How to Win in the First Few Seconds

You have only moments to “hook” people. And that can be your greatest advantage.

How do journalists “hook” readers? We’ve all known the answer forever - an interest-grabbing headline.

What’s the “hook” that gets books sold? The title and subtitle.

The best presentations (including sermons) start with a vivid attention-getter.

If you want to talk about the brain science behind this, I’ll gladly tell you how and why this works. But here’s the point: in our distracting, noisy world, you don’t have hours or even minutes to win attention.

You have seconds.

Let’s say I found the secret formula for picking winning lottery numbers. Talk about a potential best seller! But then, I chose the following book title and subtitle:

Number Theory and Games of Chance - a mathematical construct for addressing randomization.

No one is going to buy that book, even though it could gain them 100 million dollars next week. Because the human brain is a very busy place, the most interesting opening wins. No hook = no engagement.

Here’s the bigger picture - this is not just about these more formal forms of communication. It’s true of emails, podcasts, blog posts, sales pitches, networking, and every other form of human communication.

Your greatest opportunity to win engagement is how you rise above the noise in the first moments. The introduction is your most powerful weapon. AI can generate a boatload of content, but human intelligence creates the opening.

When I work with individuals and companies to develop communication clarity, we start with the opening hook - because nothing matters more than securing interest in the first seconds.

You have something to say. Let’s make it irresistible.

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