Repetition 2: Making the Message Powerful with Anadiplosis

Yoda - from Star Wars - must have been a student of rhetoric. Take this as an example of what I mean:
''Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.''
(from the Phantom Menace)
This Yoda quote is remarkably similar to the writing of another great, William Shakespeare, in Richard III:
''The love of wicked men converts to fear, that fear to hate, and hate turns one or both to worthy danger and deserved death''
Not only are they similar in content, they are also similar in that they use the same rhetorical technique: anadiplosis.

Anadiplosis? Once again we have a rather strange sounding word. A strange sounding word that is rhetorically powerful. Powerful because it builds drama. Drama that makes your presentation stronger. Stronger because of the technique: anadiplosis.

A Greek word, anadiplosis means to use a word at the end of a sentence or clause, and then repeat it at the beginning of the next sentence or clause. Here's a famous example from the movie ''Gladiator'' (spoken by Joaquim Phoenix) :
''They call for you! The general who became a slave; the slave who became a gladiator; the gladiator who defied an emperor! Striking story!''

Like anaphora (see Repetition 1), anadiplosis often comes across better in the spoken form. It works well in short bursts; two or three sentences is enough.

Try using anadiplosis here and there in your presentation or pitch, preferably for key ideas. Key ideas that you want the audience to notice and remember. It's really simple to do and makes a noticeable difference. A difference that will get you noticed. 

And to finish off, here's a funny quote from the often very funny Ann Landers, the famous advice columnist:
''The poor wish to be rich, the rich wish to be happy, the single wish to be married, and the married wish to be dead.''
('Ann Landers' was actually a pen-name).

Have fun with anadiplosis. Anadiplosis is tough to say. But say it well and your next pitch will have greater impact on the audience.

If it works for Shakespeare and Yoda, it will surely work for you.
To paraphrase Yoda:
''May the Force - and anadiplosis - be with you!''

All the best, and happy trails,
Rob

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