How to Grab Your Audience's Attention & Keep It!

Your audience is sitting in their seats, eager to hear your speech. If the first words you utter are entirely predictable and boring- "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you today", or you begin using filler words such as, "ah" or "um", you have just dug yourself a hole about 2 feet deep. In a flash, you have lost your credibility as a speaker, or even worse, as an expert in your field. Your audience begins to take a mental exit. If you continue with the tired old "Today I am going to talk to you about point one, point two and point three" your hole is now about 5 feet deep. Pretty hard to climb out of! At this point, you might just be talking to an empty room.



Everyone finds themselves in the position of having to give a presentation now and then. Yet, many are not trained in how to do so. Immediately after being told by their boss that you have to give a presentation, most people begin to create a power point presentation not taking into consideration who their audience is and what they want to see.

Be Audience Centered

Speakers who "WOW" their audiences have one thing in common: P-A-S-S-I-O-N. Stand while giving your speech without reading puts your audience, at times, sitting on the edge of their seats while they hang onto your every word. You need to capture your audience's attention in the first 30-60 seconds.

Ignite Your Audience with Your Introduction

Romancing your audience helps you capture their attention in a short period of time.


Engage Your Audience

Keep your audience focused and engaged. The more you connect with your audience and get them talking and involved the better comprehension and retention they have of you.

Open your speech or presentation by asking a question of your audience immediately. This gets them involved right from the beginning. Resonate questions for each audience you speak in front of.


Prepare questions ahead of time. Ask either rhetorical questions or one that seeks a response from the audience. If you want the audience to respond, make it easy for them to do so. Ask a question that can be answered with a "Yes" or "No", or call for a show of hands.


As a rule of thumb, always ask two questions.


Tell a Compelling Story


Tell a brief story with key statements under 2 minutes that increases your enthusiasm. Your story must be relevant to a call to action and it should have meaning to your audience. Connect and resonate with your audience by selecting a story based on the goal of making your story their story.


End with a compelling call to action: What do you want your audience to do next?


The next time your audience are sitting in their seats, eager to hear your speech or presentation, remember to capture their attention and get the results you want. Bring out your energy and of course your passion for the subject matter your are speaking about.


No audience member was ever disappointed by a speaker who was interesting. Do not fall into the trap of being boring. Grab your audience with a compelling opening and you will have the best chance of making a positive lasting impression. Instead of people yawning, squirming in their seats, or looking down when you give your speech or presentation, you want your audience to sing your praises every time you speak to a client or conduct a meeting. Well, get ready to set the room on fire after you speak with presence.


Good luck.


For a 30 minute complimentary session to see how we can help you move forward, contact us at 602-405-2540 or email to nburgis@successful-solutions.com.