Only in this case, it’s not about showing us where a speech is headed. Like transitions in a speech… like Seth Godin’s startling bird image… they focus our attention on where things are going next. They testify to harsh realities, such as: Like a dignified Greek chorus, those signs stand in for people who are suffering in our winner-take-all economy. I wish I knew (a) who shot this image, and also (b) who created the row of signs it shows. Which brings us to the picture, above, of Occupy Wall Street. Signs Can Be Public Speaking Signposts 2011 Signposts from Occupy Wall Street Pictures are signifiers that, like transitional phrases, help move your audience’s attention to wherever your speech is going next. Godin was right (though PowerPoint hating has since gone to silly lengths). A signpost is a raised marker on the side of a road that provides some kind of information like how many miles you have to travel to a landmark (like the golden arches of McDonalds). In his classic post on “ Really Bad Powerpoint,” blogger Seth Godin famously argued that it’s better to show a photo of a dead bird than a list of bulleted points about air pollution. The other kind of public speaking signpost grabs your audience by the eyes rather than by the ears. They are formulaic because they have a “ceremonial” function: They let your listener know that something important is coming, and remind you to slow down and emphasize what you’re about to say. “I want to leave you with the following thought…”Įach of these audio signposts signals a transition.
#DEFINE SIGNPOST UPDATE#
Our editors update and regularly refine this enormous body of information to bring you reliable information. Infoplease is a reference and learning site, combining the contents of an encyclopedia, a dictionary, an atlas and several almanacs loaded with facts. “Why does that matter? I’ll tell you why. Infoplease knows the value of having sources you can trust.“So, we’ve talked about X now let’s move on to Y.”.That’s what’s going on when you hear speakers say things like,
#DEFINE SIGNPOST PROFESSIONAL#
One of the most effective ways to sound more professional as a public speaker is to alert your audience whenever you transition to a new topic, reiterate a point, or change the direction of your argument. Both of them keep your listeners informed about where you’re going - and where you want to take them. Signposting will flag the most important parts of an argument, signal transitions, and clarify the stakes of an argument. There are two kinds of public speaking signposts. Signposts are words or phrases that help articulate the structure of a piece of writing and ensure that readers don’t get lost. Blogger / marketing genius Seth Godin famously used this image to demonstrate that pictures can be worth much more than words
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