attention getter essay ideas

Effective Attention Getters for Your Essay with Examples

Whether you’re trying to enroll in college or submitting a scholarship application, your essay has to be super appealing. Pressed for time, most admissions committees will only glance at the first paragraph to decide whether the piece is worth a read. Since nobody can guarantee your submission gets considered, it’s up to you to ensure it will amuse the reader.

So how do you write the perfect attention-grabber and impress the college admissions counselors? How can you make your work stands out from the crowd? Below you can find good attention-getters for essays to help you write a compelling introductory paragraph that makes the audience want to read on.

What Are Attention Grabbers in Essays?

The so-called attention-grabbing technique has a simple purpose. It must catch the reader’s interest from the very beginning. Hence, you need sentences that make a good essay introduction and attempt to stir the audience and show your ability to weave words.

For instance, an amusing fact, personal experience, or a joke can do the job. Whatever strategy you use, don’t forget that using random quotes or anecdotes won’t work. Your intro must lead to the main thesis or introduce an opposing argument you’re about to refute.

The Importance of Good Attention Grabbers for Essays

Also known as “grabbers” and “hooks,” these elements always go in the first paragraph. Often, they make the first two or three sentences of the intro. At this point, ensure you include compare and contrast transition words to make sentences run smoothly in a coherent whole.

But why do you need an attention-getter? What impact does it leave on the reader? Here are a few reasons.

• To convince the reader to go until the end of your work and not give up after the first few lines.
• To tell the audience that you’re a skillful writer who knows how to use an intriguing opening.
• To encourage people not keen on the subject to get on the bandwagon.
• To invoke the curiosity of whoever’s considering the paper.
• To inform that you’re exposing something rare, not just another chore.

Different Types of Attention Grabbers for College Essays

Several attention-grabbing openings can achieve the same effect. The most compelling introductory lines include posing a question, storytelling, sharing fascinating statistics, and rhetorical generalizations. Below, we list examples of attention-getters for essays to help you get on the right foot.

Whatever method you choose, you can’t go wrong. Hooks go interchangeably in almost any written piece. However, if you have writer’s block, refer to a  reflective essay writing service to get the ball rolling. These experts can assist you in drafting a relatable and highly appealing attention-getter.

Use a Quotation

Using a quote when writing an essay will make it credible and intriguing. This strategy engages the emotional side of readers and connects them to your wording. To start strongly, find a quotation by a famous author or expert related to your topic. Use it wisely to support the thesis and demonstrate that your research is thorough. Besides conveying your thoughts eloquently , quotes move and speak to people with timeless words.

Examples of a Quotation

If you want to present yourself as a creative and artful soul, begin your paper with: “Einstein once said: Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.”

Similarly, if you wish to come across as a hard-working and trustworthy student, say: “Samuel Johnson claimed that what we ever hope to do with ease, we must first learn to do with diligence.”

Use Shocking Statistic

Another way to capture the audience is to introduce a striking figure or data relevant to the topic. Avoid facts that everyone is aware of and pick something surprising. Moreover, when writing conclusion paragraph for your essay , you may end with some projected statistics from trusted sources. This hack is excellent for informative or technical papers.

Examples of Attention Grabbers with Shocking Statistics

“According to tech schools, girls get outnumbered 6 to 1 by boys when it comes to enrolling in computer science classes.”

“The latest research shows that the human body contains ten times more bacteria than cells.”

Ask a Question

Posing a question at the beginning is an effective method to compel your reader. However, you must know the audience well to create an intriguing formulation that stimulates critical thinking. In addition, the intro query should direct the reader to read the paper and find the answer. Hence, avoid posing questions that are too general and don’t impress the target recipient.

Introductory Question Hooks

“Have you ever been so keen on a course that you spent the entire summer working to afford it?”

“Do you feel that each photograph, regardless of its high-quality, reduces the reality it represents?”

Tell an Anecdote

Share an experience that makes your life journey unique and relates to the essay’s purpose. By doing so, you will engage your reader emotionally. Often, considering a  descriptive essay writing service can help you transform your chronicle into an attention-grabbing hook. Alternatively, a well-crafted fictional account can evoke the same emotional response.

Example of a Real Event

“The day I met my Science teacher in middle school changed my life for the better. And not because she encouraged me to pursue a career as a geneticist. The encounter was something you’d never expect. As my dad approached the building, he hit another car on the side, and guess who was inside? My new Science teacher.”

Use Storytelling

Why not start the essay with a story or a good joke and steer away from complicated concepts? Everybody loves well-written stories because they raise interest and leave a trace. Yet, connecting the narrative with what follows next is critical to the main theme of the assignment. Finally, this approach is ideal for admission applications but not for more formal academic papers.

Example of a Great Story

“Lightings stroke hard, and the rain was attacking the roof, drowning any words we tried to pronounce. I’d expected to play the guitar and show the company my latest song, but the universe prevented whatever I attempted to do that night.”

Use Rhetorical Generalizations

Consider issuing a statement to serve as a pathway into the main argument. Conversely, if you doubt your writing skills, hire a  website to write an essay to get you admitted into college. These professionals know how to use a generalization that introduces your thesis statement in a way that challenges people to contemplate the topic.

Ideas for Rhetorical Generalizations

“Who wouldn’t agree that higher education is the most reliable ticket to self-fulfillment?”

“Recycling is undoubtedly the most efficient method to attain sustainability.”

Using any of these attention getter examples will pave your path to success. However, it’s not just the opening that needs to get polished to perfection. You may quickly spoil the first impression if the rest of the essay abounds with irrelevant information or contains grammatical errors and typos. This can be avoided if you get a professional essay writing service . So, getting help is a good option.

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How to Write an Attention Getter

Last Updated: June 18, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA . Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer based in Canada. Stephanie's writing has appeared in Joyland, Catapult, Pithead Chapel, Cosmonaut's Avenue, and other publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction and Creative Writing from Portland State University. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 355,586 times.

Attention-grabbing introductions can draw your reader in and encourage them to keep reading. They help to set the tone and establish the narrative voice early on in an essay, a paper, or a speech. Grab the reader’s attention by opening with a quote or fact. Asking a question or presenting a strong statement can help keep your reader engaged. You can also use storytelling to get their attention and draw them in.

Opening with a Quote, Definition, or Fact

• For example, you may pick a bold quote from a play by Shakespeare you are discussing to open the essay so your reader is drawn in. You may write, “Early in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the troubled prince notes: ‘This above all: to thine own self be true.’ Themes of identity and self-hood appear many times throughout the play.”
• Always cite any quotes you use in your introduction using the proper citation style, according to your instructor’s requirements for your paper or essay.

• For example, you may write, “In Shakespeare’s Othello , love is not blind, it is all seeing. As Othello notes, ‘For she had eyes and she chose me.’”

• For example, you may write, “Every year, 25,000 people die due to drunk driving in the United States” or “One in five women will be raped in the United States.”

• For example, you may write, “When the city gentrifies an area, it renovates and improves a neighborhood so it conforms to middle-class tastes.” Or you may write, “When an area is gentrified, it becomes more refined and polite for some, but not all.”

Beginning with a Question or Statement

• For example, you may use a question like, “What if we lived in a world where women were not constantly under threat of violence?” or “Why shouldn’t everyone have access to free healthcare in America?”

• For example, rather than start with a question like, “Have you ever thought about the consequences of your actions?” you may rephrase it as, “Why is it important to consider the consequences of our actions?”

• For example, you may write, “Shakespeare’s Othello is a play about the doomed nature of love and the power of desire.” Or you may write, “Drunk driving is an epidemic in America that seems to only get worse every year.”

• For example, you may write, “I believe our country needs to acknowledge fundamental issues in its democracy” or “From my perspective, there is no need to have multiple political parties in a democracy.”

• For example, you may write, “Right-wing conservatives believe immigrants are to blame for many of the issues facing America today. I am going to explore how and why this position is flawed.”

• For example, you may write, “I am been fascinated with death since I was 16” or “There is no greater joy to me than an empty bed where I can be alone, away from the world.”

Using Storytelling

• For example, you may write, “The other day in the supermarket, I heard a child talking to his mother. ‘Why aren’t we getting the ones with marshmallows in them?’ he demanded, pointing at the boxes of cereal. He threw a tantrum in the aisle until his mother relented, throwing the sugary cereal into their cart. Standing in the aisle, watching the child, I couldn’t help but think about how children’s diets are becoming more and more unhealthy.”

• For example, you may take a fact about drunk driving and write a short story like, “The young driver cranks up the stereo and grins as he thinks about the fun he had at the house party, plenty of cold beer and shots of whiskey. Suddenly, a tree appears ahead. He’s swerved off the road and it’s too late. The police later find him dead in the car due to driving while under the influence.”

• For example, if you are writing about eating disorders in fashion, you may describe your own experiences with body image. You may write, “Flipping through my mother’s fashion magazines, I learned at a young age that being skinny was glamorous and desirable. This “fact” would haunt me into my teenage years, as I struggled with my weight and body image.”

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• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-a-hook/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/cliches/
• ↑ https://www.csuchico.edu/slc/_assets/documents/writing-center-handouts/how-to-write-an-introduction.pdf
• ↑ https://www.georgebrown.ca/sites/default/files/uploadedfiles/tlc/_documents/hooks_and_attention_grabbers.pdf
• ↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-publicspeaking/chapter/types-of-introductions/
• ↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-communications/chapter/introduction/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/narrative_essays.html
• ↑ https://www.esu.edu/writing-studio/guides/hook.cfm
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/attention-getters-for-speeches

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9.2 The Attention-Getter: The First Step of an Introduction

Learning objectives.

• Understand the different tools speakers can use to gain their audience’s attention.
• Name some common mistakes speakers make in trying to gain attention.

Stephen Velasco – IMG_1422 – CC BY-NC 2.0.

As you know by now, a good introduction will capture an audience’s attention, while a bad introduction can turn an audience against a speaker. An attention-getter is the device a speaker uses at the beginning of a speech to capture an audience’s interest and make them interested in the speech’s topic. Typically, there are four things to consider in choosing a specific attention-getting device:

• Appropriateness or relevance to audience
• Purpose of speech

First, when selecting an attention-getting device, you want to make sure that the option you choose is actually appropriate and relevant to your specific audience. Different audiences will have different backgrounds and knowledge, so you should use your audience analysis to determine whether specific information you plan on using would be appropriate for a specific audience. For example, if you’re giving a speech on family units to a group of individuals over the age of sixty-five, starting your speech with a reference to the television show Gossip Girl may not be the best idea because the television show may not be relevant to that audience.

Second, you need to consider the basic purpose of your speech. As discussed earlier in this text, there are three basic purposes you can have for giving a speech: to inform, to persuade, and to entertain. When selecting an attention-getter, you want to make sure that you select one that corresponds with your basic purpose. If your goal is to entertain an audience, then starting a speech with a quotation about how many people are dying in Africa each day from malnutrition may not be the best way to get your audience’s attention. Remember, one of the basic goals of an introduction is to prepare your audience for your speech. If your attention-getter differs drastically in tone from the rest of your speech (e.g., dying in Africa when you want your audience to laugh), the disjointedness may cause your audience to become confused or tune you out completely.

Your third basic consideration when picking an attention-getting device is your speech topic. Ideally, your attention-getting device should have a relevant connection to your speech. Imagine if a speaker pulled condoms out of his pocket, yelled “Free sex!” and threw the condoms at the audience in the beginning of a speech about the economy. While this may clearly get the audience’s attention, this isn’t really a good way to prepare an audience for a speech about bull and bear markets. Not every attention-getter is appropriate for a given topic. Instead, a speaker could start this speech by explaining that “according to a 2004 episode of 60 Minutes, adults in the United States spend approximately $10 billion annually on adult entertainment, which is roughly the equivalent to the amounts they spend attending professional sporting events, buying music, or going out to the movies” (Leung, 2004). Notice how effective the shocking statistic is in clearly introducing the monetary value of the adult entertainment industry.

The last consideration when picking an attention-getting device involves the speech occasion. Different occasions will necessitate different tones, or particular styles or manners of speaking. For example, a persuasive speech about death and dying shouldn’t be happy and hilarious. An informative speech on the benefits of laughing shouldn’t be dull, dreary, and depressing. When selecting an attention-getter, you want to make sure that the attention-getter sets the tone for the speech.

Now that we’ve explored the four major considerations you must think of when selecting an attention-getter, let’s look at a range of different attention-getters you may employ. Miller (1946) discovered that speakers tend to use one of eleven attention-getting devices when starting a speech. The rest of this section is going to examine these eleven attention-getting devices.

Reference to Subject

The first attention-getting method to consider is to tell your audience the subject of your speech. This device is probably the most direct, but it may also be the least interesting of the possible attention-getters. Here’s an example:

We are surrounded by statistical information in today’s world, so understanding statistics is becoming paramount to citizenship in the twenty-first century.

This sentence explicitly tells an audience that the speech they are about to hear is about the importance of understanding statistics. While this isn’t the most entertaining or interesting attention-getter, it is very clear and direct.

Dave Dugdale – Attentive Audience – CC BY-SA 2.0.

Reference to Audience

The second attention-getting device to consider is a direct reference to the audience. In this case, the speaker has a clear understanding of the audience and points out that there is something unique about the audience that should make them interested in the speech’s content. Here’s an example:

As human resource professionals, you and I know the importance of talent management. In today’s competitive world, we need to invest in getting and keeping the best talent for our organizations to succeed.

In this example, the speaker reminds the audience of their shared status as human resource professionals and uses the common ground to acknowledge the importance of talent management in human resources.

Another way to capture your listeners’ attention is to use the words of another person that relate directly to your topic. Maybe you’ve found a really great quotation in one of the articles or books you read while researching your speech. If not, you can also use a number of sources that compile useful quotations from noted individuals. Probably the most famous quotation book of all time is Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations ( http://www.bartleby.com/100 ), now in its seventeenth edition. Here are some other websites that contain useful databases of quotations for almost any topic:

• http://www.quotationspage.com
• http://www.bartleby.com/quotations
• http://www.moviequotes.com
• http://www.quotesandsayings.com
• http://www.quoteland.com

Quotations are a great way to start a speech, so let’s look at an example that could be used for a speech on deception:

Oliver Goldsmith, a sixteenth-century writer, poet, and physician, once noted that “the true use of speech is not so much to express our wants as to conceal them.”

Reference to Current Events

Referring to a current news event that relates to your topic is often an effective way to capture attention, as it immediately makes the audience aware of how relevant the topic is in today’s world. For example, consider this attention-getter for a persuasive speech on frivolous lawsuits:

On January 10, 2007, Scott Anthony Gomez Jr. and a fellow inmate escaped from a Pueblo, Colorado, jail. During their escape the duo attempted to rappel from the roof of the jail using a makeshift ladder of bed sheets. During Gomez’s attempt to scale the building, he slipped, fell forty feet, and injured his back. After being quickly apprehended, Gomez filed a lawsuit against the jail for making it too easy for him to escape.

In this case, the speaker is highlighting a news event that illustrates what a frivolous lawsuit is, setting up the speech topic of a need for change in how such lawsuits are handled.

Historical Reference

You may also capture your listeners’ attention by referring to a historical event related to your topic. Obviously, this strategy is closely related to the previous one, except that instead of a recent news event you are reaching further back in history to find a relevant reference. For example, if you are giving a speech on the Iraq War that began in 2003, you could refer back to the Vietnam War as way of making a comparison:

During the 1960s and ’70s, the United States intervened in the civil strife between North and South Vietnam. The result was a long-running war of attrition in which many American lives were lost and the country of Vietnam suffered tremendous damage and destruction. Today, we see a similar war being waged in Iraq. American lives are being lost, and stability has not yet returned to the region.

In this example, the speaker is evoking the audience’s memories of the Vietnam War to raise awareness of similarities to the war in Iraq.

Another device you can use to start a speech is to tell an anecdote related to the speech’s topic. An anecdote is a brief account or story of an interesting or humorous event. Notice the emphasis here is on the word “brief.” A common mistake speakers make when telling an anecdote is to make the anecdote too long. Remember, your entire introduction should only be 10 to 15 percent of your speech, so your attention-getter must be very short.

One type of anecdote is a real story that emphasizes a speech’s basic message. For example, here is an anecdote a speaker could use to begin a speech on how disconnected people are from the real world because of technology:

In July 2009, a high school girl named Alexa Longueira was walking along a main boulevard near her home on Staten Island, New York, typing in a message on her cell phone. Not paying attention to the world around her, she took a step and fell right into an open manhole (Whitney, 2009).

A second type of anecdote is a parable or fable. A parable or fable is an allegorical anecdote designed to teach general life lessons. The most widely known parables for most Americans are those given in the Bible and the best-known fables are Aesop’s Fables ( http://www.aesopfables.com ). For the same speech on how disconnected people are with the real world because of technology, the speaker could have used the Fable of The Boy and the Filberts:

The ancient Greek writer Aesop told a fable about a boy who put his hand into a pitcher of filberts. The boy grabbed as many of the delicious nuts as he possibly could. But when he tried to pull them out, his hand wouldn’t fit through the neck of the pitcher because he was grasping so many filberts. Instead of dropping some of them so that his hand would fit, he burst into tears and cried about his predicament. The moral of the story? “Don’t try to do too much at once” (Aesop, 1881).

After recounting this anecdote, the speaker could easily relate the fable to the notion that the technology in our society leads us to try to do too many things at once.

While parables and fables are short and entertaining, their application to your speech topic should be clear. We’ll talk about this idea in more detail later in this chapter when we discuss how to link your attention-getter explicitly to your topic.

Startling Statement

The eighth device you can use to start a speech is to surprise your audience with startling information about your topic. Often, startling statements come in the form of statistics and strange facts. The goal of a good startling statistic is that it surprises the audience and gets them engaged in your topic. For example, if you’re giving a speech about oil conservation, you could start by saying, “A Boeing 747 airliner holds 57,285 gallons of fuel.” You could start a speech on the psychology of dreams by noting, “The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year.” A strange fact, on the other hand, is a statement that does not involve numbers but is equally surprising to most audiences. For example, you could start a speech on the gambling industry by saying, “There are no clocks in any casinos in Las Vegas.” You could start a speech on the Harlem Globetrotters by saying, “In 2000, Pope John Paul II became the most famous honorary member of the Harlem Globetrotters.” All four of these examples came from a great website for strange facts ( http://www.strangefacts.com ).

Although startling statements are fun, it is important to use them ethically. First, make sure that your startling statement is factual. The Internet is full of startling statements and claims that are simply not factual, so when you find a statement you’d like to use, you have an ethical duty to ascertain its truth before you use it. Second, make sure that your startling statement is relevant to your speech and not just thrown in for shock value. We’ve all heard startling claims made in the media that are clearly made for purposes of shock or fear mongering. As speakers, we have an ethical obligation to avoid playing on people’s emotions in this way.

Another strategy for getting your audience’s attention is to ask them a question. There are two types of questions commonly used as attention-getters: response questions and rhetorical questions. A response question is a question that the audience is expected to answer in some manner. For example, you could ask your audience, “Please raise your hand if you have ever thought about backpacking in Europe” or “Have you ever voted for the Electoral College? If so, stand up.” In both of these cases, the speaker wants her or his audience to respond. A rhetorical question , on the other hand, is a question to which no actual reply is expected. For example, a speaker talking about the importance of HIV testing could start by asking the audience, “I have two questions that I’d like you to think about. How many students on this campus have had sexual intercourse? Of those who have had sex, how many have been tested for HIV?” In this case, the speaker does not expect the audience to give an estimate of the numbers of students that fit into each category but rather to think about the questions as the speech goes on.

Humor is another effective method for gaining an audience’s attention. Humor is an amazing tool when used properly. We cannot begin to explain all the amazing facets of humor within this text, but we can say that humor is a great way of focusing an audience on what you are saying. However, humor is a double-edged sword. If you do not wield the sword carefully, you can turn your audience against you very quickly. When using humor, you really need to know your audience and understand what they will find humorous. One of the biggest mistakes a speaker can make is to use some form of humor that the audience either doesn’t find funny or finds offensive. Think about how incompetent the character of Michael Scott seems on the television program The Office , in large part because of his ineffective use of humor. We always recommend that you test out humor of any kind on a sample of potential audience members prior to actually using it during a speech.

Thinkmedialabs – Audience laughing – CC BY-NC 2.0.

Now that we’ve warned you about the perils of using humor, let’s talk about how to use humor as an attention-getter. Humor can be incorporated into several of the attention-getting devices mentioned. You could use a humorous anecdote, quotation, or current event. As with other attention-getting devices, you need to make sure your humor is relevant to your topic, as one of the biggest mistakes some novices make when using humor is to add humor that really doesn’t support the overall goal of the speech. So when looking for humorous attention-getters you want to make sure that the humor is nonoffensive to your audiences and relevant to your speech. For example, here’s a humorous quotation from Nicolas Chamfort, a French author during the sixteenth century, “The only thing that stops God from sending another flood is that the first one was useless.” While this quotation could be great for some audiences, other audiences may find this humorous quotation offensive (e.g., religious audiences). The Chamfort quotation could be great for a speech on the ills of modern society, but probably not for a speech on the state of modern religious conflict. You want to make sure that the leap from your attention-getter to your topic isn’t too complicated for your audience, or the attention-getter will backfire.

Personal Reference

The tenth device you may consider to start a speech is to refer to a story about yourself that is relevant for your topic. Some of the best speeches are ones that come from personal knowledge and experience. If you are an expert or have firsthand experience related to your topic, sharing this information with the audience is a great way to show that you are credible during your attention-getter. For example, if you had a gastric bypass surgery and you wanted to give an informative speech about the procedure, you could introduce your speech in this way:

In the fall of 2008, I decided that it was time that I took my life into my own hands. After suffering for years with the disease of obesity, I decided to take a leap of faith and get a gastric bypass in an attempt to finally beat the disease.

If you use a personal example, don’t get carried away with the focus on yourself and your own life. Your speech topic is the purpose of the attention-getter, not the other way around. Another pitfall in using a personal example is that it may be too personal for you to maintain your composure. For example, a student once started a speech about her grandmother by stating, “My grandmother died of cancer at 3:30 this morning.” The student then proceeded to cry nonstop for ten minutes. While this is an extreme example, we strongly recommend that you avoid any material that could get you overly choked up while speaking. When speakers have an emotional breakdown during their speech, audience members stop listening to the message and become very uncomfortable.

Reference to Occasion

The last device we mention for starting a speech is to refer directly to the speaking occasion. This attention-getter is only useful if the speech is being delivered for a specific occasion. Many toasts, for example, start with the following statement: “Today we are here to honor X.” In this case, the “X” could be a retirement, a marriage, a graduation, or any number of other special occasions. Because of its specific nature, this attention-getter is the least likely to be used for speeches being delivered for college courses.

Key Takeaways

• In developing the introduction to your speech, begin by deciding upon a statement to capture the audience’s attention.
• Attention-getters can include references to the audience, quotations, references to current events, historical references, anecdotes, startling statements, questions, humor, personal references, and references to the occasion.
• Make a list of the attention-getting devices you might use to give a speech on the importance of recycling. Which do you think would be most effective? Why?
• You’ve been asked to deliver a speech on the use of advertising in children’s media. Out of the list of ten different possible attention-getting devices discussed in the chapter, how could you use four of them to start your speech?

Aesop (1881). Aesop’s fables . New York, NY: Wm. L. Allison. Retrieved from http://www.litscape.com/author/Aesop/The_Boy_and_the_Filberts.html

Leung, R. (2004, September 5). Porn in the U.S.A.: Steve Kroft reports on a $10 billion industry. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com .

Miller, E. (1946). Speech introductions and conclusions. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 32 , 181–183.

Whitney, L. (2009, July 13). Don’t text while walking? Girl learns the hard way. CNET News Wireless . Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10285466-94.html

Stand up, Speak out Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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5 Types of Attention Getters in Essays

Nicole palmby, 25 jun 2018.

Did you know that not all college admissions counselors can guarantee that they've read applicants' essays? Whether it's because there simply isn't the time or the decision is already made beforehand, that essay you've worked so hard on, unfortunately, may not be read at all. That being said, if admissions counselors are not yet sure about your acceptance, that same essay could be ultimately be used to make or break their decision. Therefore, you need to be able to get their attention right from the beginning of your essay, by using a strong attention-getter. An attention-getter is at the beginning of your introductory paragraph and it's used to draw your reader in with the ultimate goal of making him want to continue reading.

Explore this article

• Shocking Statistic

An anecdote is a story that relates to your essay in some way. By starting your essay with an anecdote, you engage the reader on an emotional level by drawing her into your essay through the story. Your reader will try to relate to the story, which means she will also try to relate to your essay. If your reader can relate to your essay, she is more likely to enjoy it.

Using a question as an attention-getter engages your reader and gets him thinking. Don't ask a “yes” or “no” question because the reader can answer the question and won't have the need to read further. Ask a question that gets your reader thinking about the topic. If your essay explains something, you can ask a “why” question to lead into your thesis. Your reader will be thinking about the “why,” and your essay will give him the answer.

3 Quotation

Using a quote as an attention-getter can lend credibility to your essay. For example, you could find a quote by an expert on your essay's topic and use it to support your thesis. This will show that you've done research for your essay as well as indicate to the reader that your stance is valid since experts in the field support the main points of your essay. A quote can also capture what you want to convey eloquently. Usually quotes become famous because they're truthful and are written in a way that moves or speaks to people. You can use that emotional factor to start your essay off strongly.

Starting your essay off with a joke can engage your reader and put him in a positive mindset for reading your essay. This can be especially effective if your essay covers a lighthearted topic. A joke will also keep your reader from taking your essay too seriously. Be careful not to use a joke that might be offensive to readers. Good, clean humor is what works best for essays.

5 Shocking Statistic

One way to grab the attention of your reader is by implementing a statistic that's relevant to your essay's topic and is rather surprising to your reader. Shocking statistics can be effective in persuasive essays when readers may not have thought about all aspects of one side of the argument. They can also be very effective in informative essays or essays with a lot of technical information.

• 1 Colorado State University; Writing@CSU: Attention Getters
• 2 Unigo: Is Every College Essay Read?

About the Author

Nicole Palmby began writing professionally in 2007. She has written for MacMurray College and has experience writing about education, sewing and crafts, health care and religious topics. Palmby holds a Bachelor of Science in English (creative writing) from MacMurray College.

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Your Memory, Experiences, and Conversations

Primarily, you’ll find attention getters from your own experiences.  Once you know your topic and the three points you want to cover in the essay, start asking yourself what you know about the topic and points that make it interesting .

• Why did you pick that particular topic?
• Is is something you remember from your childhood?
• Is it something relevant to current events or news?
• Is there a viral video or image on the internet that everyone seems to be commenting on or sharing?

If you’re in the classroom for an essay exam, your resources will be limited to the items allowed in the testing room.  You’ll have to rely mostly on what you already know or have heard.

Search Online for Your Topic

IF, however, you’re writing an essay at home, or in a classroom with internet access allowed, do a Google search on your topic.  See what the top news stories are.  Look at the top videos and images .  See if any of those offer ideas for an attention getter.

Think about recent blog or social networking posts you’ve noticed that may relate to the topic.

Use those as attention getters.

You can even start the introductory paragraph with a quotation from a book, website, video, etc.  Just make sure you put it in quotation marks and mention where it orginally came from.

According to a recent blog post on Turning the Clock Back , “Pink Slime is basically beef by-products that have been treated with ammonia to kill harmful bacteria.”

“Pink Slime is basically beef by-products that have been treated with ammonia to kill harmful bacteria.”  Though the blogger from Turning the Clock Back   also mentions that “pink slime” is considered fit for human consumption, most Americans are horrified that it’s included in many school lunches and fast food products.

Quotation marks and sourcing the quotation is critical to show that you aren’t plagiarizing the material or ripping it off.  You’re just quoting a tiny clip to prove your point in an example or get attention in the introduction.

NOTE:  If you’re typing the essay for class, ask your teacher/instructor about HOW your should source quotations.  Different writing styles require a Works Cited or Bibliography entry.  Also ask if you should include hyperlinks in the references or not.  It all depends on the style required by the assignment and teacher.

The Introductory Paragraph Walk Through Example

For the attention getter/introductory paragraph walk through lesson , we used references to Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and the “Pink Slime” images that are making Americans a bit nauseous about the food allowed in school lunches.

I personally knew about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution because I’d seen an episode of the show.  I also knew about pink slime because it’s all over Facebook and the internet.

Even if I hadn’t known about a popular chef and TV show or the pink slime issue, it would have been very easy to find through a quick internet search.

For those who aren’t already familiar with Jamie Oliver, Food Revolution, or Pink Slime, here’s a YouTube video you could easily find online.

Additional Attention Getter Tips

Remember, too, that it’s best to use attention getters with which the reader is already familiar , but even if the reader/grader doesn’t know who or what the celebrity, TV show, book, website, etc. are, the fact that you are using them as a reference (or authority) lends some authority to your essay.

Refer to something concrete …something or someone who actually exists…something that actually happened…rather than a general statement like:

Parents are concerned about the quality of food provided in school lunches, so they’re packing healthy alternatives for their kids.

Yeah.  The statement is accurate, but it’s boring.

Put REAL people, places, things, events, etc. in your attention getters and examples.

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Captivate Your Audience: The Power of Attention Getters

Are you looking for ways to grab your reader’s attention?

Whether you’re writing a blog post, article, or essay, having a powerful introduction is key to drawing your audience in.

An effective attention getter can be the difference between an average piece of writing and one that really stands out. Here are some tips and tricks for using attention-grabbing techniques in your introduction.

Introduction to Attention Getters

An attention getter, also known as an “attention grabber”, “hook”, or “hook sentence”, refers to the first 1-4 sentences of an essay and is always found in the introductory paragraph.

It consists of an intriguing opening that is designed to grab your reader’s attention. Its purpose is to give your readers a brief overview of what your essay will be discussing and to pique their interest so they continue reading.

Importance of Attention Getters

Attention getters are an essential part of writing, especially when it comes to academic essays.

A strong attention getter can engage readers and motivate them to continue reading your work. It can also provide the reader with a quick overview of what is being discussed in the essay, helping them understand the main points before delving further into the content.

Types of Attention Getters

There are numerous types of attention getters that you can use to grab your reader’s attention. Here are some popular techniques for creating strong, effective introductions:

1. Quotes – Using quotes from famous people or literature can be a great way to start your essay and engage readers. Selecting a quote that relates to the topic of your essay can be a great way to draw readers in.

2. Facts or Statistics – If you have interesting data or facts related to your topic, you can use them in your introduction to provide context and help readers understand the main points of your essay.

3. Questions – Asking questions is an effective method for getting people’s attention and making them think about the topic at hand. It also helps to set up the discussion for the rest of your essay.

4. Anecdotes – Using anecdotes is a great way to add a personal touch to your introduction and make it more engaging for readers. Find a story that relates to your topic or take one from your own experience and use it as an attention-grabber.

Storytelling

Personal experiences.

Personal experiences can be a great way to grab your reader’s attention and make them more interested in what you have to say.

You can use stories from your own life, as well as those of people you know, to provide vivid detail and create an engaging introduction.

Not only do personal experiences help to draw readers in, but they also demonstrate the relevance of the topic being discussed. Be sure to keep your story concise yet powerful, and use it to help set the stage for the rest of your essay.

An anecdote is a short story or humorous account of an incident that is used in order to engage readers and emphasize a point.

It can be used to grab someone’s attention, provide context for your essay, and make it more relatable to the audience. Anecdotes can also be used to add a personal touch to your essay and make it more memorable.

Historical accounts

Using historical accounts in your introduction can be an effective way to engage readers and capture their attention. Historical accounts provide readers with a vivid glimpse into the past and draw them into the subject matter of your essay.

They also help to illustrate the relevance of the topic and give readers a better understanding of it. When using historical accounts, make sure to provide enough detail but keep it concise and relevant to your essay.

Shocking Statistic

Financial statistics.

Using financial statistics as an attention getter can be a powerful tool for capturing your reader’s attention.

Startling financial facts and figures can be used to emphasize the importance of the topic at hand and engage readers in the discussion.

For example, citing the fact that 30 percent of Americans have no retirement savings or that 50 percent of college graduates are burdened with student debt can help to demonstrate why the subject of your essay is so important.

Health statistics

Health statistics can be an effective way to grab the reader’s attention and emphasize the importance of a topic.

For example, citing the fact that in 2019 over 4.5 million people died from cancer or that 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and older suffer from some form of mental illness can help to demonstrate why the subject of your essay is so important.

Health statistics bring awareness to global health issues while helping to engage your readers in the discussion.

Social statistics

Social statistics can be an effective way to grab the reader’s attention and emphasize the importance of a topic.

For example, citing the fact that in 2019 1 in 5 adults struggled with mental health issues or that nearly half of all Americans reported feeling lonely can help to demonstrate why the subject of your essay is so important. Social statistics bring awareness to social issues while helping to engage your readers in the discussion.

Provocative Question

Open-ended questions.

Open-ended questions can be a great way to grab readers’ attention and engage them in the discussion. These types of questions are designed to get readers thinking and leave them wanting more.

Writing an essay with provocative open-ended questions as an attention-grabber will encourage readers to keep reading as they try to answer the question posed.

It’s important to make sure that your open-ended question is relevant to the topic of your essay and that it encourages critical thinking.

Rhetorical questions

Rhetorical questions can be a great way to grab your reader’s attention and make them think about the topic at hand.

Rhetorical questions are designed to be open-ended and provoke thought, without expecting an answer. They can help to draw readers in by making them consider the implications of the question and creating an engaging introduction.

When using rhetorical questions, make sure to keep them relevant to the topic of your essay and avoid questions that are too obvious or simplistic.

Thought-provoking questions

Thought-provoking questions can be an effective way to grab your reader’s attention and make them think about the topic at hand.

Thought-provoking questions are designed to challenge readers to consider the implications of a question, rather than simply provide an answer. These types of questions can help engage readers in the discussion by making them pause and reflect on a broader concept or idea.

When using thought-provoking questions, make sure to keep them relevant to the topic of your essay and avoid questions that are too complex or hard to answer.

Famous quotes

Famous quotes can be a great way to grab your reader’s attention and engage them in the discussion.

Quotes from famous thinkers, authors, or public figures can help to set the tone for your essay while emphasizing the importance of the topic at hand. For example, citing a quote from Winston Churchill such as “Never give up” can help to demonstrate why perseverance is so important.

Literary quotes

Quotes from literary works can be an effective way to grab your reader’s attention and emphasize the importance of a topic.

For example, citing a quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet such as “All things can tempt me from this craft of sorrow” can help to demonstrate why emotions play such an important role in our lives. Quotes from literature offer an insightful perspective into a topic and can help to engage your readers in the discussion.

Pop culture quotes

Pop culture quotes can be an effective way to grab your reader’s attention and emphasize the importance of a topic. For example, citing a quote from a movie such as “Life is like a box of chocolates” from Forrest Gump can help to demonstrate why taking chances can lead to unexpected opportunities.

Quotes from pop culture offer light-hearted perspectives into serious topics while helping to engage your readers in the discussion.

Examples of Attention Getters in Different Formats

Essays and research papers, thesis statements.

Thesis statements are an effective way to grab reader’s attention and focus the essay topic.

A well-crafted thesis statement can be used to introduce a topic, provide insight into the main points of an essay, and act as a road map for readers so they know where the essay is heading. It should be concise and clear while also conveying the main idea of the essay in one or two sentences.

Introduction paragraphs

Introduction paragraphs are an essential part of any essay and serve to grab readers’ attention and introduce them to the discussion.

Introduction paragraphs should be concise, engaging, and provide a brief overview of the main points in the essay.

Open-ended questions, rhetorical questions, thought-provoking questions, famous quotes, literary quotes, and pop culture quotes can all be used as effective attention grabbers.

Speeches and Presentations

Opening statements.

Opening statements are an effective way to grab your audience’s attention and set the tone for a speech or presentation.

Openings should be concise, engaging, and provide a brief overview of the main points in the presentation.

Opening statements can include rhetorical questions, thought-provoking questions, famous quotes, literary quotes, pop culture quotes, or personal anecdotes. These types of attention-grabbing techniques will help to engage your audience and set the tone for the rest of the presentation.

Attention-getting imagery

Attention-getting imagery is a great way to grab the reader’s attention and engage them in the discussion.

Visuals such as pictures, diagrams, symbols, and illustrations can help to draw readers in and give them an immediate understanding of the topic at hand.

These visuals should be relevant to the topic being discussed and keep in line with the overall tone of your essay or presentation. Additionally, the visuals should be used in a way that is consistent with the main points of your essay or presentation.

Marketing and Advertising

Headlines and taglines.

Headlines and taglines are an effective way to grab readers’ attention and engage them in a conversation.

Headlines should be concise, creative, and relevant to the product or service being advertised. Additionally, they should be eye-catching and memorable so that readers will remember them after they have seen the advertisement.

Taglines can also be used to reinforce the message of the advertisement while helping to engage readers in the conversation.

Visual advertisements

Visual advertisements are an effective way to grab readers’ attention and engage them in a conversation.

Visuals such as pictures, videos, symbols, and illustrations can help to draw readers in and give them an immediate understanding of the product or service being advertised.

These visuals should be relevant to the product or service being discussed and keep in line with the overall tone of the advertisement. Additionally, the visuals should be used in a way that is consistent with the message of the advertisement.

Techniques for Effective Attention Getters

Know your audience.

Knowing your audience is one of the most important techniques for creating effective attention getters. It is essential to understand who you are trying to target and tailor your message accordingly.

Different types of audiences may respond differently to certain types of attention-grabbing techniques. For example, a younger audience may be more likely to respond to pop culture references while an older audience may be more receptive to classic literature quotes.

Set the Tone

Setting the tone is an important technique for creating effective attention getters. Establishing the right tone in your introduction can help to make your essay or presentation more engaging and memorable.

The tone should be consistent with the overall topic being discussed and should reflect the purpose of the essay or presentation. For example, if you are writing a persuasive essay, then you may want to use an authoritative yet encouraging tone in your introduction.

Keep It Simple

When crafting attention getters, it is important to keep it simple. Using too many complicated words or ideas can make your audience lose interest and make them more likely to forget what you said.

You want to use language that your audience will be able to understand and relate to. Additionally, you should avoid bombarding your audience with too much information in the introduction; instead, focus on one main point that you want to get across.

Practice and Rehearsal

Creating effective attention getters requires practice and rehearsal. Developing the right tone, content, and delivery can take time.

It is important to remember that practice makes perfect; the more you practice, the better your attention getter will be. Taking the time to rehearse your introduction can help ensure that it will flow naturally and make a lasting impression on your audience.

Creating effective attention getters is an important skill to have for any essay or presentation. It is essential to understand the techniques required to grab your audience’s attention and engage them in a conversation.

Knowing your audience, setting the tone, keeping it simple, and practicing and rehearsing are all key elements for crafting a successful attention getter. By utilizing these tips and techniques, you can make your essay or presentation more engaging and memorable.

It is used to encourage the audience to take a specific action or make a commitment. A successful call to action should be clear and concise with a sense of urgency. Additionally, it should provide a compelling reason why the audience should take the desired action. For example, using phrases such as “Sign up now! ” and “Don’t miss out!” can be effective ways to motivate the audience to act.

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How to Write a Good Attention Getter: Tips and Strategies

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Having a strong opening is essential for any piece of writing. It is the attention getter that hooks the reader in and makes them want to keep reading. A good attention getter sets the stage for the rest of the content and can make all the difference between a piece that is engaging or one that falls flat. In this article, we will explore the importance of attention getters in writing and provide tips and strategies for crafting a strong hook.

Understanding the Importance of Attention Getters

Before we delve into how to craft an effective attention getter, it's important to understand its role. An attention getter is the first thing a reader encounters and it serves as a way to hook them in, create curiosity and set the tone for the rest of the piece. A successful attention getter not only captures a reader's attention but it also builds anticipation for what's to come.

The role of attention getters in writing

Attention getters are an essential part of all types of writing, from headlines to essays to novels. They are necessary to grab readers' attention and encourage them to keep reading. Without a strong attention getter, content can fall flat or be dismissed entirely.

Types of attention getters

There are several different approaches to crafting an attention getter. Some popular types include anecdotes and personal stories, quotations, rhetorical questions, statistics and facts, humor, and provocative statements. Each type can be effective depending on the type of writing and the desired tone.

One effective type of attention getter is the use of anecdotes and personal stories. These can be used to create a connection with the reader and provide a relatable example. For example, if you were writing an article about the importance of exercise, you could start with a personal story about how exercise has impacted your life.

Another approach is to use quotations. Quotations can be used to provide an authoritative voice or to add an element of intrigue. For example, if you were writing an article about the benefits of meditation, you could start with a quote from a well-known meditation teacher.

Rhetorical questions can also be effective attention getters. These types of questions are designed to engage the reader and encourage them to think about the topic at hand. For example, if you were writing an article about climate change, you could start with a rhetorical question like "Did you know that the earth's temperature has risen by 1 degree Celsius in the last century?"

Statistics and facts can be used to provide context and support for your argument. These can be especially effective in persuasive writing. For example, if you were writing an article about the dangers of smoking, you could start with a statistic like "Every year, smoking kills over 480,000 people in the United States."

Humor can also be an effective attention getter. If you can make your reader laugh, they are more likely to keep reading. However, it's important to use humor appropriately and in a way that is relevant to your topic. For example, if you were writing an article about the benefits of laughter, you could start with a humorous anecdote about a time when laughter helped you through a difficult situation.

Finally, provocative statements can be used to grab the reader's attention and create a sense of controversy. These types of statements are designed to challenge the reader's beliefs and encourage them to keep reading. For example, if you were writing an article about gun control, you could start with a provocative statement like "Guns don't kill people, people kill people."

Overall, there are many different types of attention getters that can be used in writing. The key is to choose an approach that is appropriate for your topic and your audience. By crafting a strong attention getter, you can capture your reader's attention and encourage them to keep reading.

Crafting a Strong Hook

Now that we've gone over the importance of an attention getter, let's discuss how to craft a strong hook.

Know your audience

The first step in crafting a strong attention getter is understanding who your audience is. What are their interests? What resonates with them? Do they prefer a more serious or humorous tone? Understanding these factors will give you valuable insight into what type of attention getter will be most effective.

Establish your purpose

Next, it's crucial to establish the purpose of your writing. Is it to inform, entertain, or persuade? This information will guide you in determining the most appropriate type of attention getter to use.

Choose the right tone

The tone of your piece is another essential factor to consider. Will it be serious, lighthearted, or somewhere in between? The tone of the attention getter should match the overall tone of the writing.

Types of Attention Getters

Let's further explore the various types of attention getters:

Anecdotes and personal stories

An engaging personal story or anecdote can be an effective way to connect with readers on a personal level. This type of attention getter also helps to make your writing more relatable and memorable.

Using a relevant quote from a respected source can lend credibility to your writing while also capturing the reader's attention. Make sure the quote is relevant and supports the purpose of your piece.

Rhetorical questions

Rhetorical questions can be a powerful tool for engaging readers and getting them to think. They are particularly effective when the question is thought-provoking or challenges conventional thinking.

Statistics and facts

Using statistics and facts can grab the reader's attention by illustrating the significance of the topic being discussed. However, be sure to use accurate and relevant data.

Humor can be an excellent attention getter when used appropriately. It can help lighten the tone of serious topics, but be cautious not to offend or stray too far from the purpose of your writing.

Provocative statements

A provocative statement can catch the reader's attention by challenging their beliefs or forcing them to consider a new perspective.

Tips for Writing Effective Attention Getters

There are several tips to keep in mind when crafting your attention getter:

Keep it relevant

Your attention getter should be relevant to the topic being discussed. It should also be clear how the attention getter relates to the rest of the piece.

Your attention getter should be succinct and to the point. It should be long enough to be impactful but not so long that it becomes tedious to read.

Create curiosity

The attention getter should create curiosity and anticipation for what's to come. A reader should be intrigued enough to want to keep reading.

Use strong language

Your attention getter should use strong, vivid language to create an emotional connection with the reader. Using sensory details can help make the piece more engaging and memorable.

In conclusion, crafting an effective attention getter is essential for engaging readers and setting the tone for your writing. By understanding the importance of attention getters and following the tips and strategies outlined in this article, you can create a hook that captivates readers and keeps them engaged throughout your piece.

ChatGPT Prompt for Writing a Good Attention Getter

Use the following prompt in an AI chatbot . Below each prompt, be sure to provide additional details about your situation. These could be scratch notes, what you'd like to say or anything else that guides the AI model to write a certain way.

Please compose a compelling and effective statement or question that will capture the interest of your audience and encourage them to engage with your topic.

[ADD ADDITIONAL CONTEXT. CAN USE BULLET POINTS.]

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ATTENTION GRABBERS: OPENING AND CLOSING

GAMBITS FOR WRITING

Johnie H. Scott, M.A., M.F.A.

Associate Professor of Pan African Studies

California State University , Northridge

Key Concepts:

1)       proactive

2)       gambit

3)       mull

4)       thesis statement

5)       heartfelt

6)       adept

7)       synergy

8)       synergistic

Introduction:

I’ve prepared this with three purposes in mind that are all related to improving the ability of aspiring writers to (1) capture the audience’s attention from the onset with effective, clearly-written and articulated openings for paragraphs and longer compositions, (2) present cleanly-written and carefully-formulated thesis statements, and (3) finish compositions with strong, forceful conclusions that leave the reader talking and with something to think about.

I want to acknowledged a scholarly debt of gratitude to John Langan (i.e., College Writing Skills ), Ronald S. Lunsford and Bill Bridges (i.e., The Longwood Guide to Writing ), Philip Eggers (i.e., Process & Practice ), and Tammy L. Boeck and Megan C. Rainey ( Connections: Writing, Reading and Critical Thinking ) for their own work in the area of opening and closing essay stratagems. At the same time, credit must also be given to Deanne K. Milan (i.e., Developing Reading Skills ) and John Roloff (i.e., Paragraphs ) for the extensive attention they gave to improving the reading and basic writing skills of young writers.

Finally, a sincere note of appreciation has to be extended to my colleagues and associates in the Writing Program of the Pan African Studies Department at California State University, Northridge from the time this was first written some 15 years ago in 1986: Dr. Rosentene B. Purnell (Professor Emeritus and founder of the PAS Writing Program as well as author of Bridges: Ways of Approaching Written Discourse ), Dr. Tom Spencer-Walters (Chairperson of the Department and founding editor of Kapu-Sens ), and Professors King Edward Carter, Professor and author Herbert A. Simmons (i.e., Man Walking On Eggshells , Corner Boy and Tough Country ), and Eric Priestley (i.e., author of Raw Dog and Abracadabra ). I thank each for the insights and observations over the years of commitment to developing voices among the students matriculating through the PAS Writing Program. To Simmons and Priestley, in particular, I give a heartfelt thanks for continuing the Watts Writers Workshop tradition of which we were all part of.

Much has been made over the years about the importance of experience – very simply, of working at one’s craft…whatever that craft might be. In Robert Townsend’s critically-acclaimed feature film The Five Heartbeats, the central character is an aspiring writer. We hear the statement made by this character (played by Townsend) , “To be a true writer, you have to suffer before learning what writing really is.”

Well, my mother, who was not a writer, was not nearly so fanciful in saying to me during my grade school years that I would “have to pay a lot of dues before amounting to anything in this world.” For those reading this, I am saying that writing is not something to be mastered in five easy lessons. Writing has to be worked at – and worked at constantly, every single day. You have to read along the way – whether that reading take the form of newspapers, news magazines, comic books, popular fiction like Walter Mosley’s Walkin ’ the Dog , cultural criticism such as that done by Michael Eric Dyson with Race Rules: Navigating the Color Line , or major writers like Toni Morrison with Paradise or Ralph Ellison’s Juneteenth . The point I’m making is that a person reads in order to develop, expand and appreciate the power of the word, of vocabulary, of being able to express themselves without stretching for meanings beyond their grasp.

Having said that, my intent is to present another approach to writing. This article is based upon my own experiences as a writer and in the classroom – and I do this as someone whose ability and love for writing enabled me to move up out of the Jordan Downs Housing Projects in South central Los Angeles, pass through Harvard, Stanford and Antioch Universities, and settle into a position where I can now share my love for the craft and love of writing itself with others. For those of you concerned solely with writing better paragraphs and essays, what I have to say should offer some insights on accomplishing that task. For those of you, though, who see writing as a means to affect social attitudes and change the way people view issues (and one another), perhaps what I have to say will help jar some now thoughts into existence. I certainly hope so.

“The Hook”: Getting the Reader’s Attention

How many times have you opened your mailbox to see one of those large, brown envelopes with large lettering boldly announcing that you have been “Pre-Approved” and stand to be “An Instant Winner! ” It doesn’t matter that the letter may have come from some publishing clearinghouse. You take a seat in your living room, perhaps at the breakfast nook in your kitchen where you then pause for a moment or two while hefting the envelope from one hand to the other. In your mind, you imagine what it would be like to be a sweepstakes winner – and think back to that happy face of the person who hit the Super Lottery for $70 million. You find yourself thinking of what being an “instant winner” could do in changing your own personal fortunes: payoff outstanding loans, clear past due accounts from your credit report, make it finally possible to take that “Dream Vacation.” Perhaps you even call in family, or a close friend, telling them about this strange letter – wanting them present when you open the envelope.

You do so very carefully, removing the contents which include the facsimile of a $100,000 check bearing your name and a series of numbers --- one of which, you are told, is yours “to keep” and follow in the hope that it will be drawn at a lottery sometime in the not-so-distant future. Excited now with the adrenalin pumping, you put the number series to the side and read on. This is when you get “the pitch” from the company sponsoring the lottery: purchase one or more of their products with the notation that “failing to do so will not detract from your ability to win the $100,000 Grand Sweepstakes Prize!”

In marketing circles, this is referred to as “The Hook”: it is a 20-second window of opportunity wherein marketers gain your attention and make their sale. That 20-second window of opportunity is true for all audiences. Knowing that it exists and how to make the most effective use of that window is one of the reasons why good writers use strategies to immediately gain the reader’s attention. Good writers know that one of the most serious errors that can be made is by opening up right away with the main purpose of the writing – this is an automatic turnoff for the reader!

Think back to that brown, “Pre-Approved Instant Winner” envelope with the facsimile check! Imagine that same envelope in your mailbox, opening it up and immediately being hit on the head with “Buy this.” Without a doubt, that envelope would go sailing into the trash can. With today’s audiences becoming increasingly sophisticated and demanding, there is a premium on the attention span available. You have to make the most of that time. Knowing about and being able to make effective use of the various opening strategies can only enhance your skills as a writer.

There are, as a matter of fact, seven (7) proven opening gambits or strategies for one’s paragraphs and/or longer compositions:

1)       Begin with a broad, general statement that you narrow down to your thesis statement . Keep in mind that the thesis provides the main idea for the entire composition;

2)       Use a question or series of thought-provoking questions . When using this gambit, it is very effective to state these questions as a series of one-liners (i.e., paragraphs) before getting to the thesis. Just keep in mind at all times that the questions you raise do more than merely set a tone for your paper, those questions sooner or later must be answered;

3)       Use quotations. The best quotes are those drawn from popular culture, from the social literature the general public (i.e., your targeted audience) is acquainted with. If you are writing to a politically conservative audience, then you might want to open with a quote from a noted conservative. If the audience is perceived as a hip, upwardly-mobile group of African-American women, then you might want to open with a statement from someone like Joan Morgan, bell hooks, June Jordan, Sonia Sanchez, Alice Walker or Sistah Souljah .   If, on the other hand, you are directing your message to a teenaged readership based in the urban core, you might want to open with a quote from the socially conscious lyrics by one of the leading rap artists or groups. Who would you use, for instance, if the paper was centered on the problems caused by gang violence? Use quotes, in other words, that connect with your audience!

4)       Use an anecdote. All audiences enjoy a story, particularly those with human interest. In this instance, you are putting a face (or faces) to your composition by drawing upon an incident containing a moral center, one that you can then use in leading your audience to the thesis statement. Here again, the best anecdotes are those coming from popular culture: from stories and events that people are aware of and talking about.

5)       State the importance of the topic. You do this by presenting statistical data, facts, figures that underscore the issues about to be discussed. The data must be pertinent, validated and presented in an objective manner free of any editorializing – the facts speak for themselves;

6)       Use the opposite of what you plan to write about. This is done for dramatic effect, as in “What if the world were like this instead of what the world, or situation about to be discussed, truly is?” Readers are often fascinated, intrigued by this type of approach; And lastly,

7)       Use a combination of the strategies. This is best done by using two of the six gambits. Your more skilled writers frequently make use of this, the seventh and final opening gambit.

The Thesis Statement

All of these opening strategies, or essay gambits, have one purpose and that is to focus the audience on your purpose for writing: your thesis statement. This statement is best seen as a single, complete sentence containing the main idea of the entire composition with at least three (3) patterns by which you intend to develop and support that subject. You could not write a very good or insightful essay, for example, if your thesis was “The Hyundai is a great car.” That statement by itself is both vague and general. It has no focus and fails to give the audience anything in terms of where the composition is going. On the other hand, the audience receives a clear sense of direction from a thesis statement that reads “Because of its great gas mileage, low maintenance, and outstanding road handling on highways and city streets, the Hyundai is a great car.”

From this thesis statement, we know that you are going to write about (1) the great gas mileage a Hyundai gets in comparison to other cars, (2) the low maintenance and monies saved in repairs with the Hyundai in contrast to other vehicles, and (3) the responsive way the Hyundai handles on the road in relationship to other cars on the highways and city streets. Those three patterns of development all contribute to and support the main idea, which is that the Hyundai is a great car. They do so in a logical, orderly fashion which is what your readership expects in a well-organized composition.

By the same token, you need to now about the four (4) most common errors made when fashioning thesis statements:

• Do not make announcement. One of the sure signs of the struggling writer is the telltale “In this paper I am going to write about” or the even more deadly (and monotonous) “The purpose of this paper is…” Announcements are a sure way of insulting the intelligence of your readership. Don’t make announcements (“For the next 750 words I am going to…” which leads the reader to start counting your words rather than concentrating on what you are trying to communicate!) or tell the reader what you plan to write about – allow the writing to communicate the story!
• Do not make the thesis too broad. This happens when the writer has failed to carefully think out or plan what the actual subject is going to be. Imagine a thesis statement that asserts “The Civil War was the turning point in American race relations.” Scholars, historians, and many others have written volumes on that subject! This is not the sort of thesis statement you would put forth for a research paper or essay topic due the following week. It is entirely too broad and general.
• Do not make the thesis statement too narrow or specific. Again, this is a result of failing to fully think through what one is going to write about. It is very much like painting oneself into a corner, away from any exit, and being left with no way out. Imagine, for example, having to write a paper with the thesis being “This table is made out of wood.” While such a sentence might lend itself to a few sentences (at best), one certainly could not hope to go any further than that. By always incorporating those three (3) patterns of development into your thesis statement, the error of being too narrow or specific will be avoided; and finally,
• Do not make your thesis statement too vague. This error usually results from fuzzy, unclear thinking. If the thesis is unclear to you, then it will be unclear and, even worse, confusing to your readers. “The California Condor is an interesting bird” does nothing for the reader. It invites confusion by raising too many questions. “Interesting” meaning what? To who? Why? Here, once again, the confusion can be avoided by incorporating those three (3) patterns of development into the thesis statement.

Synergy – Bringing Everything Together:

Effective writing comes, first of all, from being precise and logical in one’s thinking process. When structuring paragraphs, essays and other compositions that work for the reader – and keep in mind that when writing for the public, that audience always comes first! – consideration must be given to capturing and then holding the attention of the reader. You accomplish this by using the opening gambits or strategies that I have identified here, each of which leads the reader to what hopefully will be a well-formulated, clearly-articulated thesis statement (i.e., the main idea of the entire composition). Your reader(s) should be able to follow that thesis in a logical and orderly fashion to the conclusion.

I like telling my students, however, that concluding or wrapping up a paper is just as important as getting the reader’s attention in the first place. You want to writer something that leaves an impression in the mind of your audience, a belief that they have been given something of considerable worth. This is best achieved by using any one of the following six (6) closing gambits (Again, there are actually eight but students who follow-through with me into 155 Freshman Composition will pickup the remaining two at that level):

1)       Restate the main points raised in the paper. What you are doing here is to repeat for your readers those patterns of development first articulated in the thesis statement; in effect, you are now tying the package together.

2)       Close with a quotation. This can be a very effective means for closing out an essay. It adds style and grace to the writing. The best quotes, again, come out of popular culture or wisdom. The quote(s) should be directly related to the subject matter. Using quotes definitely gives your audience the impression that you are in control of the material.

3)       Close with an anecdote. Once more, we are dealing with readability. Audiences love good stories, those that have a core, a sensibility. The writer who can close a composition with a brief story is certainly going to leave a memorable impression on the readers.

4)       Restate the main point and end with a thought- provoking question . Anytime you can focus the audience on the main point of your writing, then leave them with something to mull over once they have finished the reading, then you have succeeded.

5)       End with a prediction or recommendation based upon the subject matter. Remember that the prediction reflects what might or will take place if the assertion in your thesis is not followed through or acted upon. This engages the audience into actions which is always a positive effect. In the same vein, giving the audience a recommendation or series of recommendations is effective in that you are providing them with a list of actions they can take. This moves the audience from passive readers to active doers.

6)       End with a Call for Action. This is proactive, engaging writing that makes your audience aware that what they have read is not merely brain candy, but a serious call by the writer for them to act upon what has been put on the table. This conclusion keeps your readership stimulated.

7)       Close with a thought-provoking question, one that stands by itself and leads the reader to wonder, “ What if?”

Good writing calls for practice and commitment. One of the keys to being an effective writer is remembering your audience, keeping them in mind, understanding that the best audience is one that takes an active rather than passive role in reading what it is that you are trying to get across. The opening and closing strategies that have been discussed here are proven means for accomplishing that exact purpose. At the same time, you have been given a list of the do’s and don’ts in developing thesis statements. To become really adept at writing, though, you have to read: widely and broadly. Reading will give you access not only to new information but, even more, will expose you to different writing styles and ways of expression that can only enhance and improve your own.

Discussion Questions:

1)       The author provides seven (7) different gambits or strategies for starting one’s paper. What are those seven and provide your own original example(s) in explaining each one.

2)       What is a thesis statement? The author lists the four most common errors in the construction of thesis statements. What are those errors and which one(s) give you the greatest difficulty? Why?

3)       In this essay, you have been provided with eight different techniques for concluding one’s paragraphs and longer compositions. Identify each of the eight techniques and briefly give your own, original examples and illustrations in explaining each one.

4)       What has been the greatest value or insight this particular assignment has given you? Why? In what way(s) has it expanded on your previous knowledge and awareness of ways in which to open and close your writing.

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Practical Attention-Getter Examples That’ll Engage Your Audience

Table of Contents

The first few seconds of your speech will determine whether or not your audience will give you their attention. This is why you should begin with attention-grabbing openings. Attention-getter examples include stories, quotes, and questions that persuades an audience to listen.

Conveying a powerful message is important, but equally important is your ability to hook your audience instantly. An attention-getter can do this for you. This guide will look at a list of attention getters and how you can use them to gain your audience’s attention .

Attention Getters: Importance in Speeches

An attention-getter is a phrase or statement that typically opens a speech and aims to grab the audience’s attention. Such statements captivate the audience, pique their curiosity, and suggest that the speaker has something insightful to convey.

When you use attention getters in your speeches, you minimize the chances of the audience tuning out, losing focus, or even half paying attention.

An attention-getter establishes credibility, gives the audience a reason to listen, and creates a clear transition into the main subject of discussion.

7 Effective Attention-Getter Examples

Attention getters are typically a speaker’s opening statement that gets the audience’s attention. They strongly influence the audience’s focus on what the speaker is saying. Here are some attention getters that have proved effective in hooking an audience.

1. Rhetorical Question

Using a rhetorical question in your speech can cause your audience to lean forward in their chairs and listen closely to you. The best way to use a rhetorical question is to ask a question that your audience would want to hear answered.

Questions are a great way to create curiosity and stir up interest. You invite the audience to interact and engage with you by posing a question. Questions will get your audience thinking and even taking sides.

2. Bold Statement

Bold statements can be a powerful attention-getter for your speech. By proclaiming something powerfully, you catch the audience’s eye and make them pay attention to you. A bold statement is a great way to convey your passion, stress the importance of an issue, and draw attention immediately.

When you make a bold statement with the correct body language, you will exude the kind of power that will make you noticeable. Shock-value statements such as “I almost died yesterday” can keep your audience engaged.

Humor is a great attention getter because it is a brilliant way to break up lengthy speeches and relieve tension in uncomfortable situations. It also puts everyone at ease by bringing laughter to otherwise dry and complex addresses.

Humor is one of the best ways to open your audience’s minds and boost your effectiveness as a speaker. However, you can only make your audience laugh with good humor.

You must understand your audience to know what kind of joke works for them. Focus on creating a humorous text that is appropriate for your audience.

4. Shocking Statistics or Facts

Most people believe that statistics is boring and, when incorporated into speeches, will make the audience disinterested. Using statistics and facts correctly can make your address more interesting for the audience, just like any attention-grabbing statement or rhetorical question can.

The key is to incorporate shocking and intriguing statistical information or piece of data without going extreme.

For example: “Did you know that more than 36 million U.S. adults cannot read above a third-grade level?” By intriguing your audience, you create a space to emphasize the importance of your message.

5. Dramatize Scenes

While statistics are suitable for speeches, too many of them can make your audience bored. Instead of making your audience understand graphs, give them a visual image or associate a relatable emotion with an abstract idea.

By painting a picture of your message, you appeal to your audience’s emotions and allow them to imagine what you’re saying. Begin with phrases like “imagine” or “picture this,” followed by descriptive words. Try “imagine millions of individuals being killed yearly due to the indoor air pollution we cause.” Instead of “four million premature deaths are caused by indoor air pollution yearly.”

6. a Good Story

Good stories make for a great speech. Many speakers have turned to stories to inspire, inform, and entertain an audience. Unlike data, which lacks human-interest when overused, stories are always engaging. Stories can also evoke an emotional response from anyone in the audience.

Mind-blowing relatable stories that entirely change an audience’s view on an issue are always great to tell. After all, you want to leave your audience with a wholly new perspective.

It’s great if your story has some lesson or mirroring. You could tell a personal story that relates to your topic. Stories are a great way to connect with an audience, not just at the beginning of your speech but in the body.

Quotes are another aspect of speaking that adds an element of interest. Quoting someone can be a great way to draw the audience in, especially if the quotes are eye-catching and exciting. A great quote can be the “hook” to the rest of your speech and help the audience take an interest in what you’re saying.

Use a quote relevant to your discussion topic, and double-check the source to avoid misquoting the person.

Attention getters are the basis for a compelling speech. Without them, your audience will most likely tune out. You have to give your audience a reason to listen to you. By incorporating attention-getting elements in your speech, you will undoubtedly entice more of your listeners to pay attention to what you have to say.

Try on the attention-getter examples listed above and see how captivated your audience will be.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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15 Powerful Attention Getters for Any Type of Speech

Coming up with a great opening line has never been so easy thanks to these ideas.

Arguably, the hardest part of writing a speech is coming up with the perfect hook. The first sentence that comes out of your mouth sets the tone for everything that's going to follow. You need to pack the first few lines with attention getters to make your speech immediately engaging to the audience.

But you don't have to be inherently good at oration like Cicero or Martin Luther King Jr. Instead, you can use these clever tactics to rock your speech from start to finish.

Effective Ways to Grab an Audience's Attention for a Speech

No two orators have the same methods, so no two speeches should start the same way. Don't be afraid to experiment with different ideas to see which one resonates the most with your topic and delivery style.

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All beginners have to start somewhere, and these are some tried-and-true proven ways to grab an audience's attention right away:

1.Start With a Powerful Question

Asking a thought-provoking question can stimulate your audience's curiosity and get them feeling interested in hearing what you plan to follow up with.

2. Use Humor to Break the Tension

Lighthearted jokes or funny anecdotes can warm up the audience by breaking the tension. After a little laugh, they'll probably be more receptive to whatever your message is.

3. Open With an Interesting Statistic

An unexpected or shocking statistic can spark interest and emphasize a major selling point of your topic. Simple stats can also be very punchy, so they make a big impact.

4. Tell a Story

Humans love a narrative, so you can start with a personal or relevant story that makes connections to the various points of your speech in an indirect way.

5. Use a Visual Element

Incorporating graphics, videos, props, or diagrams can add a new dimension to your speech and keep your audience's short attention span locked on you.

6. Quote a Famous Person

One way to open your speech is with an impactful quote from a respected figure to lend authority to your argument or topic.

7. Incorporate Interactive Features

Polls, question-and-answer sessions, or requesting audience members to share their experiences can keep your audience involved. You know what they say - idle hands are the devil's workshop.

8. Challenge Common Beliefs

Stating a contrary opinion or debunking a common myth can be an electric way to get the audience engaged.

9. Use Powerful and Emotive Language

This can draw people in and help them connect with your message on an emotional level. After all, there's a reason one of Cicero's branches of rhetoric is pathos.

10. Relate to your Audience

People like to listen to stuff they relate to, so you can start with a few examples or scenarios that are relatable to your audience's experience.

11. Use Sound Effects or Music

Audio elements can make your presentation more dynamic and memorable. It's hard to look away from a light show or someone sauntering up to the stage with a theme song.

12. Incorporate Physical Activity

Asking your audience to stand up, high five their neighbor, or do a simple exercise can re-energize them. This is especially useful if you're in a group of speeches and need to get the audience to reconnect with you.

13. Pose a Hypothetical Scenario

Paint a picture of a possible future or situation and you can pique your audience's interest.

14. Show Your Passion

Audiences tend to pay attention when speakers display genuine enthusiasm and conviction about their topic, so don't be afraid to get passionate. Inflect in your phrases and let your facial expressions run wild.

15. Surprise Your Audience

Doing something unexpected can break the routine and instantly grab the group's attention.

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Examples of Attention-Grabbing Phrases to Open a Speech

It's all good and well to know different methods for crafting your intro, but that doesn't magically help with putting the words together. Don't panic. We've got a whole host of attention-grabbing phrases you can use to open any speech with.

• "Imagine if you could..."
• "I'm going to reveal a secret that most experts don't want you to know."
• "How many of you have ever experienced..."
• "Let me start with an alarming fact..."
• "Raise your hand if you believe..."
• "Remember when you were a child and you believed in..."
• "Here's a shocking statistic that will make your hair stand on end..."
• "What if I told you that..."
• "Let's take a journey back in time to..."
• "I have a confession to make..."
• "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."
• "Picture this..."
• "I bet you're wondering why I'm here today..."
• "Let me tell you a story..."
• "I was in your shoes once, and then something extraordinary happened..."
• "There's an old saying that goes..."
• "Have you ever thought about why..."
• "Did you know that..."
• "Who here thinks they know what it's like to..."
• "It might sound crazy, but..."
• "Has anyone in here ever..."
• "Every second we waste, someone in the world is..."
• "I want to share with you a life-changing experience I had..."
• "When you wake up in the morning, do you ever feel..."
• "We are standing on the precipice of..."
• "There's a truth that no one talks about, and it's this..."
• "Let's take a moment to reflect on..."
• "The first time I ever experienced..."
• "Who here is brave enough to admit..."
• "Before we get started, I want to ask everyone a question..."

Use a Good Hook for a Successful Speech

People usually think about the mic drop moment towards the end of the speech and leave the opening bit for minutes before they go on. But reciting a speech isn't like performing open mic night at the comedy club.

You need a good hook to reel the audience in, and which one you use will depend on your audience, your topic, and what you want people to take away from your speech. The long and the short of it is, you might be able to procrastinate on writing your speech, but you probably don't want to leave the opener 'til last minute.

Attention Getters for Speech that Actually Work

Introduction.

Attention getters are used in speeches to capture the attention of the audience and keep them engaged throughout. The best ones are often quick, memorable, and presented with enthusiasm. Attention getters can be anything from a startling statement or joke to something as simple as an action that gets people on their feet. The most important thing is that they work. We’ll go over some attention getters and tips to ace your speech as well.

However, in case you wish to skip this guide due to reasons such as a busy schedule, our top writers are ready to cover you by ensuring that your informative essay is written to the highest standards. All you need to do is place an order with us!

Attention Getters for Speeches -Overview

One of the most important things to know about giving a speech is that it’s not an easy task. Giving a speech is basically involves getting people to listen and pay attention, which can be difficult and tricky at times.

Give your audience something they can’t help but notice. Speak louder than you usually do but don’t raise your voice; this will make your audience look up from their devices. Have fun with not only the content of your speech but also with the delivery, so its great to incorporate some physical activity if it seems like what you’re saying would lend itself to being acted out or used as part of a demonstration.

When you do anything with your body, especially if it involves a movement away from an audience member’s point of view, make sure that at least one other person is aware of what you’re doing so they can alert people.

If there are any distractions in the room that can be turned off, get rid of them. If there’s a fan or air conditioner that makes noise, have it turned off before you start speaking. In fact, any time you can remove distractions from the room, do so. Your audience will thank you for being an attentive host and speaker by listening more closely when they’re not distracted by things in the environment.

Be sure to smile and make eye contact with your audience members, as this will help build a connection that will keep people’s attention up for your whole speech.

Why Getting Attention is so Important in a Speech

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of listening to a speech that went on and on, leaving you bored to tears, then you know how important it is for people to pay attention when someone is speaking. If people are not paying attention or have tuned out from what’s being said, then 20 minutes can feel like an hour, and you may find yourself trying to get up and leave. Reasons for getting attention when delivering a speech include:

• What you say will be reinforced.
• If people aren’t paying attention, they may miss important points or inflection of what’s being said.
• People are more apt to relate to what you’re saying if they are paying attention because they can better focus on what you’re saying.
• What you say may be remembered.
• If a person isn’t paying attention, what you say may not be absorbed into their long-term memory.
• What’s being said will not create any negative response from the listeners.
• If people aren’t paying attention, they are more likely to get defensive or hostile if what’s being said does not apply to them directly.

Different Types of Attention Getters for a Speech

Several different types of attention getters can be used when giving a speech to help make sure that what’s being said will not cause negative feedback and will also be absorbed by the audience.

• Bold statements

Bold statements are a great tool to create a sense of intrigue and suspense. They definitely work well on an audience.

However, remember that bold statements should be used in moderation as overusing them can lead to audiences thinking that you are making the statements for the sake of attention rather than delivering important information about your speech.

Bold statements include facts and figures that are often shocking, which may be seen as controversial by some. These statistics or facts can help get your audience’s attention if you interestingly present them.

Bold statements should only be used as a lead-up to an important point in your speech. They can be used to make the audience think about what you have just said and reflect on it for a while.

Analogies are a great way to make a connection between two different ideas that otherwise seem very distinct. It brings the audience’s attention from one topic to another and can help you better explain how something works or why something is effective.

Analogies can be used to make a point in your speech stand out more and help the audience better absorb the information you are conveying. This comparison can often draw attention to something that wouldn’t have been as obvious otherwise or bring attention to an aspect of something not usually thought about.

Parallelisms are also effective attention-getters. They are simply two or more aspects of a particular topic that you want to focus on, and they are listed in the same order as their related qualities.

Humor plays a big role when it comes to attention-getters. You can use humor in three different ways: the joke, the situation, and yourself.

The first one usually revolves around jokes that everyone does not understand. The second usually includes exaggeration or hyperbole about a certain situation that is normally very common. The third can be when you exaggerate your situation, making it more likely for the audience to listen.

Audiences like funny speeches. They are often remembered more than ones that lack humor because people enjoy remembering a good time rather than an uninteresting speech.

No matter what you do, don’t use humor if you cannot keep a straight face! You need to know how to tell a joke so that it elicits a laugh. If the joke is not funny, don’t tell it.

4. Questions

Questions are very important in speeches because they help you engage the audience and get them to listen.

Answering your own questions also helps the audience realize that what they’re hearing is something useful, even if it’s something simple.

Questions can also relate to each other, either in the format or in the content. They are a great tool to use when you want to emphasize something and make it stand out.

You can also rephrase a question you have just asked your audience as a command, such as: “Do you want to know how I solved this problem?”

Questions also help the audience feel more involved, and in asking questions at the end of a speech, you will leave an impression on them that you’re someone they can trust.

5. References

References tend to be very useful when you want your audience to remember a particular speech or figure out where the information they are hearing comes from.

You can also use specific references that only make sense to people who work in certain fields. This helps you appeal more directly to those people and give them information that might seem immediately relevant to their own lives.

Different types of references include personal, current events , historical, literary, and pop culture.

16 Top Attention Getters that Work on Stage:

1. Personal experience

This type of attention-getter is based on the speaker’s personal experiences, including anecdotes, examples from your own life, or that of someone close to you.

The major advantage of using this kind of attention-getter is particularly useful for convincing your audience since they are likely to react more favorably towards something you can explain in depth.

A personal experience can also make the speaker seem more authentic, reliable, and trustworthy.

2. Startling statement

A startling statement is an attention-getter that should be used carefully since it can negatively impact the audience’s expectations of your speech. If you use this type of attention getter, your main focus is to prove that what you said is true by backing it up with solid evidence and arguments supporting your claim.

This type of attention-getter is most commonly used in the opening sections of a speech.

3. Intriguing facts and figures

The use of intriguing facts and figures is very effective when you want to convince the audience of your points.

It’s particularly useful if you develop a scenario that allows your audience to easily connect with them and see how it might be relevant to their own lives. The right facts can help people think about issues they would not normally have thought about before.

If you choose to use this attention-getter, make sure your facts are as accurate and precise as possible.

4. Rhetorical questions

Rhetorical questions are effective attention-getters because they make the audience stop and think about what you’re saying.

If those thoughts support your argument, then using rhetorical questions is a great way to confront them with your ideas or theories.

They can also be used as humor when they seem absurd or are exaggerated funnily. Make sure that the rhetorical questions you use make sense and are not confusing.

5. Historical reference/ examples

When you want to highlight a certain event, person, or time in history, make sure the references/examples are accurate. This will help your audience feel like they know enough about them to be able to fully understand and appreciate what you’re saying without having to do any research on their own.

If used effectively, historical references and examples can lead to a more powerful speech since they give your audience an insight into a specific time when certain things happened.

Make sure the historical references and examples you use are relevant to your topic.

To enhance your knowledge on other areas such as essay writing, check our guides on ACT prompts and samples

6. Quotes from famous people

Quotes are effective attention-getter that will help your audience connect to a specific point you’re making in the speech.

They can be particularly useful when it comes to stories and scenarios since they can provide your audience with concrete examples of the events or behaviors you’re describing.

Quotes that are relevant to your topic and come from a source worthy of respect (such as well-known figures of authority or experts in the field) will help you give your speech more weight.

If you want to use this attention-getter, make sure the quotes you use are from a relevant and credible source.

7. Use of props

Using props during a speech can be incredibly effective as an attention-getter.

Props are especially useful when you want to introduce statistics or any kind of visual information based on charts, diagrams, or graphs.

They can also add visual interest to your speech while showing the audience how what you’re talking about is relevant to their world.

Before you pick a prop, make sure it will enhance your presentation. To be effective, make sure that the props you use are relevant to your topic.

Humor can be a very effective attention-getter, but you have to make sure that the jokes are relevant to what you’re talking about.

Using inappropriate jokes or stories during your speech will not only serve as an ineffective attention-getter, but it may also distract your audience from your message and decrease their interest in what you’re saying.

You also need to make sure that the jokes you use are funny. Jokes that fall flat on their face will not only be ineffective in grabbing your audience’s attention. They may also hurt the rest of your speech by making it seem less professional.

Make sure the jokes you use are appropriate, brief, and relevant to your topic. Avoid overusing them and always make sure a joke is funny before you use it in your speech.

9. Reference to current events

If you have recently watched a specific news bulletin on television or heard about a current event, referencing it in your speech can be an effective attention-getter.

Before you use this strategy, make sure the news report has enough weight and credibility to back up what you’re saying, or else your audience may see it as mere entertainment and not take your speech seriously.

If you use this attention-getter, make sure that you’re actually talking about a news report or current event.

We also recommend that you check position paper guide

10. Literary references

Literary references can be an excellent attention getter in a more literary speech and use lots of imagery.

Before you use this strategy, make sure that the literary reference is relevant to your topic since it will help grab your audience’s attention and show them how relevant what you’re saying is to their world.

Avoid using too many references as they can distract from your message and become an ineffective way of getting people’s attention.

To make literary references work for you in your speech, choose only a few of the most relevant ones.

11. Stories

Stories are an excellent attention-getter, but whether or not they will be effective depends on how relevant they are to your topic.

If a story is completely unrelated to what you’re talking about, it will serve as an ineffective attention grabber and may even distract from your message.

For a story to effectively grab people’s attention, it must be relevant to your topic and shows how something you are talking about is relevant to people’s lives.

Use stories sparingly, as too many of them can distract from the main message of your speech.

12. Response questions

This type of attention-getter is effective because it engages your audience.

However, using response questions in a speech only works if you know how to ask them correctly. If they are not asked properly, they may even distract people from the main body of your speech instead of grabbing their attention.

To make response questions work for you during your speech, ask them at the right place and only in certain instances.

When you ask a response question, make sure it is brief, relevant to your topic, and not asking for a yes or no answer. If you want a real answer from your audience, you need to give them enough room in which to provide one.

It’s also important to make sure that you don’t ask more than one or two response questions during your speech to distract people from your message.

You may also want to check different types of writing formats

13. Visualization

This easily memorable attention getter works for speeches and presentations that are more visual.

If you’re giving a speech about selling real estate, you might use this type of attention getter by saying something like: “Imagine how beautiful the view is.”

You may also want to include some words with the image to expand upon what it entails. For example: “Imagine how beautiful the view is; imagine the smell of lilies and roses coming from the garden across the street.”

To make visualization an effective attention-getter in your speech or presentation, only use a few visualization techniques during the whole speech.

When you choose this type of attention getter for your speech or presentation, don’t forget to explain what it entails. If you are using visualizations that may be hard to imagine, explain the details in your speech or presentation.

14. Reference to audience

This attention-getter is effective because it connects what you’re saying to how the audience members’ lives are affected by your topic.

It’s important, however, not to put down part of your audience to emphasize another point. Using this type of reference can be an effective way to connect with people from different walks of life.

For example, you are giving a speech about poor workers in developing countries and the conditions they have to work under. You can save using this attention-getter if you say something like: “I know some of you may be thinking that my focus should be on Americans instead of these people who we don’t really think much about.” This type of reference will help your audience connect to the topic and pay attention without downgrading any part of it.

To make references to your audience work for you in a speech or presentation, make sure they are respectful and not critical of anyone. This way, you will always get their attention without losing theirs.

You may also want to check top essay hooks

15. Reference to the subject

If you’re giving a speech about football, for example, one way you can grab your audience’s attention is by using the sports vocabulary related to the topic. Using this type of reference will make everyone feel like they actually understand what you’re talking about and are invested in your message.

References to the subject of your speech or presentation can be used to grab the audience’s attention, as well as to connect with them. It helps them understand your message more comfortably and familiarly.

References like this can work for speeches and presentations about many different topics. You have to make sure that you use words related to your topic in the speech so people are interested enough to pay attention.

An example of a reference to the subject of your speech or presentation is if you say: “The football team was in a slump; that’s why they were losing so many games.” This type of reference works very well for speeches and presentations about sports because the vocabulary used in that field can be related to the rest of your speech or presentation.

16. Reference to Occasion

The occasion you are speaking on can be a great attention getter for people at the event.

If you’re giving a speech or presentation about your retirement, for example, then it’s appropriate to use reference to occasion as an attention-getter. You might say: “Tonight is one of those very special occasions; the occasion of my retirement.”

You can also use this attention-getter just by referring to the location and time you are speaking in: “Tonight is a very special occasion because we are here at Stanford University, and it’s dusk outside.”

Make sure that your reference to the occasion connects with whatever it is you’re talking about.

You may also want to check our other articles on speeches, such as demonstration speech topics

Tips for Coming up with your Own Unique, Attention-Grabbing Ideas.

Some people find it helpful to come up with a list of ideas they can use on different occasions and see which one works the best.

Even if you only have one speech or presentation coming up, you should still brainstorm some attention-getting techniques that are good for the occasion.

Here are a few tips on how you can be creative enough and come up with unique, attention-grabbing ideas.

1. Be prepared

When you’re speaking on the spot, it’s easy to make mistakes and use attention-grabbing techniques that don’t really work, not because they are not appropriate, but because they haven’t been practiced. To avoid this, come up with at least a few good ideas in advance.

2. Be careful

When you come up with an attention-getter, be sure that it doesn’t sound scripted or like you are just making something up on the spot. If you’re not used to speaking, this is a very common issue and can really affect your speech if you don’t watch out for it. An easy way to avoid this is to make sure that you never use the same attention-getter twice.

3. Follow your own advice

This may sound strange, but if you’re giving a presentation about grabbing people’s attention when speaking, it might be best to follow your own advice and make sure you don’t just tell them what they should do but also show them.

If your speech or presentation focuses on tips for giving speeches and presentations, then it’s a good idea to follow your own etiquette rules yourself. Make sure that you can practice whatever attention-grabbing techniques you’re going to use in front of others before you need them during an event.

4. Use your own voice

The best way you can grab people’s attention is to use your own voice. If you prepare a speech or presentation, practice it so much that it sounds like something you would say in real life. Don’t be afraid to sound natural and relaxed when you’re presenting; if people think they are listening to someone reading a speech, they will have trouble paying attention.

5. Use humor

Suppose you can be funny without being silly. In that case, you’ll find that your audience is much more likely to pay attention and remember what you say than if the presentation was an ordinary one with no emotional connection to anything. If you’re not sure how to be funny without being silly, make sure to check out a few good comedy movies and cartoons.

6. Don’t just entertain – inform

Even if you’re an entertaining speaker, the audience will be more likely to remember what they hear if there is some message or information that can be used later on in life. For example, if you’re an entrepreneur, you might be able to give out business cards or ask people to enter a drawing.

7. Use the senses

It will never be forgotten when you can incorporate as many of the five senses into your presentation as possible – sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste. If you’re going to use food as an attention-getter, for example, you can touch it and smell it – that way, the audience will instantly know what you’re talking about when you tell them to taste it.

Thank you for getting this far, and in case you need our top writers to handle your speech for you, click the green button below and follow the simple steps!

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 113 perfect persuasive essay topics for any assignment.

General Education

Do you need to write a persuasive essay but aren’t sure what topic to focus on? Were you thrilled when your teacher said you could write about whatever you wanted but are now overwhelmed by the possibilities? We’re here to help!

Read on for a list of 113 top-notch persuasive essay topics, organized into ten categories. To help get you started, we also discuss what a persuasive essay is, how to choose a great topic, and what tips to keep in mind as you write your persuasive essay.

What Is a Persuasive Essay?

In a persuasive essay, you attempt to convince readers to agree with your point of view on an argument. For example, an essay analyzing changes in Italian art during the Renaissance wouldn’t be a persuasive essay, because there’s no argument, but an essay where you argue that Italian art reached its peak during the Renaissance would be a persuasive essay because you’re trying to get your audience to agree with your viewpoint.

Persuasive and argumentative essays both try to convince readers to agree with the author, but the two essay types have key differences. Argumentative essays show a more balanced view of the issue and discuss both sides. Persuasive essays focus more heavily on the side the author agrees with. They also often include more of the author’s opinion than argumentative essays, which tend to use only facts and data to support their argument.

All persuasive essays have the following:

• Introduction: Introduces the topic, explains why it’s important, and ends with the thesis.
• Thesis: A sentence that sums up what the essay be discussing and what your stance on the issue is.
• Reasons you believe your side of the argument: Why do you support the side you do? Typically each main point will have its own body paragraph.
• Evidence supporting your argument: Facts or examples to back up your main points. Even though your opinion is allowed in persuasive essays more than most other essays, having concrete examples will make a stronger argument than relying on your opinion alone.
• Conclusion: Restatement of thesis, summary of main points, and a recap of why the issue is important.

What Makes a Good Persuasive Essay Topic?

Theoretically, you could write a persuasive essay about any subject under the sun, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Certain topics are easier to write a strong persuasive essay on, and below are tips to follow when deciding what you should write about.

It’s a Topic You Care About

Obviously, it’s possible to write an essay about a topic you find completely boring. You’ve probably done it! However, if possible, it’s always better to choose a topic that you care about and are interested in. When this is the case, you’ll find doing the research more enjoyable, writing the essay easier, and your writing will likely be better because you’ll be more passionate about and informed on the topic.

You Have Enough Evidence to Support Your Argument

Just being passionate about a subject isn’t enough to make it a good persuasive essay topic, though. You need to make sure your argument is complex enough to have at least two potential sides to root for, and you need to be able to back up your side with evidence and examples. Even though persuasive essays allow your opinion to feature more than many other essays, you still need concrete evidence to back up your claims, or you’ll end up with a weak essay.

For example, you may passionately believe that mint chocolate chip ice cream is the best ice cream flavor (I agree!), but could you really write an entire essay on this? What would be your reasons for believing mint chocolate chip is the best (besides the fact that it’s delicious)? How would you support your belief? Have enough studies been done on preferred ice cream flavors to support an entire essay? When choosing a persuasive essay idea, you want to find the right balance between something you care about (so you can write well on it) and something the rest of the world cares about (so you can reference evidence to strengthen your position).

It’s a Manageable Topic

Bigger isn’t always better, especially with essay topics. While it may seem like a great idea to choose a huge, complex topic to write about, you’ll likely struggle to sift through all the information and different sides of the issue and winnow them down to one streamlined essay. For example, choosing to write an essay about how WWII impacted American life more than WWI wouldn’t be a great idea because you’d need to analyze all the impacts of both the wars in numerous areas of American life. It’d be a huge undertaking. A better idea would be to choose one impact on American life the wars had (such as changes in female employment) and focus on that. Doing so will make researching and writing your persuasive essay much more feasible.

List of 113 Good Persuasive Essay Topics

Below are over 100 persuasive essay ideas, organized into ten categories. When you find an idea that piques your interest, you’ll choose one side of it to argue for in your essay. For example, if you choose the topic, “should fracking be legal?” you’d decide whether you believe fracking should be legal or illegal, then you’d write an essay arguing all the reasons why your audience should agree with you.

Arts/Culture

• Should students be required to learn an instrument in school?
• Did the end of Game of Thrones fit with the rest of the series?
• Can music be an effective way to treat mental illness?
• With e-readers so popular, have libraries become obsolete?
• Are the Harry Potter books more popular than they deserve to be?
• Should music with offensive language come with a warning label?
• What’s the best way for museums to get more people to visit?
• Should students be able to substitute an art or music class for a PE class in school?
• Are the Kardashians good or bad role models for young people?
• Should people in higher income brackets pay more taxes?
• Should all high school students be required to take a class on financial literacy?
• Is it possible to achieve the American dream, or is it only a myth?
• Is it better to spend a summer as an unpaid intern at a prestigious company or as a paid worker at a local store/restaurant?
• Should the United States impose more or fewer tariffs?
• Should college graduates have their student loans forgiven?
• Should restaurants eliminate tipping and raise staff wages instead?
• Should students learn cursive writing in school?
• Which is more important: PE class or music class?
• Is it better to have year-round school with shorter breaks throughout the year?
• Should class rank be abolished in schools?
• Should students be taught sex education in school?
• Should students be able to attend public universities for free?
• What’s the most effective way to change the behavior of school bullies?
• Are the SAT and ACT accurate ways to measure intelligence?
• Should students be able to learn sign language instead of a foreign language?
• Do the benefits of Greek life at colleges outweigh the negatives?
• Does doing homework actually help students learn more?
• Why do students in many other countries score higher than American students on math exams?
• Should parents/teachers be able to ban certain books from schools?
• What’s the best way to reduce cheating in school?
• Should colleges take a student’s race into account when making admissions decisions?
• Should there be limits to free speech?
• Should students be required to perform community service to graduate high school?
• Should convicted felons who have completed their sentence be allowed to vote?
• Should gun ownership be more tightly regulated?
• Should recycling be made mandatory?
• Should employers be required to offer paid leave to new parents?
• Are there any circumstances where torture should be allowed?
• Should children under the age of 18 be able to get plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons?
• Should white supremacy groups be allowed to hold rallies in public places?
• Does making abortion illegal make women more or less safe?
• Does foreign aid actually help developing countries?
• Are there times a person’s freedom of speech should be curtailed?
• Should people over a certain age not be allowed to adopt children?

Government/Politics

• Should the minimum voting age be raised/lowered/kept the same?
• Should Puerto Rico be granted statehood?
• Should the United States build a border wall with Mexico?
• Who should be the next person printed on American banknotes?
• Should the United States’ military budget be reduced?
• Did China’s one child policy have overall positive or negative impacts on the country?
• Should DREAMers be granted US citizenship?
• Is national security more important than individual privacy?
• What responsibility does the government have to help homeless people?
• Should the electoral college be abolished?
• Should the US increase or decrease the number of refugees it allows in each year?
• Should privately-run prisons be abolished?
• Who was the most/least effective US president?
• Will Brexit end up helping or harming the UK?

• What’s the best way to reduce the spread of Ebola?
• Is the Keto diet a safe and effective way to lose weight?
• Should the FDA regulate vitamins and supplements more strictly?
• Should public schools require all students who attend to be vaccinated?
• Is eating genetically modified food safe?
• What’s the best way to make health insurance more affordable?
• What’s the best way to lower the teen pregnancy rate?
• Should recreational marijuana be legalized nationwide?
• Should birth control pills be available without a prescription?
• Should pregnant women be forbidden from buying cigarettes and alcohol?
• Why has anxiety increased in adolescents?
• Are low-carb or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
• What caused the destruction of the USS Maine?
• Was King Arthur a mythical legend or actual Dark Ages king?
• Was the US justified in dropping atomic bombs during WWII?
• What was the primary cause of the Rwandan genocide?
• What happened to the settlers of the Roanoke colony?
• Was disagreement over slavery the primary cause of the US Civil War?
• What has caused the numerous disappearances in the Bermuda triangle?
• Should nuclear power be banned?
• Is scientific testing on animals necessary?
• Do zoos help or harm animals?
• Should scientists be allowed to clone humans?
• Should animals in circuses be banned?
• Should fracking be legal?
• Should people be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets?
• What’s the best way to reduce illegal poaching in Africa?
• What is the best way to reduce the impact of global warming?
• Should euthanasia be legalized?
• Is there legitimate evidence of extraterrestrial life?
• Should people be banned from owning aggressive dog breeds?
• Should the United States devote more money towards space exploration?
• Should the government subsidize renewable forms of energy?
• Is solar energy worth the cost?
• Should stem cells be used in medicine?
• Is it right for the US to leave the Paris Climate Agreement?
• Should athletes who fail a drug test receive a lifetime ban from the sport?
• Should college athletes receive a salary?
• Should the NFL do more to prevent concussions in players?
• Do PE classes help students stay in shape?
• Should horse racing be banned?
• Should cheerleading be considered a sport?
• Should children younger than 18 be allowed to play tackle football?
• Are the costs of hosting an Olympic Games worth it?
• Can online schools be as effective as traditional schools?
• Do violent video games encourage players to be violent in real life?
• Should facial recognition technology be banned?
• Does excessive social media use lead to depression/anxiety?
• Has the rise of translation technology made knowing multiple languages obsolete?
• Was Steve Jobs a visionary or just a great marketer?
• Should social media be banned for children younger than a certain age?
• Which 21st-century invention has had the largest impact on society?
• Are ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft good or bad for society?
• Should Facebook have done more to protect the privacy of its users?
• Will technology end up increasing or decreasing inequality worldwide?

Tips for Writing a Strong Persuasive Essay

After you’ve chosen the perfect topic for your persuasive essay, your work isn’t over. Follow the three tips below to create a top-notch essay.

Do Your Research

Your argument will fall apart if you don’t fully understand the issue you’re discussing or you overlook an important piece of it. Readers won’t be convinced by someone who doesn’t know the subject, and you likely won’t persuade any of them to begin supporting your viewpoint. Before you begin writing a single word of your essay, research your topic thoroughly. Study different sources, learn about the different sides of the argument, ask anyone who’s an expert on the topic what their opinion is, etc. You might be tempted to start writing right away, but by doing your research, you’ll make the writing process much easier when the time comes.

Make Your Thesis Perfect

Your thesis is the most important sentence in your persuasive essay. Just by reading that single sentence, your audience should know exactly what topic you’ll be discussing and where you stand on the issue. You want your thesis to be crystal clear and to accurately set up the rest of your essay. Asking classmates or your teacher to look it over before you begin writing the rest of your essay can be a big help if you’re not entirely confident in your thesis.

Consider the Other Side

You’ll spend most of your essay focusing on your side of the argument since that’s what you want readers to come away believing. However, don’t think that means you can ignore other sides of the issue. In your essay, be sure to discuss the other side’s argument, as well as why you believe this view is weak or untrue. Researching all the different viewpoints and including them in your essay will increase the quality of your writing by making your essay more complete and nuanced.

Summary: Persuasive Essay Ideas

Good persuasive essay topics can be difficult to come up with, but in this guide we’ve created a list of 113 excellent essay topics for you to browse. The best persuasive essay ideas will be those that you are interested in, have enough evidence to support your argument, and aren’t too complicated to be summarized in an essay.

After you’ve chosen your essay topic, keep these three tips in mind when you begin writing:

• Do your research
• Make your thesis perfect
• Consider the other side

What's Next?

Need ideas for a research paper topic as well? Our guide to research paper topics has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you.

Thinking about taking an AP English class? Read our guide on AP English classes to learn whether you should take AP English Language or AP English Literature (or both!)

Deciding between the SAT or ACT? Find out for sure which you will do the best on . Also read a detailed comparison between the two tests .

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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12 Effective Attention Getters For Your Speech

Any audience decides within the first 60 seconds whether or not you have something interesting to say. After that, they zone out and it is difficult to win back their attention. This is why there is always so much emphasis on attention-grabbing openers.

Once you take up the stage, you need to establish a presence straight away. There is no time for slow introductions. If you watch some of the more successful speakers, you can notice how they utilize their first 60 seconds of stage time. All the experts are well-versed in the art of engaging the audience right off the bat.

An attention-grabbing introduction must check the following boxes:

• Grab the audience’s attention.
• Establish any credibility or relatability.
• Outline the thesis of the speech.
• Give the audience a reason to listen.
• Clear transition into the body of the speech.

Table of Contents

Ask a Rhetorical Question

Make a bold statement, state the importance , shocking statistics or facts, credentials, paint a picture, give examples, everybody loves a good story, show enthusiasm: , build relatability: , acknowledge the audience: , bonus: effective transition, “the dictionary defines” , hello, it’s me, “good morning/evening”, wrapping up,, 12 attention getters for speeches.

There is a misconception that floats around public speaking. Many people believe that their core material is sufficient to get the audience’s attention. However, without a solid introduction, chances are that the listener will already be distracted by the time you get to the main message. Public speaking is an art-form of persuasion and you will need to be aware of the technical aspects that make a great speech along with writing good content. Here are some attention getters that you can utilize for your introduction.

Questions are always a good way to pique interest. We are automatically wired to respond to a question by either having a response in our minds or being curious to hear the answer. Either way, it keeps the audience active and listening for what’s coming next. This is also a great way to establish relatability. You could begin with something along the lines of “Have you ever wondered whether school uniforms are stifling creativity?” You might connect instantly with a large portion of the audience with a similar thought process. Similarly, something like, “Is religion a dying concept?” can make for a very intriguing beginning that might catch the interest of people on both sides of the argument.

Bold beginnings make for memorable and powerful speeches. No one can deny that the infamous “I have a dream!” left a mark on millions worldwide. A bold statement is your way to convey your passion, to stress the importance of an issue, and to instantly draw eyes. Pair a bold statement with the right body language, and you will be exuding the kind of power that is sure to make your presence noticeable. You can also go for shock-value statements that will keep your audience interested. Such as “I nearly died on my way here today.”

Any topic you pick for your speech is likely important to you. As such, you might not feel like it needs further emphasizing. However, to the listener’s this is still a brand new subject. Highlighting why the issue you are covering needs to be heard will be a good way to win their attention. Any speech on environmental changes is overdone, but if you open by talking about the devastating effects and the immediate danger it poses to us, you can get them listening.

For example: “Pollution is running so rampant that people around the world are now consuming nearly 5 grams in plastic each week.” This statement, states the importance, makes it personal and makes the issue urgent.

Typically, mentioning the key highlights of the speech is done towards the end of the introduction. You can use this in conjunction with other attention-getters. All you need to do is dedicate the last few lines in your introduction to outlining the main points that will be addressed in your speech.

Humor is always an excellent ice-breaker. It breaks the tension and makes the audience feel more at ease. This is one of the best ways there is to make your audience comfortable. Once you get them laughing, they will be much more open to your message. However, this can go either way. You need to really know your audience to apply this well. If you make a joke and it falls flat, it can really hamper your stage confidence and derail the rest of your speech. Make sure you write jokes that are appropriate for the audience that you will address. There is no one-joke-fits-all in this scenario.

Depending on the setting, inside jokes are the best way to make the audience feel like they’re getting a personalized speech. Whether it is about an office incident or a particular teacher, a joke everyone is in on is always a good idea. However, if that isn’t the case then you can go to current events as something most people would be familiar with. Use it as an ice-breaker and follow it up with your main message with a smooth transition.

Many people shy away from using statistics in their speeches. They believe it is boring and will take the audience out of the speech. However, when used right they can really shake things up. For example: “Did you know that about 90% of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet?” or “Did you know that approximately 80.2 million people, aged six and older are physically inactive?” can help create intrigue. Once you surprise them, you create a space where you can emphasize the importance of your message. Make sure you strike a good balance of numbers so as to not overwhelm your audience either.

Perhaps the host will have already announced your credentials before you take up the stage. In case that they don’t, make sure to highlight any expertise you might have in a topic you are speaking about. Especially if you have worked for a number of years in a related field, it will add a lot of credibility to your words. Even if the host has mentioned it, you can highlight your expertise in a sentence or two in your introduction to get their attention.

Facts are good for a speech. It adds credibility and a sense of realness to your speech. However, too much data can make your speech seem boring. Instead, try to paint a picture with your words. Instead of having them decipher graphs and facts, you can give them a visual image or associate a relatable emotion with your abstract idea. Use directions like “imagine” or “picture this” followed by descriptive words. With a little creativity, this can work for virtually any speech topic. Instead of simply stating a problem such as “There are thousands of marine life losing their lives due to ocean pollution every day”, try “Imagine thousands of colorful species being slowly killed by their own ecosystem due to the rampant pollution we are causing.

Your job as the speaker is to make it as easy as possible for the audience to grasp your message. It is a good idea to include an example early on in your speech. Most people run over their main points and put in examples at the end. However, if you pair them immediately it will be easier for the audience to associate them.

Adding examples is also a great way to explore varying languages. It works hand-in-hand with painting a picture. You can utilize similes, metaphors, and adjectives to properly guide your audience. Remember that people will be more inclined to listen to things that they can relate to. This is why you should look to finding examples that are more personal for the audience.

Chances are, you are giving a speech amongst a line-up of speakers. As such, every speaker comes on stage with a question, example, or statistic. An interesting prop, can thus, act like a breath of fresh air for the audience. Whether it is a surprise prop that will keep the audience guessing or simply a demonstration to begin with. It will certainly pique interest and keep the audience watching.  

All good speeches take up the form of a story. It does not have to take up a “Once upon a time” format. You can pick a personal story to relate to your topic. Once you begin with a story, you will automatically get your audience curious about the next turn of events. Especially if your story is relatable one, it will create a stronger connection. Similarly, you can keep your audience’s attention throughout the speech with bits of your story. Keep the audience guessing by introducing twists and turns. This is not just a good tip for the introduction but also for the body of your speech. 

Quotes are a great way to spice up your script. Especially if you can find quotes given by a famous person in a related field. They can add a certain gravitas to your words and help engage the audience. Make sure you double-check the source of the quote as you don’t want to misquote them either. Similarly, you don’t want to just quote someone for the sake of quoting. Make sure it matches the theme of your speech.

Work on Your Delivery

All of the above tips are highly effective, however, delivery also plays a vital role. If you deliver these tips with a monotone attitude, chances are the audience simply won’t catch on to these attention grabbers. Make sure you monitor your enthusiasm and put a lot of it into your introduction.

Your opening sets the tone for the rest of your speech, so you want to keep it upbeat. If you are looking at the floor, looking unsure and mumbling, you will lose credibility in the eyes of the audience. You need to project confidence so the audience feels like you have something to offer. Experiment with vocal variety, pitch, energy, and hand gestures. A good mix of all these elements will create the perfect attention-grabbing introduction for your speech.

How you deliver your first sentence is important to the impact you want to create. You want to stand out. If every speaker before you comes up with a question, by the time it gets to you, your audience will be completely over it. This is why personalized delivery can make you stand out. Here are a few delivery techniques you can experiment with:

A smile is a simple yet timelessly effective way to connect to your audience. It is a universal human gesture and will make the audience warm up to you. Not just for informal speeches but even for formal ones. Make sure to have a warm smile in your delivery rather than keeping a stoic demeaner.

Have you ever met those people who’s energy is simply infectious? Being around them just brings up your own mood. As the speaker, you command the stage. It is your job to direct the audience. This is why you can lead the enthusiasm by exuding it yourself.

People are automatically drawn to people they can relate to. If you are speaking about a relatable topic, make sure you talk about the relatability factor early. No matter what the topic is, you can find a common ground to connect on.

Once you have your script and the preparation ready, you might be tempted to simply take up the stage and begin speaking at once. Believe it or not, this actually takes the audience away from the speech. Making it about them, making them feel like an important part of your speech will get them leaning in to listen.

Speak from your heart. You may have seen a lot of good speakers and naturally, you feel like picking up on their styles. However, audiences best respond to sprinkles of your own personality. So make sure, whatever style you try to incorporate, you don’t lose your honest touch.

These are just some of the ways you can grab the audience’s attention. You can pick one or more of these to make sure you maximize audience engagement. Public speaking is a subtle art and once you master it, it will become second nature to you. Content is king but your delivery, along with all these technical elements ensures your content actually reaches the listeners. The only thing left to do is practice.

As we discussed, an introduction has many roles to fulfill. One of them is to signal to the audience that the body of the speech has begun. To do so, you will need to incorporate an effective transition. Once you learn how to properly utilize these, your speech should flow smoothly from opening, body, to conclusion. Improper transitions can disrupt your natural flow and make your speech seem jumpy or choppy. If you’d like to up your transition game, you can browse our extensive coverage of Transitions in Public Speaking.

Your introduction is really only 10-15% of the total speech. Yet it can have a huge impact on audience engagement and impact. It needs to be long enough to check all the boxes of information that need to be relayed but at the same time short enough to keep it interesting. With the above tips and your awesome content, you will no doubt be able to craft something amazing.

What not to do:

While it is certainly a good idea to experiment, there are some things you should certainly avoid. Here are a few of them:

This trope is extremely overdone. Besides, people can simply google definitions. You want your speech to be authentic and interesting.

While it is encouraged to establish credibility, try not to get carried away. You can alienate the audience if you seem like you’re bragging. Make sure your introduction is concise and relevant.

Unless you’re a naturally humorous person with jokes relevant to your topic, we recommend staying off jokes. Besides you want your message to be the center of your speech. If your joke doesn’t land in the intro itself, it is also likely to affect your confidence.

While welcoming the audience is typically recommended, spending your precious few introduction moments on salutations can be seen as a lack of creativity. You are much better off using this time to grab their attention and save the thank you’s for afterward.

On average, an audience member has but one question at the beginning of every speech, “Why should I care?” It is your responsibility as the speaker to answer this question and win over their attention. Whether it is by presenting shocking information, useful demonstration, entertaining presentation, or a persuasive performance, whichever best suits your style. Take a look at your script and try on the various attention-getters we’ve listed above. Test it out by recording and listening to yourself or having a friend listen to it. Make sure you don’t cut out any practice time. All the best!

Attention Getter Generator

Get a catchy attention getter in 4 steps:

• Choose the hook type that you want.
• Type in your essay’s topic.
• Push the “Get an attention getter” button.
• Get your perfect attention grabber just like that!
• ✨ Our Tool’s Benefits

👀 What Is an Attention Getter?

• 🔥 Types of Hooks
• ❤️ Helpful Tips

🔗 References

✨ attention getter for essays: our tool’s benefits.

Getting unique hook examples to boost your inspiration has never been easier! AssignZen’s hook generator has many unique features that you’ll definitely appreciate. Here’s why you should choose our tool instead of others:

Not sure why you need a perfect hook in your essay? Or maybe you want to learn more about attention getters? Keep reading this article!

A hook is essentially the text’s first sentence that captures the reader's attention. It’s usually located in the opening sentence of an essay. It can either state the primary idea or function as an introductory sentence before the main narrative.

Reasons to Use an Attention Getter

There are many reasons why using an attention getter will take your essay to the next level:

• It sparks interest and curiosity in the reader.
• It makes your essay memorable and helps it stand out among others.
• It establishes the mood, style, and voice of your writing.
• It provides context or background information that leads to your essay’s main argument.

🔥 Types of Attention Getters

Did you know there are several diferent types of hooks? Each type is suitable for specific situations and texts. In addition, by using various attention-getting techniques, you can cater to different learning styles and make your essay more accessible to a broader range of readers.

The 4 main types of attention getters are:

Attention Getters for Different Purposes

As you already know, each hook type suits specific texts. In this next segment, we will discuss which attention getters to use with which assignments to get the best outcome.

Attention Getter for an Argumentative Essay

Argumentative essays aim to engage the reader in a discussion. An attention getter for this essay type can be a powerful tool to capture the reader's interest and establish credibility. By presenting compelling evidence in a thought-provoking question or a surprising fact , you can pique the audience's curiosity and make a persuasive impact.

Attention Getter for a Narrative Essay

Narrative essays tell a story. As you can guess, the most suitable hook in this case is the anecdotal type .

Attention Getter for an Informative Essay

Informative essays aim to tell the readers about something. Your aim with the hook would be to create interest. That’s why the best choice here would be statistical and question hook types .

Attention Getter for a Research Paper

Research papers are generally more complex than essays. In this case, a hook of almost any type can fit. We recommend starting with statistics and quotation hooks .

Attention Getter for a Literary Analysis

Literary analysis generally requires a more creative approach than other essay types. That’s why quotation and question hook types are the most appropriate options.

Attention Getter for a Speech

If you’re writing a text for an informative speech, you need a hook that will quickly grab the attention of many diverse people. Generally, a quotation or question hook will do the trick, but you can also use shocking statistics to actualize the topic effectively.

❤️ Writing a Catchy Attention Getter: Helpful Tips

Finally, we present to you the most helpful tips to make your hooks perfect!

Now you know everything necessary for making a great attention grabber for your text. Make sure to use AssignZen’s hook generator to speed up the process! This groundbreaking tool will be a great help even for a seasoned writer.

❓ Attention Getter Generator FAQ

❓ how do you make an attention grabber.

It's pretty easy to make a good attention grabber. Just think of a sentence that can be catchy, informative, and related to your main topic’s problem. You can use any hook, should it be a question, a quote, a personal story, or a shocking statistic.

❓ What is a hook generator?

AssingZen’s hook generator is a free tool that creates attention getters for essays or research papers. All you should do is choose the desired hook type and state your topic in the generator's parameters. After that, you'll receive a perfect hook that you can use however you want.

❓ What is a good attention grabber for an essay?

A good attention grabber must be catchy, informative, and connected with the topic. Here’s an example of a great hook for an argumentative essay: “In recent days, many influential people have asked themselves: can we create a world under a single government?”

❓ What is an example of an attention getter in an essay?

Here’re a few good examples of catchy hooks:

• Everyone knows that committing a crime is a punishable act. But were there situations where committing a crime has helped society?
• According to the most recent statistics, 53% of marriages in the US end in divorce.

Updated: Apr 9th, 2024

• How to Write a Hook: East Stroudsburg University
• How to Write a Hook to Captivate Your Readers: Grammarly
• Hooks & Grabbers: Las Positas College
• Attention Getters: Grand Valley State University
• The Attention-Getter: The First Step of an Introduction: University of Minnesota

10 E-Learning Attention-Getters That Really Work

As an e-learning pro, you’re always looking for new ways to connect with learners, to grab their attention and keep them engaged so they can get the most out of your courses. 

So how do you hook your learners right from the start, so they’re motivated—and maybe even excited—about learning something new? Let’s take a look at some tried-and-true techniques.

1. A Surprising Fact

One way to grab your learners’ attention is to start off with a surprising fact. This could be something that most people don’t know or that challenges a commonly held belief. 

Here are a few example courses that use this simple but effective method.

View example

View example and download template

2. An Eye-Catching Animation

Another way to catch your learner’s eye is by using animations. This could be anything from a simple GIF to a more elaborate combination of moving objects.

Take a peek at these effective examples for inspiration.

3. An Intriguing Video

There’s something captivating about the combination of imagery, animations, and audio in a video that captures attention.

Here are a few examples of using compelling video footage.

4. A Realistic Scenario

Scenarios invite learners to interact and understand the practical application of the content you’re sharing. But they don’t need to be buried in the middle of the course! Use them to kick-start your course, or as the basis for your entire course. 

See for yourself how engaging this technique can be by checking out the examples below.

5. A Thought-Provoking Question (or Two!)

Asking curious questions is a great way to start a conversation—and an e-learning course. Questions pique the learner’s interest in your course right off the bat!

You can use questions that you write on the screen, inviting learners to reflect on their own, or ask quiz questions learners must answer to move forward in the course. It’s up to you to decide what makes the most sense for your situation.

Here are some examples to get your creative wheels spinning.

6. A Stimulating Challenge

When faced with a challenge, most people are naturally motivated to solve it. That’s why challenging your learners from the start can be a really powerful engagement strategy.

These two courses will give you ideas on how to go about it. 

7. A Powerful Quote

Having trouble coming up with the exact words to say? Then find a relevant quote and include it in your course. Sharing the wisdom of others can be inspiring and give your content instant credibility. 

Here’s an example course that starts with a quote from the Declaration of Independence.

8. An Unexpected or Unique Interaction

Most e-learning courses behave in a similar way . . . a Start button here, a Next button there. And while that makes it easy for learners to know how to move forward, it can also be a little boring. Why not throw in a couple of surprises? As long as navigation is still clear, there’s no harm in shaking things up!

Here are a couple examples to show you what I mean.

9. A Humorous Image or Statement

People love to laugh, but humor can be hard to get right in a corporate setting, so many course designers shy away from it. However, if you strike the right balance and ensure your humor is appropriate, it can be a great way to catch people off guard and leave them wanting more.

Here’s a great example of that.

10. Evoke an Emotional Response

A lot of our memories are derived from life experiences and how they made us feel. For this reason, starting with something that learners emotionally connect with can be a good way to get them to engage with your course. And if you continue on that path throughout the course, they’re more likely to retain what they learn.

Check out these courses for some tips on appealing to your learners’ emotions.

More Resources

This list of attention-getters is far from exhaustive, but it’s a good place to start! And if you looked at the examples I shared, you probably noticed that course designers often use a combination of these ideas to maximize their effect. As you’re deciding how to capture your learners’ attention, make sure to keep your subject matter, learning objectives, and audience in mind. After all, those should always be your guiding principles as you design your course!

If you’re looking for more examples of attention-getters, be sure to check out E-Learning Challenge #279: 23 Creative Ways to Motivate and Grab Attention in E-Learning Courses . 

And for more instructional design tips, check out the following articles:

• What to Include in Your Course Introduction
• 4 Summary Screen Ideas for Your E-Learning Courses
• What to Include on Your Course Closing Screen

Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.

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