Use rhetorical devices for emphasis from "summary" of The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie,J. Berg Esenwein
To make your speech persuasive and impactful, you must use rhetorical devices to emphasize your key points. These devices are tools that help you grab the audience's attention and make your message stick in their minds. One common device is repetition, where you repeat a word or phrase to drive home a point. For example, Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech included the phrase "I have a dream" repeated throughout to emphasize his vision for a better future. Another powerful rhetorical device is parallelism, where you structure your sentences in a similar way to create rhythm and emphasize key ideas. This technique can make your speech more engaging and memorable. For instance, Winston Churchill's speeches often used parallelism to convey his message with force and clarity. Metaphors and analogies are also effective rhetorical devices for emphasis. By comparing two seemingly unrelated things, you can help your audience understand complex ideas in a simple and relatable way. Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address used the metaphor of a nation "conceived in liberty" to emphasize the core values of the United States. Using rhetorical questions is another way to emphasize your points and engage your audience. By posing a question that doesn't require an answer, you can make your audience reflect on the topic and consider your message more deeply. This technique can create a sense of urgency or importance around your ideas, prompting your audience to pay closer attention.- Incorporating rhetorical devices into your speech can make it more persuasive, engaging, and memorable. By using repetition, parallelism, metaphors, analogies, and rhetorical questions, you can emphasize your key points and leave a lasting impact on your audience. So, don't underestimate the power of rhetorical devices in making your speech stand out and resonate with your listeners.
