What is a hook? A hook is an attention-grabber that intrigues the audience and piques their interest. A good hook makes the audience want to listen to you. We call it a "hook" because it gets the audience hooked on your topic and subsequent points. Moreover, it gives them a taste for the value you’re about to add to their lives if they listen carefully to your talk.

Here are 7 hooks you can easily implement in any type of public speaking engagement, be it a talk, meeting or presentation.

• Use the word imagine.Visualization can be extremely powerful. You can have them close their eyes or not. “Imagine a time when you were
• Tell them a story or an anecdote : make it compelling and brief and relevant
• Ask a series of rhetorical questions? (stimulates the audience’s mind as they ponder)
• Arouse curiosity « I need to make a confession, 20 years ago I did something that I regret.. I went to law school”… if you incorporate self-deprecating humor it can be more startling
• Take them through a what-if scenario “what if you were completely debt-free” (Easily adaptable to any presentation)
• Contrarian approach
• Make a statement of a widely accepted concept then go against is and challenge it
• Quote a foreign proverb «petit à petit a l’oiseau fait son nid » (little by little, the bird builds its nest)

Alright Explearners, those are my strategies for creating better hooks.

Try it in conversation when you’re broaching a new topic or when you have a talk to give to colleagues or to a big audience. Let me know which hooks you use in the comments below.

Happy Explearning 🌠

About the Author and the Explearning Academy:

Meet Mary Daphne, the founder of the Explearning Academy. She specializes in helping professionals build strong communication habits, refine their executive presence, and achieve personal growth. The Explearning Academy is designed for those looking to boost their social fluency, advance their careers, and confidently navigate any social setting. Through a flexible blend of self-study materials and supportive monthly live coaching, participants develop sought-after social skills and find pathways to significant career advancement. Ready to elevate your negotiation prowess and network with driven individuals? Head over to academy.explearning.co to see how. Become part of the Explearning Academy community and start transforming your potential into reality.

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