Excellent ways to hook your speech audience in thirty seconds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is an article by Ryan Lynch at American Express on September 20, 2024 titled 12 ways to hook an audience in 30 seconds. They are:

 

Use a contrarian approach.

Ask a series of rhetorical questions.

Deliver a compelling sound bite.

Make a startling assertion.

Reference a historical event.

Use the word ‘imagine’.

Add a little show business.

Arouse curiosity.

Use quotations differently.

Quote a foreign proverb.

Walk through a ‘what if’ scenario.

Tell a story.

 

There is another article by Maurizio La Cava at MLC Design Agency titled Presentation Hooks: The 13 most successful presentation hook examples. He also has a Hooking Strategy Map with a six-column table. His examples are:

 

Storytelling

Questions and audience interaction

State a shocking fact

Use quotations to grab them

Break common belief and provoke the audience

Bring it to life

Make them laugh

Leverage historical events

Trigger the audience imagination

Straight to the problem

Set the expectations

Use a surprising metaphor

Combine more hooking techniques together

 

And there is a 2015 book by Brad Philips titled 101 Ways to Open a Speech: How to hook your audience from the start with an engaging and effective beginning. 

 

There also is a long article by Jennifer Herrity at Indeed on March 26, 2025 titled 26 Ways to Start a Speech and Capture People’s Attention. They all are:

 

Use a quote

Tell a joke

Find a commonality with your audience

Ask a survey question

Pose a problem

Offer a relatable statistic

Tell a fictional story

Describe a personal experience

Give a demonstration

Use visuals

Recognize your audience

Provide background information about the event

Predict objections

Challenge the audience

Give a detailed description

Incorporate shared narratives

Define your concept

Share your background

Start with an interactive activity

Pose a rhetorical question

Ask for audience volunteers

Refer to a relevant current event

Reflect on the theme of the event

Preview your call to action

State an expert’s opinion

Create a positive affirmation or tagline

 

The fish hook image came from Wikimedia Commons.