Category: PUBLIC SPEAKING

We’re the same… We must act… We all agree…

Like you, I believe in… Like you, I want to live in a world where…

Don’t all of us want…?

We must act immediately… We must be cautious

We must act now… We must not rush this… We must act quickly

We need to slow down and consider… We cannot wait / We need to tread warily…

We cannot dither… We cannot afford to make rash mistakes…

We cannot afford to let this opportunity go… We must take the time to get this right

Now is the time… If we are to…then we must act now…

We all care about… We all recognise that… We all know that…

We all know it’s a basic truth that… We all accept…

We all accept the principle that… We You Us We must… We all…

We all believe… We all feel… We all know… We all have…

We’ve all seen… Who of you…? Who hasn’t thought…  You all know…

You all think… You’re all thinking… You all have…

It’s occurred to all of you at some point…

It’s occurred to all of you at some point… It’s happened to all of us…

Who/which of us…? Who/which of us hasn’t this affected?

Who/which of us doesn’t believe this?  What will this mean for us…

Each and every one of us… All of us… It will affect each and everyone of us….

There’s not one of us who…..

Takeaway message

This technique aims to summarise the core of your argument into one (slogan like) sentence:

In a sentence, the message is this…. We must do this for…for the…and for the…

Call to action

With this conclusion, you challenge your audience to take immediate action.

Action can’t wait until next year or next month. It must start now. We must…

Call to think

Not all arguments are about taking immediate action – some messages are about considering what has been said and being prepared to change opinion.

It would be the easiest thing in the world to ignore what has been said today. But it must be thought about… I’ve made my case, now it’s up to you to think about it…to consider…

Black and white choice

This strategy is about reducing the two sides of the case to a black and white choice.

On the one hand you can believe that…But on the other hand you can see the vision of…

Anecdote:

Starting with an anecdote about your own personal experience with a topic or issue can engage an audience because they can see that you know what you’re talking about.

I know what it’s like to be in a crash and witness the effects of drink driving and speeding. I have been as close to it as you can get…

Questions:

Asking an audience a question or series of questions at the start of a presentation can get an audience to instantly see how they have a stake in the topic being discussed. This technique is most effective when you as a presenter actually get the audience to put their hands up.

How many of you have been affected by bullying? How many of you have spent money on something you don’t actually need?

This is your issue:

How does what you are speaking about currently impact on the lives of the people in your audience – or how will it impact on them in the future.

Each day, each of you in the audience contribute to the devastation of the environment. Each of uses….

If you think this issues doesn’t affect you, you are wrong. By the time all of us in this room are 30, eight of us will have been….

Startling/Shocking fact:

A related way to engage your audience is to start with a shocking fact (or a shocking picture).

Last night, while you watched tv, texted your friends, or updated your Facebook page, 1000 people died of poverty.

Mental picture:

We can also engage our audience at the start by painting them a picture of a horrible future society that could come into being if we don’t stop doing something (or don’t start doing something) – or vice versa – the great society that we could have if we do something.

Picture a world where your every move is tracked. Where everything you buy is collected on a database, everything you…

Bullet Proof Argument:

This is the argument everyone (or most reasonable people) would agree with. Starting with this means the audience is more likely to agree with what comes next.

You can’t argue with the fact that… We all accept that…

Claiming the high moral ground:

This strategy is about identifying the big picture principle that is at stake in the issue. By arguing from the start that you know what the most important principle at stake is, and your position supports this principle being upheld, you force the audience to accept that your argument has moral worth.

The real principle at stake in this issue is… What this issue is really about is…

Cue cards outline key points in the script. They keep you on track during the monologue Imagine your script starts out like this:

My name is Eliza Marshall. I was born in Doncaster, Englan d, in 1815. When I was 9 years old, my family moved to  Leeds, England, where I began to work in a textile factory.  A lot of people in Leeds were rich, but my family was not. I  had to work. Even with my salary, we were very, very poor. I  worked many hours a day. At first, I worked 13 hours a day.  This was already very hard for me, but frequent beatings made things even worse. Later, I worked as many as 17 hours a  day. Today, my legs are crooked because the marrow dried out of my bones from too much standing. I have no strength  in my bones now.

 

Your first cue card might look something like this:

• Eliza Marshall

• Born in: Doncaster, England—1815

• Worked in: Textile factory

• Leeds, England (large, wealthy and populous town, but family was poor)

• worked too many hours—13 per day, then 17 per day

• beaten, especially when young

• legs now crooked—bone marrow dried out

• from too much standing—no strength

You can now use the cue card as a prompt  to recall ideas written in your script.