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

How to draw attention in a presentation. An "attention grabber" or "attention getter" are presentation openings that draw listener’s attention. FREE 7 Instant Tips for Confident & Composed Public Speaking
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As such, there are good ways and not-so-good presentation openings. Here are the five best attention grabbers.

1. Brief story. You can tell a 30- to 60-second story that sets the tone for the rest of your presentation. A good attention getter should not be random, however. Don’t slap a story on their because you like it. That’s not going to lead to good presentation openings. Use the right story that gets to the heart of the message.

2. Interesting statistic or fact. Sometimes, presentation openings are best done through hard facts. Some audiences and some topics call for numbers. It’s best to use statistics that are relatively interesting or even shocking. The point of attention getters is clearly to gain the attention and an ordinary or common statistic might not do it.

3. Rhetorical question(s). These can be great presentation openings but I recommend asking a short series of easy questions, one-by-one, that leads the listeners along. If you just use one question, I don’t think it would be the strongest attention getter. However, if you string 2-3 good ones together, you’re more likely gain attention and have a strong presentation opening.

4. Illustration (a visual demonstration). This can be a challenging one to create but something visual can often add a lot interest. You can do something visual yourself of use a visual aid that adds the right impact.

5. Quotations (but not overly common ones). Don’t use tired old quotations. How many presentation openings can you sit through that quote Ben Franklin? Look for off-beat or creative quotes that will stand out more. If it stands out, then it will more likely grab listeners.

Also, make sure there’s no filler between your first opportunity to talk and your actual planned presentation opening. Just start! Aside from a very brief "Thank you" after you are introduced, just pause for 2 seconds and begin your attention getter.

Finally, consider combining any of the above attention grabbers. Presentation openings are often best when you weave more than one together to make your start (also called an "attention getter") that much stronger. There is an art to creating compelling attention getters.

Attention getters take a lot of work, creativity, and time. You may want to reserve extra preparation time to do the rest of the presentation justice.

Related Videos in the Series:
Best 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISn4Fip9aH8&list=PLiObSxAItudLIWENnjSuXgyWI9etkKmq_&index=1
Use a Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujw_21AuU5k
Use Humor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6sm47j-Am4&list=PLiObSxAItudLIWENnjSuXgyWI9etkKmq_&index=3
Use Questions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA1H1hYYFHs&index=4&list=PLiObSxAItudLIWENnjSuXgyWI9etkKmq_
Use Statistics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij1NuTGQWmQ

Alex Lyon’s Book (Affiliate Link): Case Studies in Courageous Communication: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1433131234/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=alexlyon-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1433131234&linkId=6bfd9c333c786d16025c5a7c70a3ef4c

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