Concise Cogent Communication

Handout

Transitions
When listening to a speech, have you ever wondered “how does this relate to that?” felt the
speaker jumped randomly from one point to the next? gotten totally lost? If you’ve experienced
this, there’s a very good chance that the speaker failed to use appropriate speech transitions. In
this article, we define speech transitions and learn why they are so critical. In addition, we
provide dozens of speech transition examples that you can incorporate into your speech.

What are transitions?

Speech transitions are magical words and phrases that help your argument flow smoothly. They
often consist of a single transition word or a short transition phrase, but occasionally form an
entire sentence. In a written speech, speech transitions are generally found at the start of
paragraphs.
Speech transitions smooth over the boundary between two ideas, and reveal the relationship
between the words just spoken and those about to be spoken. In this way, speech transitions
help your audience understand your message.

Types of Transitions
There are many types of speech transitions. Each type highlights a different verbal relationship.
For example, one type of transition highlights the contrast between two different ideas. Each of
these types is cataloged below. For each type, we list just a few of the possible words and
phrases. Can you think of others?

● Transition between Similar Ideas or Points

• Likewise …
• Similarly …
• This is just like …
• In a similar way …
• We see the same thing if we consider …
“Speech transitions smooth over the boundary between two ideas, and reveal the relationship
between the words just spoken and those about to be spoken.”

● Transition between Contrasting Ideas or Points

• However …
• Conversely …
• On the contrary …
• On the other side …
• On the other hand …
• If we flip that around …
• Yet, we cannot ignore …
• The opposing argument …
• If we examine the opposite side, we see …

● Transition to elaborate upon an idea

• Also …
• Moreover …
• In addition …
• Furthermore …
• In other words …
• Not only that, but …

● Transition to Numbered Ideas or Points (or Process Steps)

• First … (The first step is …)
• Second … (The second step is …)
• Third … (The third step is …)
• Last … (The last step is …)

● Transition to show Cause-Effect Relationship

• Therefore …
• As a result …
• Consequently …
• For that reason …
• This is important because …

● Transition to a Supporting Example

• For instance …
• For example …
• As an example …
• To illustrate this …
• What’s an example of this? …
• But does this happen in real life? Yes…

● Transition to a Supporting Demonstration

• Now that we’ve covered the theory, let’s see it in action …
• To reinforce what we’ve learned, let’s see a demonstration …
• I’ve prepared a demonstration to show how this works.
• Let’s see a demonstration which applies what we’ve learned.
• “When executed well, speech transitions help make a speech understandable.
 ● When executed poorly, speech transitions can obscure meaning and frustrate
audiences.”

● Transition to a Supporting Quotation

• X said: …
• In 1968, X said: …
• This idea was expressed clearly by X who said …

● Transition from Introduction into Speech Body

• Let’s begin …
• To get started, let’s examine …
• Let’s get started talking about …
• Now that we’ve given an overview, let’s start with …

● Transition from Speech Body into Conclusion

For a short speech, you might conclude with a single statement:
• In short …
• In summary …
• In conclusion …
In a longer presentation, your conclusion might include a review of a the key
points: • Let’s summarize the key lessons …
• Let’s recap what we’ve covered today …

● Transition to Another Speaker

In a team presentation, it is necessary to transfer control between speakers. The abrupt way
to do this is to simply have one person stop talking, and then have the other person start
talking. It is much smoother, however, to pass the verbal baton to the next speaker:
• To talk about our next topic, we have X …
• I’ll pass the microphone to X who will describe …
• To guide us through a demonstration of this, we have X …
• Want to learn more?

● Transition Back to an Earlier Point

There are many occasions when you need to jump back to an earlier idea to add additional
information. E.g. after a break, following an exercise, or returning from an unplanned
interruption
• Let’s return …
• Let’s revisit …
• Let’s go back to …
• We introduced X earlier; let’s explore that further now.
Avoid Faulty Transitions
When executed well, speech transitions help make a speech understandable. When
executed poorly, speech transitions can obscure meaning and frustrate audiences.
Beware these three types of faulty transitions:
Miscount Transition
This faulty transition occurs when a speaker begins counting main points, but does not do so
consistently. (E.g. First, Second, Next, Next, Third, Third …) Faulty counting can also occur when
a speaker tries to number both the main points and the sub-points and gets mixed up.

Incompatible Transition
This faulty transition occurs when a speaker uses a transition word or phrase which doesn’t
match the relationship. (E.g. they start with the word “however”, but they follow it with an
example)

Tangential Transition
Transitional phrases like “That reminds me…”, “Ironically…”, or “As an aside…” are dangerous
because they often lead to an off-topic diversion which blurs the focus of the speech and
wastes time for you and your audience. Just. Don’t. Do. It.

The Rule of Three

The rule of three is a powerful speech writing technique that you should learn, practice, and
master. Using the Rule of Three allows you to express concepts more completely, emphasize
your points, and increase the memorability of your message.
That’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
What is the rule of three? What are some famous examples? How do you use it in speeches?
Read on!

Western Culture and the Rule of Three

Trios, triplets, and triads abound in Western culture in many disciplines. Just a small sampling of
memorable cultural triads include:

● Religion
• Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• Heaven, hell, and purgatory (Catholicism, primarily)
• Three Wise Men with their gold, frankincense, and myrrh
• The holy trinity
• Creator, Preserver, Destroyer

● Movies & Books

• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
 • Sex, Lies, and Videotape
• Superman’s “Truth, Justice, and the American Way“
• Nursery rhymes such as the Three Little Pigs or Goldilocks and the Three Bears In a
more general sense, there is the allure of trilogies as with Indiana Jones, The Godfather,
The Matrix, Star Wars, and many others.
● Politics
• U.S. Branches of Government: Executive, Judicial, and Legislative
• U.S. Declaration of Independence: “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” •
French motto: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
• Abundance of tri-colored flags
• Civic, Organizational, and Societal Mottos
• Fire safety motto: Stop, Drop, and Roll
• Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius or Faster, Higher, Stronger
• Real estate: Location, Location, Location

● Historic Rule of Three Speech Examples

Speechwriting is, of course, part of our culture. Examples of the Rule of Three can be found in
some of the most famous speeches ever delivered:
• Julius Caesar
“Veni, vidi, vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered)
• Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
“Friends, Romans, Countrymen. Lend me your ears.”
• Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
“We cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow — this
ground.” “Government of the people, by the people, for the people“
General MacArthur, West Point Address, 1962
“Duty, Honor, Country” [repeated several times in the speech]
• Barack Obama, Inaugural Speech
“We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America“

What’s Magical About the Rule of Three?

It is reasonable to ask what’s so special about three. Why is it so popular in our culture? Aren’t
there just as many examples of two- or four-element famous speech lines? For a famous duo,
there is Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death.” For a classic quartet, it is tough to
beat Winston Churchill’s “I would say to the House as I said to those who have joined this
government: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”
Despite examples like these, there is something magical about the Rule of Three in the way that
it allows a speaker to express a concept, emphasize it, and make it memorable.In his book
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer, Roy Peter Clark provides insights to the
magic of the number three: “The mojo of three offers a greater sense of completeness than
four or more.”
-- Roy Peter Clark
● … the “encompassing” magic of number three … in our language or culture, three
provides a sense of the whole …
● … in the anti-math of writing, the number three is greater than four. The mojo of three
offers a greater sense of completeness than four or more. …
Use one for power. Use two for comparison, contrast. Use three for completeness, wholeness,
roundness. Use four or more to list, inventory, compile, and expand.

Rhetorical Devices — Rule of Three

● The rule of three describes triads of all types — any collection of three related
elements. Two more specific triad variants are hendiatris and tricolon.

● Hendiatris
A hendiatris is a figure of speech where three successive words are used to express a central
idea.
Examples of hendiatris include:
• “Veni, vidi, vici.” [Julius Caesar]
• “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” [French motto]
• “Citius, Altius, Fortius” [Olympic motto]
• “Wine, women, and song” [Anonymous]

● Tricolon
A tricolon is a series of three parallel elements (words or phrases). In a strict tricolon, the
elements have the same length but this condition is often put aside.
Examples of tricolon include:
• “Veni, vidi, vici.” [Julius Caesar]
• “Be sincere, be brief, and be seated.” [Advice for speakers from Franklin D. Roosevelt] •
“Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation – not because of [1] the height of
our skyscrapers, or [2] the power of our military, or [3] the size of our economy.” [Barack
Obama, Keynote speech to Democratic National Convention, July 2004]

Why Use the Rule of 3

Contemporary Speech Examples using the Rule of Three
“Using the Rule of Three allows you to express concepts more completely, emphasize your
points, and increase the memorability of your message.” Nearly every speech critiqued on
Six Minutes has wielded the magic of the Rule of Three, as shown by numerous examples
below.

• Obama’s Inaugural Speech

[1] Homes have been lost
[2] Jobs shed
[3] Businesses shuttered.

• Steve Jobs: Stanford Commencement Address, 2005

[1] It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell
them in just a few months.
[2] It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for
your family.
[3] It means to say your goodbyes.

• Dalton Sherman: Do you believe?

You’re the ones
[1] Who feed us
[2] Who wipe our tears
[3] Who hold our hands or hugs us when we need it.

• J.A. Gamache: Toastmasters, 2007

[1] A sandal of hope when you reach out.
[2] A sandal of joy when you listen to your heart.
[3] A sandal of courage when you dare to care.

• Electrify Your Audience with a Shocking Speech Opening

[1] Tobacco. [long pause]
[2] Alcohol. [long pause]
[3] Guns. [long pause]
Criminal items seized in a search [slight pause] of a 6th grade locker in a bad school district.