Starting a piece of writing with an attention grabber is a good approach to securing reader interest. Creating a hook for an essay can involve a question, a surprise, or maybe a quotation creates a desire to read on to see what happens next red herring. noun misleading clue. attention-grabber. bait. commotion. curve ball. deviation. distraction. distractor A sentence that grabs the reader’s attention and gives them a reason to keep reading. If you’ve ever thumbed through any of my articles here at Honey Copy, you know how in love I am with the sentence
Attention Grabbers to Use When Writing an Essay | Education - Seattle PI
Typically, attention grabber definition, there are four things to consider in choosing a specific attention-getting device:. 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.
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, attention grabber definition, and to entertain.
When selecting an attention-getter, you want to make sure that you select one that corresponds with your basic purpose. 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. 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. Not every attention-getter is appropriate for a given topic.
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.
When selecting an attention-getter, you want to make sure that the attention-getter sets the tone for the speech. Miller 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. The first attention-getting method to consider is to tell your audience the subject of your speech.
This device attention grabber definition probably the most direct, attention grabber definition, but it may also be the least interesting of the possible attention-getters.
This attention grabber definition explicitly tells an audience that the speech they are about to hear is about the importance of understanding statistics.
Dave Dugdale — Attentive Audience — CC BY-SA 2. The second attention grabber definition device to consider is a direct reference to the attention grabber definition. As human resource professionals, you and I know the importance of talent management.
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. If not, you can also use a number of sources that compile useful quotations from noted individuals. Here are some other websites that contain useful databases of quotations for almost any topic:.
For example, consider this attention-getter for a persuasive speech on frivolous attention grabber definition. On January 10,attention grabber definition, Scott Anthony Gomez Jr. and a fellow inmate escaped from a Pueblo, Colorado, jail, attention grabber definition.
During their escape the duo attempted to rappel from the roof of the jail using a makeshift ladder of bed sheets. 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. 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 inyou could refer back to the Vietnam War as way of making a comparison:. 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. An anecdote is a brief account or story of an interesting or humorous event. Remember, your entire introduction should only be 10 to 15 percent of your speech, so your attention-getter must be very short. 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 Julya 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 attention grabber definition fell right into an open manhole Attention grabber definition, A second type of anecdote is a parable or fable.
A parable or fable is an allegorical anecdote designed to teach general life lessons, attention grabber definition. 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:, attention grabber definition. 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. 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? 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. The eighth device you can use to start a speech is to surprise your attention grabber definition with attention grabber definition information about your topic. Often, attention grabber definition, 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. Although startling statements are fun, it is important to use them ethically.
First, attention grabber definition, make sure that your startling statement is factual. Second, make sure that your startling statement is relevant to your speech and not just thrown in for shock value. 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. If so, stand up. A rhetorical questionon the other hand, is a question to which no attention grabber definition reply is expected. How many students on this campus have had sexual intercourse? Of those who have had sex, how many have been tested for HIV? 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 attention grabber definition 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. Think about how incompetent the character of Michael Scott seems on the television program The Officein 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 — Attention grabber definition laughing — CC BY-NC 2. Humor can be incorporated into several of the attention-getting devices mentioned. You could use a humorous anecdote, quotation, or current event. 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.
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. 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, attention grabber definition. 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 ofI 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.
Your speech topic is the purpose of the attention-getter, attention grabber definition, 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. 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 attention grabber definition emotional breakdown during their speech, audience members stop listening to the message and become very uncomfortable, attention grabber definition. 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, attention grabber definition.
Because of its specific nature, attention grabber definition, this attention-getter is the least likely to be used for speeches being delivered for college courses. Aesop New York, NY: Wm. Leung, R. Porn in the U. Miller, E. Speech introductions and conclusions. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 32— Whitney, L. Girl learns the hard way. CNET News Wireless. Stand up, Speak out by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.
Attention - Psychology
, time: 3:223 Ways to Write an Attention Getter - wikiHow
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 2 days ago · An attention-grabbing remark or activity is one that is intended to make people notice it May 15, · 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
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