Good Attention Getters for a Speech

Keep the attention of your audience by using attention-getting devices.

Public speakers can start out their speech well and then lose their audience midway through the speech. Effective speakers intersperse attention-getting mechanisms throughout their speech. This keeps the audience engaged and animated. These attention-getting devices should be used at strategic points of the presentation and provide the audience with avenues to interact with the speaker.

Tell a Joke or a Funny Anecdote

Start your presentation with a funny anecdote or joke to immediately get your audience's attention. Do this only if the humor fits your audience and the situation. Be tactful and cognizant of your audience when using humor.

Ask the Audience a Question

Involve the audience in your presentation by asking them a question. Ask a question that engages and interests the audience. Give your audience a moment to think and respond to the question and then connect the responses back to your presentation topic. You can use this method to add some laughter to the presentation by asking a question that is bound to have a funny answer.

Compare and Contrast

Compare and contrast subjects that are interesting to the audience. If you use a comparison that is relevant to your audience, you will gain their attention. As an example, if your speech is about self-motivation, you can compare your methods of self-motivation to how local athletic team members motivate themselves. If you have a recording of a locally known personality answering your questions, you will immediately engage your audience.

Project Your Voice

A strong resonant and confident voice is always an attention getter. Record yourself speaking and raise your volume a few notches if you find that you're coming across as passive or timid. Be enthusiastic and passionate about your topic. If you find that the subject matter of your speech is boring to you, add in pieces that you can talk about with enthusiasm.

References

• Whitman College; Become a Public Speaking Genius -- Where to Begin Attention Getters; David Norelius
• College of Southern Idaho: AttentionGetters

Resources

• Northern Kentucky University; Speech Scripting