hook Your Audience in 15 Seconds with authenticity
I'm not the most articulate person and my background isn’t particularly impressive. But somehow, I keep getting asked to speak in front of audiences. I've asked audiences, "Why do you like me?" and I’ve consistently received "You're just so authentic."
I used to think speaking was a performance, but now I see it as an opportunity to share a topic or concept that deeply matters to me.
Audience members often come up to me saying, "That really meant something to me, thank you."
After creating hundreds of presentations, here are a few things I've learned:
Avoid starting your talk by sharing your work history & achievements.
The first minute of your talk is meant to hook your audience.
They want to enjoy your talk, and most people don’t enjoy listening to a resumé.
I know it’s tempting to want to prove why you’re worth listening to, but try to let your talk speak for itself.
Maya Angelou famously said, "People will forget what you said, but they'll never forget how you made them feel."
So how do we make audiences feel?
The Secret Sauce: Get Personal
Most presenters play it safe, so sharing something with a little emotional risk can make you more memorable and connect deeper with the audience.
Here are 3 Hooks to Try:
The Juicy Real-World Example: Dive into an exciting topic. Then, add a personal (potentially polarizing) opinion.
Example: Instead of "Here's why we should think about ethical design"
try "In 2014, Facebook intentionally made over 600,000 users feel depressed. Many designers were upset about this experiment, but I thought it was pretty brilliant. Here’s why."
2. Make a Confession: Sharing a personal fault or failure humanizes you and makes you more approachable.
Example: “I tried a Big Tech diet. It didn’t go well.” *Taken from Shubham Agarwal
Or
“My biggest career failure was ____, and this is the first time I’m ever talking about it.”
3. Take a Bold Stance: It's about sharing your unique perspective and not dictating "the one true way" people should do things. Get inspiration from interesting debates you’ve had with close friends or teammates.
Example: "My team ditched rapid iteration. I’ll share why living by the motto “slow the hell down” has allowed us to build products faster.”
Okay, But What About My Credentials?
You can still share your past achievements if you want to. Try and see if you can find strategic ways to sprinkle it in during moments that are relevant, like:
"During my time at [Company], I went from feeling anxiety as the new guy to..."
"While working on [Insert cool project] I discovered..."
I’ve spent the last 10 years at [Company] obsessed with…
Audiences want to connect with a real person, not just a polished presenter.
Being authentic doesn't mean oversharing your deepest darkest secrets. It's about taking small but meaningful risks and honestly asking yourself, "Am I trying too hard to sound smart?" or "Is there something meaningful I want to share?"
Dig deep, find those raw, messier bits that make you you and connect with your audience like a friend, rather than a crowd.
