There are a few ways a leader can bring storytelling into the situation to gain the attention of his or her audience.  One way is to put themselves into the audience’s issues or problems.  This method can build trust with the audience, because it can be emotionally stimulating.  The leader can highlight issues of the audience as being very serious, and the audience will put themselves right into the story.  A second way of weaving storytelling into a message is by the leader telling a story about his or her life and how they handled difficulty.  The audience will again inject themselves into the speaker’s story, and they will feel emotionally attached to the speaker.  Therefore, they will give their attention to the speaker.   
If a leader asks the audience a question, they can gain their attention.  This method can work, because it forces the audience to focus on a series of questions.  If the leader keeps the answers relevant to the questions, and the audience can relate, they will be able to gain their attention.
Metaphors that are unexpected can quickly gain the attention of an audience.  The best way for a speaker to introduce the metaphor is by easing into it.  If a metaphor is overemphasized, it can sometimes cause confusion.
When a leader launches an unexpected exercise into the audience, they will likely gain their attention.  This method works because it gives the audience a firsthand experience of the message the leader is wishing to come across.
Depending on the audience, a leader may have to use several ways or methods to gain their attention.  Sometimes this means the leader may have to spend more time gaining attention, and less on his or her message.  This can happen if the audience is resistant or even angry.  Once an audience’s attention is gained, a leader can then move into the attempt to get the audience to gain desire for important issues or changes that need to be made.   
