‘Curiosity grabs attention. Curiosity also killed the cat.’
We are told to make a powerful opening at a presentation or a 1 – 1 conversation. ‘Grab their attention!’ is the commonest advice.
It’s also the reason most of us don’t get started beyond the first presentation slide until the last minute. Countless books don’t get written. And many souls back off from speaking their ideas.
In search for that elusive, perfect, big-bang start that will grab attention, we endlessly wait for inspiration to strike.
So, is there a time tested – almost sure shot way to hook your audience with curiosity?
Yes! Russel Brunson, in his book ‘Expert Secrets’ has this unique. easy to remember and perhaps the most practical way to gain attention with the Five Curiosity Hooks!
Five of them! Stuff so easy and intuitive – you can put in action just after reading this post.
Or even better, do listen into this conversation replete with stories, anecdotes and examples from #1MinuteStories to help you nail this!
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Whenever you ask a question, the human brain automatically starts working to find a solution. It doesn’t matter if the question is rhetorical, random or not aimed at you, our brain is always working to build bridges over any gap it encounters.
Five Curiosity Hooks are a great way to create that impact.
Picture Courtesy : Russel Brunson, Expert Secrets
The Little known, Big difference Hook
This hook grabs interest when you tell something that only few people know about and then share the big impact it has. People want to know stuff first; it gives status.
So, use this hook for showing something new to people that they may not be aware of and the knowing of it could make all the difference.
Here is a slightly stark example:
‘Would you believe that there is very little early history of cancer in the 19th of century. Everything changed between 1900-1940 when cancer rose from 8th to 2nd place amongst deadly diseases, just after heart disease. 40% of us will discover that we have cancer at some point of time. 50% of men over 60 and 75% of men over 75 years have prostate cancer, and all men tend have it at the time of death.’
The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Bill Bryson
This Changes Everything Hook
This hook can be used when you share something new that has happened within a particular topic relevant to the audience. It is letting them know about a recent something that happened and is related to the problem they want to solve.
‘Are you trying to avoid carbs, but you are failing hard to resist? Do you promise and fail every time you try? If yes, then you need to learn about this new pill that instantly puts your body in ketosis which keeps u feeling full and prevents you from falling to cravings. This changes everything’
The Well-known, Little Understood Hook
The Audience THINK they know about a specific topic and you then present information to tell something more which makes them realize that they have been restricting themselves with the lack of this knowledge.
Example, continuing on the earlier information on cancer.
‘We all understand cancer as appalling bad news, right? We tend to think of it as something we catch, right, like a bacterial infection. Infact, cancer is entirely internal, a case of body turning on itself. Here are 6 attributes listed in a landmark paper in the Cell journal, in 2000.
Cancer cells divide without limit. They grow without direction or influence from outside agents. They trick the body into giving them blood supply. They disregard any signals to stop growing. And they metastasize ie they spread to other parts of the body’ Essentially, it is suicide without prevention’
The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Bill Bryson
The Crystal Ball Theory Hook
Something that has been successfully done for a period is about to become a fact. This hook can be used to show that what the audience knows will go obsolete and they are amongst the first to know of the new development.
‘Trying various diets? Counting cals? Low carb diets are not good enough for loosing weight – remaining in the state of ketosis is impossible for you and me – new diet will present itself big time – low carb to the next level – start drinking ketones – instantly put your body in ketosis’
The Revisiting the Fundamentals Hook
This is a great hook to grab attention when you sense that things have gotten out of hand, or have become too complex and you present information that can help the audience to get back to basics.
Here is an illustration of the same:
‘Above everything else, choice of lifestyle is a huge factor that contribute to cancer. More than 50% of the cases are caused by things You and Me can do something about – smoking, drinking to excess, overeating primarily. The American Cancer Society found a significant association between being overweight and the incidence of cancer in liver, oesophagus, colon, pancreas and kidney. So, get back to a healthy lifestyle as a starting point.’
The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Bill Bryson
Next time you are preparing for a presentation, interaction or a deep conversation, do consider using any of these curiosity hooks to grab attention!
Mentza’s Self Improvement Learning Group embodies these very principles of Clarity, building engaging Conversations within inclusive Communities that will help make your efforts Concrete and Continuous!
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