Start with a story.

A dentist is getting out of his car. He takes his case and carries it carefully to the door of his practice.
As he is opening the door, he turns round and spots two men opening the boot of his car. He runs over to the car shouting at them to leave it alone.
One of the men turns and shoots him dead.
Courage, says Lee Child means that man died. Jack Reacher retreats – and lives.
Me, I can open any of Lee Child's books, read a couple of pages and remember them. So I do not need to buy that book! And I am delighted if I can find one where the opening story is new to me. The picture on this page is not the one with the dentist in it, by the way.
Starting with a story works every time. Which must be why Lee Child starts with a story every time.

Here's an idea for a funeral speech:

A young woman is walking along a road. She trips over a loose paving slab. A man crosses the road to help her to her feet. She smiles at him. Then he takes her by the shoulders and plants a huge kiss on her lips.
That is how my mother and father met...

The dreaded best man's speech at a wedding: put the awful memory of what the bride did at the start and restrict yourself to that one embarrassing incident. Oh – and although there are several fascinating stories about the stag night, remember that what is done in Prague stays in Prague. Or the Bride might be seriously cross. - Oh and the same goes for the hen night too.

People like stories, so start with your most attractive selling point: a good laugh.

In any form of speech, this is perhaps the strongest start. Advertisers use it a lot.

Two classics: the Bisto Ad where the Mum stirs the gravy as her family excitedly wait for their dinner.

The man – remember him – from Del Monte?

In Comments too, stories go down very well.

In one religious blog people were sounding off about child abuse.
One very brave man told how he himself had been abused as a young teenager by a much older man. He described how gentle the man was and how much he enjoyed the experience.
This was riveting stuff. Never to be forgotten. Peregrine Worsthorne in the Daily Telegraph, then aged 90 did the same thing.
Why not try telling a story instead of being horrid?

Otherwise?

Tweets? You tell me.

Oh – I nearly forgot – in Examinations DO NOT START WITH A STORY EVER.