What Makes for a Great Attention Getter?
Jeffrey Davis • May 8, 2018
I LOVE this acceptance speech. And a big part of what makes Sam Rockwell’s acceptance of the 2018 Best Supporting Actor Award so excellent is the attention getter he gives at the top. What makes it so great? Here’s my thoughts:
- It includes a touching personal story about his parents! – Stories are your STRONGEST weapon against audience boredom, y’all.
- It’s not only a story, but, also, a short joke, with a great punchline – notice the way that Mr Rockwell sets up his story to be solemn, and then takes us in a surprising direction. Jokes are GREAT icebreakers. A great joke needs to be BRIEF and have the ELEMENT OF SUPRISE. Mr Rockwell’s joke has both.
- His icebreaker is appropriate for the occasion – it’s about going to the movies with his parents, and he uses the story as a way of demonstrating both his love of movies and his appreciation of his parents.
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What Makes for a Great Attention Getter?
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