What runs through your head when you’re sitting in an audience, and a speaker approaches the lectern?

“I hope this guy isn’t as boring as the last one.”

“Should I listen to her, or just check my BlackBerry?”

“I’ll give you 30 seconds, then I’m going into the lobby to check my voicemail.”

In the first seconds and minutes of his or her speech, your own executive speaker will face a crowd with the same inner questioning going on. Consciously or unconsciously, listeners are trying to decide if the speech, and the speaker, is worth their time. The cues that your speaker delivers, and the first few things he or she says, are make-or-break moments for a speech.

Chris Witt, author of the forthcoming book Real Leaders Don’t Do PowerPoint and founder of San Diego-based Witt Communications, devotes a chapter in the book to starting off speeches on the right foot, and making sure that your speaker doesn’t lose the crowd’s attention.

“The beginning of a speech is like welcoming someone into your home,” says Witt. An effective host makes a guest feel that they’ve been warmly embraced, and that your time will be well-spent in their company. “Your speaker wants to say, ‘Make yourself at home in my world,’” Witt explains.

The first 15 seconds

Even before your speaker opens her mouth, their actions can determine whether the audience is with them, or is already mentally checking out.

“Your speech begins the moment the audience has any contact with you,” Witt says. That means even as the host is delivering opening remarks and introducing your executive, people are already looking at the speaker for hints. If your exec is staring down at paperwork, or texting on a mobile phone, he’s already conveying the idea that he’s not really engaged.

Witt’s advice: Ask your speaker to “establish the space,” walking confidently up the lectern or microphone, arranging notes carefully, and taking a brief pause to “give the audience time to look you over.”

“The more you build in a planned silence, the more likely you’ll have command of the audience,” Witt explains. Your speaker shouldn’t just sprint up to the mike and start yammering—she’ll come off as excitable and not confident.

Also key in the first 15 seconds: establishing eye contact. “Even if you look just one person in the eyes before you start speaking, everyone in the room feels included,” Witt says.

Only after these steps are completed should your exec start speaking—and please, please, Witt says, don’t start with a joke. “Unless you’re a gifted comic, this invites disaster.” If people are watching a stand-up comic, or a “roast,” they’re primed to laugh—if they’re listening to a business speech, they’re not.

Another no-no: Don’t waste time on pleasantries. “Scratch the ‘happy to be here’ and ‘thanks to the host,’” Witt says. “Do it later in the speech if there are people you need to thank.”

And a final don’t: Tell your exec not to apologize for anything, like not having time to prepare, or not being a compelling speaker. “You’re insulting the audience, and yourself, if you do that,” Witt says.

So what’s on the “do” list for the first few minutes of your exec’s speech?

Do: Tell a personal story, which has much more impact than trying to crack a joke, Witt says. Skip generic stories pulled from some business book.

“Instead, tell a personal story, a humorous or dramatic incident from your life that illustrates the problem you’re addressing or the solution you’re proposing,” Witt suggests.

Do: Ask a provocative question.

“Ask a question that makes people stop and think,” Witt says, or ask a question that gets the audience thinking on the same page about the issue you’d like to address. For instance, if the speech is about efficient meetings, your speaker could ask, “How many of you went to a meeting this week that you thought was totally useless?”

Do: Make a bold assertion.

“If you’re just saying things that people already know, you’re doing them a disservice,” Witt says. And don’t dance around the statement—say it flat-out. For a speech about making meetings more useful, your speaker could say, “Meetings are an alternative to work. They’re a colossal waste of time, energy and money and should be banned.”

Do: Mix and match the above approaches.

“Start with a question—then tell a personal story,” says Witt. With a few compelling openers for the speech, your speaker boosts the chances that audiences will remain rapt, even while the red light is blinking on the BlackBerry.

Contact Chris Witt at chris@wittcom.com.