The Verbal Cliffhanger: Keeping Your Audience Engaged

A verbal cliffhanger is a storytelling technique that leaves your audience wanting more. By strategically placing a cliffhanger at a critical moment in your presentation, you can increase engagement, create anticipation, and make your message more memorable.

Understanding the Power of Cliffhangers

• Creates anticipation: A cliffhanger leaves your audience wondering what will happen next, creating a sense of anticipation and excitement.
• Encourages engagement: Cliffhangers can encourage your audience to pay closer attention and stay focused on your message.
• Makes your message more memorable: A cliffhanger can help your audience remember your key points and takeaways.

Strategies for Creating Effective Cliffhangers

• Build suspense: Introduce a conflict or challenge that your audience is eager to see resolved.
• Leave questions unanswered: End your presentation on a cliffhanger by leaving a key question unanswered.
• Use a cliffhanger to transition to a new section: Use a cliffhanger to signal the end of one section and the beginning of another.
• Avoid overusing cliffhangers: Too many cliffhangers can become gimmicky and lose their effectiveness.

Examples of Cliffhangers

• “And then, the unexpected happened…”
• “What will they do next?”
• “Stay tuned to find out…”
• “But that’s a story for another time…”

Tips for Using Cliffhangers Effectively

• Use cliffhangers strategically: Don’t overuse cliffhangers, as they can become predictable.
• Make sure your cliffhanger is relevant: The cliffhanger should be related to your main message and create a sense of anticipation for the resolution.
• Follow up on your cliffhanger: If you use a cliffhanger at the end of your presentation, be sure to follow up on it in subsequent sections or presentations.
• Practice your delivery: A well-delivered cliffhanger can be even more effective. Practice your delivery to ensure that you create the desired sense of anticipation.