Most people think tension makes audiences uncomfortable.

Here’s the truth:

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Tension makes them care.

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It’s not a trick.

It’s not manipulation.

It’s how humans process change.

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We feel the gap between where we are and where we could be—
and that gap pulls us forward.

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But most presenters?

They close the gap too fast.
They rush to solve.
They over-explain.
They buffer the discomfort because they fear losing the room.

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In reality? That discomfort is what keeps the room with you.

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Here’s where good tension disappears (without you noticing):

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The Comfort Reflex
You skip the stakes and dive straight into explanations.
Comfort feels safer than suspense. But it kills curiosity.

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The Fast Solution Trap
You present the answer before the audience even feels the problem.
No tension = no buy-in.

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The Over-Explanation Spiral
You talk to fill the silence.
But the more you say, the less they listen.

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These aren’t just bad habits.

They’re attention killers.

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And if you don’t learn to create controlled tension?

Your message will always feel easier to ignore.

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3 Ways to Create Good Tension in High-Stakes Presentations

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Tension isn’t automatic.

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You have to build it—intentionally, strategically, and just long enough to make the payoff land.

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Here’s how to build that tension (the good kind) so your message doesn’t just land. It lingers.

1. Lead with what’s at stake.

You don’t earn attention by listing what you do. You earn it by showing what’s at risk.

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When you open with the problem, you create contrast.

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When you open with the solution, you skip the part that makes it matter.

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Your audience is scanning for one thing: “Does this affect me?”

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🚫 Instead of: “We help companies align sales and marketing.”

✅ Say: “Right now, your marketing is saying one thing, and your sales team is saying another. That misalignment? It’s killing deals you should be closing.”

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2. Don’t solve it right away.

Most presenters panic at the first sign of discomfort.

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They rush to the resolution. Fill every silence. Over-explain the fix.

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But tension only works if you let it breathe.

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Name the problem—and pause.

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Let the stakes build.

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It’s the “wait… then what?” feeling that keeps them engaged.

Here’s how that might play out:

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A founder opens their pitch by walking investors through a product failure that nearly tanked their launch.

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Then pauses—and says, “That mistake cost us six figures. But it taught us something most companies never figure out.”

That moment holds the room.

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Let the stakes land before you solve them.

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3. Use the Open Loop Trick.

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Raise a question… but don’t answer it. Yet.

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Drop a breadcrumb. Tease a twist. Hold back just enough to make your audience need the next slide, the next line, the next move.

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And one of the simplest ways? Use an open loop.

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“Before we fixed their funnel, we had to blow up something they’d spent months building.” (Wait—what? Why?)

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Open loops work because the brain craves closure.

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It wants to fill in the blank. Solve the riddle.

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So when you pause mid-story or hint at something bigger, it creates tension they have to resolve.

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The Tension Stack™

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Here’s how to structure rising tension like a pro:

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Step 1: State the current reality.

Step 2: Reveal why it’s broken.

Step 3: Expand the consequences.

Step 4: Make it personal.

Step 5: Show why old fixes fail.

Step 6: Only then—introduce your solution.

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If it feels slightly uncomfortable?

Good.

That’s attention working for you.

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Key Takeaways

- Comfort is the enemy of engagement.

- Tension keeps people curious—and curiosity keeps them listening.

- Fast explanations create fast disengagement.

- Open loops and controlled friction make your message sticky.

- Tension isn’t manipulation. It’s urgency with purpose.

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🎧 This episode is your blueprint for building unstoppable attention.

Listen. Save it.

Share it with anyone who wants their message to land, and stick.

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