One of the effective ways I have engaged audiences from the get go is to use a true life experience. Or it could be a common problem that you are going to present a solution for.

For example, in a recent 30 minute presentation to 100 people regarding the power of youth, I said the following:

"For most of 1999, Jesse Martin spent his 18th year on board his yacht “Lionheart” sailing solo around the world. He became the youngest ever to do so. Imagine that, no parents to hassle him, no cleaning his room, no rules, what freedom!

His yacht had GPS, maps and computer systems to guide him on the voyage. He demonstrated that young people are capable of big things. He learned that to enjoy that freedom he had to work within set criteria, specific guidelines related to yachting. As we’ll learn in our discussion, for young people to enjoy freedom, obedience to set criteria, being disciplined throughout is vital for success."

NOTE: the audience knew the title of the speech in advance. But no doubt they wondered the direction I would take them in my presentation. My introduction revealed the direction.

By using a well-known story, I outlined in the introduction what young people need to do to achieve success. I then built on that story and showed both the youth in the audience and their mentors how they could work together to achieve greatness.

Your blog post, or your public speaking presentation, can be equally effective when using true events to engage your audience.

Tip 3 is using the introduction to outline the key points in your presentation and/or article.

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