Hook, Hold and Help – the 3 Hs of Good Communication

Delivering a speech or a presentation? You need to:?

-?????? HOOK the audience fast at the beginning

-?????? HOLD their attention as you speak

-?????? HELP them to understand something/believe something

Let’s take these in turn and consider some options.

HOOK the audience

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1.???? Start with a killer fact, power statement or punchy number.

?‘3 TRILLION dollars. The size of the UK economy. That’s how much will be invested globally in cloud computing by 2050…’

?'Gen AI represents the biggest technology shift in my lifetime…maybe of all time. Today I want to think about how we…’

2.???? Begin with a personal story.

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‘I started my first business in 1998. It lasted six months. Borrowed a pile of money. Blew a pile of money. The second business lasted two years. But again, ended in failure. So, how come I’m here today to talk to you about entrepreneurship?’

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3.???? Begin with a joke, quirky or provocative phrase.

?‘Hydrogen. Fuel of the future? Or H2Overkill?’

?‘There have been 17 UK housing ministers in the last 13 years. More churn than a butter factory.’

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4.???? Flatter/praise the audience.

‘From the first time I spoke to the Convention of Sycophants, I knew I had discovered a really insightful group of experts…’ (hmm)

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HOLD the audience

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1.???? Don’t waste their time.

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-?????? Say something interesting – if possible – every 10 words.

-?????? Take out superfluous slides and verbiage.

-?????? Remove extraneous facts, figures, tables.

-?????? Keep things moving. If the presentation is shorter, so be it.

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2.???? Present within a logical structure. For instance:

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-?????? Start by outlining a PROBLEM. Then outline a SOLUTION.

-?????? Start with defining WHY it matters, then WHAT you need to do, then HOW you’ll do it.

-?????? Start with the SITUATION, then introduce the COMPLICATION, then the RESOLUTION

-?????? Start with the GOAL (‘I’m going to take you through 3 things’), then deliver the CONTENT (‘the 3 things’), then tell them WHAT’S NEXT.

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3.???? Use metaphors and memorable phrases:

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‘Forecasting new technologies shouldn’t be like throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.’

?‘It’s not so much an elephant in the room, as a room full of mosquitos.’

?'There’s an ocean of capital out there. But often businesses are surviving with only the tiniest trickling stream.’

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4.???? Tease something to come:

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‘And in a few minutes, I will share what I believe will be the single strategy that all investors can benefit from immediately. But first the context…’

‘There’s actually a very simple, elegant solution to this, which I will come to, but first we need to think through the problem...’

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HELP the audience

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1.???? Be obsessed with delivering value:

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-?????? What can you tell them that they don’t already know?

-?????? Are you sure your content matches their interests?

-?????? Can they USE what you are telling them in their own lives/organisations?

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2.???? Be compassionate:

-?????? What problems are they facing? Can you solve them?

-?????? What worries/scares them? Can you help?

-?????? What uncertainties/confusion do they face? Can you bring clarity? ?

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3.???? Be imaginative & empathetic:

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-?????? Don’t think: what do I want to say? Think: what might they want to hear?

-?????? Challenge yourself to be more surprising and engaging. Put yourself in the shoes of the audience. Ask: would I honestly be bored/disengaged with this?

-?????? Use the opportunity to give them a lift. Let them see possibility and opportunity. This will energise you as well as them.

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Ultimately a speaker must GIVE the audience something new: energy, ideas, information, perspective. What are you giving them today?

That’s it.

HOOK 'EM. HOLD 'EM. HELP 'EM. Do these and it helps with the nerves too.

So that’s what you have to do. But so many speeches and presentations don’t do the basic 3 Hs.

I’d be happy to hear your thoughts on any of the above. Good luck!

Best Wishes, Mike

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If you’d like to chat about communication training for speeches, presentations, media interviews, panels or podcasts, then reach on here or via www.sergeantconsulting.com – I love talking about talking!

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