eTip #1

How can you get people to listen and retain what you say?

Face it, most people are poor listeners and easily distracted. One powerful tool to gain a group's attention and help them focus is to preface your key points with rhetorical questions.

Here's an example of how it works: Instead of just stating, "This is important because it impacts all our salaries," start by asking, "Why is this proposal so important?" (Pause) "It's important because it impacts all our salaries."

Use rhetorical questions before introducing important statistics: Instead of "Forty percent of the population will contract heart disease," try "How many of you will contract heart disease? I hope the answer frightens you. Forty percent of you will contract heart disease."

Keep in mind that like any tool, if rhetorical questions are overused, they lose impact. Ask yourself, "Where can I add impact by prefacing the point with a rhetorical question?" Remember to pause slightly after posing your question to allow listeners to focus on the answer.