2. Ana G. Méndez University System
School for Professional Studies
Florida Campuses
Turabo University
Strategies to grab
the audience’s
attention
Presented By:
Engl 331 Milton Velez
Prof. Kelly Pérez Nancy Morales
Jonathan Sosa

3. Introduction
O One of the most important challenges for a presenter is first
grabbing and then keeping the attention of an audience. If the
presenter is unable to do this, the presentation might not
succeed, no matter how valuable the content might be. When
a presenter is waiting for his turn and slyly looks over the
crowd before having to step in, panic tends to overwhelm.
This is a familiar feeling for many. Here are some of the most
commonly used methods for successfully getting and
keeping audience attention.

4. Asking a question.???
O You can ask a rhetorical question or
something that involves everyone by getting
him or her to think about the topic.
O •How many of you in this room have hated
filling up tax returns?
O •How many of you drive a German car?
O •Are our competitors driving us out of the
market?

5. State an impressive fact.
O Begin with a shocking, unusual or
impressive fact connected to the theme of
your presentation.
O •We are going to be out of business in six
months if we allow our competitors to
outrun us like this.
O •The demand in the market has doubled in
the last three years and our market share
has risen by only 1%.

6. Tell a story.
O Telling a personal story closely connected to
the theme of your presentation is a great way
to begin. People usually like to hear personal
stories, which are not too long or try to glorify
the narrator too much.
Example:
O "Dear colleagues, before I begin I would like to
tell you a short story about how our service got
its name. Don't worry, it's not too long".

7. Cite a quotation.
O Quotations are much used for presentations
and they add a colorful touch to your personal
style.
O “A short saying often contains much wisdom”
Sophocles (496 BC - 406
BC)
O "No culture can live, if it attempts to be
exclusive."
Mahatma
Gandhi

8. Narrate a joke.
O Jokes are wonderful for relaxing the audience
and setting a cheerful mood. Relaxed
audiences tend to be more interactive. This
might make the presenters work somewhat
easier.
O The joke must be appropriate. People have
very different senses of humor and you have
to be very careful with jokes. What might
produce rolls of laughter from one audience
might cause stunned silence in another.

9. Go among the audience.
O Presenters usually keep to the area in
front, near the laptop or the transparency
projector. This creates a comfort zone for
many people in the audience. Some
courageous presenters disturb this comfort
zone of the audience by walking closer or
going absolutely to one side. Then the
primitive instincts of the people in their
comfort zone start waking them up.
"The presenter is so close and next he'll
even ask me something, so I better be
alert".

10. In Conclusion
O Attention-grabbing skills are important for establishing
relevance to your audience. Most of the people in the
audience are often not mentally present or with you
when you begin to speak. Even if they are physically
present there and are trying to look interested, in
reality, they are in their own worlds. They are thinking
about work matters, planning the rest of their
day, thinking about a problem of their own or just
daydreaming. You have to bring them into your world
and get them interested in your subject.

11. Reference
O Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/593725