Use Attention-Getting Elements
Use Attention-Getting Elements
There are a number of techniques you can use that will naturally draw listeners’ attention (4) (20). Intensity refers to something that has a high or extreme degree of emotion, color, volume, strength or other defining characteristic. For example, a speech about any of the extreme sports which involve high levels of risk, physical agility, and amazing stunts could be characterized as intense. Novelty involves those things that are new or unusual. Discussing the recent FDA approval of Lybrel, a birth control pill specifically designed to eliminate menstruation, would qualify as this technique. Contrast can also be used to draw attention through comparison to something that is different or opposite. This works best when the differences are significant. If you were showing the audience how to make hot sauce, you could show a bar graph comparing the scoville units (level of hotness) of different chili peppers. Jalapenos rate at 2500-8000 scoville units, habaneros at 100,000-350,000, and naga jolokia at 855,000-1,041,241. Audiences will also attend to movement or Activity. To employ this technique, the speaker can either use action words, well chosen movements, an increased rate of speech, or he can show action with video. Finally, Humor can be used to draw attention to a subject or point, but be sure that it is relevant and in good taste. In a speech about the devotion of Trekkies (Star Trek fans) you could share the example of Tony Alleyne who designed and outfitted his flat in England as a replica of the deck of the Voyager.
