Crafting Your Message

#4 Anaphora

You can probably tell by their names that Anaphora and Anadiplosis are related. Anaphora is also repetition. It is the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of new clauses or sentences. Anaphora acts as a focal device. It emphasizes ideas and its rhythm builds emotion and is nearly hypnotic. It’s a great tool for inspiring, motivating, and persuading.

A very famous example of anaphora can be seen in Dr.  Martin King’s “I have a dream” speech. In this speech the words “I have a dream’ are repeated over and over again.  The repetition of “I have a dream…” develops a concept and builds emotion in the audience.

Look at this example:

“What if I told you the great communication was the key to your next big business deal? What if I told you that great communication was the secret of all successful relationships? What if I told you that anyone, absolutely anyone could be a great communicator?”

 As we can see in the above example, anaphora is often used to develop an idea or concept.

What key words or phrases could you use and repeat in your presentation to develop and idea or concept.