“I have a dream.” It’s rightly famous, perhaps one of the most memorable lines ever spoken. So, why do we remember some phrases and not others?
More importantly: How do we say something in a way that other people, like our teams, remember our message?
Martin Luther King knew exactly how to write so that people will remember the key message. Repetition, he knew, was important. And a lot of it. He’d used it in his Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, he’d used it his Letter from Birmingham Jail, and to some extent in every speech he’d ever given.
King put the phrase “I Have a Dream” at the front of eight consecutive sentences. He used the phrase, “Let Freedom Ring” nine times in nine sentences at the end of this speech.
If you have been taught not to repeat words and phrases in your presentations, it’s time to re-think that rule. To be sure, simply repeating the same old words can be a way of avoiding full explanation or thinking ideas through. On the other hand, deliberate repetition can be extremely powerful.
There’s even a name for it: anaphora, the technique of using a phrase in consecutive sentences or within the same sentence for emphasis. It’s a time tested rhetorical technique dating back to the ancient Greeks and used for centuries to improve quotability.
You might think that repeating words dulls their effect, but when it is done right, it actually has the opposite effect. It creates a dramatic emotional build so that each time you say that key word or phrase, it accrues more meaning, more importance.
Here’s another example:
Winston Churchill: “We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.”
You get the idea.
Here are three ways you can use repetition effectively, particularly anaphora, to become more memorable:
- Start 3-5 sentences in a row with a well-chosen, key phrase that you want your audience to take away. Choose carefully what words you use and how these words will be inspiring. Use positive language. For example, if want people in your organization to stop resisting new technology, your message should sound something like: “embrace new technology to…” Make your take-away message even more memorable by using mono-syllabic words. “Find new tools to do this. Find new tools to do that.”
- Start 3-5 sentences in a row with the same phrase to introduce a list of actions you want people to take. For example, if you are leading an organization in change (and who isn’t?), consider an introductory phrase to get through your list of changes more memorably. Try something like, “Question your goals, question your limits, question your efforts, question your processes, and let’s turn this around!” That’s a general list, and a more specific list that builds to a final vision will work even better.
- Try using just one to three simple words within the same sentence to make a point memorable. There are plenty of examples of quotable repetitive phrases like, “of the people, by the people, for the people” or “love is patient, love is kind.” Even a connecting word like “this” can work (Shakespeare: “This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.” Again, this is most effective with mono-syllabic words, sometimes as simple as “and” or “this” or “that.” Any time you want to describe a few different aspects of one thing, try this trick to make it more memorable.
Deliberate use of a repeated phrase can energize and build excitement in a way that organizes thinking and makes the idea quotable.
As a coach, I specialize in communications and leadership. Book a free session if you are looking to improve your ability to inspire and influence.