The key to a great speech introduction: Say something true

Vital Speeches’ British Columbia bureau chief Lorne Christensen alerts us to an innovative speech introduction.

The first Chinese Canadian to play in the National Hockey League (for a total of one minute, back in 1948 with the N.Y. Rangers), Larry Kwong was recently inducted into the Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame.

“When the 88-year-old got up to give his acceptance speech he reportedly fumbled his notes before reaching into his jacket pocket for a large magnifying glass to read the speech,” Christensen reports.“According to the local paper, he then ‘floored the crowd’ with his opening line: ‘God, getting old is the shits.’

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Sometimes, Christensen says, “The unscripted opening lines are the best.”

How does he know it was unscripted?