A Presenter’s Guide to Playing Hooky (But Not Running Away)

Whether you're giving a presentation or writing an book, essay or report, there are always hooks. As an architect, I craft proposals and present them to clients, making sure that they are appropriate, appealing, and attention grabbing. Hooks are one tool, that when used effectively, capture and hold your audiences' attention, commitment and trust.

We usually think that hooks must be bold, shocking, new. I've found that the best hooks are usually not completely new pieces of information, but a careful reworking of existing facts, packaged and presented, and in some cases, giving names to orders that already exist, asking the right questions that people are inwardly asking themselves. They help others to see things that they already know in new ways and make the complicated understandable.

People resonate most when we are able to grab, synthesize, and present the best version and extension of their own thoughts that they have not been able to come to themselves, in ways faster and better than they can. Better still if you can do so in a way that clearly ties in with your personal or corporate branding and pushes your value proposition to the fore.

Effectively, you are saying:

I hear you (and the parts of you that you're unaware of at this moment or knowing but not telling me but would appreciate me knowing). I understand you. I'm putting forth this perspective which (whether you've outrightly expected it this way or not) aligns with and is an extension of your personal and corporate view and aims and can clearly and effectively achieve your goals. I'm the best at what I do, and I'm your best choice. I'm carrying out my role in a way and asking questions that are in alignment with how I usually do things, which conveys a sense of consistency and means my track record provides an additional source of comfort and reliability. Even so, this project is new and will do things in novel and interesting ways to help you to meet your business objectives and maybe even have fun along the way.

Now do all of this in a sentence or less. You've got a winner.