Shock Value part one: How to Capture the Attention of Your Audience

Disclaimer:

The linked video may depict a skewed or biased opinion of therapists in general. This writer believes that therapists are genuinely amazing individuals that undertake years of training to understand and treat mental health disorders. This video was selected to highlight the use of shock value and its importance in today’s society.

Did you notice how the individual seeking treatment reacted to the doctor’s claim that the session would only last five minutes? She responds, “That sounds great. Too good to be true as a matter of fact”. One of my mentors introduced this video to me as an optional ice breaker for a leadership training session. I immediately fell in love with the simplicity of the sketch.

Here we have two actors, one portraying an individual seeking help to overcome her biggest fear, and the other, portraying a confident doctor that will ensure that the session lasts no more than five minutes.

Often people utilize a shocking statement to engage their audience quickly. The shock value, in a sense, helps the audience or the receiver of the message to suspend belief or their personal bias. In the video above, the individual seeking treatment introduced herself and then asked if she should lay down on the sofa. Here, her belief is based on assumptions that individuals seeking therapy must utilize the nice couch in the office. The doctor explains, “we don’t do that anymore.” But this is not a shocking statement. Even the doctor informing the individual that the session will be completed in five minutes, or else the remainder of the time will be free, is not the shocking statement.

After listening to the individual explain her biggest fear, the doctor tells her he is ready to begin treatment.

He leans forward and yells, “Stop It!”.

This is the shock value. At that point, the course of the conversation changes. The doctor has determined that the individual may overcome her biggest fear by not thinking about her anxiety. The shock value successfully turned this individual’s attention from her ideas of what therapy would be and focused on what the doctor is telling her.

We may not all agree with what someone tells us, but the use of a shocking statement has its clear benefits. The presenter has the audience’s full attention after the statement is made.

Not all shock statements hit the mark, but I believe the video above captures the essence of the power of the shock. Individuals often miss the opportunity to take full advantage of the shock value. As I examine the tools I have in my toolbox; I will strive to make count today.

Credit: James D. Washington