How to Choose an Attention-Grabbing Image for Your First Slide


Presenters have approximately 30 seconds to grab their audience’s attention and motivate them to listen. If you want to deliver a powerful message, these first few seconds are critical. This is your chance to hook the audience and form a strong impression. That said, capturing the attention of the room can be a challenging task for any speaker. It requires thought and creativity in order to come up with an attention grabbing opener. So, how can you start your presentation effectively? Open your presentation with a powerful image. 

 

Stir Curiosity with an Opening Phrase

Humans are naturally inquisitive so a great way to get your audience’s attention is to incite curiosity with a unique opening phrase. Your first slide could contain a thought-provoking question or an interesting quote. Your audience should be left pondering what you are going to say next or how you are going to answer the question. This is a great way to hook them and leave them eagerly waiting for your response.  

 

Share an Interesting Fact

  • Did you know the longest English word is 189,819 letters long?
  • Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. got a C in public speaking?
  • Did you know that the oldest living land mammal is a tortoise named Jonathan who is 187 years old?

 

People naturally react to interesting facts and this is a great way to spark interest in your listeners. Choose an interesting fact that relates to your topic and allow the audience to ponder the fact for a few moments before beginning your presentation. The minute they read a staggering fact or statistic, you will have their full attention. 

 

Play a Mind Trick

Imagine your audience is staring at a picture on the screen that looks like nothing more than millions of tiny pixels. However, at a further glance, they realize it’s actually a real image. There are hundreds of images that play tricks on the human brain. This is a great way to captivate the audience by demonstrating that everything is not always as it seems. This can be a great segway into your presentation. 

 

Choose a Captivating Photograph

People have emotional reactions to photographs and they are a great way to convey a powerful message. As we have all heard, “ a picture is worth 1,000 words.†This is certainly true and the right photograph can make a powerful impact on an audience. Not only can a photograph peak interest, but it also makes the presentation more memorable. 

 

Infuse Humor

There is nothing more engaging than a bit of humor. Laughter is good for the soul and it’s also a great way to grab people’s attention. Choose a humorous picture, a simple joke, or even a comic that will give the audience a good laugh. It’s a great way to capture attention and begin your presentation with something a little different.