Transitions are verbal bridges designed to move listeners from consideration of one idea to consideration of the next. They tie major ideas together, focus attention, keep the speech interesting, and weld the various parts of the speech into a single unit. Indeed, the best speeches are characterized as much by effective transitions as they are by strong arguments or emotional appeals.

 

To use transitions well, you must have a repertory of techniques and types. Otherwise, you risk falling into the habit of saying the same thing over and over. "My next idea is. . ." may be an effective transitional statement once, but if used two or three times, will put listeners to sleep.

 

Here are examples of different types of transitions:

 

Besides being slow-moving, cricket also is a very complicated sport.

Although some people would argue that history is boring, let me show you how it helps us to understand what the future holds.

Meanwhile, people ignore the slaughter on our highways.

Those are the two main problems. Now, let's see how they can be solved.

Finally, look at the three simple techniques you can use in writing a letter of application.

To summarize, we have the three elements for violence in all our major cities.

 

Students sometimes have trouble understanding the need for organizational links. Their reasoning is that the pattern of organization implies those links, which, of course, is true. However, a speech exists only in the moment of delivery, and audience needs to have guides throughout even a short speech to carry forward the information and arguments necessary to listen effectively.

 

Transitions can be reinforced by nonverbal communication, such as movement, pointing, counting on the fingers, and gesturing.

 

BRIDGES

 

In crossing a bridge, a person goes from one piece of land to another. In giving a speech, the speaker can build bridges to tell the listeners of the terrain they are leaving behind and the terrain they are about to enter. It is a way of saying, "I've finished Thought A; now I'm going to thought B."

 

Imagine that you had the following as your first main point in a speech on workplace violence:

I. Violence in the workplace has increased in recent years

 

You give examples and statistics to back up this point, and now you are ready to make your second main point:

 

II. Workplace violence can be reduced if managers and employees are trained in conflict resolution.

 

How can you go from point I to point II? You could simply finish with point I and begin point II, but that would be too abrupt. It would fail to give the listeners time to change mental gears. A smoother way is to refer back to the first main point at the same time you are pointing forward to the second:

 

Although workplace violence has increased dramatically, the situation is not hopeless. There is a way to reduce the number of incidents--a way that has proven successful in many companies throughout the world.

 

There is a successful bridge because it smoothly and gracefully takes your listeners from your first main point to your second. It also has the virtue of stimulating their curiosity about the next part of the speech.

 

SIGNPOSTS

 

Another way to alert listeners to an important point you are about to introduce is through signposts. A signpost is a unit of speech that announces or points to some new or important idea. Sometimes, a signpost is merely a number. At other times, it takes the form of a direct question, or it may highlight a key idea. Here are some examples of each type:

 

Hold onto this idea.

The thing to remember is. . .

The first major objection. . .

The third and final problem. . .

Try to remember this!

How can we best manage this financial crisis?

 

In a speech with three major points, you might say, for example, "The first reason we should be interested in ozone depletion is. . . " As the speech progresses, you could introduce the next points by saying: "The second problem associated with ozone loss is. . . " and "Third, and finally, ozone loss affects us because. . . " This approach announces the introduction of new ideas and keeps audience members aware of the idea sequence. Signposts make speeches easier to follow and help listeners to identify and remember major ideas.

 

INTERNAL SUMMARIES

 

Listeners need to be reminded frequently of the ideas you have discussed. Internal summaries, sometimes called mini-summaries, are an effective way of doing that. Internal summaries are often used at the conclusion of a major point in a speech. A speaker might say:

 

As I said, there are several ways to stop groundwater pollution. First, . . .

So you can see, worker attrition isn't an easy way to slow the growth of government.

For this reason alone, televised football games provide a large source of revenue for athletic departments.

Fire can spread through a house very rapidly. You need to remember that smoke detectors will warn you. Next, . . .

 

Internal summaries help listeners to keep track of the flow of ideas and the significance of the major points. Listeners' memory spans are short. The internal summary is another useful organizational link that helps to assure that your message is heard, understood, and remembered.

 

Spotlights

 

Spotlights are transitional devices that alert the listeners that something important will soon appear. Here are some examples:

 

* Now we come to the most important thing for you to remember.

 

* What I'm going to explain next will help you understand the rest of what I have to say to you this morning.

 

* If you remember only one thing from my remarks today, it should be this . . .