In my last post, I touched on three ways to make your speeches more memorable. I also promised you I would blog about three more methods you can use. Here they are:
Repetition:
There are two ways you can use repetition to create hooks that your audience will remember.
- You can repeat a word or catch-phrase at key moments throughout the speech
- You can repeat a word or catch-phrase in rapid succession in one section of your speech
Throughout the Speech
I once wrote a speech for one of my clients on Future Trends. The theme was “Back to the Future”. If you’re familiar with the movie, you’ll recall that the star of the show was transported back into the past and ended up interfering with the events that would have led to his being born in the future.
He had a family snapshot in his pocket that he constantly looked at because he could see his brother and sister disappearing from the picture bit by bit. He knew that if he didn’t set the proper events in motion, he would also disappear. So throughout the movie, he kept looking at the snapshot to see if he was disappearing too. The speech focused on positioning yourself for future success by examining the trends that were currently taking place.
In the speech, I used the hook “look at the snapshot”, after every major trend was presented.
Rapid Succession
I’ve already written about anaphora and epiphora in the past, so I won’t explain them here. What I will do is draw on one section of Barack Obama’s concession speech after the New Hampshire primary.
“We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds, when we’ve been told we’re not ready or that we shouldn’t try or that we can’t, generations of Americans have responded
with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation: Yes, we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail towards freedom through the darkest of nights: Yes, we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an
unforgiving wilderness: Yes, we can.
It was the call of workers who organized, women who reached for the ballot, a president who chose the moon as our new frontier, and a king who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the promised land:
Yes, we can, to justice and equality.
Yes, we can, to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes, we can heal this nation.
Yes, we can repair this world.
Yes, we can.
And so, tomorrow, as we take the campaign south and west, as we learn that the struggles of the textile workers in Spartanburg are not so different than the plight of the dishwasher in Las Vegas, that the hopes of the little girl who goes to the crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of L.A., we will remember that there is something happening in America, that we are not as divided as our politics suggest, that we are one people, we are one nation.
And, together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story, with three words that will ring from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea: Yes, we can.”
Even if you hated the speech, there’s no doubt you remembered it. That’s the power of repetition.
Emotionally-Charged Phrases
Certain words and phrases have the ability to reach down into your soul and touch you on the deepest levels.
Some cut … others heal.
Some bring pleasure … others bring pain.
Some make you optimistic … others make you pessimistic.
But when those words are spoken, they don’t just stay in our minds, they live in our hearts.
This is one of the reasons we still remember the hook
“Read my lips: no new taxes!”
Do you ever tell people to read your lips when you’re just having a pleasant conversation? I don’t. If I’m telling someone to reading my lips, it’s because they didn’t understand what I meant the first, second or third time I said it. If I get to the point of saying “read my lips’, it’s probably the last straw!
So when George Bush spoke those words, America took notice. It was the sound bite that was played most often on television and on the radio. It was the phrase that was repeated most often when people discussed the speech. And it was the ammunition that was used against him when he wasn’t able to keep his promise.
But even if he had kept his promise, those words would still have been etched in our brains.
The words, “yes we can”, are also emotionally charged. Think back to the story of “The Little Engine That Could”. If you heard that story as a child, you can probably remember chanting the words “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.” Do you remember how much emotion you put into it?
Rhymes
Rhymes aren’t just for children. They’re fantastic for creating memorable phrases. The O.J. Simpson trial was the longest jury trial in California history. It was covered by all the major news networks. What was the most popular phrase in that whole trial?
“If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
Instant hook.
Poetry is not my strong point, so I don’t go out of my way to use it in my speeches. But if a rhyme as brilliant as Cochrane’s comes into my mind, I’m using it.
If you want to combine rhymes with another device, I would suggest combining it with repetition that’s sprinkled throughout your speech. Repeating a rhyme in rapid succession could result in two things:
- A tongue twister for the speaker
- An irritated audience.
The line, “if the glove doesn’t fit,you must acquit” wouldn’t have had the same level of impact if Johnny Cochrane had repeated it in the style of MLK.
Combine the Devices
If you’ll look at the examples of memorable phrases in this post and the previous one, you’ll notice that some devices were combined. When devices are combined there’s a greater likelihood the hooks will stick in the minds of those listening to you.
