Are you worried that your training sessions are falling flat? Do you struggle to keep your audience engaged and interested throughout your presentation? If so, it might be time to incorporate some hooks into your training!
This article is all about hooks!
Have you ever started watching a film only to find yourself glued to the screen after the first few minutes? Sometimes, a film is so captivating, you just can’t look away!
We want to evoke the same feeling with our training sessions.
Want to plan an effective training session from start to finish?
Knowing how to plan a training session is critical to ensuring your learners have a great learning experience.
Our brand new online training session covers:
What is a Session Hook?
A session hook is something that hooks your learners curiosity at the very start of a session or workshop. It grabs their attention, makes them think…and bam!, You’ve got them engaged.
The most successful type of hook is something that is there as soon as your learners come in to the room, and linked to the topic you are teaching-the more tenuous the link the better!. It should make them curious, ask questions and want to know more about the lesson topic.
Yes, these are usually used in schools with younger children, but we can use this technique with any age. In fact it’s not about age, its more about how people learn.
So let’s explore five different types of hooks you can use to make your training sessions more engaging and effective.
Hook #1 – Tell a Story: Connect with Your Audience on a Personal Level
As humans, we’re hardwired to connect with stories. Sharing a personal experience, an anecdote, or even a completely fictional tale that ties into your training topic can be a great way to engage with learners from the start.
That’s the power of storytelling in training. By telling your own stories and making real connections with listeners, you make it interesting and memorable for everyone.
A learner is likely to remember a story that illustrates a point. Stories are much easier for to recall.
Think about a personal experience that ties into your training topic. Then, craft a story that will resonate with your audience, and use it to set the stage.
Within a training context, stories that are centred around solving a problem work well. If you’re feeling creative, add some humour, or even some twists and turns to make things even more exciting!
It doesn’t have to be a long story – 5 minutes at most. If it’s too long, learners may get restless!
Hook #2 –Ask a Question: Spark Curiosity and Encourage Interaction
Another effective hook is to ask a thought-provoking question.
This could be a rhetorical question that gets your audience thinking, or a question that requires a response. Either way, asking a question sets the stage for an interactive session and encourages your audience to engage with the content you’re presenting.
Ask yourself: What questions your audience might have about your training topic. What are they curious about? What do they want to know more about? Craft a question that will spark their curiosity and encourage them to engage with the content.
Hook #3 – Use a Prop: Make Your Presentation Memorable
Using a prop can be an exciting and entertaining way to make your training session more engaging and memorable.
Imagine you’re giving a training session on the importance of effective communication.
You could use a prop like a telephone or a paper aeroplane to demonstrate how miscommunication can happen even when we’re speaking to someone directly.
You could role-play a conversation where one person is speaking on the phone and the other is in the same room, highlighting how body language and facial expressions are lost in this scenario.
To use this hook effectively, think about your training topic and what type of prop might be relevant and engaging for your audience. Consider how you can incorporate the prop into your presentation to illustrate a concept or make a point.
This is your chance to get creative and have fun with it!
Your learners will appreciate the effort you put into making your training session both informative and entertaining.
Hook #4 – Start with a Quote: Inspiring Learners with Wise Words
A well-chosen quote can be a powerful hook that sets the tone for your training session.
It could be a quote from a famous person or something you came up with yourself, a quote can inspire your audience, set the stage for your presentation, and encourage them to engage with the content you’re presenting.
What words of wisdom might inspire your audience and get them thinking about the content you’ll be presenting?
Choose a quote that resonates with you, and use it to set the tone for your presentation.
Here are 3 inspirational quotes about learning itself:
“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” – B.B. King
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
Hook #5 – Play a Game: Make Learning Fun and Interactive
Icebreakers – some people love them and some people hate them, but they play an important role within a training session.
Games and icebreakers can add a fun and interactive element to your training session, helping to engage your audience and create a sense of togetherness within the room.
When selecting games and icebreakers, choose something relatively light-hearted that’s not intended to catch anyone out of put anyone on the spot.
For example, if you’re giving a training on team-building and communication, you might consider a game that involves problem-solving and collaboration, such as a group puzzle or a scavenger hunt.
Alternatively, if you’re giving a training on customer service, you might incorporate role-playing exercises that allow participants to practice their communication and conflict resolution skills.
See also: Digital Tools to make your training sessions shine
Why should we use hooks?
Curiosity and learning
In a world where we are able to find out almost anything in a few seconds via the internet, it’s easy to spark curiosity into almost any topic using a hook!
This is exactly how platforms like TikTok grew so fast – curiosity is key.
Children are innately curious and sometimes we lose that by time we grow into adults. But, the thing is, we don’t actually lose it, it just get buried away as ‘adult life’ has to take priority most of the time!
In a guest post, Stella Collins said:
Recent neurological studies have found that curiosity prepares the brain for learning. And also makes the brain more receptive to consequent learning …so why wouldn’t you want to maximise that at the start of your session?
More Ideas for Lesson Hooks
We also asked ChatGPT for some Lesson Hooks to try!
- Start with a question or a puzzle to spark curiosity and engage students,
- Show a relevant and attention-grabbing video or image,
- Share a personal story or anecdote that relates to the topic of the lesson,
- Begin with a real-life scenario that students can relate to and connect with the subject matter,
- Ask students to share their prior knowledge on the topic to build on their existing understanding,
- Present a surprising fact or statistic that piques students• interest.
- Start with a hands-on activity to actively engage students in the lesson.
- Use humor or humor-related material to lighten the mood and make the lesson more enjoyable.
- Incorporate technology into the lesson by using interactive tools, simulations or games.
- Provide a hook that directly ties into students’ interests or passions.
What next?
Incorporating hooks into your training sessions can make a huge difference in how engaged and interested your audience is throughout your presentation. Try using a different ‘hook’ in your next workshop and let us know how it goes!
If you’d like to find out more about how to plan an engaging training session, please take a look at our e-learning course – “How to Plan a Training Session“.
This short course, which includes a 15 minute mentoring session with our experienced tutor, will give you the knowledge, tools and techniques to help you plan a great training session.
Want to plan an effective training session from start to finish?
Knowing how to plan a training session is critical to ensuring your learners have a great learning experience.
Our brand new online training session covers:
