How to Captivate Attention and Become a Master Speaker: Insights from Yomi Denzel

Technique 1: Use Examples Constantly

Imagine I want to explain that hard work is more important than intelligence for success in life. Most people will explain this theoretically. They might say something like, “People often think that being smart is essential for success, but it’s not really the case. Hard work allows you to progress in the long run and achieve better results. What’s truly important is repetition and improvement, not innate characteristics like IQ.” While this explanation uses complex words and might sound smart, it’s not impactful.

Instead, you should do the opposite. Use metaphors to convey the same message more powerfully. For example, “Success is like going to the gym. Some people have an initial advantage because they are naturally muscular or find it easier to build muscle. But in the end, those who develop the best physique are those who go to the gym regularly, persist, and work hard over time.”

Another way to make your message impactful is by using visual examples. If you’re making videos, explain the same message with a graph. Draw a graph with time on the horizontal axis and financial success on the vertical axis. In red, show the progress of someone who is intelligent—they improve quickly at first but then stagnate because they don’t put in long-term effort. In contrast, someone with less initial ability struggles more but develops good habits, improves, and ultimately achieves higher potential. Same message, but with a visual aid, it becomes much more impactful.

The most powerful way to use examples is through storytelling. Reiterate the message by telling a story. For instance, “When I was at university, there was a girl in my class who wasn’t very good at math but worked the hardest. She was always the last one to leave the library, did all her assignments, and by the end of the year, to everyone’s surprise, she outperformed all the smartest students and had the best grades.” The message remains the same, but using a story makes it more engaging and memorable.

Why do examples work so well? Our brains aren’t designed to understand abstract concepts easily. We need real-world examples, something visual we can imagine. That’s why a graph or a story works—it creates a series of images in the brain, facilitating comprehension, memorization, and attention.

To truly benefit from this technique, you need to change your behavior and start using examples regularly. Incorporate this practice into your daily routines, whether you’re scripting videos, making TikToks, participating in podcasts, or even during dinner conversations with family. Use examples to support your ideas, and you’ll notice a significant impact.

Two tips to maximize the use of examples in your speeches: frequently use the word “like” to create metaphors and use the phrase “I remember” to introduce stories. For example, “Learning is like playing soccer. You can watch countless videos on how to do a bicycle kick, but until you practice it in real life, you haven’t truly learned it.”

Technique 2: Attract Attention

The first way to do this is what I call the “Andrew Tate Technique.” Whether you love him or hate him, Tate is one of the best speakers of our time, often saying something true but in a shocking way. For example, instead of saying, “Success is like going to the gym; those who work the hardest and most consistently will achieve the best results,” add a twist: “Smart people are often the dumbest because they rely on their initial advantage but get overtaken by those who work harder.”

You can further enhance attention by using tempo and variations in your voice. For instance, “I’m sorry, but the smartest people are often the dumbest. They have an advantage at first but almost always get overtaken by those who work harder. It’s like at the gym; those naturally muscular often slack off, while those who start with a weak body develop a rigorous routine and skill over time.”

The intensity and emotion in your speech captivate the audience, making them more engaged and emotional. You can also apply this technique in storytelling by starting with a shocking statement. For example, “When I was at university, there was a girl in my class who kept asking dumb questions. But by the end of the year, she had outperformed everyone.”

Why does this work? In today’s world, no one is 100% attentive. People are constantly distracted by their phones or thoughts. Imagine talking to someone who’s half-listening while thinking about something else. Your goal is to make them look up and give you their full attention.

To achieve this, say something surprising or out of the ordinary. For instance, “Smart people are often the dumbest” makes people put down their phones and pay attention. Use tempo variations, pauses, and emotional delivery to captivate your audience. Practice these techniques in small groups and see how many people look you in the eye. The more, the better.

Technique 3: Create Mental Images

If you master the first two techniques, you’re already in the top 1%. But to become the best, you need to create mental images. I realized this while listening to the audiobook of “Dune,” which was interesting but didn’t captivate me as much as “Eragon,” a book filled with vivid descriptions and mental images.

Christopher Paolini, the author of “Eragon,” describes everything in mental images, making it as engaging as watching a movie. This is what you need to do in your stories and examples. Create detailed scenes that people can visualize.

Take the story of the girl in my class. Initially, I might say, “Smart people often get overtaken by those who work harder. There was a girl in my class who asked dumb questions but ended up with the best results because she worked the hardest.” Now, add mental images: “When I was at university, there was a girl who constantly raised her hand, interrupting the class with basic questions. This annoyed everyone, including the professor who often shook his head in frustration. Despite this, she worked tirelessly, stayed late at the library, and eventually, she was the professor’s assistant with the highest grades.”

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By creating mental images, you not only keep the audience’s attention longer but also involve them emotionally. They might identify with the professor, the girl, or me, making the story more memorable and convincing.

To incorporate this into your behavior, visualize your story as a Netflix series and describe every scene with details. This will make your storytelling much more engaging.

To prove this, here’s one of my viral TikToks with millions of views: “When I was at university, there was a girl in my class who always asked the dumbest questions. She didn’t get the lessons, but she worked hard and stayed late in the library every day. Next semester, she wasn’t just a student; she was the top assistant to the professor. This shows that in life, hard work often beats intelligence.”