Attention Getters
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Ask a Question
o Rhetorical Question
 Example: "Have you ever stood in a freezing river at 5 o'clock in
the morning by choice?"; “What’s your first reaction when you
think of Hollywood?”
 Rhetorical questions are questions designed to arouse curiosity
without requiring an answer. Either the answer will be obvious, or
if it isn't apparent, the question will arouse curiosity until the
presentation provides the answer.
o Literal Question
 Example: “How many of you have been to ‘x’?”; “Who can give
me a definition of the word ‘y’?”
A Story
o Example: The crowd was wild. The music was booming. The sun was
shining. The cash registers were ringing.
o This story-like re-creation of the scene at a Farm Aid concert serves to
engage the audience and causes them to think about the situation you are
describing. Touching stories or stories that make audience members feel
involved with the topic serve as good attention-getters. You should tell a
story with feeling and deliver it directly to the audience instead of reading
it off your notecards
A Quotation
o Example: A presentation on the necessity for free speech, political justice,
or human rights could use this quotation from politician Eleanor Holmes
Norton: “The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak, is
to support the rights of the people you don’t agree with.”
o A quotation from a famous person or from an expert on your topic can
gain the attention of the audience. The use of a quotation immediately
launches you into the speech and focuses the audience on your topic area.
If it is from a well-known source, cite the author first. If the source is
obscure, begin with the quote itself.
Relate Unusual Information
o Planting a seed that attracts the natural curiosity of your listeners is an
effective way to open your speech. Assert the notion that gay men have
had a profound and positive impact on Western culture. Say that a new
device has been invented that just may revolutionize human transportation.
Chances are good your audience will continue listening to hear you reveal
more.
Humor
o Example: Vice President Al Gore is the opening speaker for the 1996
Democratic National Convention: “Tradition holds that this speech be
delivered tomorrow night. But President Clinton asked me to speak
tonight. And you can probably guess the reason: My reputation for
excitement.” “I’ve been watching the convention. I’ve seen you do the
Macarena. And if I could have your silence, I’d like to do the Al Gore
version of the Macarena.” He stands still. “Want to see me do it again?”
Attention Getters
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Given his reputation for being boring and stiff, his opening
statements deflected a lot of those expectations from his opening
statements.
o Audiences like to laugh, and if it’s appropriate for your topic, nothing
breaks the ice like humor. Humor, however, is tricky. First, you must be
believable as a funny person, and not everyone is! Most importantly,
though, humor can quickly offend, tarnishing your credibility and
distancing your audience from you at exactly the time you want to connect
with them. It is not okay to use humor that has its target race, culture,
sexual orientation, body parts, body shape, religion, occupation, or even
hair color. Most of the “humor” in such jokes relies on stereotypes, and
stereotyping says more about the speaker than it does about anyone being
targeted by it. Irony, wit, puns, twists, and odd observations can be
successful. Nothing however, tops a speaker’s self-deprecating humor,
especially for Western audiences. Using yourself as the object of humor
increases your likability and makes an audience feel closer to you. Of
course, as always, examine your topic, audience, and occasion before
deciding how – or whether – to use any type of humor.
Shocking Statistic
o Example: “It takes, on average, $1.5 million to raise a middle-class child
to age 22.”
Relate the topic to the audience and/or the occasion
o Proverb or aphorism
o Example: “Today I am going to talk about collecting postcards – a hobby
that is both fascinating and financially rewarding. I would like to explain
the basic kinds of collectible postcards, why they are so valuable, and how
collectors buy and sell their cards.”
o Example: “It’s Saturday morning, and you are helping clean out your
grandmother’s attic. After working a while, you stumble on a trunk, open
it, and discover hundreds of old postcards. Thinking about getting to the
football game on time, you start tossing the cards into the trash can.
Congratulations! You have just thrown away a year’s tuition.”
o Example: “You’re being chased by an object of unspeakable horror, yet
your legs can only move in slow motion. Each step takes unbearably long,
and your frantic struggle to run faster is hopeless. Your pursuer gets
closer, and your desperation turns in terror. You’re completely helpless—
eye to eye with death. Then you wake up, gasping for air, your heart
pounding, your face clammy with sweat. It takes a few minutes for your
heart and breathing to slow down. You reassure yourself that it was just a
dream. Soon you drift back to sleep. “
Use Images or Sounds
o Audiences are naturally drawn to images and sounds. Incorporating one or
more into your opening is a great way to gain attention. Project a picture
on a screen, display an object, or play a brief piece of music. Your images
or sound clips don’t have to convey important content at this point; they
Attention Getters
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just need to capture attention in a way that’s relevant to the main point you
will be making in the speech.
Establish Common Ground
o Just as friends are formed by showing interest in others, audiences are won
over when speakers express interest in them and show that they share
similar interests and goals. Establishing a feeling of common ground
demonstrates interest and respect, and thereby builds a speaker’s
credibility.
State the importance of your topic
o Example: “We know that a child is born into poverty in the United States
every 36 seconds, and we see 12.8 million children living below the
poverty line…We see an estimated 8.5 million children, nearly 12 percent
of all U.S. children, without health insurance programs…A child dies
from neglect or abuse every 6 hours, a child is killed by gunfire almost
every three hours, and the number of neglected or abused children each
year would fill up the city of Detroit.”