Communication Assessment & Learning Lab
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Keeping Your Audience’s Attention 

1. Use repetition-retention
2. Refer to an article that relates to the topic
3. WOW the audience
4. Use jokes or stories
5. Walk around the room and use gestures to maintain audience attention
6. Use anachronisms
7. Use acronyms
8. Use alliteration
9. Use the Columbo technique (e.g., saying “oh and one more thing…”)
10.  Use funny ads

There is no such thing as a boring subject.  Whether it is the plastics industry or the mating habits of a certain insect, you will always find there are people out there who have devoted their entire lives to the subject.  Well, if it can fascinate one person, then you can extract a kind of enthusiasm from that person and transfer it to others out there.  -Ted Koppel