There are walking sticks that turn into hankercheifs, flowers that pop out of thin air, newspapers that can be shredded and mysteriouslly come back whole. Your friend need not do a whole magic act. He needs just one attention getting illusion to begin the speech. In fact, once the trick is done, your friend does not even have to refer to the trick. He can be even more mysterioius by launching right into the speech while the class is stunned by seeing the trick.

Leave them wondering.

It goes like this stand to one side of the podium then say, ” Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to start out by showing you all something that I am very proud of” reach down for your zipper and start to unzip your pants.

If that does not evoke a response from your crowd they all must be dead….

Good luck