Mistakes & Observations Public Speakers make at Corporate Conferences
(and how to avoid them) cont… part 8 of 10
When we listen to a presentation we are constantly looking and listening for something called “closure”. Once someone thinks they know the “punchline”, then their attention will significantly reduce.
How do we prevent people switching off prematurely?
You may have noticed TV News Anchors constantly use “hooks” to draw in the viewer and keep them watching. This is a rather silly fictional example, but it is to get the concept across so you will understand the idea and be able to use it yourself with appropriate material:
“Later in the programme we discover how Eric the giraffe managed to get his head stuck in a very unusual place, but before that, Teresa May and how she will make a success of Brexit.”
Most people will listen to the first part of the news programme about Teresa May, to get the “closure” of what actually happened to Eric the Giraffe.
This technique enables us to include important, but less “interesting” items in our presentations and still keep the full attention of the audience.
When creating our own intrigue hooks to keep regaining the audience’s attention during our presentation, we must be truthful when explaining “what is coming up next”. We also need to create enough intrigue to have the audience sitting on the edge of their seats.
So what could you say that will get your audiences sitting on the edge of their seats?
Matthew Broomhead