Picture the following scene: you are being introduced by the master of ceremonies to an audience prior to delivering an important speech. As you scan the room, you notice that many in the audience are not paying attention to the person introducing you. In fact, people are speaking with colleagues, drinking coffee, talking on cell phones and text messaging. In addition, a number of stragglers are still coming into the room. You are thinking, "How long will it take for me to get the attention of this group? What was I thinking when I accepted the request to speak at this meeting?"

How many times have you faced this situation? What can you do to deal with all the fidgeting, side-conversations and other distractions? Do not give up hope. There is a solution. My recommendation is that you use the Hook Technique. This approach involves a statement that grabs the audience by the heart or mind and convinces them that what you have to say is of great value. The hook involves any one of the following: a captivating story, powerful quotation, rhetorical question, request for show of hands, dramatic voice projection or use of a prop.

The benefits of the hook include: immediately suppressing distractions, gaining audience attention, reinforcing your reputation as a subject matter expert and emphasizing the benefits to be gained from your presentation.

Examples of the Hook:

1. Captivating Story

   Several years ago a young Iranian graduate student in my Public Speaking for Managers course at the Harvard School of Public Health began her ice breaker speech with the following statement, "I awoke to the sounds of bursting bombs and the smell of burning flesh." Her house, we were to learn, had been bombed in the Iraq/Iranian war. She then went on to tell us the story of her childhood. There was not a sound to be heard in the classroom and not a dry eye amongst any of us by the time this student's speech was completed.

2. Powerful Quotation

   Let's assume that you are a leader delivering a speech to a group of employees facing a significant change such as a major reorganization. You could open by saying, "If we don't embrace risk we will live as Theodore Roosevelt stated, In the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat."

3. Rhetorical Question or Request for a Show of Hands

   In my early days as a corporate trainer, I would often encounter audiences that needed to be convinced of the value of the training program I was delivering. I would often begin the day with the following question, "By a show of hands, how many of you would rather be somewhere else?" The question would bring about some laughter and break the ice.

4. Dramatic Voice Projection

   As a young human resources manager, I accompanied my boss to a speech he delivered at a school for troubled adolescents. Keith was an award winning public speaker and a master of the hook. He opened his speech by saying in a powerful voice, "That's not what I said you know, that's not what I meant." He went on to deliver a speech on how we often misconstrue what another person is trying to communicate. Needless to say, he quickly gained the attention of the students.

5. Using a Prop

   A cardiologist in another of my Harvard classes opened his speech by holding up his wrist watch and stating in a strong voice, "I would like each of you to look at your wrist watch. He paused and then said, "Every thirty-four seconds one person in the U. S. will die from heart disease." He immediately gained the attention of the other nineteen physician leaders in the room and went on to deliver a memorable speech.

Don't Forget the Importance of Delivery - The hook is more than delivering great content; it is also about strong dramatic delivery. After you approach the lectern or front of the room, pause and take a breath and then deliver your hook with passion and enthusiasm. This type of delivery will almost always catch your audience off guard. They will immediately sit up straight, put food and coffee aside and stop all conversations. It will almost feel like magic to you. Once you have the audience's attention, you will dramatically increase the probability of delivering a speech that will "Wow" each and every person.

Action Exercise - Make a commitment to use the hook at a meeting, training session or formal presentation during the next two weeks. I look forward to learning how your audience responds.

Recommended Article - "Why Presentations by Leaders Often Fail" - Newsletter Archive

Recommended Speech - "Leading Through Speaking"

Recommended Corporate Workshop - Successful Business Presentations

Copyright 2008, Mark J. Campbell. All rights reserved.
Permission to reprint this article is granted, provided you let me know where it is being printed, the copyright is not removed, and the following text accompanies each article:

"Mark Campbell partners with organizations for leadership development. For a complimentary subscription to his newsletter, "The Insightful Leader," go to www.mjcampbellassoc.com."