Attention-Grabbing Openings: The Hook

An Involvement Hook

Here are five simple ways of involving people:

1. Anticipation vs. Reality: For example: Before I tell you how much [something] increased last month – what do you expect it to be?

2. Instant Survey: For example: How many of you believe that [something relevant] are relevant to us? Please raise your hand…. And How many of you think that [something else important] is the right reason to….? Let me tell you something: [reveal suprising data]

3. True or False?: I’ll present 5 statement - 3 are true and 2 are false. Please stand up when you believe it’s true….

4. Scenario 1 or Scenario 2? Imagine 2 scenarios….. (now describe 2 future scenarios) - Which one do you prefer?

5. Solving the Puzzle: (Write a few letters, a number, a formula or something else that represents your message) “This is our answer to turning “Taking the Leap Together into Behaviour” - I’d like to hear som guesses of what it stands for….

Choose one of them, or come up with your own way - and design an Involvement Hook that involves your audience and engages them in your message.

Illustrate with Objects- Hook

Illustrate why your aim is relevant and necessary using objects. Maybe you can illustrate the problem you want to overcome. What does the problem look like visualised with objects?

1 object represents [x]…..then 10 objects = [y]….For example: Let’s say that this glass of coffee represents our knowledge on…..and this coffee can represents what we need.

Object A represents and Object B represents…..

Combine objects and drawings on a whiteboard… use magnets as objects..

Circles representing numbers…(Like Katie Porter)

Ideas

• Coffee Cups illustrating the costs going up

• Boxes/paper/post it notes on top of each other, representing the level of motivation

• Shoes in different conditions demonstrating data systems/software in different shapes…

• Plants? Stones? Take a look around - what can you find? Be creative.

If you can visualise your data with props, we will never forget it.

Hans Rosling demonstrating using objects to visualise data

“Imagine” Hooks

Benefits and results: “Imagine one year from now. We are the largest provider of … and customers are asking us to …”

Changes: “Imagine that instead of … we could do …”

Impact: “Imagine half of the world’s migraine patients …”

Personal Achievements: “Close your eyes and imagine that you’re receiving an award for …”

Imagine a Horror Scenario: Imagine that we do not do anything… and (describe worst-case scenario)

Imagine a parallel situation: Compare the problem to a well-known, easy recognizable situation. Imagine playing ball with your kids in the garden only breathing through a straw… that is what it feels like to [x]

Change the Perspective: Imagine being a patient in XX or being the doctor with…. … ?

Show it - don't tell it - HOOK

Example 1 :

When relatives of people with KOHL are invited into a session on how to be supportive, they are asked to play 2 minutes of a ball game only breathing through a straw. After this experience, everyone understands what it is like to have KOHL.

Idea: Breathing through a straw is a very impactful experience - can you use this as a metaphor for your topic somehow? Maybe to illustrate what it feels like to be stressed or nervous about something?

Example 2 :

When parents need to understand the importance of putting nametags in children's clothes when sending them to kindergarten, they are asked to put all their coats in a big pile on the floor, and one parent are invited to bring the right jacket back to the right person. Since all coats are black and look alike, this is an impossible task - and now they understand the importance of nametags. 

Idea: Trying to find things in blindness is also a powerful experience that can serve as a metaphor for many things - can you ask people to blindfold themselves and then reply to an email? Or drinking their coffee?

Example 3 :

Let's say your topic is on Knowledge Sharing - then you could design a HOOK like this: 

"Please point in the direction of North". So now everyone points in the direction they believe are north.

"Those of you who know you might be wrong about North- take your hand down" (Now, probably 30 % bring their hands down)

"Everyone who is absolutely sure that they are right about North - please keep your hands up" (Now, probably 50 % bring their hands down)

"Check Google Maps on your phone and find the real North". The ones who pointed in the right directions - keep your hands up. (Probably a few people keep their hands up)

State your Point: How can we share knowledge in an environment where 50 % are not sure if they are correct, 45 % are sure they are right, even though they are wrong, and 5 per cent are right and believe in it.

Idea: Pointing at the North is a straightforward task to understand, but it isn't easy to get right without a compass. Can you use this as a metaphor to illustrate your topic?  

How to design it: 

Make a list of key indicators connected to your aim? If you aim to reduce stress, then the list of indicators could be: 

• Finding no meaning

• I can't navigate the tasks

• Just see an endless stream of tasks that keeps coming

How can you create a short experience where these indicators are clearly at play?

For example:  

Take a look at this image for 7 seconds. Now copy it on a piece of paper.

Show the image again and ask how many got it right? (Probably no one)

Take a look at this image for 7 seconds. Now copy it on a piece of paper one after the other. 

Show the image again and ask how many got it right? (Probably everybody)

Make your point: If there's no clear structure and no clear direction - we feel lost - which will get us stressed. Let's make sure the directions are always clear.

Share a Personal Experience

Think of an episode in your life where you experienced the pain/problem related to your topic.  

• What was the Situation?

• What happened?

• When was the moment where you felt the problem?

• What did it teach you?

Be brave and share something you usually wouldn’t. 

When you tell about it, you can use this storytelling structure: 

Setting the frame: Time, Place and People in the first sentence: “X years ago I was in [Place] together with [People]…..

The Situation: “We were about to…. [give a short presentation of the situation]”

The moment: Share the moment where it becomes the Experience…..And then I did…..

Include direct speech:  What did you say/think word for word? “And then I thought: ……. /And then I said…….”

Your learnings: “What it taught me was this…….[sum up your learning in a single sentence]”

Transfer to your topic: “That’s also what we should do when we…

Share it with your partners. Choose the best story. Help each other sharpen it: Make it shorter. Formulate “Your Learnings” like a crisp one-liner.