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Got Your Attention?: How to Create Intrigue and Connect With Anyone
In an impatient world of infobesity, people don’t want more information—they want to be intrigued and they want to be intrigued fast. After all, goldfish have longer attention spans than humans—nine seconds to our eight. So, right now, people want to know, “How is this relevant and useful to me? Why are you worth my valuable time, mind, and dime?”
Bestselling author and ace communication strategist Sam Horn reveals her “secret sauce” for truly connecting with people—whether it’s one or one million. Her disruptive eight-stage INTRIGUE process teaches readers how to replace boring, overlong, one-way communications with concise, compelling, mutually rewarding two-way interactions that add value for all involved. This is a must-read for executives, entrepreneurs, sales and marketing professionals, nonprofit leaders—anyone who wants to build meaningful relationships with others.
The bottom line? If you can’t get people’s favorable attention, you’ll never get their business. The insights and instantly useful ideas here will get smartphones down and eyebrows up—this book has been called How to Win Friends and Influence People for our digital device-driven era. Readers will appreciate these innovative but proven ways to win respect and motivate people to take action now, whether that’s to hire you, refer you, fund you, or say yes to you.
Bestselling author and ace communication strategist Sam Horn reveals her “secret sauce” for truly connecting with people—whether it’s one or one million. Her disruptive eight-stage INTRIGUE process teaches readers how to replace boring, overlong, one-way communications with concise, compelling, mutually rewarding two-way interactions that add value for all involved. This is a must-read for executives, entrepreneurs, sales and marketing professionals, nonprofit leaders—anyone who wants to build meaningful relationships with others.
The bottom line? If you can’t get people’s favorable attention, you’ll never get their business. The insights and instantly useful ideas here will get smartphones down and eyebrows up—this book has been called How to Win Friends and Influence People for our digital device-driven era. Readers will appreciate these innovative but proven ways to win respect and motivate people to take action now, whether that’s to hire you, refer you, fund you, or say yes to you.
216 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 2015
92 people are currently reading
659 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 29, 2015
Learn to Use Power Words to Connect With Others
Sam Horn is a gifted communicator and knows the details about how to gain the attention of others. As she writes in the early pages of this book, "If you really want to connect with people, you need to be able to keep their favorable attention and gift them with yours." (Page 3)
Using the word INTRIGUE as an acronym, Horn teaches valuable communications skills in each chapter such as, "I've come to understand that part of INTRIGUE is vowing to see the world with new, fresh (versus old, tired) eyes. You may agree it's important to pay attention to the miracles in our midst instead of taking them for granted, yet that's what many of us do." (Page 66)
You will want to keep your highlighter close as you read through this book because of the valuable principles and tips you will want to return to over and over. I highly recommend this new title.
Sam Horn is a gifted communicator and knows the details about how to gain the attention of others. As she writes in the early pages of this book, "If you really want to connect with people, you need to be able to keep their favorable attention and gift them with yours." (Page 3)
Using the word INTRIGUE as an acronym, Horn teaches valuable communications skills in each chapter such as, "I've come to understand that part of INTRIGUE is vowing to see the world with new, fresh (versus old, tired) eyes. You may agree it's important to pay attention to the miracles in our midst instead of taking them for granted, yet that's what many of us do." (Page 66)
You will want to keep your highlighter close as you read through this book because of the valuable principles and tips you will want to return to over and over. I highly recommend this new title.
April 6, 2017
A few very clever people can turn a simple truth into a career. Sam Horn is one of them. Walking the well-worn path trod by Dale Carnegie (How to Win Friends and Influence People), Horn — who is a she, by the way — has crafted a useful little handbook for anyone in the business of communication. Got Your Attention? is a user-friendly, latter-day updating of Carnegie’s 1936 classic. It’s more in tune with today’s impatient strivers. And the world would be a whole lot better place if everyone read this book and heeded Horn’s call to listen more and talk less.
In the field of fundraising — my specialty for three decades — it’s often said, “If you want advice, ask for money. If you want money, ask for advice.” Although she never touches on this particular point, Horn makes this lesson clear enough in her clever little handbook.
Sam Horn loves mnemonic devices. The word “intrigue” in the subtitle is an acronym that sums up the contents of the book:
I: “Craft an INTRO that has people at hello.”
N: “Create the next NEW thing.”
T: “Win trust by being TIME-EFFICIENT.”
R: “If they can’t REPEAT it, they didn’t get it.”
I: “Don’t just inform, INTERACT.”
G: “GIVE attention first.”
U: “If it isn’t actionable, it isn’t USEFUL.”
E: “Don’t tell stories, share real-life EXAMPLES.”
There’s a great deal of wisdom in all this advice, and it’s all presented in snappy, conversational style. Several other acronyms appear in the book — perhaps a few too many. However, as the author states at the outset, “there are ways to overcome people’s impatience, alienation, and chronic distraction, and this book teaches them.” Amen.
Sam Horn, who bills herself as “the Intrigue Expert,” has written nine other books on the art of effective communication (although I don’t recall coming across that word in this book!). Got Your Attention? is a worthy addition to the narrow shelf of personal development books that are actually worth the paper they’re printed on.
In the field of fundraising — my specialty for three decades — it’s often said, “If you want advice, ask for money. If you want money, ask for advice.” Although she never touches on this particular point, Horn makes this lesson clear enough in her clever little handbook.
Sam Horn loves mnemonic devices. The word “intrigue” in the subtitle is an acronym that sums up the contents of the book:
I: “Craft an INTRO that has people at hello.”
N: “Create the next NEW thing.”
T: “Win trust by being TIME-EFFICIENT.”
R: “If they can’t REPEAT it, they didn’t get it.”
I: “Don’t just inform, INTERACT.”
G: “GIVE attention first.”
U: “If it isn’t actionable, it isn’t USEFUL.”
E: “Don’t tell stories, share real-life EXAMPLES.”
There’s a great deal of wisdom in all this advice, and it’s all presented in snappy, conversational style. Several other acronyms appear in the book — perhaps a few too many. However, as the author states at the outset, “there are ways to overcome people’s impatience, alienation, and chronic distraction, and this book teaches them.” Amen.
Sam Horn, who bills herself as “the Intrigue Expert,” has written nine other books on the art of effective communication (although I don’t recall coming across that word in this book!). Got Your Attention? is a worthy addition to the narrow shelf of personal development books that are actually worth the paper they’re printed on.
July 6, 2018
Excellent read that can apply to anything you are doing whether that's meeting new people, school, networking, job hunting, marketing, business, etc. Excellent insight with solid actionable items that I think will effectively change your perceptions and day to day interactions instantly. We'll thought it and written!!
My only complaint is they tell you to go to her website for a print out and I could not find it anywhere on her website.
My only complaint is they tell you to go to her website for a print out and I could not find it anywhere on her website.
October 16, 2015
In today’s fast-paced, high-stress market, everyone is competing for attention – whether at work, for job interviews, at conferences or for entrepreneurial projects. To grab the attention of the people who matter most to you, you’ll have to develop a more sophisticated strategy than yelling loudly. But there is a solution: to hook people quickly by paying them quality attention and letting them know why you matter.
September 1, 2015
One of the best books on marketing and personal branding I've ever read. This is definitely a book I need to return to on a regular basis. I think I'll pick it up in paper so I can refer to it regularly.
December 16, 2015
This book is fabulous. I have implemented many of Sam's techniques and suggestions to take my speaking and presentations to new levels. I highly recommend this book!
October 8, 2018
Favorite Quote (regarding customers): "They really don't want to be informed as much as they want to be involved."
I like the rubric she uses: INTRIGUE
- Intro
- New
- Time-Efficient
- Repeatable
- Interact
- Give
- Useful
- Examples
She has a solid understanding of how cognition works from an attentional perspective.
I like the rubric she uses: INTRIGUE
- Intro
- New
- Time-Efficient
- Repeatable
- Interact
- Give
- Useful
- Examples
She has a solid understanding of how cognition works from an attentional perspective.
April 25, 2020
I expected a book about marketing. I got a book about the connection with an audience. Expectations I had towardd this book were 100% not met :D
Yet, there were quite some good ideas of how to connect with an audience. Can adapt most of the things to my everyday work, which is cool.
Could have been a shorter book.
All in all, nothing suprising and life changing but it's good. 4*
Yet, there were quite some good ideas of how to connect with an audience. Can adapt most of the things to my everyday work, which is cool.
Could have been a shorter book.
All in all, nothing suprising and life changing but it's good. 4*
April 11, 2024
2.5
this book did not get my attention
i finished it bc my dad loaned it to me but it was boring
target audience is people going on shark tank or at networking events. i got some insight from it but not much.
also there are typos
the whole thing being written as if everyone she knew actually had these conversations and talks the same way was quite annoying
this book did not get my attention
i finished it bc my dad loaned it to me but it was boring
target audience is people going on shark tank or at networking events. i got some insight from it but not much.
also there are typos
the whole thing being written as if everyone she knew actually had these conversations and talks the same way was quite annoying
September 29, 2024
An excellent book on the value of connecting and establishing immediate rapport. Horn has included practical suggestions on every page. If you present yourself publicly in any capacity, whether one on one or in a group setting, this book is a must read.
May 18, 2017
Super interesting, helpful, and informative! Listened to the audiobook.
May 25, 2019
short and informative
May 6, 2021
Good tactics for pitching yourself
July 30, 2023
Fabulous. This woman is a genius
October 1, 2016
Okay, I admit it. A cute little fish on a book cover makes you wonder about a business book? Clearly the cover achieved the first portion of the title - it had my attention. The structure and content of the book was made easy for the busiest professional to put down and pickup hours (or in my case, days) and maintain the continuity about INTRIGUE. Yes, INTRIGUE is in capitals because this word is the mnemonic tying the book passages and their messages together. The messages were not new - but the presentation style of the familiar messages were new and memorable. For example, harsh experience taught me to keep emails brief (requirements in first 10-15 words). The story behind 'Put a Thundershirt on Your Communication' was a humorous presentation of the same message, and more importantly the memorable point connected. With compact passages of text, the author presents concepts about communications to incite intrigue or connections, whether oral or written. The timing of this read was perfect as my focus has turned to forming a 2017 safety communication plan. The concepts within this book have provided a new lens for my use. Go ahead, get INTRIGUE'd - Add this read into your tool kit.
October 14, 2019
It takes more than a clever title and a tagline to connect with people. That’s just one of the messages from Sam Horn’s book Got Your Attention?. The chapters are short, just like the goldfish-sized attention span that Horn says we all have today. She’s not the only one. In Fascinate, Sally Hogshead sets the same expectation. Whether we’re literally as distractible as a goldfish, or it just seems that way, getting people’s attention is hard. In Got Your Attention?, Horn teaches you how to get – and keep – people’s attention.
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October 18, 2015
When I get a book like this from giveaways, I judge it by the promises it makes and whether the author keeps their own advice.
So, Author keeping their own advice: Check.
Short chapters and action questions (promise): Check.
Getting my attention: Check
Keeping my attention: Nope. Got as far as the 'I' in INTRIGUE and put it down.
Being relevant to my life: half check. I don't make speeches, this isn't relevant to my work, but I did throw some ideas around for reviews and such.
Overall: 3.5, but the fact that I couldn't even make it halfway through rounds it down.
So, Author keeping their own advice: Check.
Short chapters and action questions (promise): Check.
Getting my attention: Check
Keeping my attention: Nope. Got as far as the 'I' in INTRIGUE and put it down.
Being relevant to my life: half check. I don't make speeches, this isn't relevant to my work, but I did throw some ideas around for reviews and such.
Overall: 3.5, but the fact that I couldn't even make it halfway through rounds it down.
October 18, 2015
An informative book of short essays that help you capture the attention of those around you. Jam packed with insightful ideas, I enjoyed reading this book.
More soon on my blog: http://hesaidbooksorme@blogspot.com
Disclaimer: I won this book on Good Reads. While I did not pay for the book, the ideas are strictly my own.
More soon on my blog: http://hesaidbooksorme@blogspot.com
Disclaimer: I won this book on Good Reads. While I did not pay for the book, the ideas are strictly my own.
November 5, 2015
I liked this book a lot. The chapters were short and to the point. The author addressed the problem of short attentions spans and gave ways to get distracted people on the same page as you.
October 7, 2015
The author has a lot of ego, you can say that. Very business focused.
January 6, 2016
Awesome tools for connecting
December 29, 2015
You can find in there a number of useful examples on how to hook your audience but overall this book is not revealing.
April 6, 2016
Great book with ideas I can use in many areas of my life. I recommend it to anyone trying to get anything done.
January 8, 2016
Excessive use of acronyms and jargon, otherwise pretty good advice.
June 14, 2017
How to create INTRIGUE has been explained in simple language and most of the techniques can be put in practice immediately. Thank you Sam Horn.
October 10, 2017
valuable insights and surely a must read.
Sam has managed to turn every chapter into am exciting adventure, which i believe most people can relate to.
Sam has managed to turn every chapter into am exciting adventure, which i believe most people can relate to.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews