Harness the power of evolving metaphors for compelling speeches. Especially when addressing topics with two different sides, a great approach is to kickstart your discussion by comparing your subject to something else.
- For instance, you can liken a well-established organisation to a wise old tree or a sturdy ship sailing through challenging waters.
- As you go on in your speech, when you need to talk about problems or obstacles, you can either use the same metaphor to illustrate these issues (like branches growing too big for the tree or a ship springing some leaks that need fixing) or talk about external factors (such as strong winds, pesky parasites, or changing weather conditions) that might pose a threat.
- By first embracing the metaphor in your speech, your audience is likely to grasp the evolving metaphor and understand your point better.
Just remember to choose your metaphor thoughtfully, as it lays the foundation for your argument.
Sopory, P., & Dillard, J. P. (2002). The persuasive effects of metaphor: A meta‐analysis. Human communication research, 28(3), 382-419.
