Narrative Hook—an opening to a story that grabs the audience’s attention so that they want to keep reading or listening.

An article published by TIME magazine in 2015 quoted Microsoft research that concluded that humans have an attention span of just 8 seconds – allegedly less than that of a goldfish. That’s not much time to grab—or lose—your audience’s attention.

We need a good, sharp hook to catch that goldfish.

An effective hook could be a mysterious setting, a provocative question, or an exciting action sequence.

Opening a novel or a talk with ‘That was the day my grandmother exploded’ immediately piques curiosity and sets the stage for an intriguing story.

In speeches, an exordium that includes a compelling question or a surprising fact can serve as a narrative hook, ensuring your audience is engaged right from the beginning.

Craft your openings to captivate your audience instantly, whether you’re writing a story, giving a presentation, or starting a meeting.

Effective hooks keep the audience from reaching for their phones because they’re distracted by you instead of by that last text message.