 24 minutes ago.” Ann Makosinski

Now, after listening to her opening remark, do you want to know why is she still using a flip phone in the 21st Century? (At least, I do)

And that is the strength of a strong opening remark.

After generating this needed curiosity in the minds of her audience, the speaker focused the remainder of her talk telling these reasons to the audience, one by one.

So, yes! We can safely say that starting our speech with an unpopular opinion is an elegant yet simple way to kick-start our speech.

3. How to Control Emotion and Influence Behavior By Dawn Goldworm

“I can control your emotions and influence your behaviour without showing you anything, without touching you and without saying a word to you.” Dawn Goldworm

Hearing this opening remark is not just shocking but scary too!

I’m sure, just like me, you wish to unearth this secret to control and influence behavior so that you can control minds too.

It’s natural for you to listen to the remainder of the talk for this sole reason.

This way, capturing the attention of her audience was made easy for the speaker, Dawn Goldworm.

4. Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable By Luvvie Ajayi Jones

“I’m a professional troublemaker!” Luvvie Ajayi Jones

Listening to this opening remark, “what is your reaction?”

Are you thinking how exactly is she a troublemaker just like me? If yes, then the speaker has successfully inculcated this curiosity in us.

But what we all are also wondering is what does that have to do with the theme and the speaker does establish this connection in her follow-up statement right after her opening remark.

So, make sure the next time you are out there presenting a shocking remark, do follow it up with context, always.

5. How to Spot A Liar By Pamela Meyer

“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. Also, the person to your left is a liar.” Pamela Meyer

While delivering a TED Talk on “How to Spot A Liar”, Pamela begins by spotting a few liars from the audience itself making everyone think, “How did she do that?”

And naturally, with minimum efforts, she lured her audience in to listen to her entire talk as she unfolds different ways in which we all can spot a liar.

6. The Art of Being Yourself By Caroline McHugh

“So, the chances are you have looked in at least one mirror today. You’ve had a shave or you combed your hair or maybe you checked your teeth for spinach after lunch, but what you didn’t know is the face that you’re looking at is not the face that everyone sees.” Caroline McHugh

A shocking way to surprise your audience is to simply begin with some obvious observations and follow them up with a unique observation about the very same things- leaving them surprised by catching them completely off-guard.

To get better at this technique, draw some inspiration from this TED Talk by Caroline McHugh as she does a similar thing.

It is so far the easiest way to start your speech with a bang!

Present a fact to elicit the shock value in the minds- be it positive or negative.

But incorporating the right fact in the right way is an art in itself. Let’s dive right into it!

How to Use Facts as your Opening Remark?

First things first, make sure that your fact is not too generic. It has to be shocking in one way or the other to grip the audience’s attention.

Step 1: Present the fact using simple language. Avoid using technical terms here.

Step 2: Take a pause, give the audience a moment to ponder over it (But don’t wait for TOO LONG!). Next, present an extension of that fact, if you have any, or simply break down the fact by telling the audience how does this fact affects them. Give them the reasons.

Examples of Speeches that used Facts as its Opening Remarks

1. can we not let our breakups break us by tasha jackson.

“I want you all to know that you are loved because today we can be surrounded by so many people but feel profoundly alone. 68% of Gen Z feels like nobody knows them. An average American has only one close friend and one in four feels like no one.” Tasha Jackson

While presenting facts, it’s important that we go from covering a larger umbrella to the smaller one

This way, the audience knows the exact way in which they are getting affected by this piece of information.

That’s exactly how the speaker, Tasha, rolled her TED Talk.

Once the audience was aware of the intensity of how breakups are affecting each one of them, they were all the more intrigued to know how they can not let breakups affect them to such a drastic extent.

It is this incentive that made the listeners pay attention to her talk as she unfolded all the solutions to this, one by one.

2. How to Increase Love in Your Relationship By Jonathan Ljungqvist

“In Sweden, where I come from, we have 40 thousand marriages a year and each year we have around 20 thousand divorces.” Jonathan Ljungqvist

Create the illusion of an audience poll with your piece of fact, just like this speaker did in his TED Talk.

After highlighting the drastic extent of failed marriages in Sweden, Jonathan took a pause to let that information sink in and in his follow-up statement, he started shooting a few questions at the audience.

After waiting for a few seconds (2-3 seconds is the ideal time duration to wait), Jonathan answered and highlighted the problem at hand.

This made the audience respect and agree with his fact, all the way more.

Through the remainder of his talk, he then went on highlighting the steps to increase love in any relationship.

3. I See Dead People: Dreams and Visions of the Dying By Dr. Christopher Kerr

“I read a recent survey, and what Americans fear most is public speaking and dying.” Dr. Christopher Kerr

How do we perceive death as an individual? It’s a question that most of us have a unique answer to.

In an attempt to establish the relevance of his topic, the speaker uses a fact that highlights how feared death is.

It’s what capitalized the attention of the audience and forced them to listen to what different perspectives he had to offer on the topic from a medical standpoint.

4. Saudi Arabia: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj

“Saudi Arabia has been engulfed in a massive diplomatic crisis over the gruesome killing of Washingto Post Journalist Jamal Khashoggi” Hasan Minhaj

Now, stating facts doesn’t mean that you just go on telling statistical figures. It also includes different pieces of information, particularly news events!

In this talk, Hasan Minhaj recalls one such news event to set the theme of his talk.

Recalling news events makes our talk relevant while establishing the context. It signifies that as a speaker you are up-to-date with the information that you have to offer. So, the audience looks forward to hearing a talk devoid of redundancies.

5. Can We Not Let Our Breakups Break Us By Tasha Jackson

We live in a world where dating is the equivalent of buying a new pair of shoes.

Very often, with each dating experience comes the trauma of heartbreaks. As the speaker in this TED Talk rightly said, “breakups break us”.

But how to overcome it has always been a flaming question, particularly among the teens.

But to bring to light the intensity and ever-increasing prevalence of the situation, the speaker took the help of the statistics.

6. Teach Every Child About Food By Jamie Oliver

“ 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. “ Jamie Oliver

Here, while throwing light upon an alarming issue (hunger), the speaker considered presenting harrowing stats to get that desired ‘concerned mood’.

Similarly, when you wish to highlight an opportunity (say, the positive side of social media), present positive stats showcasing the success of people through social media.

9. Let’s Visualize with “Visuals”

Visuals are always gripping and easy on our minds.

Show respect towards your audience by giving them a needed break from the monotony of “just listening”.

Be a respite and engage them through the power of visuals for a change. Here’s exactly how you can do this.

How to Connect Visuals with your Opening Remark?

Step 1: Get in touch with the tech team of your public speaking event and see if the needed technical support is there to facilitate the screening of an image/video.

Step 2: Now, find a visual interesting enough to arise the curiosity but not too generic to make it too predictable for the audience- all related to your theme.

Step 3: Craft a short, concise, and to-the-point follow-up statement to explain the relevance of that visual using simple language.

Examples of Speeches that used Visuals as Opening Remarks

1. don’t believe everything you think by lauren weinstein.

*shows picture of an elephant.* Lauren Weinstein

In this TED Talk, Lauren draws a beautiful comparison between elephants and the nature of humans by showcasing a few visuals.

She does this through the use of storytelling. Narrating how despite all the strength an elephant has, it doesn’t attempt to break its chains of captivity.

After establishing this, she goes on to connect this act with the thesis of her speech, that is, how one should not always believe everything they think.

What we can take away from this TED Talk is, when visuals are effectively supported by storytelling and the rhetoric of drawing comparison, the impact increases manifold.

2. The History of Our World in 18 Minutes By David Christian

*plays a video about scrambled eggs* David Christian

In this unique TED Talk, David Christian explains the origin of the history of our world through the video of a scrambled egg. Unique, isn’t it?

That is exactly what we need to learn here.

We don’t necessarily need to find a visual that directly relates to the theme of our speech. Instead, we can go for a visual that we can use as an aid to explain a similar topic, that is, the theme of our speech.

3. How Breathing and Metabolism are Interconnected By Ruben Meerman

*shows image of himself in the sea* Ruben Meerman

This TED Talk right here is an example of how you can establish a direct correlation between the visual and your topic- all through the use of storytelling.

Ruben Meerman began his speech by showing a few pictures of himself to talk about his health transformation.

When the audience witnessed the transformation right in front of their eyes, they were curious to know the secret behind it so that they can apply it to their respective lives.

That’s the power of a gripping visual!

YES! You read it right.

No matter how shallow it sounds but the outfit is the first thing we notice every time a speaker walks up that stage.

And if you are dressed differently than the rest of the speakers, you naturally capture the eyes of your audience.

By this, I don’t mean that you go to a branded store and buy the most expensive outfit from there and wear it for your event. What I mean is to put serious thought into deciding what to wear for your event.

Ideally, one should go for an outfit that is unique yet related to the theme of your speech but doesn’t hurt the dress code of the event too. Here’s how.

How to Connect Clothes with your Opening Remark?

Step 1: The most basic step is to check with the admin if there is any particular dress code that the speakers need to adhere to. If not, feel free to put on your hat of creativity by following the next steps

Step 2: Pick an outfit that connects with the theme of your speech but is still unique enough for the audience to go like, “Wait, what outfit is this?”

Step 3: Go on the stage wearing that outfit, take a pause, let the audience wonder. After a meaningful silence of 2-3 seconds, start speaking. Open up by telling the audience the significance of the outfit that you are wearing

Examples of Speeches that Connect Clothes with Opening Remarks

1. we are all different- and that’s awesome by cole blakeway.

(comes on stage weaing two different pair of socks and shoes) “Hi, my name is Cole and over the next few minutes, I’m going to teach you that it’s okay to be different. Since a young age, I’ve worn different colored socks and two different shoes.” Cole Blakeway

Fascinating opening remark, isn’t it?

Something as simple as wearing different pairs of socks can instill curiosity and help the speaker make his point, “we all are different”.

Since biblical times, we as humans try to fit in different situations. Be it a workplace, college, or even a social gathering for that matter.

In this TED Talk, Cole attempts to shed light on the lesson of embracing our true selves and how there’s nothing wrong with being different.

The tone of such a powerful talk was set just by wearing different pairs of socks.

2. Looks aren’t Everything. Believe me, I’m a Model By Cameron Russell

(switches to a different outfit and speaks) “This is the first outfit change on the TED Stage, so you guys are pretty lucky to witness it, I think.” Cameron Russell

Of course, the traditional way to pull this technique off is to come on stage wearing a unique outfit.

But Cameron Russell finds her very own unique way of a live outfit change wherein she brings a wrap-around skirt and wears over her dress to make a simple point that appearance is not everything, it goes way beyond that.

Seeing a model by profession mark this unlikely outfit transition made the audience trust her thesis all the way more.

They say that communication is a two-way street.

Yet, more often than not, we forget to keep this in mind during all the public speaking events.

We tend o go on speaking and speaking. While sometimes we manage to keep the audience interested, the rest of the time we simply bore the audience to sleep.

To save you here, an easy bet is to organize an activity for your audience towards the very beginning of your speech.

How to Connect An Audience Activity with your Opening Remark?

Step 1: Familiarize with your audience. What’s the average age of your audience? What’s their educational and work background? Getting these basic details will help you structure an activity that would ensure maximum participation from them. For instance, if you are addressing a bunch of school students, your activity can involve more physical exercises and less mental exercise. Also, ask yourself, “What is the size of my audience?” This will help you decide on the extent of interactivity.

Step 2: Find an activity that is not too basic. Your activity should make the audience curious about your content. Something that makes the audience wonder, “What does this activity have to do with the theme?” But then they are left amazed as soon as you begin to connect the relevance of the activity with your speech.

Step 3: Don’t make it TOO LONG! Keep it short and sweet.

Step 4: Write a vivid description of the steps involved in the activity so that the audience is not left confused about what to do.

Examples of Speeches that Used Audience Activities as Opening Remarks

1. are you a giver or a taker by adam grant.

“I want you to look around the room for a minute and try to find the most paranoid person here and then I want you to point that person out for me. (waits and then says) Okay, don’t actually do it.” Adam Grant

Given that Adam’s audience was comprised of more adults, he made them perform a mental exercise as it’s most likely for them to participate in a mental exercise rather than expecting them to move up their seats to do something.

And that’s what happened. The audience participated! Because all they had to do was simply move their heads around to find out a paranoid person.

Most importantly, the activity wasn’t too generic for the audience for them to predict its relevance. So, it made them curious enough to listen to the remainder of Adam’s TED Talk to witness him unravel its relevance.

2. Girl Up: The Secrets to an Extraordinary Life By Courtney Ferrell

“Okay, I need a favor. I need all the girls who are between the age of 17 and 24 to stand up.” Courtney Ferrell

Audience Matters! I know, I’ve been saying this A LOT but it’s the key to a great speech opening.

Even in this TED Talk, the speaker made all the girls between the age group of 17 to 24 stand up since she knew that more than 50% of her audience would stand up.

It’s a win-win situation, I’ll tell you how.

When Courtney confessed that she’s about to tell the secret to channel the creative spirit of women and how to empower them.

Those who stood up felt directly connected to the theme and the rest were curious enough to know the secret to see if it can benefit them or someone they know.

3. What It’s Like To Grow Up Desi in 2019 By Hasan Minhaj

“Alright, real quick- say your full name and then say the way white people say your name. So, my name is Hasan Minhaj. I would get a Ha-sen Min-haj-a” Hasan Minhaj

Two important lessons here, my friends!

• Interactivity is Influential

Since Hasan was addressing a comparatively smaller crowd of around 7 teens, he could incorporate an interactive activity, giving each of his audience members an opportunity to speak.

• Lead the Activity Ladder

Before asking each of his audience members to speakers, Hasan himself initiated the act of participation from his end.

This way, the audience was all the more thrilled to speak.

Because when you participate, your audience sees it as an incentive and feels more confident to participate seeing that you as a speaker are making an effort too.

4. How to Triple your Memory By Using This Trick By Ricardo Lieuw On

“So, I have a little test for you. Don’t panic, I’m not here to judge you…” Ricardo Lieuw On

“Awaken the competitive nature of your audience members!” This should be your motto here.

But first, make sure that you are clear with the explanation of the rules so that it’s easier for everyone to follow.

Look how the speaker has introduced a competitive activity here to awaken the minds.

This serves two purposes:

• Your audience is intrigued to listen to the rest of your talk
• Even if a few members are distracted, you can win them back

Do you remember all the times when your mom used to make you eat green vegetables by instilling some sort of fear?

Be it the fear of dull skin or even poor eyesight for that matter, it eventually made you take that action.

Isn’t this aim of public speeches too? To persuade the audience to take some action after your speech ends? A hundred percent, yes!

So, let’s jump into how we can incorporate fear in our speech opening to make our audience listen to us.

How to Use Fear as your Opening Remark?

Step 1: At the fear of reiterating myself, “Begin with analyzing your audience”. The Best Guide to Audience Analysis is an article for you to help you do just that.

Step 2: Done with analyzing your audience after reading the article? Now, make a list of their potential fears related to the theme of your speech.

Step 3: Figure out that one fear that is not too triggering. Here, ask yourself, “If I were to listen to this, would I be triggered to a huge extent?” If the answer is yes, leave that fear and choose one that is slightly less triggering but

Examples of Speeches that used Fear as its Opening Remarks

1. why the secret to sucess is setting the right goals by john doerr.

“We’re at a critical moment Our leaders, some of our great institutions are failing us.” John Doerr

While highlighting how important it is to set the right goals for development, John Doerr begins his speech by pointing at how the institutions are failing their citizens by setting the wrong objectives.

When you are told that someone is failing you, you feel a sense of disappointment, and you are naturally drawn to know the reason behind it to figure out if there’s something you can do to improve the situation.

This is the exact feeling that we are going for here!

In this technique, we are looking forward to getting our audience to daydream without boring them.

This art of imagination works the best for persuasive speeches. Here’s how!

While delivering a persuasive speech, our aim is to align the audience’s thoughts with our thought process but there needs to be a bridge, right? A bridge that the audience can take to step into your thought process.

This bridge is the art of imagination.

How to Use Imagination as your Opening Remark?

Step 1: Decide the emotion that you want your audience to feel. Do you wish to go for a negative emotion or a positive one? My suggestion for you would be to go for a negative one since negative emotions overpower the positive ones, psychologically speaking.

Step 2: Once you have decided on the type of emotion, craft a descriptive outline for the piece of imagination that is related to the theme of your speech.

Step 3: Using simple yet descriptive language, write down your piece of imagination. Remember to write in a chronological order detailing each and every step otherwise your audience won’t truly immerse in that imaginary world. To explain to you in simpler terms, if a few steps are missing from the bridge, you cannot walk to reach the other side, can you?

Step 4: Focus the rest of your speech telling the audience what to do to avoid the situation (in case of a negative imagination) and what to do to reach the situation (in case of a positive imagination).

Examples of Speeches that used Imagination as Opening Remarks

1. the barrier between us by tvisha bandhu.

“Picture this. You’re in the MRT, you’re scrolling through your phone, and you take notice of this lady walking through the cabin saying ‘hello, hello.'” Tvisha Bandhu

This speech is the perfect example of how one can kick start his speech through the power of closed imagination (one wherein you provided step-by-step details on what to imagine).

Look how the speaker, Tvisha Bandhu, uses her body posture and gestures to emote every sense of feeling encompassed within that imagination.

It works perfectly in sync with her descriptive writing. It’s so descriptive that she has even written the exact dialogues for the characters involved in her imagination such as “Hello, Hello” for the lady who walked through the cabin.

Descriptive writing backed by powerful body language and vocal tonality can increase the impact manifold.

2. Why Do We Fear Speaking On Stage? By Pratik Uppal

“If I ask you to come on the stage right now & deliver a speech, think what kind of excuses would you come up with.” Pratik Uppal

The second example is of an open imagination.

You don’t necessarily need to provide step-by-step details for the audience to make them imagine a situation

One easy way is to simply tell them to ponder over their reaction to a particular situation and then, go on providing a brief of what exact situation they are put in.

In this TED Talk, the speaker asked the audience to imagine all the excuses that they can come up with to dread a public speaking event. Now, pause! Even you think! I’m sure you too can come up with many without anyone telling you what to imagine exactly.

This is what we call open imagination. Widespread usage of this technique can be seen in movies with open endings wherein the end is treated as possibly the beginning.

3. The Surprising Secret that Solves your Problems Quickly By Collins Key

“Imagine if you could take your brain and turn it inside out and then have access to the information to be able to virtually solve any problem. It sounds pretty cool, right?” Collins Key

In the previous sections, we discussed the examples for two commonly-used types of imagination- open and closed.

Here, we shall discuss an example of how you can ask the audience to imagine something out of the world.

If you are a Potter-head, you know the strength that this technique entails. The entire series is based upon fiction encompassing a world where everything goes larger than life, even life itself but you still can’t seem to snap out of it because you are that engrossed.

In this TED Talk, Collins opened up his talk with one such piece of imagination wherein he asked the audience to imagine how would they feel if they could simply take their brain out and turn it inside out to find a solution in the blink of an eye instead of spending hours overthinking for it.

Fascinating, right? This intrigued the audience to listen to the rest of his speech in the search of a secret to solve their problems in the quickest way possible.

4. How to Present to Keep your Audience’s Attention By Mark Robinson

“Imagine it’s Wednesday 28th of August, 1963 & we’re in the United States Of American, specifically Washington DC.” Mark Robinson

Imagination is only effective if you catering the right piece of imagination to the right audience.

Now, take the example of this TED Talk. Had this TED Talk been delivered to an audience who is not aware of the significance of the person being spoken about, Martin Luther King Jr, his speech would have been totally ineffective.

So, make sure that whatever piece of imagination you have to offer is within the understanding of your audience.

This technique doesn’t require any fancy introduction.

For the longest time, great orators have been starting their respective speeches with one quote or the other to persuade their audience through the art of rhythm.

But the inclusion of this technique as an opening remark is easier said than done. Make sure you follow the steps in the next section.

How to Use A Quote as an Opening Remark?

Before we begin, remember not to use a quote that is too common. Use a quote that is less heard of!

Option 1: The easiest and safest bet is to use a famous quote related to the context of your speech. If the propounder of that quote is associated with the topic of your speech in one way or the other, it’s even better since it establishes the credibility of the quote.

Option 2: The other effective way is to make a quote of your own instead of relying upon someone else’s quote. It’s simpler than it sounds. An easier hack is to use alliteration (occurrence of similar sound at the beginning of adjacent words in a phrase) in the phrase you wish to highlight as your opening remark. For instance, even the title of this section, “Quintessential Quality of A Quote” uses this technique. Read Getting Your ‘Wordsworth’: Poetry in Public Speaking to know how exactly you can write a quote using alliteration and similar techniques.

Examples of Speeches that Used Quotes as Opening Remarks

1. increase your self-awareness with one simple fix by tasha eurich.

Tennessee Williams once told us, “There comes a time when you look into the mirror and you realize that what you see is what you’ll ever be. And then you accept it. Or you kill yourself. Or you stop looking in mirrors.” Tasha Eurich

To see the application of the first alternative in action, watch this TED Talk by Tasha Eurich.

While using someone else’s quote, attribution to the speaker is necessary. You can do so by simply saying something like, “As NAME OF THE SPEAKER rightly said…” Nothing too fancy, simplicity works the best.

Talking about the credibility of the original speaker of the quote, since this TED Talk is focused upon “Self-awareness”, it made Tennessee Williams who was a great playwright in Hollywood, a credible speaker to trust.

2. Mistakes Make the Man By Mathew George

“Man makes mistakes & mistakes make the man.” Mathew George

Now, let’s talk about making a quote on our own. Shall we?

The most basic step we discussed under the “how-to” section was alliteration and that’s what the speaker, Mathew George, used in the creation of his opening remark too.

Alliteration provides a rhythm to your speech opening line and makes you sound persuasive naturally.

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If you wish to know about more such amazing speech opening lines, make sure you check out 15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines (& How to Create Your Own) .

Not just that! We’ve written a similar article on 50 Speech Closing Lines (& How to Create Your Own) l The Ultimate Guide . Make sure you read that to END YOUR SPEECH WITH A BANG!

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What to Know About the Alleged Trump 'N-Word Tape'

One of the producers of "the apprentice" published an exposé in slate containing several allegations about the former president., published may 30, 2024.

On May 30, 2024, Slate magazine published an article by Bill Pruitt, a former producer of "The Apprentice," the early 2000s reality TV show that brought future U.S. President Donald Trump back into the public sphere of attention. In the piece, Pruitt alleged that much of the show, which he emphasized was produced as entertainment, "played fast and loose with the facts, particularly regarding Trump," and that he could speak now about what he observed because a 20-year nondisclosure agreement had ended.

Pruitt's biggest allegation against Trump came at the end of the piece. According to Pruitt, during a recorded discussion about two finalist candidates late in the first season of "The Apprentice," Trump called one of the candidates, who is Black, the N-word.

The quote, as it appears in the article, was as follows: "'Yeah,' he says to no one in particular, 'but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?'"

Pruitt noted earlier in the piece that the quotes were paraphrased and not verbatim, so Snopes reached out to Slate to ask about its fact-checking process and how much of the information in Pruitt's article was independently confirmed before publishing. We will update this story if we receive a response. 

In the meantime, many  reliable media outlets began running the story, all based on information in the Slate article

Jasmine Harris, director of Black media for President Joe Biden's campaign, released a statement on behalf of the Biden-Harris campaign condemning Trump:

No one is surprised that Donald Trump, who entered public life by falsely accusing Black men of murder and entered political life spreading lies about the first Black president, reportedly used the N-word to casually denigrate a successful Black man. 

Trump campaign spokesman  Steven Cheung called the allegations "completely fabricated":

This is a completely fabricated and bulls*** story that was already peddled in 2016. Nobody took it seriously then, and they won't now, because it's fake news. Now that Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrats are losing the election, they are bringing up old fake stories from the past because they are desperate."

The rumors certainly predate 2024 — the claim did pop up during Trump's 2016 presidential run, as  Cheung implied. 

A New Yorker profile from 2018 about a different "Apprentice" producer, Mark Burnett, waffled on it. Some paragraphs discussed people saying the comments and tape were real. Other paragraphs suggested the opposite. In a 2020 MSNBC interview, Trump's niece Mary Trump claimed that she had heard her uncle use racist and antisemitic slurs. 

As far as we could tell, the only time Trump himself ever publicly addressed the rumors was in a 2018 tweet , when he denied them in a roundabout way ("Omarosa" here refers to  Omarosa Manigault Newman , a former "Apprentice" contestant and Trump aide who also alleged he used the N-word): 

.@MarkBurnettTV called to say that there are NO TAPES of the Apprentice where I used such a terrible and disgusting word as attributed by Wacky and Deranged Omarosa.

The rumored tape has never surfaced. In his article, Pruitt wrote that he suspected it never will.

________________

Lots of websites and social media accounts call their content "news," but their quality and reliability vary enormously . Snopes urges caution before sharing information that hasn't been independently verified by a trusted news or fact-checking outlet, such as Snopes, The Associated Press , Reuters , BBC , POLITICO , The Washington Post , The New York Times , and so on.

If you come across questionable rumors related to the tape, send them our way . We'll do our best to look into them.

Dorn, Sara. "Trump Used N-Word, 'Apprentice' Producer Says—Biden Calls Foe Racist."  Forbes , https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/05/30/trump-used-n-word-apprentice-producer-says-biden-calls-foe-racist/. Accessed 30 May 2024.

Jackson, David. "Joe Biden, Donald Trump Campaigns Clash over Report Accusing the Former President of Using the N-Word."  USA TODAY , https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/05/30/biden-trump-campaigns-the-apprentice/73910082007/. Accessed 30 May 2024.

Johnson, Ted. "Producer On 'The Apprentice' Claims Donald Trump Used N-Word When Faced With Prospect Of A Black Winner In Show's First Season."  Deadline , 30 May 2024, https://deadline.com/2024/05/trump-the-apprentice-n-word-bill-pruitt-1235944516/.

Keefe, Patrick Radden. "How Mark Burnett Resurrected Donald Trump as an Icon of American Success."  The New Yorker , 27 Dec. 2018.  www.newyorker.com , https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/07/how-mark-burnett-resurrected-donald-trump-as-an-icon-of-american-success.

Kilander, Gustaf. "Former Apprentice Producer Claims Trump Used Racial Slur on Set."  The Independent , 30 May 2024.  www.independent.co.uk , https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-apprentice-producer-b2553908.html.

"Mary Trump on Whether She Ever Heard the President Use a Racial Slur: 'Of Course I Did.'"  NBC News , 17 July 2020, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/mary-trump-if-she-ever-heard-president-use-racial-slur-n1234119.

Pruitt, Bill. "The Donald Trump I Saw on The Apprentice."  Slate , 30 May 2024.  slate.com , https://slate.com/culture/2024/05/donald-trump-news-2024-trial-verdict-apprentice.html.

Suebsaeng, Daniel Kreps, Asawin, et al. "Donald Trump Again Accused of Using N-Word on 'The Apprentice' Set."  Rolling Stone , 30 May 2024, https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-accused-n-word-the-apprentice-1235030061/.

T, et al. "Omarosa Tells NPR She Heard Trump 'N-Word Tape,' Contradicting Her Own Tell-All Book."  NPR , 10 Aug. 2018.  NPR , https://www.npr.org/2018/08/10/636955054/omarosa-tells-npr-she-heard-trump-n-word-tape-contradicting-her-own-tell-all-boo.

By Jack Izzo

Jack Izzo is a Chicago-based journalist and two-time "Jeopardy!" alumnus.

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How to Find the Trump Apprentice Tape

I’ve been trying to track this down for years. i have some ideas of where to start..

We all have our lasting memories of the 2016 election. One of my most vivid happened in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign, as I was standing on the lawn of one of the producers of The Apprentice near a beach in Southern California. I had for weeks been on the hunt for a tape that was said to include Trump making racist and misogynistic remarks while filming on the set of the reality TV series that launched him to the next level of fame.

On Thursday, Slate published an essay by former Apprentice producer Bill Pruitt describing his time on the show and alleging the existence of such a tape. Pruitt says that in this one, Donald Trump is justifying not selecting Kwame Jackson as the winner on the first season of the hit show, and he asks his producers, “Would America buy a n— winning?” Pruitt’s description of the moment —and the way in which the set of The Apprentice accepted this kind of behavior—is horrifying. It’s just one more reason why Donald Trump never should have been president—and cannot be president again.

Back to that lawn, though. I had been led to believe that this producer (who was not Pruitt) might have details about that tape. I hadn’t been able to get him on the phone, so I had shown up at his doorstep, as I had done with many former Apprentice employees in those weeks. There were only a handful of days until voters would elect the next president of the United States, either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. At first the producer seemed very angry at me showing up where he lived with his wife and his children to ask him questions that might destroy his career or disrupt his life if he answered them.

But as I tried to pester, cajole, and play to what I thought were his sympathies to convince him to speak with me, he quickly stopped being mad. He became bemused. It was clearly a joke to him that I thought any information he might reveal about Donald Trump could sway the election one way or the other. “He’s either going to win, or he’s going to lose,” I remember the producer telling me. “Nothing is going to change that now.”

This was the attitude so many of us had in 2016, though most of us were working under the assumption that Trump would lose (and none of us really grasped what his winning might mean). Those fall-of-2016 vibes were illustrated again these past few weeks, at a key point in Trump’s hush money trial: The defense played an audio recording of Stormy Daniels’ attorney Keith Davidson describing what he said were his client’s views on why she needed to sign a nondisclosure agreement with Trump before Election Day 2016. “If he loses his election, and he’s going to lose , if he loses this election, we lose all fucking leverage, this case is worth zero,” Davidson said, claiming to convey his client’s views on Trump’s electoral chances.

By late October, after the infamous Access Hollywood tape had leaked and Trump remained the nominee, it felt like there was little that we in the press, or the scores of people who had stories about Trump’s racism, misogyny, and outright sexual assault, could do to change anybody’s mind. As Trump said himself, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?”

Heading into another hotly contested election this November, it feels like voters, members of the press, and even Democratic politicians are acting the same way all over again: as if either some deus ex machina is going to swoop in and save the country from Trump—and so nobody need work to combat his candidacy themselves—or whatever happens will happen, he’ll win or lose, no matter what anybody does, even now as a convicted felon.

Once again, so many of us are behaving as if we are not active players in this story of our democracy, but just pawns of forces greater than ourselves.

Except, Bill Pruitt isn’t. He has come forward with a story that could truly upend the future of our country, at possible personal risk. As he told Mary Harris, the host of Slate’s daily podcast, What Next, he’s scared, and he knows he’s standing up alone. But he decided to share this story anyway, because his NDA was up and because “Trump is making a second attempt to be president of the United States, and he’s leading in some of the polls,” which led Pruitt “to think almost desperately about trying to remind people what a con The Apprentice was.”

Here is the thing: Pruitt is very clear that such a tape, at least at one time, existed. He explains that showrunner Jay Bienstock recorded off-camera briefings before Trump made his “boardroom” decisions about who would be advancing in The Apprentice , in order to protect against accusations of game show tampering by the Federal Communications Commission. (The FCC was empowered by Congress to enforce regulations around such tampering in the wake of the 1950s quiz show scandals .) He also says that multiple people were in the room to hear the damning moment, which was also captured on video.

It’s unclear who has the tapes now. Pruitt said he’s come to believe the tapes “will never be found.” But if they do exist? They would be in the archives of Mark Burnett’s production company, now owned by Jeff Bezos and Amazon. The owners of the tapes have purportedly been under legal obligation not to publicize them, which is why they’ve never seen the light of day.

So far, anyway. But we are not passive actors. We can ask to see these tapes. We can even demand it.

Specifically, our elected representatives can request that Amazon turn over those tapes, perhaps to see if they demonstrate a violation of the federal Communications Act of 1934 as amended in 1960. If the tapes are not turned over, those elected officials can then subpoena said tapes as part of a duty to patrol our airwaves.

“If there is a tape in the Mark Burnett archives now owned by Amazon of Trump using the ‘N-word,’ it’s a matter of the utmost public importance that that be revealed,” former congressional investigator Norm Eisen told me. “Federal and state government authorities, both legislative and executive, have the power to subpoena that material. I think it’s imperative that one or more of those authorities exercise their ability to request the material, and if it is not forthcoming, to subpoena it and to enforce their subpoenas with all deliberate speed. The public interest demands nothing less.”

In the Senate, Maria Cantwell is the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee that regulates federal communications. Her committee has the authority to investigate this and potentially to subpoena the tapes if necessary. (I emailed Cantwell’s Commerce Committee staff on Thursday to ask if she would consider investigating—I hadn’t received a response as of publication time.)

The Federal Communications Commission, which has an investigative department, could also look into acquiring the tapes.

Before Pruitt’s piece published, I asked Sanford Williams, the deputy chief of staff for FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel, generally if the FCC had the power to investigate racism and outcome fixing in reality TV shows. Without knowing the details of this specific story, he said yes.

“That is something we can definitely look at for game shows and reality TV shows as it pertains to them,” Williams told me. Using the statute name for the portion of the federal Communications Act that covers this, 47 U.S. Code § 509, he noted that “47509 talks about intellectual knowledge and skill.”

Which means the FCC can and should investigate this issue.

There’s no need to be passive players here. Trump, for his part, has surely never been one. Having sat through the last one and a half months of Trump’s hush money case, the evidence demonstrates he was not a passive player in 2016. He went through significant hurdles to make sure the Stormy Daniels story never saw the light of day before that election. And for all we know, Daniels’ story could have been the thing that tilted the balance of an election that was decided by less than 100,000 voters in the Rust Belt. As Daniels’ attorney, Keith Davidson, texted National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard as the votes were being counted and as it was becoming clear that Trump would win: “What have we done?”

And for all we know, the tape surfacing—alongside whatever else was caught on camera during those Apprentice years—could be the thing that changes the outcome of the upcoming election. The least we can do is try.

Letitia James' Six-Word Message After Trump Verdict

N ew York Attorney General Letitia James reiterated a familiar six-word statement after former President Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in Manhattan Thursday.

"No one is above the law," James, a Democrat, wrote to X , formerly known as Twitter , within the hour that Trump's verdict was read.

The former president and presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign. Trump, who pleaded not guilty, and his allies have repeatedly called the case a form of election interference and condemned prosecutors and Judge Juan Merchan following the jury's verdict Thursday.

James has also faced her fair share of attacks from the former president after her business fraud suit against Trump led to him and others associated with the Trump Organization being found liable for defrauding lenders and insurers. Through the lawsuit's trial, which ended with a ruling in February, James repeated the phrase, "No one is above the law," including issuing the warning ahead of her closing arguments in the case.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis also recently used the phrase after winning a Georgia Democratic primary election earlier this month. Willis' office is leading the racketeering case against Trump and over a dozen co-defenders, who are accused of attempting to overturn President Joe Biden 's win in 2020 in the state of Georgia .

During her victory speech , Willis said that the citizens of Fulton County "delivered a strong and a powerful message" in their vote, "And it's a message that's p****** folks off, but there is no one above the law in this country, nor is there anyone beneath it."

Similar wording has been used by Special Counsel Jack Smith as well, who is leading both federal criminal cases against Trump. In a filing in April to the U.S. Supreme Court , Smith urged the justices to reject Trump's claims that he is free of facing criminal charges for actions he took in office under presidential immunity, writing that a "bedrock principle of our constitutional order is that no person is above the law—including the President."

President Joe Biden's reelection campaign also used the phrase in its message regarding Trump's verdict, which stated, "In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law."

"Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain," the statement continued. "But today's verdict does not change the fact that American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box."

Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign for comment on James' message Thursday evening.

James' statement did garner backlash from a handful of X users, including the conservative account "End Wokeness," who responded to the attorney general's post, "Except all the criminals roaming the streets of your state right now."

Conservative activist Scott Presler also responded, "Including illegal aliens?"

Political commentator Joey Mannarino added under James' post, "Hunter Biden is. Hillary Clinton is."

Trump called his guilty verdict a "disgrace" in a statement on Thursday, adding, "This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt."

"The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people," the former president said. "And they know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here. You have a [George] Soros-backed DA, and the whole thing, we didn't do a thing wrong."

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• Letitia James Posts Warning Message
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FACT SHEET: President   Biden Announces New Actions to Secure the   Border

New actions will bar migrants who cross our Southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum Biden taking action as Congressional Republicans put partisan politics ahead of national security, twice voting against toughest reforms in decades

Since his first day in office, President Biden has called on Congress to secure our border and address our broken immigration system. Over the past three years, while Congress has failed to act, the President has acted to secure our border. His Administration has deployed the most agents and officers ever to address the situation at the Southern border, seized record levels of illicit fentanyl at our ports of entry, and brought together world leaders on a framework to deal with changing migration patterns that are impacting the entire Western Hemisphere.  Earlier this year, the President and his team reached a historic bipartisan agreement with Senate Democrats and Republicans to deliver the most consequential reforms of America’s immigration laws in decades. This agreement would have added critical border and immigration personnel, invested in technology to catch illegal fentanyl, delivered sweeping reforms to the asylum system, and provided emergency authority for the President to shut down the border when the system is overwhelmed. But Republicans in Congress chose to put partisan politics ahead of our national security, twice voting against the toughest and fairest set of reforms in decades. President Biden believes we must secure our border. That is why today, he announced executive actions to bar migrants who cross our Southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum. These actions will be in effect when high levels of encounters at the Southern Border exceed our ability to deliver timely consequences, as is the case today. They will make it easier for immigration officers to remove those without a lawful basis to remain and reduce the burden on our Border Patrol agents. But we must be clear: this cannot achieve the same results as Congressional action, and it does not provide the critical personnel and funding needed to further secure our Southern border. Congress still must act. The Biden-Harris Administration’s executive actions will:   Bar Migrants Who Cross the Southern Border Unlawfully From Receiving Asylum

• President Biden issued a proclamation under Immigration and Nationality Act sections 212(f) and 215(a) suspending entry of noncitizens who cross the Southern border into the United States unlawfully. This proclamation is accompanied by an interim final rule from the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security that restricts asylum for those noncitizens.
• These actions will be in effect when the Southern border is overwhelmed, and they will make it easier for immigration officers to quickly remove individuals who do not have a legal basis to remain in the United States.
• These actions are not permanent. They will be discontinued when the number of migrants who cross the border between ports of entry is low enough for America’s system to safely and effectively manage border operations. These actions also include similar humanitarian exceptions to those included in the bipartisan border agreement announced in the Senate, including those for unaccompanied children and victims of trafficking.

Recent Actions to secure our border and address our broken immigration system: Strengthening the Asylum Screening Process

• The Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule to ensure that migrants who pose a public safety or national security risk are removed as quickly in the process as possible rather than remaining in prolonged, costly detention prior to removal. This proposed rule will enhance security and deliver more timely consequences for those who do not have a legal basis to remain in the United States.

Announced new actions to more quickly resolve immigration cases

• The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security launched a Recent Arrivals docket to more quickly resolve a portion of immigration cases for migrants who attempt to cross between ports of entry at the Southern border in violation of our immigration laws.
• Through this process, the Department of Justice will be able to hear these cases more quickly and the Department of Homeland Security will be able to more quickly remove individuals who do not have a legal basis to remain in the United States and grant protection to those with valid claims.
• The bipartisan border agreement would have created and supported an even more efficient framework for issuing final decisions to all asylum seekers. This new process to reform our overwhelmed immigration system can only be created and funded by Congress.

Revoked visas of CEOs and government officials who profit from migrants coming to the U.S. unlawfully

• The Department of State imposed visa restrictions on executives of several Colombian transportation companies who profit from smuggling migrants by sea. This action cracks down on companies that help facilitate unlawful entry into the United States, and sends a clear message that no one should profit from the exploitation of vulnerable migrants.
• The State Department also imposed visa restrictions on over 250 members of the Nicaraguan government, non-governmental actors, and their immediate family members for their roles in supporting the Ortega-Murillo regime, which is selling transit visas to migrants from within and beyond the Western Hemisphere who ultimately make their way to the Southern border.
• Previously, the State Department revoked visas of executives of charter airlines for similar actions.

Expanded Efforts to Dismantle Human Smuggling and Support Immigration Prosecutions

• The Departments of State and Justice launched an “Anti-Smuggling Rewards” initiative designed to dismantle the leadership of human smuggling organizations that bring migrants through Central America and across the Southern U.S. border. The initiative will offer financial rewards for information leading to the identification, location, arrest, or conviction of those most responsible for significant human smuggling activities in the region.
• The Department of Justice will seek new and increased penalties against human smugglers to properly account for the severity of their criminal conduct and the human misery that it causes.
• The Department of Justice is also partnering with the Department of Homeland Security to direct additional prosecutors and support staff to increase immigration-related prosecutions in crucial border U.S. Attorney’s Offices. Efforts include deploying additional DHS Special Assistant United States Attorneys to different U.S. Attorneys’ offices, assigning support staff to critical U.S. Attorneys’ offices, including DOJ Attorneys to serve details in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in several border districts, and partnering with federal agencies to identify additional resources to target these crimes.

Enhancing Immigration Enforcement

• The Department of Homeland Security has surged agents to the Southern border and is referring a record number of people into expedited removal.
• The Department of Homeland Security is operating more repatriation flights per week than ever before. Over the past year, DHS has removed or returned more than 750,000 people, more than in every fiscal year since 2010.
• Working closely with partners throughout the region, the Biden-Harris Administration is identifying and collaborating on enforcement efforts designed to stop irregular migration before migrants reach our Southern border, expand investment and integration opportunities in the region to support those who may otherwise seek to migrate, and increase lawful pathways for migrants as an alternative to irregular migration.

Seizing Fentanyl at our Border

• Border officials have seized more fentanyl at ports of entry in the last two years than the past five years combined, and the President has added 40 drug detection machines across points of entry to disrupt the fentanyl smuggling into the Homeland. The bipartisan border agreement would fund the installation of 100 additional cutting-edge inspection machines to help detect fentanyl at our Southern border ports of entry.
• In close partnership with the Government of Mexico, the Department of Justice has extradited Nestor Isidro Perez Salaz, known as “El Nini,” from Mexico to the United States to face prosecution for his role in illicit fentanyl trafficking and human rights abuses. This is one of many examples of joint efforts with Mexico to tackle the fentanyl and synthetic drug epidemic that is killing so many people in our countries and globally, and to hold the drug trafficking organizations to account.

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