The Grabber!!
No, it's not a scary monster from a 50's mystery show...the grabber is what you use when you want to "Grab" your audience's attention.  When you are delivering a speech, your first line should capture everyone's interest.  Here are some examples:
  • Give a startling or interesting fact...
    EX:  Did you know that most sharks get a new set of teeth every two weeks?  That means that in only ten years a tiger shark could use up to 24,000 teeth!!  Imagine how much money the tooth fairy would have to bring you if you were a shark?!  Today I'm going to tell you a little bit about sharks.  I found out about these fascinating creatures by reading Sharks by Ann McGovern.
  • Start with a fun sound...
    EX:  Daa, dun...daa, dun...daa, dun, daa, dun...Ahhhhhh!  Nearly everyone knows the theme music to the classic film "Jaws."  During my discovery quest today I'm going to tell you why sharks are so misunderstood.  I did not get my information from the movie - after all, it's make-believe!  Instead, I went to www.shark.com (I just made that up!) and found out all kinds of really neat things...
  • Begin your speech with a question...
    EX:  How many of you have ever been swimming in the ocean?  Were you nervous?  It's ok, be honest!  Chances are you were a bit squeamish about running into a shark.  Today during my discovery quest I'm going to tell you why you probably didn't have to worry.  I interviewed my Uncle Bobby who is a marine biologist and he told me...
  • Start with a bit of dialog...
    EX:  "Woah, MOM!! Look!! Is that a shark fin?"  At the beach this summer, I was constantly asking my mom if the harmless dolphins swimming off shore were sharks.  For my discovery quest I decided to get to the bottom of my questions about sharks.  I went to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and wrote down some things I learned while I was there...

I hope you noticed a couple of things:

I never started my speech by saying, "Today I'm going to tell you about sharks."

I never just started talking...I always introduced my topic to the audience.

After I delivered my grabber, I restated the topic and I cited my sources.

 
Learn how to cite your source for discovery quest speeches. Back to the 4H Homepage.