How to stop your audience giving up

In the 1960s, Stanford professor Walter Mischel ran a now-iconic study: The Marshmallow Experiment. You’ve probably heard of it?

Researchers sat 4- and 5-year-olds in a room one-by-one, placed a marshmallow on the table, and gave them a choice: eat it now, or wait 15 minutes and score a second one when they came back.

Some kids cracked immediately. But a few held out and eventually went on to shine in all areas of life.

It was proof that delayed gratification pays off.

But these days, we often want instant hits instead of waiting for a payoff down the line.

If our Norwegian crime series takes too long to get to the grisly murder, we give up.

If the Pulitzer-winning novel doesn’t grab us in the first chapter, we might never pick it up again, despite its accolades.

We lack what scientists call “cognitive patience” – the ability to read something in a focussed way without skimming, scrolling, or giving up.

And yet, publications like The New Yorker magazine and The Economist regularly publish 5000 word articles that get read end-to-end.

So how do they do it?

How do they keep their readers hooked with their deep dives into complex topics?

And what can you steal for your own presentations, articles or updates? Try these five attention-holding techniques:

1. The cliffhanger

Tell a story, but hold back the punchline. Make your audience hungry for the reveal.

2. Leave the best till last

Don’t blow all your fireworks in the opening act. Save a few big bangs for the finale.

3. Mini trailers

Got dry stuff to cover? Tease the juicy bits coming later.

4. The curveball

Throw in an unexpected twist – a counterintuitive fact, cheeky analogy or something that flips assumptions.

5. Human moments

Even serious topics come alive with a quick anecdote, a flash of humour or a relatable aside. It keeps things fresh and human.

So the next time you’ve got a mountain of information to get across, try these techniques to keep them hanging around for that second marshmallow. Sweet!