Add a Hint of Intrigue to Your Next Presentation

If you want to be successful at adding a bit of intrigue and sustained curiosity during your next presentation, try this simple idea.
 

1. Think of a fact that you want to emphasize in the latter part of your presentation. For example, I might want my participants to know that every nine seconds in the US, a student drops out of high school.
2. Write the fact or answer on a slip of paper and place it in an envelope.
3. Label the envelope “The Secret Answer.”
4. Near the beginning of your session, announce that one lucky participant will hold The Secret Answer. Ask them to guard it carefully, keeping it in their possession at all times.
5. Continue with presentation, occasionally asking if that participant still holds The Secret Answer.
6. Pose the question to the audience. For example, I would ask “What happens every nine seconds in the US?”
7. Provide participants with a few moments to discuss and develop an answer. Then ask for The Secret Answer envelope to be opened and the answer to be read aloud.
8. Be sure to reward your “helper” with a small thank you. I like to give a roll of Lifesavers and thank them for being a lifesaver.