introduction of speech about love

Speech on Love

Love, a simple four-letter word, yet it holds a world of emotions within. It’s like a warm hug that soothes your heart and a force that moves mountains.

This feeling is not just about romance. It extends to friends, family, and even strangers. A kind smile, a helping hand, that’s love too.

1-minute Speech on Love

Ladies and gentlemen, today I stand before you to talk about a simple yet powerful word – Love. Love is not just a word, it is a feeling that can be as soft as a feather and as strong as a storm.

Love is like a beautiful song that touches your heart. When you love someone, you care for them more than yourself. You want to see them happy, even if it means giving up your own happiness. Love can make you do things you never thought you could. It gives you strength and courage. It’s like a light that brightens your path in the darkest times.

Love is also about understanding and respect. It’s about listening to each other, even when you disagree. Love is patient, it doesn’t rush. It waits, it understands, it forgives. It’s not just about saying “I love you”, it’s about showing it through your actions every day.

But remember, love is not just for others. It’s also about loving yourself. It’s about treating yourself with kindness and respect. You can’t truly love others until you learn to love yourself. It’s like a flower. You need to water it, give it sunlight, and protect it from harm, so it can bloom and spread its fragrance to the world.

So, let us all promise today to spread love everywhere we go. Let us not just say it, but show it in our actions. Let’s make the world a better place with love. Because love, my friends, is the most beautiful thing in the world.

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2-minute Speech on Love

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let’s talk about love. Love, a simple four-letter word, holds a universe of feelings. It’s like the sun, shining bright, spreading warmth, and making life beautiful. Love is what makes us kind, patient, and understanding. It’s a powerful force that can create miracles.

Think about your family. The people who care for you, who look out for you. Your parents, brothers, sisters, they all love you. They would do anything for you. That’s the magic of love. It makes us brave. It gives us the strength to move mountains if we need to. Love in a family is like the roots of a tree, it keeps us grounded, it gives us our identity.

Now, imagine your friends. People you laugh with, people you share your secrets with. They might not be related to you, but they love you and you love them. Love among friends is like a cool breeze on a hot day. It brings relief, comfort, and joy. It makes life fun. It helps us grow.

Then, there is the love that makes your heart race, that makes you feel butterflies in your stomach. Yes, I am talking about romantic love. When you fall in love, you see the world through rose-colored glasses. Everything seems wonderful. This love is like a beautiful song that you want to keep listening to. It gives life a new meaning.

But love is not always easy. Sometimes it can be tough. Sometimes it can hurt. But even when it hurts, it teaches us. It makes us grow. It makes us better. Like a rainstorm that may be scary but leaves the earth fresh and green, love can bring tears but also joy and growth.

Lastly, let’s not forget about self-love. The love you have for yourself. This love is like a mirror. It shows you who you really are. It helps you understand yourself. It makes you strong. It helps you to love others better.

So, let’s celebrate love. Let’s cherish it. Let’s spread it. Because love can change the world. It can bring peace. It can bring happiness.

In the end, love is all we need. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world. Love is not just a feeling, it’s a way of life. Let’s make love our way of life.

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How to Know When You Love Someone

Baby don't hurt me

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Emily is a board-certified science editor who has worked with top digital publishing brands like Voices for Biodiversity, Study.com, GoodTherapy, Vox, and Verywell.

Verywell / Laura Porter

• How Do You Know You're Feeling Love for Someone?

Is Love Influenced By Biology or Culture?

How to show love to another person.

• Tips for Cultivating

Negative Emotions Associated With Love

Take the love quiz.

When it comes to love, some people would say it is one of the most important human emotions . Love is a set of emotions and behaviors characterized by intimacy, passion, and commitment. It involves care, closeness, protectiveness, attraction, affection, and trust.

Many say it's not an emotion in the way we typically understand them, but an essential physiological drive. 

Love is a physiological motivation such as hunger, thirst, sleep, and sex drive.

There are countless songs, books, poems, and other works of art about love (you probably have one in mind as we speak!). Yet despite being one of the most studied behaviors, it is still the least understood. For example, researchers debate whether love is a biological or cultural phenomenon.

How Do You Know You're Feeling Love for Someone?

What are some of the signs of love? Researchers have made distinctions between feelings of liking and loving another person.

Zick Rubin's Scales of Liking and Loving

According to psychologist Zick Rubin, romantic love is made up of three elements:

• Attachment : Needing to be with another person and desiring physical contact and approval
• Caring : Valuing the other person's happiness and needs as much as your own
• Intimacy : Sharing private thoughts, feelings, and desires with the other person

Based on this view of romantic love, Rubin developed two questionnaires to measure these variables, known as Rubin's Scales of Liking and Loving . While people tend to view people they like as pleasant, love is marked by being devoted, possessive, and confiding in one another. 

Are There Different Types of Love?

Yup—not all forms of love are the same, and psychologists have identified a number of different types of love that people may experience.

These types of love include:

• Friendship : This type of love involves liking someone and sharing a certain degree of intimacy.
• Infatuation : This form of love often involves intense feelings of attraction without a sense of commitment; it often takes place early in a relationship and may deepen into a more lasting love.
• Passionate love : This type of love is marked by intense feelings of longing and attraction; it often involves an idealization of the other person and a need to maintain constant physical closeness.
• Compassionate/companionate love : This form of love is marked by trust, affection, intimacy, and commitment.
• Unrequited love : This form of love happens when one person loves another who does not return those feelings.

Robert Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love

Specifically, psychologist Robert Sternberg developed his well-regarded triangular theory of love in the early 1980s. Much research has built upon his work and demonstrated its universality across cultures.

Sternberg broke love into three components—intimacy, passion, and commitment—that interact to produce seven types of love .

Love is most likely influenced by both biology and culture. Although hormones and biology are important, the way we express and experience love is also influenced by our own conceptions of love.

Some researchers suggest that love is a basic human emotion just like happiness or anger, while others believe that it is a cultural phenomenon that arises partly due to social pressures and expectations. 

Research has found that romantic love exists in all cultures, which suggests that love has a strong biological component. It is a part of human nature to seek out and find love. However, culture can significantly affect how individuals think about, experience, and display romantic love.

Is Love an Emotion?

Psychologists, sociologists, and researchers disagree somewhat on the characterization of love. Many say it's not an emotion in the way we typically understand them, but an essential physiological drive. On the other hand, the American Psychological Association defines it as "a complex emotion." Still, others draw a distinction between primary and secondary emotions and put love in the latter category, maintaining that it derives from a mix of primary emotions.

There is no single way to practice love. Every relationship is unique, and each person brings their own history and needs. Some things that you can do to show love to the people you care about include:

• Be willing to be vulnerable.
• Be willing to forgive.
• Do your best, and be willing to apologize when you make mistakes.
• Let them know that you care.
• Listen to what they have to say.
• Prioritize spending time with the other person.
• Reciprocate loving gestures and acts of kindness.
• Recognize and acknowledge their good qualities.
• Share things about yourself.
• Show affection.
• Make it unconditional.

How Love Impacts Your Mental Health

Love, attachment, and affection have an important impact on well-being and quality of life. Loving relationships have been linked to:

• Lower risk of heart disease
• Decreased risk of dying after a heart attack
• Better health habits
• Increased longevity
• Lower stress levels
• Less depression
• Lower risk of diabetes

Tips for Cultivating Love

Lasting relationships are marked by deep levels of trust, commitment, and intimacy. Some things that you can do to help cultivate loving relationships include:

• Try loving-kindness meditation. Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) is a technique often used to promote self-acceptance and reduce stress, but it has also been shown to promote a variety of positive emotions and improve interpersonal relationships. LKM involves meditating while thinking about a person you love or care about, concentrating on warm feelings and your desire for their well-being and happiness.
• Communicate. Everyone's needs are different. The best way to ensure that your needs and your loved one's needs are met is to talk about them. Helping another person feel loved involves communicating that love to them through words and deeds. Some ways to do this include showing that you care, making them feel special, telling them they are loved , and doing things for them.
• Tackle conflict in a healthy way . Never arguing is not necessarily a sign of a healthy relationship—more often than not, it means that people are avoiding an issue rather than discussing it. Rather than avoid conflict, focus on hashing out issues in ways that are healthy in order to move a relationship forward in a positive way. 

As Shakespeare said, the course of love never did run smooth. Love can vary in intensity and can change over time. It is associated with a range of positive emotions, including happiness, excitement, life satisfaction, and euphoria, but it can also result in negative emotions such as jealousy and stress.

No relationship is perfect, so there will always be problems, conflicts, misunderstandings, and disappointments that can lead to distress or heartbreak.

Some of the potential pitfalls of experiencing love include:

• Increased stress
• Obsessiveness
• Possessiveness

While people are bound to experience some negative emotions associated with love, it can become problematic if those negative feelings outweigh the positive or if they start to interfere with either person's ability to function normally. Relationship counseling can be helpful in situations where couples need help coping with miscommunication, stress, or emotional issues.

History of Love

Only fairly recently has love become the subject of science. In the past, the study of love was left to "the creative writer to depict for us the necessary conditions for loving," according to Sigmund Freud . "In consequence, it becomes inevitable that science should concern herself with the same materials whose treatment by artists has given enjoyment to mankind for thousands of years," he added.  

Research on love has grown tremendously since Freud's remarks. But early explorations into the nature and reasons for love drew considerable criticism. During the 1970s, U.S. Senator William Proxmire railed against researchers who were studying love and derided the work as a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Despite early resistance, research has revealed the importance of love in both child development and adult health.  

Our fast and free love quiz can help you determine if what you've got is the real deal or simply a temporary fling or infatuation.

Burunat E. Love is not an emotion .  Psychology . 2016;07(14):1883. doi:10.4236/psych.2016.714173

Karandashev V. A Cultural Perspective on Romantic Love .  ORPC. 2015;5(4):1-21. doi:10.9707/2307-0919.1135

Rubin Z. Lovers and Other Strangers: The Development of Intimacy in Encounters and Relationships: Experimental studies of self-disclosure between strangers at bus stops and in airport departure lounges can provide clues about the development of intimate relationships . American Scientist. 1974;62(2):182-190.

Langeslag SJ, van Strien JW. Regulation of Romantic Love Feelings: Preconceptions, Strategies, and Feasibility .  PLoS One . 2016;11(8):e0161087. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0161087

• Sorokowski P, Sorokowska A, Karwowski M, et al.  Universality of the triangular theory of love: adaptation and psychometric properties of the triangular love scale in 25 countries .  J Sex Res . 2021;58(1):106-115. doi:10.1080/00224499.2020.1787318

American Psychological Association. APA Dictionary of Psychology .

Wong CW, Kwok CS, Narain A, et al. Marital status and risk of cardiovascular diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis .  Heart . 2018;104(23):1937‐1948. doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2018-313005

Robards J, Evandrou M, Falkingham J, Vlachantoni A. Marital status, health and mortality .  Maturitas . 2012;73(4):295‐299. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2012.08.007

Teo AR, Choi H, Valenstein M. Social Relationships and Depression: Ten-Year Follow-Up from a Nationally Representative Study . PLoS One . 2013;8(4):e62396. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062396

Roberson PNE, Fincham F. Is relationship quality linked to diabetes risk and management?: It depends on what you look at . Fam Syst Health. 2018;36(3):315-326. doi:10.1037/fsh0000336

He X, Shi W, Han X, Wang N, Zhang N, Wang X. The interventional effects of loving-kindness meditation on positive emotions and interpersonal interactions .  Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat . 2015;11:1273‐1277. doi:10.2147/NDT.S79607

Freud S. The Freud Reader . New York: W. W. Norton & Company; 1995.

Winston R, Chicot R. The importance of early bonding on the long-term mental health and resilience of children . London J Prim Care (Abingdon). 2016;8(1):12-14. doi:10.1080/17571472.2015.1133012

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

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A Short Speech on Love ❤️

Love, surprisingly, has been equated with emotions. But is it all that is there to it? Emotions keep changing; don’t they? Today, you feel madly in love with someone; when the sun rises the next day you wonder where all the “love” you felt yesterday has gone; don’t you?

So love does not properly belong to the realm of emotions; though emotions do colour our love with all kinds of splashes. Then what is love?

It is basically a decision to hold the other person in the highest esteem , value him or her above all else, and cherish that person like no other and hold him or her so close and dear to one’s heart.

Love is not about getting; it is about giving. Love is not about selfishness; it is about sacrifice. Love is not about being on top of the charts; it is about humility, the willingness to serve. Love is not about bragging; it is about doing things for the other without advertising. Love is not about covering up evil; it is about being transparent and living in the light. Love is not about falsehood; it is about speaking the truth.

Love is not static; it grows. The love of a parent for a child grows along with years; the love of a husband for his wife ideally should grow along with years and vice versa. The limitless potential for growth, for discovery, for being surprised, for finding joy in little things, are all what makes love, love.

Finally, we cannot think on love without thinking of God. The well known passage in the Bible speaks about love in this compelling way: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” * Not one of us can earn this love; but each one of us can respond to it.

So love is a response as well. Wishing you an ever-increasing capacity to respond to God’s everlasting love for you, the love of the members of your family , your friends and colleagues, and all those whom you come into contact with. At times when you respond in love to hate and evil behaviour, the other is also constrained to love!

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“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered , it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

— 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 Bible

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Love: A Very Short Introduction

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Do we love someone for their virtue, their beauty, or their moral qualities? Are love’s characteristic desires altruistic or selfish? What do the sciences tell us about love? Many of the answers given to such questions are determined not so much by the facts of human nature as by the ideology of love. Love: A Very Short Introduction considers some of the many paradoxes raised by love, looking at the different kinds of love—affections, affiliation, philia, storge, agape —before focusing on eros , or ‘romantic’ love. It considers whether our conventional beliefs about love and sex are deeply irrational and argues that alternative conceptions of love and sex may be worth striving for.

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Speech Writing

Introduction Speech

Introduction Speech - A Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

11 min read

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Introduction speeches are all around us. Whenever we meet a new group of people in formal settings, we have to introduce ourselves. That’s what an introduction speech is all about.

When you're facing a formal audience, your ability to deliver a compelling introductory speech can make a lot of difference. With the correct approach, you can build credibility and connections.

In this blog, we'll take you through the steps to craft an impactful introduction speech. You’ll also get examples and valuable tips to ensure you leave a lasting impression.

So, let's dive in!

• 1. What is an Introduction Speech? 
• 2. How to Write an Introduction Speech?
• 3. Introduction Speech Outline
• 4. 7 Ways to Open an Introduction Speech
• 5. Introduction Speech Example
• 6. Introduction Speech Ideas
• 7. Tips for Delivering the Best Introduction Speech

What is an Introduction Speech? 

An introduction speech, or introductory address, is a brief presentation at the beginning of an event or public speaking engagement. Its primary purpose is to establish a connection with the audience and to introduce yourself or the main speaker.

This type of speech is commonly used in a variety of situations, including:

• Public Speaking: When you step onto a stage to address a large crowd, you start with an introduction to establish your presence and engage the audience.
• Networking Events: When meeting new people in professional or social settings, an effective introduction speech can help you make a memorable first impression.
• Formal Gatherings: From weddings to conferences, introductions set the tone for the event and create a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

In other words, an introduction speech is simply a way to introduce yourself to a crowd of people. 

How to Write an Introduction Speech?

Before you can just go and deliver your speech, you need to prepare for it. Writing a speech helps you organize your ideas and prepare your speech effectively. 

Here is how to introduce yourself in a speech.

• Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience is crucial. Consider their interests, backgrounds, and expectations to tailor your introduction accordingly.

For instance, the audience members could be your colleagues, new classmates, or various guests depending on the occasion. Understanding your audience will help you decide what they are expecting from you as a speaker.

• Start with a Hook

Begin with a captivating opening line that grabs your audience's attention. This could be a surprising fact, a relevant quote, or a thought-provoking question about yourself or the occasion.

• Introduce Yourself

Introduce yourself to the audience. State your name, occupation, or other details relevant to the occasion. You should mention the reason for your speech clearly. It will build your credibility and give the readers reasons to stay with you and read your speech.

• Keep It Concise

So how long is an introduction speech?

Introduction speeches should be brief and to the point. Aim for around 1-2 minutes in most cases. Avoid overloading the introduction with excessive details.

• Highlight Key Points

Mention the most important information that establishes the speaker's credibility or your own qualifications. Write down any relevant achievements, expertise, or credentials to include in your speech. Encourage the audience to connect with you using relatable anecdotes or common interests.

• Rehearse and Edit

Practice your introduction speech to ensure it flows smoothly and stays within the time frame. Edit out any unnecessary information, ensuring it's concise and impactful.

• Tailor for the Occasion

Adjust the tone and content of your introduction speech to match the formality and purpose of the event. What works for a business conference may not be suitable for a casual gathering.

Introduction Speech Outline

To assist you in creating a structured and effective introduction speech, here's a simple outline that you can follow:

Here is an example outline for a self-introduction speech.

Outline for Self-Introduction Speech

7 Ways to Open an Introduction Speech

You can start your introduction speech as most people do:

“Hello everyone, my name is _____. I will talk about _____. Thank you so much for having me. So first of all _______”

However, this is the fastest way to make your audience lose interest. Instead, you should start by captivating your audience’s interest. Here are 7 ways to do that:

• Quote  

Start with a thought-provoking quote that relates to your topic or the occasion. E.g. "Mahatma Gandhi once said, 'You must be the change you want to see in the world."

• Anecdote or Story

Begin with a brief, relevant anecdote or story that draws the audience in. It could be a story about yourself or any catchy anecdote to begin the flow of your speech.

Pose a rhetorical question to engage the audience's curiosity and involvement. For example, "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel back in time, to experience a moment in history?”

• Statistic or Fact

Share a surprising statistic or interesting fact that underscores the significance of your speech. E.g. “Did you know that as of today, over 60% of the world's population has access to the internet?”

• “What If” Scenario

Paint a vivid "What if" scenario that relates to your topic, sparking the audience's imagination and curiosity. For example, "What if I told you that a single decision today could change the course of your life forever?"

• Ignite Imagination  

Encourage the audience to envision a scenario related to your topic. For instance, "Imagine a world where clean energy powers everything around us, reducing our carbon footprint to almost zero."

Start your introduction speech with a moment of silence, allowing the audience to focus and anticipate your message. This can be especially powerful in creating a sense of suspense and intrigue.

Introduction Speech Example

To help you understand how to put these ideas into practice, here are the introduction speech examples for different scenarios.

Introduction Speech Writing Sample

Short Introduction Speech Sample

Self Introduction Speech for College Students

Introduction Speech about Yourself

Student Presentation Introduction Speech Script

Teacher Introduction Speech

New Employee Self Introduction Speech

Introduction Speech for Chief Guest

Moreover, here is a video example of a self introduction. Watch it to understand how you should deliver your speech:

Want to read examples for other kinds of speeches? Find the best speeches at our blog about speech examples !

Introduction Speech Ideas

So now that you’ve understood what an introduction speech is, you may want to write one of your own. So what should you talk about?

The following are some ideas to start an introduction speech for a presentation, meeting, or social gathering in an engaging way. 

• Personal Story: Share a brief personal story or an experience that has shaped you, introducing yourself on a deeper level.
• Professional Background: Introduce yourself by highlighting your professional background, including your career achievements and expertise.
• Hobby or Passion: Discuss a hobby or passion that you're enthusiastic about, offering insights into your interests and what drives you.
• Volunteer Work: Introduce yourself by discussing your involvement in volunteer work or community service, demonstrating your commitment to making a difference.
• Travel Adventures: Share anecdotes from your travel adventures, giving the audience a glimpse into your love for exploring new places and cultures.
• Books or Literature: Provide an introduction related to a favorite book, author, or literary work, revealing your literary interests.
• Achievements and Milestones: Highlight significant achievements and milestones in your life or career to introduce yourself with an impressive track record.
• Cultural Heritage: Explore your cultural heritage and its influence on your identity, fostering a sense of cultural understanding.
• Social or Environmental Cause: Discuss your dedication to a particular social or environmental cause, inviting the audience to join you in your mission.
• Future Aspirations: Share your future goals and aspirations, offering a glimpse into what you hope to achieve in your personal or professional life.

You can deliver engaging speeches on all kinds of topics. Here is a list of entertaining speech topics to get inspiration.

Tips for Delivering the Best Introduction Speech

Here are some tips for you to write a perfect introduction speech in no time. 

Now that you know how to write an effective introduction speech, let's focus on the delivery. The way you present your introduction is just as important as the content itself. 

Here are some valuable tips to ensure you deliver a better introduction speech:

• Maintain Eye Contact 

Make eye contact with the audience to establish a connection. This shows confidence and engages your listeners.

• Use Appropriate Body Language 

Your body language should convey confidence and warmth. Stand or sit up straight, use open gestures, and avoid fidgeting.

• Mind Your Pace

Speak at a moderate pace, avoiding rapid speech. A well-paced speech is easier to follow and more engaging.

• Avoid Filler Words

Minimize the use of filler words such as "um," "uh," and "like." They can be distracting and detract from your message.

• Be Enthusiastic

Convey enthusiasm about the topic or the speaker. Your energy can be contagious and inspire the audience's interest.

• Practice, Practice, Practice

Rehearse your speech multiple times. Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself, or seek feedback from others.

• Be Mindful of Time

Stay within the allocated time for your introduction. Going too long can make your speech too boring for the audience.

• Engage the Audience

Encourage the audience's participation. You could do that by asking rhetorical questions, involving them in a brief activity, or sharing relatable anecdotes.

Mistakes to Avoid in an Introduction Speech

While crafting and delivering an introduction speech, it's important to be aware of common pitfalls that can diminish its effectiveness. Avoiding these mistakes will help you create a more engaging and memorable introduction. 

Here are some key mistakes to steer clear of:

• Rambling On

One of the most common mistakes is making the introduction too long. Keep it concise and to the point. The purpose is to set the stage, not steal the spotlight.

• Lack of Preparation

Failing to prepare adequately can lead to stumbling, awkward pauses, or losing your train of thought. Rehearse your introduction to build confidence.

• Using Jargon or Complex Language

Avoid using technical jargon or complex language that may confuse the audience. Your introduction should be easily understood by everyone.

• Being Too Generic

A generic or uninspiring introduction can set a lackluster tone. Ensure your introduction is tailored to the event and speaker, making it more engaging.

• Using Inappropriate Humor

Be cautious with humor, as it can easily backfire. Avoid inappropriate or potentially offensive jokes that could alienate the audience.

• Not Tailoring to the Occasion

An introduction should be tailored to the specific event's formality and purpose. A one-size-fits-all approach may not work in all situations.

To Conclude,

An introduction speech is more than just a formality. It's an opportunity to engage, inspire, and connect with your audience in a meaningful way. 

With the help of this blog, you're well-equipped to shine in various contexts. So, step onto that stage, speak confidently, and captivate your audience from the very first word.

Moreover, you’re not alone in your journey to becoming a confident introducer. If you ever need assistance in preparing your speech, let the experts help you out.

MyPerfectWords.com offers a reputable essay writing service with experienced professionals who can craft tailored introductions, ensuring your speech makes a lasting impact.

Don't hesitate; hire our professional speech writing service to deliver top-quality speeches at your deadline!

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Dr. Barbara is a highly experienced writer and author who holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from an Ivy League school. She has worked in the medical field for many years, conducting extensive research on various health topics. Her writing has been featured in several top-tier publications.

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Famous Speeches Sure to Inspire Your Next Declaration of Love

By Marisa Polansky and Kristine Keller

Whether it’s your new boo, your old BFF, or your tattooed barista, someone in your life is worthy of a little love. But articulating the abstract, undefinable feeling of l-o-v-e can be a pain in the . . . you know what.

We’ve worked on many beautiful speeches, but the most memorable professions of love? They don’t hold anything back. They’re honest and enthusiastic and unforgivingly passionate. So to help you express yourself like a pro, we’ve compiled a list of top speeches sure to inspire declarations of love to just about anyone in your life.   

For your significant other who supports you from afar—and with whom you wish you had more red carpet photos: Ryan Gosling wins a Golden Globe in 2017 and takes the opportunity to thank his behind-the-scenes support system, Eva Mendes. And while the rest of us might have fawned more than Mendes, it had to have made her knees at least a little weak. Gosling reminds us that when it comes to a happily ever after, it takes two. (Minutes 0:55–1:33)

   For your never-could-there-ever-be-a-smarter-cooler-stronger soulmate: The mic drop heard ’round the world. Though you’ll likely not be speaking to your sweetheart as the president of the United States, take a cue from number 44, who keeps it real in the most unreal of circumstances. In his last speech as POTUS, Obama applauds Michelle’s ability to take on the First Lady role “with grace, and with grit, and with style.” And if you’re lucky enough to find yourself a Michelle, you’ll need to deliver many speeches like this. She deserves it.

   For that person who seeks light in the darkness: At a time when the world is at risk of forgetting the importance of love, Lin-Manuel Miranda has the perfect message to remind us that, “Love is love is love is love is love is love is love, cannot be killed or swept aside.” His words at the 2016 Tony’s spotlight the idea that love and kindness really can conquer all. (Minutes 1:50–2:46)

By Leah Faye Cooper

By Hannah Jackson

By Alice Newbold

   For your best and oldest friend who inspires you—and looks real good in a tuxedo: Before Barack and Joe, there was Matt and Ben, whose friendship inspired bromances, matching necklaces, and a Mindy Kaling off-Broadway play. From Beantown to Tinseltown, the pair shows us how best to conquer the world with your best friend forever. Their 1997 Academy Awards speech reminds us that before Gigli and Bourne , they were just two dudes from Boston with a lot of enthusiasm for some guy named Chris Moore. (Minutes 0:45–1:52)

For all the old friends who made you a survivor: Let’s face it: Not everyone is meant to be in your life for always. But even those once-upon-a-time friends were there at a time when you needed them. Or, if you’re Beyoncé, they, ya know, helped make you Beyoncé. In the classiest speech to ever grace the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, Queen Bey thanks all the founding members of Destiny’s Child, saying their name (saying their name) before she—bonus—calls out Jay Z in the cutest shout-out ever. (Minutes 9:00–10:53)

   For the people who maybe you don’t always get along with but, hey, there’s love for them too: At the Screen Actors Guild Awards last month, Mahershala Ali proves there’s enough love to go around and that, sometimes, differences can be beautiful. Just as you’ll always have people in your life who disagree with you, you’ll always have a choice on how to react to them. So why not choose love? (From 1:00–2:00, or the whole speech)

For a parent who inspired you and put up with all your ridiculous hairdos: At the 2014 Academy Awards, Jared Leto tells the unlikely story of a young high school dropout who, against all odds, creates a happy life for her family. Spoiler alert: That girl is his mother and her child now has an Oscar. Let this speech be your inspiration when thanking Mom and Dad, whose early struggles paved the way for your achievements. (Minutes 1:36–2:24)

For all the people who make you feel seen and appreciated and validated: It’s hard to believe that a goddess like Sally Field could ever feel unlikable—and yet, her Academy Awards speech from 1985 tells otherwise. Though it’s famously misquoted as “You like me! You really like me!” the sentiment holds true. Sometimes external validation ain’t such a bad thing. This Valentine’s Day, maybe it’s your turn to do a little validating. (From 3:20–3:50)

   For the coworker you’ve thanked too silently in the past: Sometimes people need to hear your appreciation a little bit louder now. Here, Cuba Gooding Jr. accepts his 1997 Oscar by literally shouting praise to those who helped him along the way. Let this speech inspire your own standing ovation for all the coworkers who’ve helped you organize Outlook. (1:10–1:57)

   For your insanely precocious daughter who inspires your funniest one-liners: They may pick their noses in your presence. They may make you park seven blocks away when you pick them up from school. But your kids also challenge you to look at life through a different lens, making you a little wiser and, most likely, a lot funnier. At the 2009 SAG Awards, Tina Fey shows us the right way to say thank you for using all my makeup. (2:28–3:24)

Marisa Polansky and Kristine Keller are the founders of Speech Tank , a concierge speech-writing service in New York City.

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2 Minute Speech On Love In English

Good morning to everyone in this room. I’d want to thank the principal, the teachers, and my dear friends for allowing me to speak to you today about the love. The most important thing in a person’s life is love. It is covered in every branch of science and every great work of literature. Humans are social beings as well.

We have been living this way for ages; we rely on one another to tell us how our clothes fit and whether we seem healthy or thin. We receive the frank opinions of individuals who care about us, love us, and prioritize our happiness in all of these matters.

With intense feelings of attachment, love is a collection of feelings, actions, and beliefs. So a person may declare, for instance, that they love their dog, freedom, or God. The idea of love could transform into something unfathomable, and it might also occur to each individual differently.

Love may have many different attitudes, sentiments, and emotions. For some people, love is an emotional bond rather than merely a physical interest in another person. We might say that a person’s love for another person is more of a feeling. So, to feel more than just like someone is to experience love.

Love is a special gift that may mold us and our lives. As a result, we can say that love is a fundamental human need. It is essential to our way of life, to society, and relationships. In a trying period, it provides us with energy and motivation. Finally, we can conclude that it surpasses all other aspects of existence. Thank you. 

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Three Powerful Lessons About Love

It’s been 20 years since daniel jones started modern love as a weekly column in the new york times. today, he shares what the job has taught him about love..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

Love now and always.

Did you fall in love?

Just tell her I love her.

Love is stronger than anything you can feel.

For the love.

And I love you more than anything.

(SINGING) What is love?

Here’s to love.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Anna Martin. This is “Modern Love.” This year marks the 20th anniversary of the “Modern Love” column. 20 years — can you believe that? Two decades of essays that have made us laugh, made us gasp, broken our hearts, reminded us of the fundamental goodness of people. And let’s be honest — a lot of these essays should come with tissues. It’s kind of our thing here, making you cry.

To mark this big anniversary, we’ve got a conversation with “Modern Love” founder Daniel Jones. Dan has edited around 1,000 essays since the first one ran back in 2004. And when you spend all your professional time contemplating human connection, that work doesn’t stay at the office. It impacts you in profound ways. So, today, Dan shares the three essays that have changed the way he approaches love and relationships in his own life. And at the end of the show, stay tuned for a very exciting announcement about the rest of our season.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

So, it feels strange to say what I say to guests on the show, which is welcome, because, really, you welcomed me into this universe. So instead of saying welcome, I’m going to say, Dan Jones, hello, and thank you so much.

It is great to be back here.

The “Modern Love” column has been around for almost 20 years, which is a long time. And I do not say this in a rude way, but that also means that you are 20 years older than you were when you started it. Is there anything that’s happened in your life over those two decades that has changed your approach to the work or reframed it in some way?

I’ve gone from being young to less young over that time.

Delicately put.

I started the column with children who are now very much adults and have gone through their own breakups and traumas and all of that and got out into the world and gotten jobs. My marriage of 29 years came to an amicable end. My father died two months ago, and there’s been a lot of tough family time since then. But I feel like my life was pretty stable during the family child rearing years. And then, oddly timed to the pandemic, I have to say — [LAUGHS]

As happened to many, yeah.

It just like opened up, and it was like the column was saying to me, OK, you’re going to experience the whole range of what you’ve been putting out there. And interestingly enough, I feel like working on the column for all these years has given me sort of touchstones and tools — and not just for me, for other people, too — to be able to navigate difficult times in life. It feels like this churning reservoir of human experience that sort of feeds into your veins if you are open to it.

I love what you said that you gave so much to the column. And now you’re in this place in your career and your life where it’s giving back to you. I mean, what a —

It’s like an annuity program.

It’s like — yeah, it’s like a 401(k). [LAUGHS]

Right, right. Exactly.

It’s like a Roth IRA.

It’s the “Modern Love” 401(k).

That’s a sexy way to say it, right?

You know? I’m withdrawing. I’m getting close to the age where I’m going to be forced to withdraw. So, it’s a good thing.

People are loving this metaphor. OK, so that’s where you are now, but when you were starting the column, did you see yourself as an expert in relationships or in romance?

I wasn’t great at romantic relationships. I was like, how does this work? How does this work? I was really terrible at it in high school. I was really terrible at it in college. I still found it really hard. My first girlfriend in grad school.

Took you a while.

But very slow learning, very shy. But I think just the weightiness of romantic relationships is a scary thing.

And I wasn’t paralyzed with fear or anything. Like, I just — I assumed I’d get married and have a family. Like all those things were just assumptions and didn’t seem all that hard to make happen, in a way. But the complications of relationships and loss and just all those big things, I felt like those were things that happened to somebody else. Those were out there and were these deep, dark wells that I hadn’t really experienced and didn’t have a sense of how to navigate.

Hmm. How did the people in your life react when you told them like, hey, I got a new gig. I will be covering love and relationships at “The New York Times.” How did people react?

Some people were just — they were surprised that that would be my subject and that would be my beat, in a way. To me, I don’t think of love and relationships as being a beat. I think of it as being like the center of all life. It’s like, it’s not off to the side.

Say that, mm-hmm.

It’s the center of things. Honestly, I don’t like the word “romance.” It just feels like shallow and —

— schlocky and whatever. But the word “love” has it all. It’s like that’s the core of human existence, it seems to me. It’s the stuff of life and loss and death and yearning and dreaming and all of that stuff.

Mm. Have you come to that understanding of these stories about love are really stories about life? Did you enter into the column, the early days of this column, with that understanding, or has that been worked out over 20 years of editing these pieces?

We started that way a little intentionally. We made it clear that the stories were not just about romantic relationships. It was family relationships and friendships and parenthood and the whole sort of gamut of human love and bonds. And in coming up with a title, “Modern Love,” we wanted an umbrella that was sort of wide enough to encompass love.

And the “modern” part of it could mean a lot of things. To me, it meant something that was contemporary, like a way we connect that we didn’t use to, the way we use technology, the way we have children that we didn’t use to, all of those ways that are now. And we just thought “modern” would cover that piece of it.

OK, so, another big part of the column is that it’s totally based on reader submissions, meaning anyone can send in their idea for a story, and you select the ones you want to edit and then publish. Why did you go with that submission model, as opposed to commissioning stories from famous writers or other well-known people?

I just thought, let’s just open the floodgates and see what comes in. I didn’t realize at the time what a great idea that was because —

[LAUGHS]: I realized later, I’m a genius.

I’m a frickin’ genius for coming up with that, but not like it’s any kind of new idea. But for this kind of a forum, it was essential. And as an example, just a few weeks ago, we published a story by a Bangladeshi immigrant who’d been a taxi driver in New York, in an arranged marriage from Bangladesh. Had won the visa lottery and moved here, and they settled in Queens. They had a daughter. She became a doctor.

And I asked him, what made you write this story, your love story from 30 years ago and bringing it up to now? What made you submit it? And he said, oh, I’ve been reading “Modern Love” for 20 years.

You know? I’m reading it every week. And he wasn’t a writer. He’d just been reading the column and thought —

— I have a story. All these people who have stories, they read stories, they think, what about my story? And that’s something I was late in realizing, that it was just — it had drawn stories out of people who otherwise would not have told them. It felt a safe space for them. They thought, well, other people have done it.

So I could do it, too.

When we come back, Dan chooses the three essays that taught him the most about love, with a little help from Jake Gyllenhaal and Connie Britton. Stay with us.

All right, so, Dan, can you please kick us off with the first essay you want to talk about?

Yeah, so this is an essay. It’s called “One Bouquet of Fleeting Beauty, Please.” And the writer is named Alisha Gorder. And this is a story that begins with a young woman working in a flower shop describing the kinds of customers who come in, the kinds of flower bouquets that they’d buy and for what reason. And you think you’re in this light, airy story about a flower shop.

And then about halfway through, it takes a plunge into this really troubling backstory where her high school boyfriend had died by suicide at age 18, and it throws what she’s talking about and the flower shop into a whole new context. And in the end, it turns into a meditation of why flowers, why are these the things that people rely on for these important transitions and moments in life, and comes to a wisdom at the end that has just stayed with me ever since.

And longtime listeners will remember that this essay was featured on the podcast years ago, back when we had celebrities and voice actors read the essays. Let’s hear a part of this one performed, I think, really tenderly by the actor, Kerry Bishé.

There’s a picture I took of him just days before I left for college, two months before he died. It was the summer of chips and guacamole dinners we shared, sitting on the living room floor. He’s standing in the kitchen wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, one perfect half of an avocado cradled in his hand. His face is turned away, hidden from the camera, but I like to think he’s smiling.

I remember the song we were listening to, the chatter of frogs through the screen door, my bare feet on wood. Precious moments made all the more precious by the fact that they have already come and gone.

Now I measure months by what’s in season — sunflowers in July, dahlias in August, rose hips and maple in October, pine in December, hyacinth in March, crowdpleasing peonies in May.

A favorite of mine is tulip magnolia, the way the buds erupt into blooms and the blooms into a litter of color on lawns, all in a matter of weeks while it’s snowing cherry blossoms. How startlingly beautiful impermanence can be.

You said that it’s that ending and, in fact, it’s that final line that really speaks to you. Can you tell me what you learn or take away from that line?

It’s sort of grown on me how startlingly beautiful impermanence can be. It’s not that love or connection is beautiful and impermanent. It’s beautiful because it’s impermanent.

And the fleeting nature of any connection is what makes it precious and what makes it beautiful. And the way that she saw this in petals on the ground that are soon to dry up and go away, but the beauty is in that it won’t last.

I mean, there’s this section, I think, a little bit earlier than that when she even poses the question quite directly, like, why flowers? Why do we give these things that are going to shrivel and die?

Just to throw away, yeah.

And I love what you’re saying. It’s not despite the impermanence. It’s really loving because of it, because our time is —

Mm-hmm. That is the arc of life. It’s shortened with flower blossoms, but that is it. It sometimes lasts a long time, sometimes a short time. But it will always feel fleeting in a way, that level of beauty.

What does this essay make you think about in terms of your own life or your own relationships?

To me, it’s about — I mean, it’s a buzzword we always hear about, but here, it really comes home to roost, is presence, is being present. And it’s always the hardest thing, for me, for a lot of people, appreciating what you have now, and not thinking about what you’re building toward and what you’re accumulating wealth for and what’s to come, but the connections you have now that are beautiful in the moment, and not fearing that you’re going to lose them — because you are. That’s a certainty.

But just being able to be present and appreciate them and the fact that it’s this young woman who was able to artfully, in the midst of grief, compose such a beautiful piece that teaches that is just miraculous to me.

I mean, you mentioned earlier that your dad recently passed. Did you return to this essay then? Was it in the back of your mind as you were processing all that?

It must have been because I was scrolling through the archive and saw that illustration and clicked on it. And I did see it in a new way. I remembered how much I appreciated it at the time, but I was able to hold it together here. But when I read it aloud to a friend who obviously was sitting there when I was rereading it, I couldn’t get through the final lines. I was really broken up by it.

It sounds like this piece resonated with you and spoke to you in a different way years later, which is really powerful. Do you want to talk about the next essay?

Yeah, so this one is called “Nursing a Wound in an Appropriate Setting.” It’s written by Thomas Hooven, who is a doctor. He’s not a writer. But you would never know that —

No, you would not.

— from reading this incredible essay. And I think about this essay all the time. This was published in 2013. He describes his relationship with his longtime girlfriend before he goes to medical school. They knew each other for 12 years. They were both the children of divorce and of unstable households that were scary. And they gave each other a sense of safety. He describes their relationship as being no fighting. Fighting was what their parents did.

Fighting would threaten their equilibrium, yeah.

Fighting would threaten their love. And so, it was a sort of a flat, safe relationship. They were together for 12 years. They got engaged. He was about to head off to medical school. And then, she abruptly broke up with him. I think there were only a few weeks from their marriage —

— from their wedding.

Three weeks.

Three weeks, OK.

And he was just — devastated doesn’t begin to describe it. And he goes off to medical school or his residency, and it’s sort of his boot camp in feelings and complications and devastation and real life, like real life. And then after this sort of time in the wilderness in his residency and going through all this, he learns what real love is.

Yeah, I mean, his idea of what real love is at the end of the essay is so powerful. This essay was also featured on an early season of the podcast. So here’s Jake Gyllenhaal reading Thomas Hooven’s essay, “Nursing a Wound in an Appropriate Setting.”

Yeah, this one is so great.

My ex and I are not in touch. Our relationship, so long in the making and so quick to end, was like an ornamental piece of crystal. Aesthetically pleasing but lacking resilience and, once shattered, irrecoverable.

Looking back at the various romantic and not so romantic dating experiences I had afterwards, it’s hard to separate my growth as an emotionally conversant partner from my development as a capable physician. Both happened simultaneously and gradually through stretches of triumph and sorrow. There were no Eureka moments, and neither ever really ended.

The turmoil I experienced as an intern left me with a deeper understanding of how pain works, how it feels, how it ebbs, and how it leaves you less naive. I also learned to open up to important facets of life that my previous relationship had locked out — unhappiness, uncertainty, and regret. Comfort around feelings like these is crucial in both medicine and intimate relationships. It’s the basis of empathy.

I didn’t understand that before my ex left me, and I learned it the hard way.

By the time I met my wife, I was a changed man and a real doctor. And our love developed differently from any I had ever experienced before. Less like a crystal vase, more like a basketball, our relationship is made for bouncing, for good and sometimes rough play that modern professional lives generate. We do have fights — oh, yes, we do. But they do not threaten our foundation — they deepen it.

Tell me what you take away about Thomas’s articulation of what real love is. What is he saying?

Well, this is one of these essays that I feel like mirrored my experience in a way. Like, I didn’t come from a family of turmoil. But I’m afraid of conflict, total fear of conflict. Don’t like to fight, don’t like to argue. My idea of a successful, romantic, loving relationship was being in a harmonious space all the time — or not all the time. Sometimes you’d be bored, but you wouldn’t be fighting.

And so, this idea that fighting can bring you closer is revolutionary to me. It still is revolutionary to me. And not only that it can bring you closer, but it’s the only thing to bring you closer and the only thing to deepen your relationship.

Fighting can lead to end a relationship definitely, but the only way forward and the only way deeper is through conflict and resolving conflicts to a new understanding of the relationship and who you’re with and the person you’re with and getting to know them better and all of that. And I don’t know what business he has writing this well about —

You’re like, listen —

It’s not fair to be like a doctor —

— you’re already a doctor.

— and — I know, and also to be able to write this well about and understand love this well and loss and conflict and depth. It’s remarkable.

Mm. So are you like fighting all the time now?

I still need to learn how to fight better.

Let’s talk about the final essay. This is an essay by Elizabeth Fitzsimmons. It’s called “My First Lesson in Motherhood.” Can you tell me what that essay’s about?

Yeah, so this is a piece that ran on Mother’s Day way back in 2007. And it’s yet another one that takes a really dramatic turn — several dramatic turns. And it’s an essay about bravery when you didn’t think you had the capacity for it. It’s a couple who are having trouble getting pregnant and decide to adopt a baby girl in China. And they specifically fill out forms saying, we’re new parents. We don’t want any disabilities. We can’t deal with anything, basically, except for just a perfect, little, healthy baby.

And they get a baby who’s chosen for them. By the time they get there and meet with the baby and are alone with her for the first time, they discover alarming physical problems, a really bad rash and a scar at the base of her spine and hear a horrifying diagnosis that the child will be paralyzed from the waist down, will be incontinent, will have serious, serious problems. And unbelievably, they talk to the agents from the adoption agency, and they say, oh, well, we’re sorry about this, and essentially offer a swap for a different baby.

Yeah, that’s a moment that is kind of unbelievable in this piece.

The view of human life in that circumstance.

So this essay was read by the actress Connie Britton in 2016. And you can just hear the emotional stakes of this story in her performance. Let’s listen to it.

Yeah, she’s really perfect for this one.

I pictured myself boarding the plane with some faceless replacement child and then explaining to friends and family that she wasn’t Natalie, that we had left Natalie in China because she was too damaged, that the deal had been a healthy baby, and she wasn’t. How could I face myself? How could I ever forget? I would always wonder what happened to Natalie.

I knew this was my test, my life’s worth distilled into a moment. I was shaking my head no before they finished explaining. We didn’t want another baby, I told them. We wanted our baby, the one sleeping right over there. She’s our daughter, I said. We love her. Yet we had a long, fraught night ahead, wondering how we would possibly cope. I called my mother in tears and told her the news.

There was a long pause.

Oh, honey. I sobbed. She waited until I caught my breath. It would be OK if you came home without her. Why are you saying that? I just want to absolve you. What do you want to do? I want to take my baby and get out of here, I said. Good, my mother said. Then that’s what you should do.

I mean, I’m tearing up.

Me, too. So, the lesson in this piece to me is sort of about a test. It’s really a test. It’s like, what are you capable of? What kind of devotion, what kind of sense of responsibility, what are you going to take on? And they have to decide in the moment, are they going to stick with this child with this horrifying set of health complications that could control their lives forever? Are they going to push that baby aside and accept a healthier baby? And then, how do they live with themselves if they do that? Neither choice is an appealing choice.

No. This essay — I mean, all of these essays bowled me over, and this one just made me — I mean, I quite literally called my mom after this. It is such a moving testament to just the completely inexplicable, immediate bond between parent and child. Yeah, I’m still kind of crying. I mean, it’s just — it’s remarkable. Tell me what you’re taking. I mean, you are a parent. Like, tell me what you’re thinking about when you read this essay.

Well, first of all, I’m thinking — I think anyone reading this thinks, what choice would I have made?

And you would like to think that you would make the choice of keeping the child. But honestly, one of the most moving things and tragic things that happened in the wake of publishing this essay is, we got emails from people who’d faced this choice and —

— made the opposite choice and either left with a healthy baby and struggled, and struggled, and struggled with having done that. More common was giving up on adoption entirely and just walking away, and walking away from that child or any child. But she’s just like, I’m going to walk into this. Like, I’m going to just walk forward into this, and it’s going to be what it’s going to be. And miracle of miracles — like, within a year or so, all that stuff has gone away. They see a specialist —

I know. The kid is fine. I’m going to cry again. It’s like, after making this decision, they go home, and she heals. Oh!

Yeah, and she recoiled at thinking that was a reward for making the right choice. Like, she said, it’s not about that. It’s not about we were generous or we were good, and therefore, our child turned out fine. It’s not that at all. It just happened that way. But it’s yet another lesson in you can’t predict a smooth path. You just have to walk forward and be brave.

I often say with “Modern Love” stories that are really about choices and hard choices and how it’s sort of ordinary people being incredibly brave, I mean, I often wonder, what creates the person who can make the brave choice versus the person who shrinks from it. Like, what is that magic sauce? Or what is that childhood experience or what is the parenting that they have?

Because there is a divide. Like, there is a divide often in those circumstances that we saw in the outpouring after the essay.

We see instances of bravery in all three of the essays that you’ve shared today — bravery to embrace the brevity of love, bravery to engage in fighting in a relationship, bravery to make a choice. Would you define bravery as like a core act of love?

Yeah, a core act of love and a core act of life. People’s bravery has been my biggest takeaway over 20 years of doing this work. It’s never a person who says, I am brave. It’s almost the opposite. It’s people who say, I’m not brave. I’m a coward. And yet —

And the lesson, just sort of the lesson of that, life, it’s going to be a mess one way or the other. You just sort choose your mess. But that is what it is. That is life. You’re not going to avoid it. There’s such a school of life that is about trying to make your life as clean and tidy as possible. And it’s really a struggle to do that. And I’m not sure it’s well-directed energy.

What do you think we should direct our energy to? And now this is just truly me asking you because I want you to give me life advice. If not to cleaning up our life —

I’m not an advice giver, Anna.

I know, but just please —

You know that.

— put on the hat for one second. Like, if not to direct our energy towards cleaning up our life in your 20 years of doing this work, like, what is the more worthwhile thing to direct energy towards?

This is not exactly new advice, but it’s really the wisdom from Alisha Gorder’s essay, which is be in the moment. Value the people you’re with now. Don’t think I’m planning for 10 years from now. Get your 401(k) out of your mind. Contribute to it, but put it out of your mind. It’s the now. It’s the now that is the work.

Dan, I love that. It’s the now. I feel like so many listeners right now are clinging to every word you’ve said, trying to figure out what you’re looking for in a “Modern Love” essay pitch. And by the way, you can send those submissions to [email protected]. Dan, can you give us a few quick tips on what makes a story stand out in your inbox?

Well, a bad subject line is “Modern Love submission.”

You’re like 80 percent of people who submit. And a good subject line would include an attempt at a title, which would be like, “Please, Lord, let him be 27.”

Please Lord.

I read that — yeah, I read that subject line. It was funny. It was smart. It was vulnerable. I just prayed the essay would deliver on that promise.

And it did deliver. We actually featured it on the podcast a few seasons ago. So, a good subject line is very practical advice, but what about the essence of a story? Like, what are you looking for there?

A harder to define quality is a sense of humility. Like, there’s a sense that you’re not the smartest person in the world, but you do have something to offer. And in the world of pitching and of trying to get published, there’s an overriding sense that you have to act confident. You have to sell your product. You have to say, this essay is going to be perfect for you.

And that’s just the wrong approach. That kind of confidence is not what a hard experience leaves you with. It can leave you shaken. It can leave you wise. But it doesn’t leave you cocky. And I think it’s important that the stories aren’t really about answers. They’re about a search for answers. And they don’t need to come to a conclusion. But they need to present a problem in an interesting way that makes you think about it.

Well, now you’re going to get even more submissions that can fuel the next 20 years of “Modern Love.” Dan, thank you so much for the conversation today.

Thanks, Anna. It was a lot of fun.

So, listeners, at the beginning of this episode, I told you we have an announcement about the rest of our season. In honor of 20 years of “Modern Love,” we’re launching a special series that’s really an ode to the early years of the podcast that so many of you love so much.

Starting next week, our favorite actors, musicians, writers, and artists will read hand-picked essays from the “Modern Love” archive, and we’ll talk with them about how those essays relate to their life and their work. We’ve got a truly incredible lineup that we can’t wait to share with you. So, happy anniversary, “Modern Love” listeners. We are so excited for this season-long celebration. See you next week.

“Modern Love” is produced by Julia Botero, Christina Djossa, Reva Goldberg, and Emily Lang. It’s edited by Jen Poyant and Paula Szuchman. Our executive producer is Jen Poyant. This episode was mixed by Daniel Ramirez. Our show was recorded by Maddy Masiello.

The “Modern Love” theme music is by Dan Powell. Digital production by Mahima Chablani and Nell Gallogly. Special thanks to Larissa Anderson, Kate LoPresti, Davis Land, and Lisa Tobin. The “Modern Love” column is edited by Daniel Jones. Miya Lee is the editor of “Modern Love” projects. I’m Anna Martin. Thanks for listening.

• April 3, 2024   •   27:31 The Second Best Way to Get Divorced, According to Maya Hawke
• March 27, 2024   •   32:38 How to Be Real With Your Kids
• March 20, 2024   •   32:14 Why Samin Nosrat Is Now ‘Fully YOLO’
• March 13, 2024   •   32:32 Brittany Howard Sings Through the Pangs of New Love
• March 6, 2024   •   33:21 Novelist Celeste Ng on the Big Power of Little Things
• February 28, 2024   •   37:46 Three Powerful Lessons About Love
• February 23, 2024   •   33:45 Modern Love at the Movies: Our Favorite Oscar-Worthy Love Stories
• February 21, 2024   •   25:21 A Politics Reporter Walks Into a Singles Mixer
• February 14, 2024   •   28:39 Un-Marry Me!
• December 6, 2023   •   29:18 I Married My Subway Crush
• November 29, 2023   •   34:56 Our 34-Year Age Gap Didn’t Matter, Until It Did
• November 22, 2023   •   25:22 Two Boys on Bikes, Falling in Love

Hosted by Anna Martin

Produced by Julia Botero ,  Christina Djossa ,  Reva Goldberg and Emily Lang

Engineered by Daniel Ramirez

Original music by Dan Powell

Featuring Daniel Jones

Edited by Paula Szuchman and Jen Poyant

Listen and follow Modern Love Apple Podcasts | Spotify

‘working on the column for all these years has given me touchstones and tools to be able to navigate difficult times in life. it feels like a churning reservoir of human experience that feeds into your veins if you are open to it.’.

When Daniel Jones started the Modern Love column in 2004, he opened the call for submissions and hoped the idea would catch on. Twenty years later, over a thousand Modern Love essays have been published in The New York Times, and the column is a trove of real-life love stories.

Dan has put so much of himself into editing the column over the years, but as he tells our host, Anna Martin, the column has influenced him, too. Today, Dan shares three Modern Love essays that have changed the way he thinks about love and relationships in his own life.

Also, Anna announces the beginning of a special series of episodes celebrating Modern Love’s 20th anniversary.

Links to transcripts of episodes generally appear on these pages within a week.

Modern Love is hosted by Anna Martin and produced by Julia Botero, Christina Djossa, Reva Goldberg and Emily Lang. The show is edited by Paula Szuchman and Jen Poyant, our executive producer. The show is mixed by Daniel Ramirez and recorded by Maddy Masiello. It features original music by Dan Powell. Our theme music is by Dan Powell.

Special thanks to Larissa Anderson, Kate LoPresti, Davis Land, Lisa Tobin, Daniel Jones, Miya Lee, Mahima Chablani, Nell Gallogly, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Nina Lassam and Julia Simon.

Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] . Want more from Modern Love ? Read past stories . Watch the TV series and sign up for the newsletter . We also have swag at the NYT Store and two books, “ Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption ” and “ Tiny Love Stories: True Tales of Love in 100 Words or Less .”

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Free English Lessons

Talk about love and relationships – video.

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In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about love and relationships in English.

You’ll learn how to talk about dating, getting engaged, good relationships, bad relationships and break-ups. you can see lots of useful vocabulary used in natural dialogues, and we’ll give you explanations to help you use this language clearly and naturally in your spoken english., quiz: talk about love and relationships.

Now, test your knowledge of what you learned in the lesson by trying this quiz.

You can get help with some questions if you press ‘Hint’. You will get your score at the end, when you can click on ‘View Questions’ to see all the correct answers.

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Very good! You have remembered a lot of the language from this lesson correctly. Have a look at the questions you didn’t get right, and check the video again if you need to.

An excellent score. You have understood a lot of the language for love and relationships correctly.

Congratulations! You are obviously a love and relationships expert.

1 . Question

Write one word in each gap.

In American English you might ‘ask someone on a date’, but in British English, you would ‘ them ‘.

These expressions are used right at the start of the lesson.

2 . Question

Which of these words and phrases can be used as a verb? Choose as many as you think are right.

• relationship

3 . Question

Rearrange the words into the correct order to form a question about relationships.

View Answers:

4 . Question

Which is the correct word to complete the question about relationships? Choose one option.

Are you ________ anyone at the moment?

5 . Question

Put these four sentences into chronological order:

• My sister’s been married for five years.
• My sister finally got married on Saturday.
• My sister’s just got engaged.
• My sister’s been engaged to her husband-to-be for over a year.

6 . Question

Which expression is correct?

• He proposed to her while they were on holiday.
• He proposed her while they were on holiday.
• He proposed at her while they were on holiday.
• He proposed the question while they were on holiday.

7 . Question

Write one six-letter word (a verb in the past simple) to complete the expression related to getting engaged. The verb is conversational in tone.

He the question while they were on holiday.

The correct idiom is used in part two of the lesson.

8 . Question

Complete the 15-letter word which you might say to someone who’s just got engaged.

Look at your ring! You must be engaged! C !

9 . Question

Complete the sentence with a five-letter word to give advice on how to have a good relationship:

Part of being a good couple is knowing when to give each other some .

This advice is given in part three of the lesson.

10 . Question

Which expression is the correct relationship advice? Choose one option.

• You need to make time for each other.
• You need to make each other do time.
• You need to make each other on time.
• You need to time each other making.

11 . Question

Which word is missing from this good relationship advice?

You shouldn’t take things for ________, otherwise your relationship will suffer.

12 . Question

Which is the correct option to complete this idiom about relationships? Choose one answer.

Accept that you’ll have _____ and _____; don’t expect everything to be perfect.

• ups and downs
• ins and outs
• onwards and upwards
• backwards and forwards

13 . Question

‘If you’re unhappy about something, deal with it quickly. Don’t let things fester.’

What does fester mean?

• get bigger and more serious
• get forgotten about
• get sorted out

The expression is used in part three of the lesson.

14 . Question

Write a four-letter word to complete this sentence about a couple who are having problems:

I guess things have gone a bit between them.

This is a metaphor from part four of the lesson. The literal meaning refers to milk going bad.

15 . Question

Which three-word phrase describes a couple who are having problems in their relationship? Choose one answer.

• They aren’t getting on well at all.
• They aren't getting over it at all.
• They aren't getting it out at all.
• They aren't getting into it at all.

16 . Question

Which expression means the same as ‘They’re arguing a lot’ in the context of a relationship that is not going well? Choose one answer.

• They’re disputing a lot.
• They’re boxing a lot.
• They’re fighting a lot.
• They’re punching a lot.

17 . Question

Write the two words that are missing from this expression to describe a couple who are arguing a lot:

They just aren’t seeing -to- at the moment.

The missing word is the same in both spaces.

18 . Question

Write the missing word to complete the expression which indicates the end of a relationship.

She broke with him because he didn’t seem serious enough about their relationship.

19 . Question

Which nine-letter word beginning with ‘s’ means ‘legally married but no longer in a relationship’?

20 . Question

Which expression means the same as ‘maybe they’ll work things out’?

• Maybe they'll patch things up.
• Maybe they'll break things in.
• Maybe they'll get things back.
• Maybe they'll pop things through.

1. Talking About Dating

Oli: So, your friend Claire…

Lori: Yeah?

O: She seems nice…

L: Oh, you like her?

O: Yeah, I do.

L: Aren’t you going out with that charity worker. What’s her name again?

O: Georgia? No, that’s over.

L: What happened? I liked her.

O: Sometimes things just don’t work out.

L: Let me guess, she was too clingy?

O: Yeah, how’d you know?

L: Everyone’s ‘too clingy’ for you.

O: Anyway, what about Claire? Can you put me in touch?

L: Why don’t you just ask her out yourself?

O: I don’t have her number, or any way to get in contact.

L: I think she’ll be at Sam’s housewarming party on Saturday. Maybe you should go.

O: Maybe I will!

If you’re single and you meet someone you like, what’s the next step? Of course, this is quite different in different parts of the world!

However, in many places, you can ask the other person on a date. British and American English use different words here. In British English, you say ‘ask someone out’ and ‘go out with someone’; in American English, you say ‘ask someone on a date’ and ‘go on a date with someone.’ The meanings are the same. ‘Go out with’ and ‘date’—both verbs—can also have the meaning that you’re seeing someone regularly, as girlfriend or boyfriend. However, it could also mean something less serious. For example, in the dialogue, you heard: ‘Aren’t you going out with that charity worker?’ Here, ‘go out’ doesn’t clearly mean that they’re in a couple. It could also refer to a situation where two people are meeting each other regularly, but they aren’t a serious couple.

You could use this language in other ways; for example:

• They’ve been going out for about a year now.
• She’s dating a guy I used to work with.

As you heard before, ‘go out with’ is more common in UK English, while ‘date’ is more common in US English. In these examples, the context tells you that you’re talking about more serious relationships. However, in many cases you would use these words—go out with someone, date someone—to talk about couples in the early stages of a relationship. If two people have been in a relationship for some time, you can use the term ‘be together’. For example:

• How long have you and your boyfriend been together?
• They were together for about four years, but then they broke up.

You can also use the verb ‘see’ to mean ‘have a relationship with someone’. For example:

• Are you seeing anyone at the moment?
• I’m sure he’s seeing someone, but he won’t tell me who it is.

Like ‘go out with’ or ‘date’, these sentences probably refer to the early stages of a relationship. If you’re going out with someone and everything’s going well, what next to talk about love and relationships in English?

2. Getting Engaged

Oli: Did you hear Jen’s news?

Lori: No, what?

O: She’s engaged.

L: Really? That’s great! When did it happen?

O: A couple of weeks ago. Phil proposed to her while they were on holiday in Rome.

L: How romantic! When’s the wedding?

O: I don’t think they’ve decided yet.

L: I’ll have to call her to say congratulations. Did she have a ring?

O: Maybe. I didn’t notice.

L: You’re useless!

Here’s a question: can you complete this missing word from the dialogue? It means: the situation before two people get married.

• get e—–d

The word is ‘engaged’. Be careful with ‘get engaged’ and ‘be engaged’. Do you know the difference? ‘Get engaged’ is an action. When you first agree to get married, you get engaged. After you get engaged, you *are* engaged. ‘Be engaged’ is a state. For example:

• They got engaged in June, and got married in July.
• They’ve been engaged for two years now. They say they’re too busy to plan a wedding!

There’s a similar difference between ‘get married’ and ‘be married’. Learn more about ‘get’ with this lesson from Oxford Online English on how to use have and get .

Next question! Before you get engaged, one person has to ask the other to get married. Can you complete this sentence from the dialogue?

• Phil p——d to her while they were on holiday.

Do you remember? The verb is ‘propose’. Colloquially , you can also say ‘pop the question’ which has the same meaning. For example:

• He popped the question while they were on holiday.

These are conversational responses and phrases, so if you’re not sure, use ‘propose’. Let’s do two more. Can you complete the sentences from the dialogue?

• I’ll have to call her to say —————-
• Did she have a —-?

Do you remember the answers?

• I’ll have to call her to say congratulations.
• Did she have a ring?

The full term is ‘engagement ring’. However, in this context, it’s clear what she meant.

Now, do you know any couples that have a really good marriage? That’s our next topic!

3. Talking About Good Relationships

Oli: How long have you been married now?

Lori: Ooh… Almost ten years.

O: That’s a long time! No regrets?

L: No! There are ups and downs, of course, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.

O: You two seem like a really good couple.

L: Yeah, it works well. Of course, part of being a good couple is knowing when to give each other some space.

O: That’s true.

L: I see a lot of couples who move in together, and they give up all of the things which make them individuals. We spend a lot of time together, but we have our own friends, our own hobbies, and so on.

O: Sure, I mean, you don’t want to be *too* dependent on each other.

L: Absolutely. Although, you need to strike a balance. You need to make time for each other, too.

O: Of course. I imagine that it can be easy to let things slip when you’ve been together so long.

L: Yeah, it’s dangerous, actually.

You can’t take things for granted, otherwise your relationship will suffer. If two people go well together, you can say they’re a good couple. You could also say ‘a great couple’, or ‘a perfect couple’. What do you think makes two people a good couple?

In the dialogue, you heard these:

• Part of being a good couple is knowing when to give each other some space.
• You can’t take things for granted, otherwise your relationship will suffer.

Do you know what ‘take things for granted’ means? If you take something for granted, you’ve had something for a long time and you get used to it. Then, you don’t appreciate it any more. For example, imagine you eat in an amazing restaurant. The food is incredible, and you have a great time. Now, imagine you eat in the same restaurant every night for a year. Will you still appreciate it? Probably not. You’ll get bored of it, and it won’t be special any more. You’ll take it for granted.

What do you think? Do you agree with these ideas? Could you add any more suggestions for a successful relationship? Of course, there are many ideas! Here are three more:

• The most important thing is to listen to each other.
• Accept that you’ll have ups and downs; don’t expect everything to be perfect.
• If you’re unhappy about something, deal with it quickly. Don’t let things fester.

‘Fester’ here means that you don’t deal with a problem, so it becomes bigger and more serious as time goes by.

Of course, not all relationships go perfectly. Next, let’s see how you can talk about relationship problems with love and relationships in English.

4. Relationship Problems

Lori: Have you seen Sasha lately?

Oli: Yeah, we met for a beer the other evening.

L: How’s he doing? I haven’t seen him for ages.

O: Not so well. It seems like he and Maria are having a difficult time.

L: Really? I remember seeing them together in the summer, and they seemed like the perfect match.

O: I guess things have gone a bit sour since then. From what he said, they aren’t getting on well at all, so they’re fighting all the time. He didn’t seem happy.

L: What’s he going to do?

O: He wasn’t sure.

L: Do they live together?

L: That complicates things…

O: It does. Maybe they’ll work things out. You should call him. He’d be glad to hear from you.

L: Mmm… I’ll give him a call tonight.

Look at three sentences from the dialogue. Can you explain what they mean?

• He and Maria are having a difficult time.
• I guess things have gone a bit sour since then.

If a couple are having a difficult time, it means they’re having some relationship problems. You can also say ‘have problems’. For example: ‘He and Maria are having problems.’

‘ Go sour ’ is an idiom. Here, it means that things were fine in the past, but now they’re not. Literally, ‘go sour’ is used with milk and other dairy products. If you keep milk for too long, it’ll go sour, and then it smells bad and you shouldn’t drink it. Here, you’re using ‘go sour’ metaphorically.

Lastly, ‘they aren’t getting on well at all’ means that they have a lot of conflict. You might also say something like:

• They’re fighting all the time.
• They’re arguing a lot.
• They just aren’t seeing eye-to-eye at the moment.

‘Seeing eye-to-eye’ is another idiom. If you see eye-to-eye with someone, you understand each other and you have a good relationship. You can use this in other contexts, not just to talk about romantic relationships.

Finally, let’s talk about what happens when relationships end.

5. Divorces and Break-Ups

Lori: Are we still doing movie night at yours tonight?

Oli: Ah… Maybe not. My friend Jon is staying. It’s a bit of a messy situation—he left his wife, and I think it’s for good.

L: Poor guy! That must be tough.

O: Well… don’t feel too sorry for him. He was cheating all over the place, and it was his decision to walk out.

L: OK then, poor wife! Soon to be ex-wife, I suppose…

O: Probably. They’re that kind of couple, though: they break up, get back together, break up again… This time, though, I don’t see how they can patch things up.

L: Yeah… I don’t know them, but I don’t think I could stay with someone who cheated on me. It’s too big a betrayal.

O: I agree. I guess it’s for them to deal with. Anyway, I was going to ask: can we do the movie night at yours instead? Please say yes; I’ve already told everyone that it’s at your house.

L: Yeah, sure!

When you’re talking about the end of a relationship, you need different words depending on whether the couple you’re talking about is married or not. For an unmarried couple, you mostly use ‘break up’. ‘Break up’ can be an intransitive verb—used without an object—or you can break up *with* someone. For example:

• They broke up about six months ago.
• She broke up with him because he didn’t seem serious enough about their relationship.

For a married couple, you can use the verb ‘separate’, meaning that the two people are still legally married, but they aren’t in a relationship any more. Then, you can use the phrases ‘get divorced’ and ‘be divorced’, in the same way as you can use ‘get married’ and ‘be married’. For example:

• They’ve been living apart for ages, and they finally got divorced last year.
• She’s divorced. She left her husband last year.

You can also use the verb phrase ‘leave someone’. This is more common with married couples, but you could use it for unmarried couples, too. Look at three more sentences which you heard in this dialogue, and one from the last section.

• Maybe they’ll work things out.
• I don’t see how they can patch things up.
• They break up, get back together, break up again…

Do you know what these sentences mean?

‘Work things out’ is a general phrase, but if you’re talking about a relationship, it means that two people find a way to solve their problems, or at least to accept them.

‘Patch things up’ is a has the idea of repairing or fixing something. If a couple have a big fight, or if one person does something bad to the other, they might need to patch things up, meaning they try to make things better again.

Some couples might break up, and then get back together again. You can use ‘get together’ to talk about a couple starting a relationship, but ‘get back together’ has a different meaning; it means that two people are going back to a relationship which ended previously.

That’s everything. Hope you learned some useful phrases to talk about love and relationships in English! Thanks for watching!

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Talking About Love

One woman’s journey into the mysteries of love..

Posted October 31, 2020 | Reviewed by Kaja Perina

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“ I am as ever in bewildered awe of anyone who makes the kind of commitment that Angus and Laura have made today. I know I couldn’t do it. And I think it’s wonderful that they can. ’’

So says Hugh Grant during his best man speech in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Laura Mucha felt the same way.

“I was both attracted and appalled by the idea of long-term commitment,” she said. “I wanted it and I was scared of it.”

As a young woman, she’d inevitably break up with everyone she dated, thinking that maybe the perfect person hadn’t come along yet.

This fear of commitment was rooted in her childhood (producing what she later learned was called avoidant attachment ). Without a father in her life, she was brought up by her mother and grandparents. Her grandad died when she was 11, and she lost the only committed romantic relationship she’d been able to observe.

As a result, she struggled to understand romantic love and finally came to the conclusion that if she was ever going to have a chance of a successful relationship herself, she had to know more. So she turned her natural curiosity into a research project and talked to people about love.

Laura Mucha doesn’t do things by halves. For a decade she buttonholed hundreds of people, ranging from aged 8 to 95, in over 40 countries, interviewing them in four different languages about their relationships. The more she heard from her interviewees, the more questions it raised. So she ‘buried herself’ in academic studies across a range of subjects and then contacted the researchers whose work she’d been devouring and interviewed many of them.

Mucha’s book, We Need to Talk About Love , offers a unique insight into the mysteries of love as it moves seamlessly to and fro between the narratives she’d gathered from her interviewees, philosophical and literary interpretations, and behavioural and clinical evidence from psychology and neuroscience .

She doesn’t just look at falling in love, but also, and perhaps more importantly, at what Eric Fromm calls ‘standing in love’: how love can continue after the addictive, dopamine -driven, can’t stop thinking about you, madness of falling in love has waned, as it inevitably does.

For instance, one of the themes of the book Extravagant Expectations of Love looks at how we tend to make falling, and staying, in love harder for ourselves by clinging to some of the crazier mythologies of love.

I’m looking for my other half

The Greek philosopher, Plato, devised a character called Aristophanes who went round telling a comic myth that humans were at one time two people cojoined. But when they started getting above themselves and threatening the gods, Zeus cut each of them in two, condemning them to wander the earth in search of their other half to make them whole again. Plato didn’t intend it to be taken seriously. But today, it seems, it is!

Mucha cites a US survey which found that 88% of single 20-somethings believed there was a soul mate waiting for them.

“Apart from the mathematical absurdity of this,” says Mucha, “it also misrepresents the sort of love that makes long-term relationships last. Long lasting love isn’t something that happens to you in a flash if you’re lucky, it’s something you chose and have to work on.”

If it’s right, you’ll just know.

Another related myth, that cropped up in number of Mucha’s interviews, is that you’ll just know when you meet your soulmate or other half. Dani, who ran a small business in the south of France, ‘just knew’ she’d met her ‘soulmate’, only to find out later that everything he’d told her, including his age, was a lie.

“What does that say about me, that I fell in love with this mirage?” she asked.

In fact, falling in love with an illusionary being is quite a common characteristic of romantic love in its early stages. Ironically, it’s not knowing someone that allows the beholder to believe they see perfection in front of them. This is something Mucha illustrates with Stendhal’s description of crystallisation.

“The idea of ‘just knowing’ can lead to disastrous decisions,” says Mucha. And maybe, even dangerous decisions. Sophie, who sat next to Mucha on a flight to Spain, ‘just knew’ she’d met her soul mate; only to find she’d got herself involved with a stalker .

They kiss and love each other forever

Another myth, found in fairy tales and sponsored by the romantic love industry, tells us that once you’ve found your true love and overcome the obstacles put in your way, you’ll kiss and live happily ever after.

Many of Mucha’s interviewees blamed romantic Hollywood movies for creating unrealistic dreams and expectations that then made them dissatisfied with what they did have.

Terri, a student in her 20s, who Mucha met in Denver airport, told her: “I love movies… and I notice that I will compare my life to them sometimes. I will go to my boyfriend and say, ’Why aren’t you more romantic with me? Why don’t you do this?”

These unrealistic expectations make relationships more fragile. Mucha cites the study by Epstein & Eidelson which found people with unrealistic expectations of romantic love are more likely to want to end their relationship rather than working at it, and also had experienced fewer satisfying relationships.

“Part of the appeal of these unrealistic expectations,” says Mucha, “is the hope of a saviour and the absolution of personal responsibility.”

The logic of this is that we have to be more realistic about what love can, and can’t do for us, and recognise that we are a participant in a relationship and not just a beneficiary when things are good (‘You make me so happy’) or a victim when they’re not (You make me so miserable).

Mucha writes:

“Love is not an all-powerful solution to the problem of finding meaning, security and happiness in life. There is no one person out there for you or anyone else. Relationships are built, not found. They are made up of fallible people, and to expect anything else is to set yourself and your relationship up for inevitable and inescapable failure.”

This is just one example. Other themes the book covers, include attachment and love; commitment; adultery & monogamy ; abusive relationships and when love ends. Like love itself, it’s funny, it’s intriguing and sometimes it’s just very sad.

Mucha is not a therapist and doesn’t pretend to be one. Rather, as the title makes clear, the book is talking about love; raising issues, looking at real life examples and research evidence. You can take away as much or as little as you want.

What Mucha says she has learned from her research is that love, and certainly long-lasting companionate love, is “a skill that requires knowledge, effort and learning.”

And if you’re thinking something like, “Doesn’t this makes love seem like a bit like a chore?” Then Mucha has a question for you. She asks:

“Why, when education , career , and fitness require commitment, self-discipline and hard work, would a long-term, loving relationship require anything less?”

Now there’s a question.

This is a love story, or at least a story about love, so did it have a happy ending?

Well, yes, for Laura Mucha, it did. She’s now happily married, to one of the men she split up with years earlier in her ‘couldn’t commit’ days and they have a baby boy.

But what about the Hugh Grant character in Four Weddings and A Funeral? Well, in a lovely scene in the rain at the end of the film, he finally seems to be getting it together with Andie McDowell. But then, sadly, he tells her:

“The truth is, I loved you from the first second I met you.”

Oh dear! From what we know now, there could still be problems ahead.

Laura Mucha (2020) We Need to Talk About Love, Bloomsbury Sigma

Steve Taylor, Ph.D., previously taught at the University of London and currently works in educational media with shortcuts tv.

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Essay on Love for Students and Children

500+ words essay on love.

Love is the most significant thing in human’s life. Each science and every single literature masterwork will tell you about it. Humans are also social animals. We lived for centuries with this way of life, we were depended on one another to tell us how our clothes fit us, how our body is whether healthy or emaciated. All these we get the honest opinions of those who love us, those who care for us and makes our happiness paramount.

What is Love?

Love is a set of emotions, behaviors, and beliefs with strong feelings of affection. So, for example, a person might say he or she loves his or her dog, loves freedom, or loves God. The concept of love may become an unimaginable thing and also it may happen to each person in a particular way.

Love has a variety of feelings, emotions, and attitude. For someone love is more than just being interested physically in another one, rather it is an emotional attachment. We can say love is more of a feeling that a person feels for another person. Therefore, the basic meaning of love is to feel more than liking towards someone.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Need of Love

We know that the desire to love and care for others is a hard-wired and deep-hearted because the fulfillment of this wish increases the happiness level. Expressing love for others benefits not just the recipient of affection, but also the person who delivers it. The need to be loved can be considered as one of our most basic and fundamental needs.

One of the forms that this need can take is contact comfort. It is the desire to be held and touched. So there are many experiments showing that babies who are not having contact comfort, especially during the first six months, grow up to be psychologically damaged.

Significance of Love

Love is as critical for the mind and body of a human being as oxygen. Therefore, the more connected you are, the healthier you will be physically as well as emotionally. It is also true that the less love you have, the level of depression will be more in your life. So, we can say that love is probably the best antidepressant.

It is also a fact that the most depressed people don’t love themselves and they do not feel loved by others. They also become self-focused and hence making themselves less attractive to others.

Society and Love

It is a scientific fact that society functions better when there is a certain sense of community. Compassion and love are the glue for society. Hence without it, there is no feeling of togetherness for further evolution and progress. Love , compassion, trust and caring we can say that these are the building blocks of relationships and society.

Relationship and Love

A relationship is comprised of many things such as friendship , sexual attraction , intellectual compatibility, and finally love. Love is the binding element that keeps a relationship strong and solid. But how do you know if you are in love in true sense? Here are some symptoms that the emotion you are feeling is healthy, life-enhancing love.

Love is the Greatest Wealth in Life

Love is the greatest wealth in life because we buy things we love for our happiness. For example, we build our dream house and purchase a favorite car to attract love. Being loved in a remote environment is a better experience than been hated even in the most advanced environment.

Love or Money

Love should be given more importance than money as love is always everlasting. Money is important to live, but having a true companion you can always trust should come before that. If you love each other, you will both work hard to help each other live an amazing life together.

Love has been a vital reason we do most things in our life. Before we could know ourselves, we got showered by it from our close relatives like mothers , fathers , siblings, etc. Thus love is a unique gift for shaping us and our life. Therefore, we can say that love is a basic need of life. It plays a vital role in our life, society, and relation. It gives us energy and motivation in a difficult time. Finally, we can say that it is greater than any other thing in life.

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Make A Speech Introduction That Grabs Audience Attention

The speech introduction is the first part of a speech and the first opportunity to grab the audience’s attention. The speaker should state the topic, make it relatable to the audience, establish credibility and preview the main points. You should write or finalize your introduction at the end so that it reflects what you actually said.

Listen up, audience!

No matter whether you are giving an informative speech to enlighten an audience about a certain topic or a persuasive speech aims to convince the crowd to adopt a particular viewpoint. But whichever type of speech you’re writing or delivering, one thing is true:  You must create an attention-grabbing speech introduction.

Table of Contents

What Is The Best Way To Start A Speech?

Whether in speech writing or public speaking, the role of a good intro cannot be understated.  It is your best chance to captivate your audience’s attention and entice them to be with you until the rest of your speech. 

It’s also your opportunity to introduce the topic and thesis statement and set up the points you’ll discuss later.  So, keep in mind that you emphasize the relevance of your subject matter to the audience and contextualize it properly. 

These are some of the best ways to make a compelling introduction speech. 

• State a quote or use a historical event reference.  Analyze your target audience and look for a powerful quote from a relevant figure or a historical event that will resonate with listeners and relate it to your topic. A notable quotation can immediately establish a strong connection. On the other hand, an important event will help you illustrate your point or paint a scenario better. 
• Share a personal story.  Sometimes, you don’t have to search far and wide to demonstrate a point. You can tap into your personal experience and share something about yourself. Generally, audience members enjoy hearing stories as they pique their interest and get a glimpse of who the speaker is. Your anecdotes will also make you more human and accessible.
• Start with an “Imagine” or “What if?” scenario.  Want to make your audience engaged? Let their imagination run. In many speeches over the years, some of the most successful ones used this technique. Speakers transport the audience to the future or a scenario wherein their proposed idea or belief reigns. For example, “What if we live in a world where everyone can access healthcare?”
• Count on a video or any other visual aids.  If you’re a public speaker keen to use technology, you may also want to commence your speech with visual aids. For instance, you can show a pre-prepared video to draw the crowd’s attention right before you speak. If you’re talking about hunger and food security, you can show footage of how such issues take a toll in many third-world countries.
• Tell surprising statistics.  One of the most effective ways to shock — and, ultimately, grab your audience’s attention is by telling real, hard facts. If you’re looking for a good attention-getter, you can rely on surprising statistics about your topic. For instance, if your topic is bullying, you can mention that in the US,  around 3 million students are victims of bullying.
• Ask the audience a question.  Another way to hook your audience is by asking them a question. It can be a direct one (e.g., “Who among here are…” then ask for a show of hands). It can also be a rhetorical question (e.g., “What is the meaning of life?”). The key is interacting with the crowd to get their attention and effectively introducing your subject matter. 

What Should You Include In the Introduction?

When you look at intro samples and templates on the web,  you’ll find that effective speech introductions contain key elements. And one of the most important is your attention-grabber, which will compel your audience to listen to your speech and narrative.

You must also introduce your speech topic and indicate why it matters to your audience. You should also share something about yourself, especially your credibility, to discuss a particular subject matter. 

Once you’ve laid out these foundations,  state your central idea or thesis statement.  Tell the audience members the point of view you want them to adopt, and  give them a preview of the main points you’re discussing if you’re giving a persuasive speech.  If you’re writing or delivering an informative one, you can provide them with a brief speech outline or the key points you’ll touch upon throughout the body of the speech.

What Are The Best Lines To Introduce A Speech?

One of the most common public speaking tips you’ll encounter is to have a good introduction. To help you capture the audience’s attention, here are some ideas you can use in your speech.

• A famous quote (For example, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” by Steve Jobs)
• A song lyric (“Imagine there’s no countries/ It isn’t hard to do/ Nothing to kill or die for/ And no religion, too,” from “Imagine by John Lennon)
• A line from a poem (“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise,” from “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou)
• A line from a movie (“Greed, for a lack of a better word, is good,” from “Wall Street”)
• Reference to a historical event (“Two hundred years ago, one of the most important proclamations was made. Through the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln, the enslaved Black people were given freedom.”
• Reference to a notable figure (“Stan Lee, the man behind iconic Marvel characters, was hired as an editorial assistant at a comics company after graduating high school.”).
• A bold statement (“Prostitution must be legalized.”)
• A serious statement (“Climate change is a pressing issue.”)
• A humorous line (“Don’t underestimate me. That’s the job of my mom.”)
• A shocking statistic (“If you’re consuming too much fast food and baked goods, did you know that you are 51% more likely to be depressed?”)
• A direct question (“Who among here plays violent video games?”)
• A rhetorical question (“Is there a more powerful feeling than love?”)
• A personal story (“Back when I was a fresh college graduate, I busied myself applying to the top multi-national companies.”)
• An anecdote (“Long ago, there was a man — an old but healthy man — who dared climb Mount Everest. He was 80, and he succeeded.”)
• A what-if scenario (“What if there were no poor people?”)

How Do You Introduce Yourself In A Speech?

Whether you’re a first-time speaker or a veteran, how you approach introducing yourself in a speech is important in establishing your credibility. To avoid getting called boring, you might want to shy away from the usual “Hi, everyone. I’m (your name). I (your credentials), and today I will be talking about (points of the speech).”

Usually, someone else may have given your name and background. This gives you the liberty to begin your speech more interestingly. 

You can start by stating any of the introduction lines listed above, then transition to why listening to you will matter to them. For example, if you’re talking about mental health and depression, you can follow up a surprising statistic with something like, “I know because I was a part of that statistic. Now, I’ve studied to become a therapist myself.”

To further create an air of authority, you must be mindful of your body language  (taking a deep breath before speaking can help you shake off your nervousness and tension).  Additionally, you must make eye contact and speak words clearly. 

How Do You Introduce A Speaker?

Now, if you’re tasked to introduce the one who will deliver the speech, it’s your responsibility to set the right atmosphere and build excitement. 

One of the first things to do is know how to pronounce the speaker’s name and ensure that what you’ll say about the speaker’s credibility is factual.  Since you’re only introducing the speaker, keep things simple and concise. If you want to enrich your introduction, you can ask the speaker what they want to be highlighted (Do they have a new book? Which prestigious groups are they affiliated with?). 

Like what the speaker would do, you must also make eye contact to engage the audience. Practice and have a run-through before you take the stage to guarantee a smooth delivery. 

What Is An Example Of A Speech Introduction?

Speakers and speech writers know how challenging it is to grab an audience’s attention.  Here’s a good example of an introductory speech that uses statistics. This is from English restaurateur  Jamie Oliver  who delivered a TED Talk about food:

“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. 

My name’s Jamie Oliver. I’m 34 years old. I’m from Essex in England, and for the last seven years, I’ve worked fairly tirelessly to save lives in my own way. I’m not a doctor; I’m a chef, I don’t have expensive equipment or medicine. I use information, education.”

What Is The Introduction For A Speech On Bully

Looking for inspiration for a good introduction where your topic is bullying? Check out this sample intro from actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador  Millie Bobby Brown  during World Children’s Day in 2019:

“In world capitals — in buildings like this — adults talk about children’s rights. But today, young people don’t want to be talked about. They want to do the talking.

 Millions of people responded to UNICEF surveys and petitions about what the Convention on the Rights of the Child meant to them. In the words of one young person: ‘Be an active voice. Don’t let things go unnoticed. So today, I want to talk about an issue that is very personal to me. Something that so often goes unnoticed — but causes real suffering. Bullying.”

What Are Some Other Examples Of Speech Introductions?

Below are some more speech introduction examples you can take inspiration from. 

• “Three things I learned while my plane crashed” by Ric Elias : “Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack. It sounds scary. Well, I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D.”
• “How to find and do work you love” by Scott Dinsmore : “8 years ago, I got the worst career advice of my life.”

“How great leaders inspire action” by Simon Sinek : “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?”

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15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines (And How to Create Your Own)

Hrideep barot.

• Public Speaking , Speech Writing

Powerful speech opening lines set the tone and mood of your speech. It’s what grips the audience to want to know more about the rest of your talk.

The first few seconds are critical. It’s when you have maximum attention of the audience. And you must capitalize on that!

Instead of starting off with something plain and obvious such as a ‘Thank you’ or ‘Good Morning’, there’s so much more you can do for a powerful speech opening (here’s a great article we wrote a while ago on how you should NOT start your speech ).

To help you with this, I’ve compiled some of my favourite openings from various speakers. These speakers have gone on to deliver TED talks , win international Toastmaster competitions or are just noteworthy people who have mastered the art of communication.

After each speaker’s opening line, I have added how you can include their style of opening into your own speech. Understanding how these great speakers do it will certainly give you an idea to create your own speech opening line which will grip the audience from the outset!

Alright! Let’s dive into the 15 powerful speech openings…

Note: Want to take your communications skills to the next level? Book a complimentary consultation with one of our expert communication coaches. We’ll look under the hood of your hurdles and pick two to three growth opportunities so you can speak with impact!

1. Ric Elias

Opening: “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.”

How to use the power of imagination to open your speech?

Putting your audience in a state of imagination can work extremely well to captivate them for the remainder of your talk.

It really helps to bring your audience in a certain mood that preps them for what’s about to come next. Speakers have used this with high effectiveness by transporting their audience into an imaginary land to help prove their point.

When Ric Elias opened his speech, the detail he used (3000 ft, sound of the engine going clack-clack-clack) made me feel that I too was in the plane. He was trying to make the audience experience what he was feeling – and, at least in my opinion, he did.

When using the imagination opening for speeches, the key is – detail. While we want the audience to wander into imagination, we want them to wander off to the image that we want to create for them. So, detail out your scenario if you’re going to use this technique.

Make your audience feel like they too are in the same circumstance as you were when you were in that particular situation.

2. Barack Obama

Opening: “You can’t say it, but you know it’s true.”

3. Seth MacFarlane

Opening: “There’s nowhere I would rather be on a day like this than around all this electoral equipment.” (It was raining)

How to use humour to open your speech?

When you use humour in a manner that suits your personality, it can set you up for a great speech. Why? Because getting a laugh in the first 30 seconds or so is a great way to quickly get the audience to like you.

And when they like you, they are much more likely to listen to and believe in your ideas.

Obama effortlessly uses his opening line to entice laughter among the audience. He brilliantly used the setting (the context of Trump becoming President) and said a line that completely matched his style of speaking.

Saying a joke without really saying a joke and getting people to laugh requires you to be completely comfortable in your own skin. And that’s not easy for many people (me being one of them).

If the joke doesn’t land as expected, it could lead to a rocky start.

Keep in mind the following when attempting to deliver a funny introduction:

• Know your audience: Make sure your audience gets the context of the joke (if it’s an inside joke among the members you’re speaking to, that’s even better!). You can read this article we wrote where we give you tips on how you can actually get to know your audience better to ensure maximum impact with your speech openings
• The joke should suit your natural personality. Don’t make it look forced or it won’t elicit the desired response
• Test the opening out on a few people who match your real audience. Analyze their response and tweak the joke accordingly if necessary
• Starting your speech with humour means your setting the tone of your speech. It would make sense to have a few more jokes sprinkled around the rest of the speech as well as the audience might be expecting the same from you

4. Mohammed Qahtani

Opening: Puts a cigarette on his lips, lights a lighter, stops just before lighting the cigarette. Looks at audience, “What?”

5. Darren Tay

Opening: Puts a white pair of briefs over his pants.

How to use props to begin your speech?

The reason props work so well in a talk is because in most cases the audience is not expecting anything more than just talking. So when a speaker pulls out an object that is unusual, everyone’s attention goes right to it.

It makes you wonder why that prop is being used in this particular speech.

The key word here is unusual . To grip the audience’s attention at the beginning of the speech, the prop being used should be something that the audience would never expect. Otherwise, it just becomes something that is common. And common = boring!

What Mohammed Qahtani and Darren Tay did superbly well in their talks was that they used props that nobody expected them to.

By pulling out a cigarette and lighter or a white pair of underwear, the audience can’t help but be gripped by what the speaker is about to do next. And that makes for a powerful speech opening.

6. Simon Sinek

Opening: “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?”

7. Julian Treasure

Opening: “The human voice. It’s the instrument we all play. It’s the most powerful sound in the world. Probably the only one that can start a war or say “I love you.” And yet many people have the experience that when they speak people don’t listen to them. Why is that? How can we speak powerfully to make change in the world?”

How to use questions to open a speech?

I use this method often. Starting off with a question is the simplest way to start your speech in a manner that immediately engages the audience.

But we should keep our questions compelling as opposed to something that is fairly obvious.

I’ve heard many speakers start their speeches with questions like “How many of us want to be successful?”

No one is going to say ‘no’ to that and frankly, I just feel silly raising my hand at such questions.

Simon Sinek and Jullian Treasure used questions in a manner that really made the audience think and make them curious to find out what the answer to that question is.

What Jullian Treasure did even better was the use of a few statements which built up to his question. This made the question even more compelling and set the theme for what the rest of his talk would be about.

So think of what question you can ask in your speech that will:

• Set the theme for the remainder of your speech
• Not be something that is fairly obvious
• Be compelling enough so that the audience will actually want to know what the answer to that question will be

8. Aaron Beverley

Opening: Long pause (after an absurdly long introduction of a 57-word speech title). “Be honest. You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

How to use silence for speech openings?

The reason this speech opening stands out is because of the fact that the title itself is 57 words long. The audience was already hilariously intrigued by what was going to come next.

But what’s so gripping here is the way Aaron holds the crowd’s suspense by…doing nothing. For about 10 to 12 seconds he did nothing but stand and look at the audience. Everyone quietened down. He then broke this silence by a humorous remark that brought the audience laughing down again.

When going on to open your speech, besides focusing on building a killer opening sentence, how about just being silent?

It’s important to keep in mind that the point of having a strong opening is so that the audience’s attention is all on you and are intrigued enough to want to listen to the rest of your speech.

Silence is a great way to do that. When you get on the stage, just pause for a few seconds (about 3 to 5 seconds) and just look at the crowd. Let the audience and yourself settle in to the fact that the spotlight is now on you.

I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something about starting the speech off with a pure pause that just makes the beginning so much more powerful. It adds credibility to you as a speaker as well, making you look more comfortable and confident on stage. 

If you want to know more about the power of pausing in public speaking , check out this post we wrote. It will give you a deeper insight into the importance of pausing and how you can harness it for your own speeches. You can also check out this video to know more about Pausing for Public Speaking:

9. Dan Pink

Opening: “I need to make a confession at the outset here. 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.”

10. Kelly McGonigal

Opening: “I have a confession to make. But first I want you to make a little confession to me.”

How to use a build-up to open your speech?

When there are so many amazing ways to start a speech and grip an audience from the outset, why would you ever choose to begin your speech with a ‘Good morning?’.

That’s what I love about build-ups. They set the mood for something awesome that’s about to come in that the audience will feel like they just have to know about.

Instead of starting a speech as it is, see if you can add some build-up to your beginning itself. For instance, in Kelly McGonigal’s speech, she could have started off with the question of stress itself (which she eventually moves on to in her speech). It’s not a bad way to start the speech.

But by adding the statement of “I have a confession to make” and then not revealing the confession for a little bit, the audience is gripped to know what she’s about to do next and find out what indeed is her confession.

11. Tim Urban

Opening: “So in college, I was a government major. Which means that I had to write a lot of papers. Now when a normal student writes a paper, they might spread the work out a little like this.”

12. Scott Dinsmore

Opening: “8 years ago, I got the worst career advice of my life.”

How to use storytelling as a speech opening?

“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.” Steve Jobs

Storytelling is the foundation of good speeches. Starting your speech with a story is a great way to grip the audience’s attention. It makes them yearn to want to know how the rest of the story is going to pan out.

Tim Urban starts off his speech with a story dating back to his college days. His use of slides is masterful and something we all can learn from. But while his story sounds simple, it does the job of intriguing the audience to want to know more.

As soon as I heard the opening lines, I thought to myself “If normal students write their paper in a certain manner, how does Tim write his papers?”

Combine such a simple yet intriguing opening with comedic slides, and you’ve got yourself a pretty gripping speech.

Scott Dismore’s statement has a similar impact. However, just a side note, Scott Dismore actually started his speech with “Wow, what an honour.”

I would advise to not start your talk with something such as that. It’s way too common and does not do the job an opening must, which is to grip your audience and set the tone for what’s coming.

13. Larry Smith

Opening: “I want to discuss with you this afternoon why you’re going to fail to have a great career.”

14. Jane McGonigal

Opening: “You will live 7.5 minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because you watched this talk.”

How to use provocative statements to start your speech?

Making a provocative statement creates a keen desire among the audience to want to know more about what you have to say. It immediately brings everyone into attention.

Larry Smith did just that by making his opening statement surprising, lightly humorous, and above all – fearful. These elements lead to an opening statement which creates so much curiosity among the audience that they need to know how your speech pans out.

This one time, I remember seeing a speaker start a speech with, “Last week, my best friend committed suicide.” The entire crowd was gripped. Everyone could feel the tension in the room.

They were just waiting for the speaker to continue to know where this speech will go.

That’s what a hard-hitting statement does, it intrigues your audience so much that they can’t wait to hear more! Just a tip, if you do start off with a provocative, hard-hitting statement, make sure you pause for a moment after saying it.

Silence after an impactful statement will allow your message to really sink in with the audience.

Related article: 5 Ways to Grab Your Audience’s Attention When You’re Losing it!

15. Ramona J Smith

Opening: In a boxing stance, “Life would sometimes feel like a fight. The punches, jabs and hooks will come in the form of challenges, obstacles and failures. Yet if you stay in the ring and learn from those past fights, at the end of each round, you’ll be still standing.”

How to use your full body to grip the audience at the beginning of your speech?

In a talk, the audience is expecting you to do just that – talk. But when you enter the stage and start putting your full body into use in a way that the audience does not expect, it grabs their attention.

Body language is critical when it comes to public speaking. Hand gestures, stage movement, facial expressions are all things that need to be paid attention to while you’re speaking on stage. But that’s not I’m talking about here.

Here, I’m referring to a unique use of the body that grips the audience, like how Ramona did. By using her body to get into a boxing stance, imitating punches, jabs and hooks with her arms while talking – that’s what got the audience’s attention.

The reason I say this is so powerful is because if you take Ramona’s speech and remove the body usage from her opening, the entire magic of the opening falls flat.

While the content is definitely strong, without those movements, she would not have captured the audience’s attention as beautifully as she did with the use of her body.

So if you have a speech opening that seems slightly dull, see if you can add some body movement to it.

If your speech starts with a story of someone running, actually act out the running. If your speech starts with a story of someone reading, actually act out the reading.

It will make your speech opening that much more impactful.

Related article: 5 Body Language Tips to Command the Stage

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Final Words

So there it is! 15 speech openings from some of my favourite speeches. Hopefully, these will act as a guide for you to create your own opening which is super impactful and sets you off on the path to becoming a powerful public speaker!

But remember, while a speech opening is super important, it’s just part of an overall structure.

If you’re serious about not just creating a great speech opening but to improve your public speaking at an overall level, I would highly recommend you to check out this course: Acumen Presents: Chris Anderson on Public Speaking on Udemy. Not only does it have specific lectures on starting and ending a speech, but it also offers an in-depth guide into all the nuances of public speaking. 

Being the founder of TED Talks, Chris Anderson provides numerous examples of the best TED speakers to give us a very practical way of overcoming stage fear and delivering a speech that people will remember. His course has helped me personally and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to learn public speaking. 

No one is ever “done” learning public speaking. It’s a continuous process and you can always get better. Keep learning, keep conquering and keep being awesome!

Lastly, if you want to know how you should NOT open your speech, we’ve got a video for you:

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Introductory Chapter Learning Objectives

Upon reading this chapter, the student should be able to:

• Identify the need for analysis of the concept of love.
• Explain the initial criteria the author proposes for identifying love.
• Compare and contrast the differences between a rational approach and other common approaches to discussing love and its characteristics.

Watch this video  or scan the QR code to see how others define love.

The main point of this book will be that two people can be said to love each other when they, to some fair extent (or, in general)

(1) have feelings of attraction toward each other,

(2) satisfy (or enjoy) each other, particularly in areas of psychological importance (or meaningfulness), and

(3) are good for each other.

Love is stronger when:

(1) the feelings of attraction are stronger and/or occur more frequently,

(2) the satisfactions (or enjoyments) are greater and/or more frequent, or

(3) the two people are better for each other, or

(4) any two or three of the above are true —all this without there being an equal or greater decline in one or more of the other categories.

The remainder of this book will explain these categories (feelings, enjoyments, and ethics) and their interrelationships more fully; it will explain why looking at love this way is a useful, accurate, and explanatory way of looking at loving, and other, relationships; and it will examine many of the past inaccurate, ignorant, and/ or harmful things that have been said about love and about other kinds of relationships, things which are still harming and confusing people today.

My approach to this subject is meant to be rational and logical, analytic and scrutinizing, not mystical, religious, poetic, or psychoanalytic. I will try to show clear and logical reasoning supporting my theories. Logic and emotions are not totally incompatible; though logic cannot be understood emotionally, emotions can be understood (in various degrees) and discussed logically.

Many clergymen, or fundamentally religious people, think people’s intellect is limited in some of the areas I will address and that people should stick to the work and will of God in those areas as explained, say, in the Bible. But apart from even getting into questions about the origin and/or truth of the Bible, let me state here that religious interpretations of the Bible are often simply rationalizations of the interpreter’s preconceived ideas anyway, often focusing on highly selective passages, or parts of passages, that give evidence for the interpreter’s point while ignoring their contexts or while ignoring those other passages which might contradict that point. This enterprise makes use (or misuse) of intellect anyway. If the Bible is clear, no interpretations or explanations of it would be necessary. If it is not so clear, then explanation of it will rely on people’s intellect every bit as much as logic and philosophy do.  The fallibility of human intellect is not the sole province of secular humanists, philosophers, or scientists. To me, the reasonableness of what is said is more important for determining its truth, probability, or plausibility than its source of inspiration, and it is to people who sympathize with that approach for whom this book will have meaning, even where they disagree with what I say for reasons they will be able to produce themselves.

Now it is impossible to give a complete list and criticism of ignorant or erroneous things said about love or about aspects of relationships, such as the sexual aspect. It seems there is something new, or something old resurrected in new form, every time you hear a new speaker or read a new work on the topic. On television one night, a born-again Christian made the correct observation that one’s being in the mood for sex did not therefore give him or her a license for immediate sex, even with a spouse, if the spouse was not in the mood and could not subtly be put into the mood [or, if I might add, there were some other reason it might be inappropriate].

However, the speaker erroneously drew or implied the conclusion that one could only gain such an insight into sexual morals by loving Christ and accepting Him into your life as personal savior. Only through being a Christian, and definitely by being a Christian, he was sure, could one learn to control one’s sexual desires and learn to respect one’s mate’s feelings. Surely though, this is false, since many have such knowledge and respect without accepting fundamentalist Christian doctrine and since there are many sexually ignorant or insensitive persons who do accept Christ as their savior, and who might cite 1 Corinthians 7:3,4 to prove sex on demand or request is a duty: “The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.  For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not rule over his own body, but the wife does.”

Disagreeing with the above speaker is not to deny that sexual urges may sometimes be more easily put off when it is for values believed more important — such as religious values or principles. But that does not mean such sublimation or denial is always good or right, nor that it is always possible or easy, nor that there might not be causes, values, beliefs or reasons other than religious ones to help harness or better channel one’s sexual energy when that is appropriate. This particular speaker was justifiably attacking (what Rollo May calls) the “new Puritanism” (May, 1969,  p. 45) which says you must always have sex when you or your partner want it, that performance is required for virtue, and that there is never any good reason not to have sex when the urge demands. But he seemed to want subtly to replace it with a form of the old Puritanism, not only showing selfish sexual activity in marriage to be improper, but also then sliding into other born-again Christian views such as the claim that even consenting sex between unmarried persons, is wrong or bad. The old Puritanism and the new Puritanism support the adage that a physics teacher of mine once said seemed to be a law of (human) nature: if something is not forbidden, it will probably be required. I hope that the analysis in this book, along with the examples of errors I do point out, will enable the readers be better able to detect on their own those errors I do not either mention or foresee.

It seems that despite the large number and high popularity of books and of magazine and newspaper articles concerning love and personal relationships, few people seem to have very feasible and reasonable ideas about the subject.  There are probably at least three reasons for this: (1) too little thought at all by some people about relationships; (2) a high percentage of error in what is written; and (3) poor analysis of what is written and said.

Concerning (3), poor analysis: often this is due to hasty and unreflective reading; and it is easy to find even quite intelligent people who, after just having read a book they claim to “like”, can do little to tell you what specifically it said or what the author’s main ideas were, let alone whether they were reasonable or not. Enjoying or liking a book seems often to be related more to enjoying the author’s style than to analyzing it for truth or reasonableness. There is little analysis or growing body of constructive dialogue building on what is written. I would hope that people who read this book would rationally analyze and respond to it, so that a rational and constructive popular dialogue could begin with knowledge in this area then progressively growing.

Concerning (1), there are some who do not read or think about love or personal relationships at all—those who say there is nothing to think about, that nature will take its course or that when you meet the one you love, you will know it and you will then know what love is. (I hope such people do not meet the one they first love after drinking curdled milk; it would be terrible to go through life mistaking nausea or ptomaine for romance.) But given the number of relationships that come to an unhappy ending, and given the numbers of people who thought they were once in love but now are not sure they ever were, that answer seems hardly true; and at any rate, it is unenlightening to those with questions. I think we can do much better. For there are a number of questions that people have, such as how to tell whether a particular attraction is love or infatuation or whether it is just physical or just good friendship, or whether it is the result of, or dependent upon, some unusual, perhaps temporary, circumstance such as loneliness, rebound, grief, frustration, tension, anxiety, or disappointment. (At college, it always seems so many couples fall in love or “find” each other just before final exam time that it could hardly be just coincidence. Is then the probable future durability of these romances something to consider with suspicion?) And many people still consider physical contact, however innocent or harmless (such as kissing or hand-holding), and its relationship to love to be a problem— wondering whether one ought to love the one kisses or sleeps with or dates repeatedly, wondering whether there are any good reasons to marry first before sex of any degree or even to love first, wondering just how marriage and love should be related, if at all, wondering whether there are any reasons to have any kind of physical contact of a romantic sort or any reasons not to have such physical contact with any particular person at a particular time (even spouses) or not. These are just a few questions many people have, often (as a student of mine once said) particularly when a relationship that was important to them has just ended badly.

However, I once had one student who seemed typical of many people who do not, or who do not want to, question anything about relationships and who often stifle inquiry by those who do. She said: “Why should I worry about it? My dating has been all right.” Perhaps her dating or love life will always be all right. Perhaps she may never want to verbalize or intellectualize about just what makes it so. Perhaps, in matters of personal relationships, she has a sixth sense or a natural ability, like a “natural” athlete or musician who can perform well but who does not know how or why, at least not on a verbal level. Alternatively, perhaps she has just been lucky…so far.

Or perhaps she is mistaken. Perhaps her relationships are not so good as she believes. Perhaps she tends to not see the parts that are not so good, particularly the parts that may not be so good for the other person. Or perhaps she tends to simply not notice or just to forget about relationships or parts that aren’t quite so good or so meaningful. Or perhaps she notices them but dismisses them as not worth worrying about because she thinks they are a natural part of life—not anything to trouble over and not anything that can be solved. She might feel that you cannot love everybody or get along well with everybody, or that even in the best relationships, problems arise, but that is nothing to cause any great concern. Perhaps she is somewhat dissatisfied and does not even know it or know why or think there is anything that can be done about it. Dissatisfaction can be so constant or so prevalent that it seems normal, or even ideal. Comic Sam Levensen said of his mother’s Jewish cooking (lots of onions and/or garlic) that it was not until he went to college that he learned heartburn was not normal. How many women not too long ago thought sex was not supposed to be enjoyable for them, and that if they did enjoy it, something was therefore wrong with them? How many people live the poet’s “lives of quiet desperation”, never even realizing that life shouldn’t be that way and that there is something that could be done about it. I believe that though much of love springs “from the heart” (from emotions), it is often or usually important to understand the heart (emotions) so that it will not run away with your head. Often, such understanding will even prevent a heart from being unnecessarily and regrettably broken. Emotions are only a part, not the whole, of what makes behavior reasonable and right.

Concerning (2), many books and articles flood the market, but few are good. Many of the newspaper and magazine articles and columns, for reasons of quick entertainment or limitations of space, give brief, cryptic, and often preconceived, purely fashionable answers to people’s problems about which the authors may not even have sufficient relevant facts to offer sound advice. Few give the reasons or evidence for the reasonableness or wisdom of their views.

With regard to books, even serious books, many start with some notion of people based on a general psychological theory of their nature—often a notion that is so problematic, suspicious or general to begin with that it is difficult to tell whom it fits, if anyone.  These books then go on to expound a theory of relationships based upon that theory of human nature—rather than being gathered from experience—and insofar as experience does  not fit the theory, it is ignored by the author, or is considered to be abnormal, aberrant, or irrelevant.

For example, some, trying to argue that sex without love is always dissatisfying (since people, unlike the lower animals, are emotional creatures “needing” love) point to many different people for whom this might be true, and either ignore the people and cases where it at least appears not to be true, or perhaps dismiss them as having only ephemeral physical pleasures, or the pleasures of a neurotic who mistakes physical satisfaction for the true contentment of love which he or she is unwilling and/or unable to seek or to give. Others may argue that since people are just animals in regard to physical pleasures and since sex is a physical pleasure, that there then needs to be no overriding emotion nor binding commitment behind it. These authors then dismiss as simple, culturally conditioned victims, people who cannot just enjoy sex for fun and physical pleasure alone. But neither type of account is reasonable about, or fair to, the subjects who do not fit the theory. Neither is being helpful to most people in explaining what sort of aspect sex is in a relationship. And neither is being very helpful in explaining the relationship of sex to passion, emotion, happiness, or the good in life.

The first fails to recognize that ephemeral pleasures are, after all, still pleasures and that few pleasures, even that of completing a great task, last long anyway. Of course, one can conjure up joy at their memory, but so can one conjure up joy at the memory of a particular affair, if it was in fact joyful and good or right — which is the question in the first place. The second fails to recognize that people have certain emotional, intellectual, and moral capacities that lower animals do not have, and that some of these capacities may, at least sometimes, have an important bearing on a person’s (otherwise physical) experiences. Though some animal behavior might be well for us to copy or return to, it is unlikely all of it is. I do not want to live in a cave, forego the use of tools, and continuously have to forage for food. Not even all natural human instincts are desirable. The fact we have animal instincts and are capable of animal pleasures does not necessarily mean those are the right instincts or pleasures to pursue. The case must be made not only that humans have instincts and the capabilities for experiencing certain pleasures, but that any particular instincts and pleasures at issue are good ones to pursue.

To deem a person neurotic solely on the basis of his/her pleasure in sex without love, or on the basis of his/her not having pleasure in sex without love, is to beg the question in a psychologically name-calling manner with little profit in understanding.

Also, the first theory has a further problem. For even if it is true that man needs love, it hardly necessarily follows that he therefore needs it with sex — any more than it follows he therefore needs it with dinner or with golf or with doing algebra, climbing mountains, or performing surgery. To need love is not necessarily to need it every minute, nor with every activity, nor with all sex, any more than to need nutrition means that one needs only nutritious food every minute, or that one cannot sometimes abstain from food or eat less nutritious foods on occasion just because they taste good and provide the ephemeral pleasures they do. I am not arguing here that sex is ever or always good or better without love or that love is never important for sex to be good. I only wish to say here that I think there are many more specific and intelligent ways to approach this area and many more (and more accurate) things we can (and will) say about the relationship of sex and love, and the relationship of sex with other aspects of life, than that sex without love is empty because people are creatures that need love, or that sex without love is rewarding because people, like other animals, can have physical pleasure without emotional overtones or commitment.

There are also some works on the market concerning love and personal relationships that put great stock in what the ancients thought (without examining the arguments supporting those thoughts) or in the meaning of myths or words and phrases coined long ago and evolving over the centuries. But in the absence of any (independent) reason to believe the ancient Greeks (or whoever) were right about relationships, there is no more reason to accept any of their unsupported ideas about them than there is to accept their ideas about physics or medicine simply because they also held them. Even the “wisdom of the ages,” as enshrined in myths or the evolution of words, is not necessarily rational nor correct. Superstition, specific cultural values, philosophical theories, and religious beliefs creep into mythological tales and into language development and may themselves be irrational or incorrect. This is not to deny the potential value of looking at what the past has said about relationships, but only to advise against accepting it without scrutiny to make certain that it is correct or reasonable and not merely historically interesting.

Another popular theme is that people and their relationships should be governed by natural law; but only certain cases are chosen for which this is claimed to be applicable. Some writers condemn artificial birth control methods because they are not natural, yet most such writers do not condemn the use of (artificial) medicine in order to save lives (or to produce life, such as in artificial insemination) simply because it is artificial. Nor would many writers, I suspect, want us to live like primitive people or jungle animals as far as our living conditions or our eating or toilet habits and other everyday aspects of life are concerned. It is certainly not natural to eat food with silverware rather than hands, nor, I suspect, is it natural to cook food before eating it or refrigerate it to prevent spoilage, shower periodically with soap, live in comfortable, heated homes, use anesthetics in surgery, cultivate crops, or any of hundreds of things we do that are arguably far better than the natural alternatives would be. Certainly nature can be a great teacher, and certainly it is bad to go against some natural inclinations or instincts; but nature is not the only teacher, and the question is always whether any particular way of nature is better to be followed or to be modified or to be shed. Since we have justifiably left nature behind in many areas (medicine, for example), it can hardly be argued in any given case that nature’s way is the best just because it is nature’s way. And this is not even to use the available argument that it is human nature to be rational and to invent, discover, and use “artificial” things and methods in life and that, therefore the use of such things and methods is natural after all.

Other writers may not refer to a theory of people or the whole world of nature, yet refer to specific animal behavior to exemplify or argue a point about people. Rollo May, for example, in Love and Will speaks of the death of the drone bee after copulation and of the decapitation of the male praying mantis by his mate during copulation and her ensuing eating of his corpse as examples of what he considers to be a close connection — that between love and death. The fact that there are billions of animals, including humans, that do not act this way seems of little consequence to Dr. May.

In this book, I too will generalize sometimes about people, but with regard to the kinds of specific ideas that individual readers should easily be able to verify as to whether they accurately apply to themselves or not.  I will also, in some cases, be writing about my own personal tastes or those of certain groups of people. I will try to make it clear when I am generalizing and when I am not; but I realize that is not always possible, since it is far too easy to unintentionally and incorrectly generalize about mankind from one’s own limited experience. However, apart from offering what I think are well- supported ideas about particular aspects of relationships, this book is meant to do three other things that are also of importance. The most significant is to offer a framework for looking at relationships— so that even if I am incorrect about any particular things I say about relationships the overall way of looking at relationships will still be most helpful to people. Second, I am trying to popularize looking at relationships and their components in a rational way by showing how , and by showing that much insight, perspective, and knowledge can be gained this way, often while looking at ordinary experiences open to all and common to many.  Finally, I am trying to show the kinds of issues that I think need to be addressed, and the kinds of problems that need to be solved, even if my particular answers about them can be proven incorrect.

Concerning the framework that I will be presenting, though some of my particular ideas about relationships have changed since I first formulated my basic view on the subject, this framework has remained the same. It has helped me view and understand relationships more clearly and coherently, and it has helped me see what the possibilities, as well as the problems, are in relationships. By using this framework, I believe it is easier to spot, and often to solve, specific problems in relationships.

This does not mean that by using my framework all relationship or marital problems will be or can be solved. Knowing a problem is not necessarily the first step in solving it. Knowing one has some incurable disease is not the first step toward cure. There are many problems, whether in mathematics, medicine, history, crime, relationships, etc., that seem to have no reasonably attainable solution, even though the problem is well specified. If two people are incompatible in some way and neither is willing to change or to accept the other’s behavior as it is, it might be impossible for the relationship to continue as a fully active, loving one. Having a framework that helps one understand relationships better can help identify and solve problems, but it is no guaranty it will help identify and solve all of them.

What I mean by a rational approach to the subject is not just voicing unsupported opinion, but giving evidence for the things I say – evidence that is readily available to most people to verify or disconfirm. This does not, by the way, mean appealing unquestioningly to an authority, particularly one whose pronouncements seem to be at odds with experience. If my ideas are wrong, then there must also be something wrong with the reasons I give as evidence for them; and if progress is to be made in the area of relationships, people need to learn to show specifically just what is wrong with other people’s reasoning instead of just arbitrarily dismissing disagreeable conclusions and replacing them with unsupported opinions of their own. The rational approach to a topic does not mean just dismissing differing views — as one writer on another topic in a professional journal dismissed quite reasonable, substantial, and devastating criticisms of his work by others as being simply “contentious, wordy, and irresponsible” without responding to their specific criticisms.

In this book I will try to be as clear as possible, give as much evidence for my views as possible, and give evidence that everyone can understand, appreciate, and confirm or deny.  I will also give numerous examples from everyday life, from literature, and from movies and television — not to prove my points with such examples, but to illustrate and further explain them. This is not a book that will require any special training or knowledge to read or to analyze. I doubt that I will ultimately be telling any new facts to people who have had normal experience with relationships, or given much thought to them; but I expect to be putting those facts into a new order and perspective that will shed previously unseen light on them and on the meaning they have for us in our relationships with others.

Key Takeaways

• Love can be analyzed and understood rationally even if it or the common concept of it involves emotions or feeling that are themselves not always rational.
• Love   can be said to   involve feelings, joys, and good ethical qualities.  

Chapter Review Questions

• Question : What are the components of love?

Introduction Copyright © 2017 by jhill5 and Richard Garlikov. All Rights Reserved.

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Self-Introduction Speech Examples & Tips to Help You Be Confident & Calm

Here's how you can nail your self-introduction speech, without the sweaty palms! Go from nervous to natural with these tips.

It's time! The moment for your self-introduction speech is upon you. Are your palms sweating just at the thought? There are two secrets to making it easier to give an introduction speech about yourself: practice and preparation.

And with those two things already on your to-do list, we took care of some of the lifting for you with these self-introduction speech examples. Plus plenty of tips to help you not only get through it but get through it and feel good about it after. Yes, it is possible. And you're on your way!

Easy Self-introduction Speeches for School

It's the first day of school or of the semester. Perhaps you've found yourself in a new classroom halfway through the academic year. No fear, these intros will ease you into things and hook you a few new friends and classroom groupmates, too.

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Self-Introduction for Elementary or Middle School Kids

For the younger kiddos, these intros are all about who they are and what makes them happy.

• "Hi, everybody! My name is [Your Name], and I'm super excited to be in this class with all of you. I'm [Your Age] years old. I live with my family, and we have a dog named [Dog's Name] who likes to eat all my homework. I really love dinosaurs, especially the T-Rex because he's big but has tiny arms, just like my baby brother when he tries to reach for cookies on the high shelf. In my free time, I love building rocket ships from Legos. One day, I hope to become an astronaut and find aliens -- friendly ones, of course!"
• "Good morning, everyone! I'm [Your Name], and I'm really excited to be part of this class. I am [Your Age] years old. At home, I'm the queen/king of board games, although my cat [Cat's Name] often tries to join in and messes up the pieces. My favorite food is pizza, because who can say no to pizza? And when I grow up, I want to be a detective because I love solving mysteries, like where my missing socks go in the dryer. I'm looking forward to learning and having fun with all of you this year!"

Self-Introduction Speech for High Schoolers

Give new classmates an in or let people know that you're just like them so you can make friends once you find the cafeteria.

• "Hey everyone, I'm [Your Name]. I'm new here, so please go easy on me if I can't find my way to the cafeteria. A few facts about me: I love music and play the guitar -- it's like a six-stringed stress buster for me. I'm a total sci-fi geek. If you need someone to debate Star Wars vs. Star Trek, I'm your person! And I have a secret ambition: to try every ice cream flavor in the world. Looking forward to getting to know all of you."

Self-Introduction Speech for College Kids

A quip about your major is a great way to start, but you can also loop in anything you love (or avoid) on your campus too, even if it's the steps by the library that seem to go on for eternity.

• "Hello everyone! My name is [Your Name] and I'm majoring in [Your Major]. When I'm not elbow-deep in textbooks or caffeine, I love exploring the city, one coffee shop at a time. Yes, I'm a self-confessed coffee addict and my dream is to find the perfect cup of coffee. I also enjoy [Another Hobby], because what's life without a little variety, right? Excited to be on this journey with you all!"

Job Interview Self-Introduction Speech

There's nothing like the dreaded "tell us about yourself" comment at an interview. The good news? You won't have any more nightmares because this intro is the perfect way to ease into the answer.

• "Good morning/afternoon! I'm [Your Name], and it's a pleasure to meet you. I graduated from [Your University] with a degree in [Your Major], and since then, I've gained [Number of Years of Experience] years of experience in the [Your Field] field. During my previous role at [Your Previous Company], I was responsible for [Key Responsibility] and I [Describe a Key Achievement or Impact You Made]. What I particularly enjoyed about that role was the opportunity to [Something You Enjoyed that Relates to the New Job]. In my free time, I enjoy [Briefly Mention a Hobby], which helps me to [Explain How It Applies to the New Role]. For example, [Concrete Example of How Hobby Relates to Job]. I'm excited about the possibility of bringing my unique experience and passion for [Mention Something About the Company or Role] to this position. Thank you for this opportunity to interview."

Work Self-Introduction Speeches

Make a smooth, witty, and warm self-introduction when you land the job or want to kick off an introduction with ease.

Introduction for a New Job

You're the new kid on the block at the office, you have enough to learn, here's an easy intro on your first day before jumping in.

• "Hello team, I'm [Your Name]. I'm thrilled to be joining the [Company Name] family as your new [Your Job Title]. I come with a background in [Relevant Skills or Experience], and most recently, I was at [Previous Company] where I [Describe a Key Achievement or Project]. Outside work, I love [A Personal Interest or Hobby]. I look forward to collaborating with all of you and contributing to our shared success."

Introduction for a Presentation or Meeting

Before you launch into the important information, take a moment to let people know who you are, why you're giving this presentation, and why you're qualified to do it. After all, you've done all the hard work, allow your accolades to shine.

• "Good morning/afternoon everyone, for those who don't know me yet, I'm [Your Name], the [Your Job Title] here at [Company Name]. I oversee [Briefly Describe Your Responsibilities]. I've been with [Company Name] for [Duration at the Company], and before that, I worked at [Previous Company]. Today, I'm excited to discuss [Topic of Presentation or Meeting]. Although if you want to chat after, I also love [Hobby]."

Introduction for a Networking Event

You'll be introducing yourself a lot at networking, so now is the time to make yourself pop and be memorable.

• "Hello, I'm [Your Name], currently serving as a [Your Job Title] at [Company Name]. I've been in the [Your Industry] industry for [Number of Years], specializing in [Your Specialty]. When I'm not [Job-Related Activity], I like to [Personal Interest or Hobby]. I'm eager to meet like-minded professionals and see how we can help each other grow in our careers."

Introducing Yourself at a Funeral

Whether you're delivering a eulogy, poem, or making a brief introduction of yourself to other family and friends, you can rely on this intro to make things a little easier.

• "Good morning/afternoon, everyone. My name is [Your Name], and I had the honor of being [Deceased's Name]'s [Your Relation to the Deceased, e.g., friend, colleague, neighbor]. We shared many [memories/experiences] together, and I am here to pay my respects and celebrate the remarkable life they led. Their [specific quality or memory] has always stuck with me, and it is something I will carry in their memory."

How to Introduce Yourself at a Party

It's party time! Keep the intro laid back and casual.

• "Hi! I'm [Your Name]. I may know some of you from [How You Know Some People at the Party]. I'm [a brief sentence about yourself, e.g., your job, where you're from]. I'm a bit of a [Hobby] enthusiast, so if you ever want to chat about [Topic Related to Hobby], I'm all ears."

Examples of How to Introduce Yourself to a New Group

You're the newbie, and there's nothing wrong with that. Start your clean slate with a short and sweet intro.

• "Hello, everyone! My name is [Your Name]. I'm thrilled to be joining this group! I have always been passionate about [Your Hobby]. It all started when [A Short Story About How You Got Started With This Hobby]. Over the years, my love for it has only grown, and I've spent countless hours [Describe Something You Do Related to The Hobby].
• Apart from this, I'm [Something About Your Job or Other Interests]. In my day-to-day life, I'm a [Your Profession], which can be pretty demanding, but [Your Hobby] has always been my perfect stress-buster.
• I joined this group because I wanted to meet people who share this passion, learn from your experiences, and hopefully contribute with some of my own insights. I'm really excited to be a part of this community and can't wait to get to know all of you better!"

10 Tips for Writing and Making a Self-Introduction Speech

Here are some tips to keep in mind while writing and giving your self-introduction speech. The most important tip, however, is to do what feels natural and flows easily.

• Know Your Audience : Tailor your introduction to the context and the audience. A self-introduction at a professional event will be very different from one at a casual party.
• Start Strong: Grab the audience's attention from the beginning. You can start with an interesting fact about yourself, a short story, or a joke if the setting is informal.
• Keep It Brief: Your introduction should be concise and to the point. Stick to key details about who you are, what you do, and perhaps one or two interesting facts or hobbies.
• Be Authentic : Genuine introductions are the most memorable. Be honest about who you are and don't be afraid to show some personality.
• Highlight Key Moments : Especially in a professional setting, it can be helpful to highlight a few key experiences or achievements that have defined your career or personal life.
• End on a Positive Note: Conclude your introduction on a positive or forward-looking note. You could express excitement about the event or meeting, or share a hope or goal for the future.
• Practice, Practice, Practice : Rehearse your introduction speech so you can deliver it confidently and naturally. This will help reduce any nerves and ensure you come across as polished and professional.
• Be Engaging : Use body language to engage your audience. Make eye contact, smile, and use gestures where appropriate.
• Relate It to the Purpose of the Event : If there's a specific reason for your introduction (like starting a new job, or joining a club), make sure to mention your relationship to the event or group and your expectations or goals.
• Provide A Personal Touch : Share a little about your personal life (like a hobby or interest) to make your introduction more unique and memorable.
• 15 Powerful Attention Getters for Any Type of Speech

Remember, the goal is to introduce yourself effectively, not to tell your entire life story. Keep it brief, engaging, and genuine .

Introducing Yourself With Ease

Sit yourself in front of the mirror, and run through your lines like an actor for a play, and in no time at all, the words will flow and you'll find a natural cadence. You may even surprise yourself with how easily your introductions flows once you take the stage. Don't be surprised if people ask how you were so calm and cool.

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Understand This: Love is Everything. Lead With Love In Everything You Do

Understand this: love is everything. lead with love in everything you do.

LOVE is the answer, the solution, the start, the middle and the end of everything great in life.

Transcript – Understand This: LOVE is Everything. Lead With Love In Everything You Do – (Motivational Speech)

Somewhere along the way as you work hard to build a successful business, as you work hard to get ahead, as we study hard in school, as we become lost in that overwhelming drive to create something magical in our lives, as we try to fill the emptiness in our hearts with work, we forget why we’re doing it all.

Why do we work?

Why do we create? Why do we put ourselves out there? What is that burning need inside us that drives us to sacrifice everything?

What is it that pushes us to work with so much focus and persistence that we forget ourselves, our health, our wellbeing… pushing so hard that we end up sabotaging our cherished relationships that we end up missing our child’s first day at school, that we willingly give up time with loved ones?

We’re doing it all. We’re building, creating, working hard, for love. When I say love, I don’t mean romantic, steamy or sexual love. I mean pure love.

Love that you might have for a spectacular piece of artwork. Love that you might have for travel and for new adventures. Love that you might have for the quiet beauty of a snowfall. This is the love that creates. The love that inspires.

That love that we are doing it all for. It’s fascinating to see what happens when you introduce love to your work, your creation. When you let love in to everything you do, everything you do seems to be created with a little more magic. When you let love into your work, your work is better. When you let love into your business, your clients show up for you. Back you, support you, cheer you on.

When you let love in, you have endless courage, creativity, clarity and drive. Love is behind it all. Love brings out the best in you. It brings out the best in your people.

Love brings out the best in your work. In everything you do.

Apple, the electronics company decided to love their clients above all else. They would have store managers, not just assistants, call customers who needed help and spend as much time as necessary on the phone to make things right. This is an expensive thing to do, but Apple found that each hour their managers spend on the phone, an additional $1,000 in sales would be generated. Loving your customers isn’t just a good idea. It’s smart business.

Love works. Loving each other works. Loving your team works. Loving your clients works.

Sometimes it feels like the bad guys win. I know it feels like the world tells you you need to be a hard nosed, slimy asshole entrepreneur to get to the top, but that’s not true. Sooner or later, the bad guys lose. In the end love always wins. Always.

Love is why we do what we do.

You’re not doing it for the money. Ask yourself why you want the money. So you can buy that big house? Why do you want that house or the car or the recognition? Because you believe at some level you’ll be happier when you get them. You believe you will get more love when you get them. But the truth is you can lead with love now. So remember your why. Why do you want to win? Why do you want to win? What is it that really matters to you?

You might have heard of this old saying, it’s not personal. It’s business. Wrong. Business is personal. It always has been. There is no other way we could keep doing what we do. There’s no other reason to wake up every day and run your business or your life, your relationships, everything.

Let love in. Fuel everything with all the love you have. Then watch your business take off. Watch your vision and your goals come to life when your team and your clients support you with love.

Business is love. Let love in. Fuel every thing with all the love you have. Ask how you can serve, not what you can get. Create with love and service in mind and let the money chase you. Watch your vision and your goals come to life. When you lead with love, when your work is filled with your love.

When you love what you do and you do what you love, know this… understand this, embody this, live by this. It’s how you stay true to yourself. It’s how you make the impossible possible. It’s how you experience authentic success and happiness. It’s how you live big.

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Valentine’s Day Speech in English – Check 10 Lines Speech, Short Speech, and Long Speech Sample here!

Last updated on February 13th, 2023 at 06:19 pm

Valentine’s Day Speech in English: Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love and affection between partners, family, and friends. It is observed annually on February 14th and has become a global celebration of love. People exchange gifts, cards, and chocolates to express their love and appreciation for each other. Flowers, particularly roses, are also a popular gift on this day. Valentine’s Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the love in our lives and to show gratitude for the special people who bring happiness and joy. The day is not just about romantic love, but also about showing love and kindness to all those around us. Ultimately, Valentine’s Day is a reminder to cherish the love in our lives and to spread love and kindness to others. Read the article and discover the different samples of valentines day speech in English here.

Table of Contents

10 lines Speech on Valentine’s Day in English

• Valentine’s Day is a special day to celebrate love and affection.
• It is observed on February 14th and has become a global celebration.
• On Valentine’s Day, couples often go out for dinner, spend quality time together, or exchange heartfelt gifts.
• People also express their love by writing poems or letters to their loved ones.
• The day is a celebration of the strong bond between partners, family members, and friends.
• It is an opportunity to strengthen relationships and show appreciation for the important people in our lives.
• Valentine’s Day also has a cultural significance, with different traditions observed around the world.
• In some countries, couples exchange tokens of love, such as flowers, chocolates, or jewelry.
• The day is often associated with the color red, which symbolizes passion and love.
• On Valentine’s Day, let’s celebrate the love in our lives and spread joy and happiness to those around us.

Short Speech on Valentine’s Day in English

Ladies and gentlemen,

I’m here today to talk to you about Valentine’s Day, a unique occasion where love and affection are honored. Valentine’s Day, which is observed every year on February 14, has developed into a universal day of love that is enjoyed by people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. On this day, individuals give and receive cards, chocolates, and presents as a way to show how much they care for one another. On this day, people frequently give flowers as gifts; roses in particular symbolize the beauty and frailty of love.

Valentine’s Day is not just about romantic love between partners, but also about showing love and kindness to all those around us. This includes our family, friends, and even strangers. Love and kindness are powerful forces that can bring happiness and joy to our lives, and Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to reflect on the love in our lives and to show appreciation for the special people who bring happiness and joy.

Valentine’s Day is a reminder that love and kindness are essential for a happy and fulfilled life. Whether it’s a romantic dinner, a bouquet of flowers, or simply a kind gesture, the most important thing is to show love and appreciation. On this day, let’s celebrate the love in our lives and spread joy and happiness to those around us.

In conclusion, I would like to say that Valentine’s Day is a day to cherish the love in our lives and to spread love and kindness to all those around us. Let us take this opportunity to show appreciation for the important people in our lives and to celebrate the power of love.

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Long Speech on Valentine’s Day in English

Good morning everyone,

Today, I have the pleasure of speaking to you about Valentine’s Day, a special day dedicated to celebrating love and affection. Observed annually on February 14th, Valentine’s Day has become a global celebration of love and is celebrated by people of all ages and cultures. On this day, people exchange gifts, cards, and chocolates to express their love and appreciation for one another. Flowers, particularly roses, are a popular gift on this day, symbolizing the beauty and fragility of love.

The origins of Valentine’s Day are somewhat shrouded in mystery, but it is believed to have originated as a Christian feast day honoring Saint Valentine, a martyr who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome during a time when marriage was forbidden. Over time, the day evolved into a celebration of love and affection, and today it is celebrated as a day to express love and appreciation for those closest to us.

Valentine’s Day is about more than simply romantic love between lovers; it’s also about spreading kindness and love to everyone we come in contact with. Family, friends, and even complete strangers are included in this. Love and kindness are strong powers that can enhance our lives and make us happy. Valentine’s Day is a time to consider the love in our lives and express gratitude for the unique individuals who bring joy and happiness.

Many people view Valentine’s Day as a commercial holiday, but at its core, it is a day to celebrate love and affection. Whether it’s a romantic dinner, a bouquet of flowers, or simply a kind gesture, the most important thing is to show love and appreciation. Love and kindness are essential for a happy and fulfilled life, and Valentine’s Day is a reminder of this important truth.

Valentine’s Day also honors the close ties that couples, families, and friends have. Love is a choice to care for and support those who are important to us, despite hardships, rather than just an emotion. Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to deepen this link and express gratitude for the people in our lives who make us happy and joyful. It is a bond that is formed through time via shared experiences and memories.

In conclusion, I would like to say that Valentine’s Day is a day to cherish the love in our lives and to spread love and kindness to all those around us. Let us take this opportunity to show appreciation for the important people in our lives and to celebrate the power of love. Whether we are celebrating romantic love or the love of family and friends, let us embrace the joy and happiness that love brings into our lives.

FAQs on Valentine’s Day Speech in English

Valentine’s Day is a holiday that is celebrated annually on February 14th. It is dedicated to celebrating love and affection between romantic partners, family members, and friends. People exchange gifts, cards, and chocolates to express their love and appreciation for one another.

The origins of Valentine’s Day are somewhat shrouded in mystery, but it is believed to have originated as a Christian feast day honoring Saint Valentine, a martyr who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome during a time when marriage was forbidden. Over time, the day evolved into a celebration of love and affection.

People of all ages and cultures celebrate Valentine’s Day. It is not limited to romantic love between partners, but also about showing love and kindness to all around us, including family, friends, and even strangers.

Valentine’s Day is important because it is a day to celebrate love and affection and to show appreciation for the important people in our lives. Love and kindness are essential for a happy and fulfilled life, and Valentine’s Day is a reminder of this important truth.

A Valentine’s Day speech should focus on the celebration of love and affection, and the importance of showing appreciation for the special people in our lives. The speech should also highlight the positive impact of love and kindness on our lives and the lives of those around us. Emotional anecdotes and personal experiences can also be included to make the speech more meaningful and impactful.

By Gauri Malik

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