Repetition 1: Making the Message Memorable with Anaphora

You need a presentation.  You need a memorable presentation. You need a powerful presentation. You need anaphora.
Anaphora? Here is some anaphora you might know:

''It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of foolishness, it was the age of wisdom...''
Charles Dickens,  A Tale of Two Cities

Many people who have read 'A Tale of Two Cities' can remember the first line. One of the main reasons is that the way Dickens wrote it makes the concept crystal clear. The repetition of the words ''it was'' is an example of one of the oldest and most widely used types of repetition: anaphora. It's also one of the easiest.

So, what is anaphora?
Simple: It's the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of each sentence or clause. Take a look at one of the worlds most famous speeches and see it used:

''I have a dream... that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ''We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.''
I have a dream... that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream... that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream... that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.''
(Martin Luther King, Jr. 28 August 1963)
He goes on to use anaphora again in this same speech. It is rhythmic, powerful, and memorable.

Despite the strange sounding name (from the Greek, meaning roughly 'to go back'), anaphora is very simple to use. Adding it to your next pitch or presentation is as easy as changing a few sentences. It might look a little odd when reading it, but it comes across differently when it is spoken.

Almost every great speaker has used anaphora. Currently, both President Obama and Hillary Clinton use it frequently. Winston Churchill was another great advocate of this technique. 

So why use anaphora in your next presentation?
If you want to get your message across, it drives home the point.
If you want to make complicated ideas easy to follow, it keeps things simple.
If you want to involve your audience with a rhythmic style, it does that too.
And if you want to make your pitch more powerful, anaphora is the way to go.

All the best, and happy trails,
Rob