How to Draw Attention in a Presentation: 5 Best Attention Grabbers (Part 1 of 5)

Summary

In this professional development video, Alex Lyon shares the top five strategies for captivating a presentation's opening moments. Starting with a brief story, a startling statistic, rhetorical questions, a visual illustration, or a unique quotation effectively grabs the audience's attention. Lyon also advises making the attention-getter the first thing spoken and combining techniques for a powerful start. He encourages further skill development through his Communication Coach platform.

Takeaways

• 🎯 The first moments of a presentation are crucial for capturing the audience's attention.
• 🗣️ Introducing oneself professionally sets the stage for the presentation and builds credibility.
• 📈 Opening with a brief story, between 30 to 60 seconds, can be an effective way to engage the audience, especially if it aligns with the presentation's core message.
• 📊 Starting with a startling statistic or fact can draw immediate attention to the topic at hand.
• ❓ Rhetorical questions can be used to involve the audience from the outset, creating a sense of participation and interest.
• 🖼️ Utilizing visual illustrations can help convey points more effectively, especially for visual learners in the audience.
• 💬 Quotations, particularly unique or off-beat ones, can be a powerful way to start a presentation, provided they are not overused clichés.
• 🔑 The importance of delivering the attention-getter as the very first thing after introduction to avoid losing the audience's interest.
• 🌟 Combining different attention-getting techniques, such as a rhetorical question with a statistic, can create a more impactful opening.
• 📚 The script emphasizes the value of presentation skills as a critical leadership skill and encourages ongoing development.
• 🔗 The speaker invites viewers to subscribe for more tips and to engage in a conversation for future content ideas.

Q & A

Why are the first moments of a presentation considered critical?

The first moments of a presentation are critical because they serve as the attention getter, which is the moment when the presenter grabs the audience's attention and draws their interest into the core message being shared.

What is the role of storytelling in opening a presentation?

Storytelling in the opening of a presentation provides a brief narrative that can be humorous, fun, or serious, aligning with the tone of the message. It should drive towards the heart of the message, making it a strong way to engage the audience from the start.

Can you provide an example of how a story was used effectively in a presentation?

An example given in the script is when a pastor shared a humorous story about driving a cherry picker truck and missing a turn, which led to the main point about making difficult choices.

Outlines

00:00

🎯 Capturing Attention with Presentation Skills

Alex Lyon introduces the importance of the initial moments in presentations and how they can impact perceptions of leadership. He emphasizes the 'attention getter' and outlines five effective methods to start a presentation: using a brief story, presenting a startling statistic or fact, asking rhetorical questions to engage the audience, employing a visual illustration to convey the message, and beginning with a unique quotation. Each method is discussed with examples to highlight their effectiveness in drawing the audience's interest and setting the stage for the main message.

05:03

🌟 Enhancing Your Opening with Combined Techniques

The second paragraph continues the discussion on presentation skills by suggesting that combining different attention-getting techniques can lead to a more powerful opening. The speaker advises to make the attention getter the first thing said after any introductions and to weave together methods like rhetorical questions with statistics or quotes to create a compelling start. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to subscribe for more leadership and communication tips, encouraging further engagement through comments and suggestions for future content.

Keywords

💡Presentation skills

Presentation skills refer to the ability to effectively communicate information to an audience in a structured and engaging manner. In the video, these skills are identified as critical for leaders, as they can influence perceptions of leadership quality. The video's theme revolves around enhancing these skills, particularly in the opening moments of a presentation.

💡Attention getter

An attention getter is a technique used at the beginning of a presentation to capture the audience's interest. The script emphasizes the importance of this moment, suggesting that it can significantly impact how the presenter is perceived. Examples from the script include starting with a story, statistic, rhetorical question, illustration, or quotation.

💡Story

A story in the context of a presentation is a brief narrative used to engage the audience and introduce the main message. The script mentions that a story should be concise, match the tone of the presentation, and lead directly into the core message, such as the humorous anecdote about the pastor's driving experience.

💡Statistic

A statistic in a presentation is a numerical fact intended to surprise or provoke thought, thereby capturing the audience's attention. The script provides an example of a startling statistic about credit card debt among college students and working adults, which serves to highlight the severity of the issue being discussed.

💡Rhetorical question

A rhetorical question is a figure of speech that is posed without expecting an answer, often used to make a point or to involve the audience. In the script, it is suggested that asking rhetorical questions can be an effective way to start a presentation, as it can create a sense of participation and momentum, such as asking the audience to raise their hands if they have had a particular experience.

💡Illustration

An illustration in a presentation is a visual aid used to clarify or emphasize a point. The script describes using stacks of cookies to represent numerical differences as an example of an illustration that can make a presentation more engaging and easier for visual learners to understand.

💡Quotation

A quotation in a presentation is a statement or phrase taken from another source, often used to add weight or a different perspective to the message. The script advises using unique or off-beat quotations that the audience may not be familiar with to make a stronger impact, such as the Bruce Lee quote used to introduce the topic of making mistakes.

💡Leadership

Leadership in the context of the video refers to the ability to guide, influence, and inspire others, which is closely tied to effective presentation skills. The script suggests that how one presents can significantly influence perceptions of their leadership abilities, making presentation skills a critical area for leaders to develop.

💡Professional development

Professional development refers to the process of acquiring new skills, knowledge, and experiences to improve one's professional competence. The script's author, Alex Lyon, aims to provide such development through tips on presentation skills, which are essential for enhancing leadership and communication abilities in a professional setting.

💡Communication Coach

Communication Coach appears to be a resource or platform created by the speaker to help individuals improve their leadership and communication skills. The script promotes this tool as a means for rising leaders to take their skills to the next level, suggesting ongoing tips and support for those looking to develop in these areas.

💡Momentum

Momentum in the context of a presentation refers to the building of interest and engagement from the audience. The script mentions the use of rhetorical questions in succession to create momentum, which can help to draw the audience in and maintain their attention throughout the presentation.

Highlights

The first moments of presentations are critical for capturing audience attention.

Alex Lyon provides professional development tips for improving presentation skills.

Leaders are often judged by their presentation skills, influencing perceptions of their leadership qualities.

A brief story can be an effective way to start a presentation, drawing the audience into the message.

Humor can be incorporated into a story to engage the audience.

A story should align with the tone and content of the central message being shared.

A statistic or fact can serve as a startling opener to a presentation.

Rhetorical questions can be used to immediately engage the audience and create participation.

Using multiple rhetorical questions in succession can add momentum to the presentation.

Visual illustrations can effectively convey a point and appeal to visual learners.

Quotations, especially unique ones, can be a powerful way to open a presentation.

Avoid using overused quotations to ensure the impact of the message.

The opening of a presentation should be the first thing said after any introductions.

Combining different attention-getters can create a more powerful opening.

Presentation skills are considered a leadership skill and are important for personal development.

The Communication Coach channel offers ongoing tips for improving leadership and communication skills.

Transcripts

The first moments of presentations are critical.

Let's look at the five best ways to open.

My name is Alex Lyon and I'm here to

provide professional development tips for your very next meeting. Today we're

going to talk about presentation skills. And it's a critical area for leaders

because people will often see someone present and if you do well they'll think

oh that person is a good leader.

That's the way people translate it. And the first moments of presentations are

really key it's that attention getter,

is what they call it, that moment your grab your audience's attention and you draw

their interest in to the heart of the message you're about to share. And there

are some good ways to start and some bad ways. We're going to look at the top 5 ways to start

presentations. For the first, is a story. And I mean a brief story, like 30 seconds

to 60 seconds.

It can be humorous. It can be fun, light-hearted, could be serious.

Whatever matches the tone of the central message you're about to share, is appropriate

And it also should, in its content, drive towards the heart of the message. For

example, my pastor the other day told the story about how when he was

young he was driving this truck on the freeways. It was a cherry picker, huge truck with

the company logo on the side. And he missed his turn and so we had to swerve

over the grass median. And it was a humorous story but it drove right to the

point was trying to make which is about difficult choices.

So it worked really well. So a good story, a brief story, is a strong way to start

your presentations. Second way is a statistic or fact.

Ideally a statistic that's startling, something a little unexpected. Like I

heard one the other day when learning about personal finance and that is

during college students have about eight hundred dollars worth of credit card

debt but by the time they are in the working world they have about eight

thousand dollars worth of credit card debt. Now, to me, that's pretty startling.

And if you were going to open a presentation about personal finance or

perhaps college students, whatever the topic is, that is an example of a good

statistic because it really draws your attention to the issue.

So as you're doing your research you'll probably come across some

interesting facts and you should consider some of those as introductory

or attention-getting material for your opening. The third way is rhetorical questions.

A rhetorical question, as they say, is not necessarily a question that needs to be

answered.

However, you could ask your listeners to raise their hands if that they have ever

thought that. For example, say by show of hands how many of you have ever

and then you insert your question. I think it's a great way to start because

it instantly gets your audience participating and bought in on board

with the message you're sharing.

I think it's also best to structure this so you asked two, possibly three,

questions in a row so it adds a little momentum to the message. And that way

it's not just a one-off kind of question

it's something that draws them, that draws them in. The fourth way to open is

an illustration.

You should consider something visual that shows your audience

the point that you're trying to make. I once saw a speaker, for example, lineup

stacks of cookies to illustrate differences in numbers.

Now cookies are much more interesting to look at than just a number. So it's a

great visual representation.

Sometimes people will use an object as a representation, a visual

illustration of what they're trying to get across. Any way you can do that, maybe

a visual aid, even something on the screen could be a powerful way to start,

something that helps the visual learners in your audience to get on board with

what you're about to say can be a really great way to start. And the last way is

quotations.

Now you can start with it a well-known quotation, but I don't think the

well-known quotations are always best.

It's true the Abraham Lincoln

and Einstein they all said some amazing things, but the problem with using a

common quotation is that people have probably already heard it. And it might

not have the impact that you're trying to have. I think it's best if you look

for a unique or off-beat quotation. for example, I saw a speaker recently give a

quote from Bruce Lee to begin his presentation. His presentation wasn't

about martial arts. It was about making mistakes. And Bruce Lee has a great

quotation about making mistakes and it was a powerful way to start because I had

never heard it before. But it was a powerful way to open.

so these are the top five ways I recommend starting your presentations. I

want to give you two additional suggestions for using attention getters

effectively. And the first suggestion is to make sure it's the very first thing

out of your mouth.

a lot of times we get introduced and then we might fill in with a whole bunch

of other things and then in a moment or two we finally get to our message. But I

think the first thing out of your mouth should be your attention getter.

You might say thank you to the applause or thank you, briefly, a couple of seconds

and then you pause and you go into your attention getter. The second

recommendation to using these attention getters, I think it's great to combine

these together. You might use, for example, a rhetorical question with a statistic or

a quote with a rhetorical question.

you can, there's some art to this, but you can weave them together and play around

till you get the right combination. But if you combine more than one then you're almost

guaranteed to have a powerful opening that really doesn't do the job and gain

people's attention.

So like I said, presentations are often considered a leadership skill and I

highly recommend

developing these every chance you get. And it's why I created Communication

Coach. I created it to help rising leaders like yourself

take your leadership and communication skills to the next level.

So if you're interested in ongoing tips in this area please subscribe to the channel,

post your comments and questions below. If you have other ideas about videos

you'd like to see me work on in the future, then go ahead and we'll start a

conversation about that.

So thanks. God bless. And I hope you get to use these tips at your very next

meeting.