😲 Give your rhetorical questions an instant upgrade

Rutger Bregman had the dreaded post-lunch slot at TED 2017…

3 days into the conference, I was planning to spend the session checking my emails, but Rutger did something in the first minute that made me hang off his every word. All he did was this…

Very few speakers do this.

If a question is asked at all, it’s often nothing more than a weak attempt to establish a connection with the audience…

‘Put your hand up if…

• This is your first time attending…

• You're a manager or a leader in your organisation…

• You’re looking to… [Insert obvious goal]

• You’ve ever experienced… [Insert generic problem]

• You’ve ever felt… [insert depressing emotion]’

At best, the technique feels cliché; at worst, manipulative.

Instead of trying to convince everyone they have something in common, why not ask something that:

1. Inspires your audience to think? 🧠

2. Stirs emotion? 😮

3. Piques curiosity? 🧐

It took author, Rutger Bregman, 25 seconds to do all three 🍿…

1. Create anticipation with a rhetorical frame 🖼️
   A short sentence to prime your audience and make them more receptive to what you’re about to say.

‘I’d like to start with a simple question…’

2. Sandwich your question with pauses 🥪
   Pauses create tension and heighten the emotional experience making it more memorable. The first one lures your audience in, while the second gives them a moment to reflect on what’s just been asked.

   
   In Make It Count, I call this technique the Power Statement Pause.

3. Rephrase the question for emphasis 🧱 
   Rutger pre-empts the question’s provocative nature, sharing data that backs it up and doubles down by asking ‘why?’.

Set your questions up in this way and it will have a profound impact on how they land with your audience. So what question could you ask that can disrupt conventional thinking in your field?

Go get 'em!

Alex

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