Hooks: Presentation Skills

No. Just kidding. But really….the life of your presentation does have a drastic and essential thirty seconds – at the beginning – in which to grab the audience’s attention. To hook ‘em – to catch ‘em and reel ‘em in. Because you can’t catch a fish without a hook.

What is a hook?

A hook is your basic "attention getting" device, one that’s used to capture the target’s attention, whether that target is a fish, a music listener, a movie watcher or an audience member listening to, maybe, their third speech of the day.

Which would you say is the best hook in this multiple choice of three?

1)  “Today, I want to talk to you all about our internal feedback system.  I think that we need to make some changes because … “

2)  “Thanks for coming here today.  I know that you are all busy and I appreciate you taking the time.  My name is James T. Boring and I …”

3)  “In 2004, when we first launched our internal feedback system, I never expected that I would now have to stand in front of this group and say …”

So what is a hook – specifically in the world of presentations?

A way to start off with a bang. All great presenters use hooks to grab the audience’s attention. If you really want to make a spectacular presentation, to motivate your audience and, most importantly, to get your message across, you need to start with a hook. It is critical for you to spend time to create a unique and effective hook for every one of your presentations. And there’s a bonus: Along with enhancing your presentation, creating hooks will also stretch your mind.

According to John Fallon, who teaches Presentation Skills, "The ‘hook’ forces the audience to make choices. Do they agree or disagree with what has been said? Are they or are they not engaged by the performance factor of the ‘hook?’ Do they laugh or try to keep a stoic face? Regardless…the opening hook sets the tone for the remainder of the presentation."

The hook has to come first – before introductions, overviews, statements of objectives or anything else. Don’t start by saying, "Hello, I’m John Smith and I’m going to teach you how to talk." Who would listen to that? Don’t bore your audience.

So how should you start?

Be sure your hook has a specific relationship to your presentation topic. Don’t go for a cheap joke to open with if it has nothing to do with your message. Great hooks are not extra; they are essential. You want more than a quick laugh; you want concentration. Design a hook that relates to your audience, to what they know, to what they’ve experienced and to how they feel.

Read more Henderson Group articles here >>