STRATEGIES FOR GAINING INTEREST AND

ATTENTION

• Reference to the occasion

You may begin a speech by making reference to the occasion. You may
comment on its significance or on how momentous the occasion is.

• Compliments

You may offer genuine compliments to the host and or audience. For
example you may congratulate the organisers for the vision that led to the
hosting of that particular event.

• Dramatic or startling statements

Dramatic or startling statements pique your audience’s interest and

curiosity. Ensure that these statements are founded on readily verifiable
facts.

• Posing questions to the audience

By posing questions you are inviting your audience to actively participate

in your presentation. Ensure that you pause and then field responses from
the audience. Be prepared for a wide range of answers; try to gauge all
the possible responses you may get and devise strategies for treating with
unanticipated responses.

• Dramatic, interesting or humorous stories

Dramatic, humorous or interesting stories can be deployed in engaging

your audience. Ensure that the stories strongly relate to your speech and
that you have the ability to tell stories or jokes.

• Self-disclosure or personal testimonies

Sharing information about yourself that is connected to the material in

your presentation helps, firstly to build your rapport with the audience and
secondly, it establishes your credibility as it relates to your competence to
speak on the topic at hand.

Faculty of Engineering 1
Communication Skills for Engineers
Semester 1 2008/2009
• Quotations

A thought-provoking, profound quotation is an effective means by which

to gain your audience’s attention. Ensure that the quotation relates
strongly to the material that you present and that you credit the person
from whom you are quoting.

• Suspense

Suspense is created when you give the audience some interesting details
without disclosing exactly what you are going to speak on. It engages
them in active listening as they try to figure out what you are speaking of.
You must determine how long you will keep them in suspense – too long
and they will loose interest or too short a time may not really create the
suspense you are aiming for. Remember that you must clearly indicate
what your topic is and the scope of your presentation at some point in
time – you can’t keep them entirely in the dark that would be self-
defeating.

• Rhetorical questions

Rhetorical questions do not demand an answer from your audience. But,

well-framed rhetorical questions will engage your audience’s thought
processes and so arouse their interest in your presentation.

Faculty of Engineering 2
Communication Skills for Engineers
Semester 1 2008/2009