An audience is the most important part of the public speaking process, and with respect to that, how good conversationalist, you may be, you would fail definitely, if you fail to understand how to HOOK the audience. You need to understand, the things that would make the audience to take interest in whatever you are going to convey to them. This does, though, apply to a presentation that you would give in any setting, whether it’s in work, or elsewhere, because when you stand in front of a group of people, whether you’re talking about macroeconomics or the forecasted revenue, or you’re telling a story, you must captivate their attention first. And that’s one of the things that we’re going to focus on today. So let’s get started.
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
— Plato
When we speak, we have about 60 seconds to capture our audience’s attention, establish credibility, orient them to our topic, and motivate them to listen, says Darlene Price, president of Well Said, Inc. The first impression is the only impression and it should be the best one possible. Grabbing your audience from your opening line sets your tone and is the single most important key to success.
So what makes for a truly impactful opening line? How do you instantly earn ( and maintain) your audience’s attention?
USE A PROP TO MAKE YOUR POINT
Understand why you’re doing it, whether you’re holding some sort of piece of fruit as a metaphor, whatever it is if you have a physical object, that helps to capture people’s attention, and you’re going to see that this is the most critical thing at the start of a speech. Remember, you have about 60 seconds to capture their attention and captivate them before they tune out completely, so you must do something interesting. But don’t just use a prop to get attention. It needs to serve a purpose-otherwise. It’ll only distract from your message.
HUMOR
Keep this in mind: humour is not about telling jokes. Your humour should directly relate to your thesis, the main point of your speech. Humor is quite tricky because you don’t actually know what your entire audience thinks is funny. Make them laugh with that first line. The audience will like you, and they’ll likely retain the actual substance of your presentation, too. Educators know that humour helps boost information recall-so hook them with laughter, and they’ll be sure to remember your line and sinker. It’s a good idea to try the joke out on some friends first, to make sure they think it’s funny too. Keep it clean, and be ready to move on if you don’t get the laughter you thought you would.
TELL A STORY
Telling a story is an amazing way to get your audience leaning forward and really listening. Stories remind your audience that you are human, make you relatable, and take down protective barriers people will erect when they think people will be talking at them. Start immediately with the story. You can back up and introduce yourself later.
You may have heard that people want to do business with those they know, like and trust. A personal story is one of the quickest ways to tick all three of those boxes. Here’s how:
Be known — by sharing some personal details, we’re allowing ourselves to be known.
Be liked — people like people who are like themselves. How will they know if you’re like them unless you show them! So by telling a story that reveals some of your core values, or something about your background, or your motivation, you’re allowing your audience to like you.
Be trusted — finally, via the law of reciprocity — I do for you and you do for me — if you trust your audience with your story they’re more likely to trust you in return; with their time and their business!
When telling stories, make sure you keep them relevant. Don’t waste valuable speech time by waffling on about irrelevant details. Each story should have a clear point.
INTERACT WITH AUDIENCE
Ask a question. Getting the audience involved creates a give and take between speaker and audience, which has been known to be more persuading than a one-way lecturer. Ask them a question or stimulate their thoughts by having them ponder an idea, and then drive your message home. This doesn’t mean you need to receive answers from all of your audience members; your question could be rhetorical. Some people will want to answer, but even if they don’t do it out loud, they will be considering the answer in their minds, so they will be engaged. Asking several questions in a row will stretch the audience’s mind further while also serving as an introduction to your topic. Be sure to pause after each question for best effect.
Have a look at this :
What do you think is the most important piece of clothing you own? What makes it important? Is it the protection it provides? How often you wear it? The warmth it offers? The way it makes you look? How it makes you feel? For me, there is nothing more important than having a nice clean pair of dry socks…
USE A QUOTE
Beginning your presentation with a quote is thought-provoking because it makes your audience recall the quote and the original speaker of that quote. This can lend itself to your ethos as a presenter because you are aligning yourself with the famous presenter and the famous quote.
Find a quote from someone recognizable, then think about how you can tie it into your presentation, or turn it on its head. Over at Brainyquote.com you can find lots to choose from and can even search by topic. Another good source is thinkexist.com
A variation on this idea would be to make the quote your first slide — nothing but the quote in giant words; possibly with a picture of the person who said it.
