A public speaking expert has recommended beginning remarks with the three-word phrase "Imagine this scenario" to grab an audience's attention "instantly," arguing the words direct listeners into a vivid, present-tense story and prompt immediate engagement.
John Bowe, a speech trainer who wrote about the technique for CNBC, said each word in the phrase plays a distinct role: "Imagine" invites the audience to visualize, "this" grounds the scenario in the present moment and "scenario" signals that a concrete story with characters and events is forthcoming. Bowe wrote that the combination shifts a presentation from abstract points to an immersive mental scene and suggested alternative openers such as "What if you," "Imagine yourself," "Think of the last time you" and "Have you ever found yourself."
The technique is framed as a tool for presenters trying to cut through competing stimuli in a crowded room. Bowe described the phrasing as a way to move the audience into the second person and to create immediacy, curiosity and a shared mental space in which listeners can experience the account being told.
Complementing verbal tactics, a psychologist and life coach known as Coach Francesca has demonstrated simple body-language techniques on social media that she says can help people project confidence and influence interactions. Francesca, who has drawn attention on TikTok for short psychology-oriented videos, outlined several nonverbal signals she recommends for different goals.
Her first tip endorses a hands-on-hips stance often called a "dominance display" or "power pose." Francesca said placing hands on the hips conveys readiness and alertness and suggests the speaker has "something to say." She next recommended a subtle push away from a table to signal disagreement, while warning that such a gesture can be perceived as insulting and should be used cautiously.
Francesca also described "surrogate touching"—actions such as stroking a cup or pressing a pen to the lips—as a way to indicate a desire for intimacy. She said the movement can function as a proxy for contact when a person wishes to convey closeness. Other cues she highlighted include moving objects that lie between two people as a sign of rapport and placing objects between people as a potential signal of discomfort or disinterest. She added that surrounding oneself with objects when alone can bolster a person's confidence.
Researchers have examined links between posture and psychological states. Some studies have suggested that adopting open, expansive postures can temporarily increase feelings of confidence and willingness to take risks, but the literature also contains debate about the reliability and size of those effects. Experts caution that context, culture and individual differences affect how nonverbal signals are interpreted.
Both the verbal prompt Bowe recommends and the nonverbal cues Francesca demonstrates rely on the basic communicative principle of creating shared focus. Public-speaking professionals said beginning with an image or story can reduce abstract distance between speaker and audience, while deliberate body language can reinforce intent and emotional tone. Practical effectiveness varies with delivery, audience and setting; trainers emphasize practicing openings and gestures so they align naturally with content.
The combined advice points to a two-pronged approach: pair a concise, image-driven verbal opening with purposeful, context-appropriate body language to increase the likelihood of capturing and sustaining attention in presentations and interpersonal encounters.