To grab attention:
* "Imagine a world where..."
* "Have you ever wondered..."
* "Let's be honest, we all..."
* "The truth is,..."
* "I'm here to talk about something that's been weighing heavily on my mind..."
* "It's a privilege to stand before you today..."
To establish common ground:
* "We're all here today because..."
* "We share a common goal,..."
* "As we gather together, I'm struck by..."
* "It's important to remember that..."
To introduce the topic:
* "The topic of my speech today is..."
* "I'm going to talk about..."
* "My purpose here today is to..."
* "Let's delve into the world of..."
* "The focus of my presentation is..."
To tell a story:
* "It all started with..."
* "Once upon a time..."
* "I vividly remember the day..."
* "There's a story I want to share with you..."
* "This happened to me..."
To use humor:
* "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but..."
* "This is probably the only time you'll hear me say..."
* "Let's be real, we've all thought about..."
* "You know, I've been thinking about..."
To use a quote:
* "As [famous person] once said,..."
* "The great [famous person] once observed,..."
* "[Quote] - this statement has always resonated with me."
To be direct:
* "Let's cut to the chase..."
* "I'm not going to sugarcoat it..."
* "There's no easy way to say this, but..."
Remember to:
* Tailor your opening sentence to your audience and the overall tone of your speech.
* Keep it concise and impactful.
* Practice your opening line until it feels natural and confident.
Good luck with your speech!