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Pro tip: Don’t start a finance presentation with a joke

Unless: 

😂 It’s a good joke

😂 and you are good at telling jokes.

Therefore, for most of us: no jokes.

There is another serious reason not to start with a joke. The primacy-recency effect means your audience are more likely to remember the beginning and end of your presentation than the important bit in the middle. Do you want them to remember your joke or your message?

Instead of a joke, therefore, I suggest you start your presentation with a promise. Make a promise to the audience of the benefit they will get if they listen to what you are going to say. This also helps them know what they should be looking out for as you speak.

You could structure your presentation to reinforce your key message. You start by telling the audience what you are going to tell them, then you tell them, and you finish by telling them again what you have already told them.

Gary Bandy Limited is a company registered in Cardiff, number 5660437.

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