Argumentative Speech

DEFINITION – A statement or set of statements expressing personal opinion without providing any supporting reasons or evidence is categorized as an unsupported statement of belief or opinion. If someone's opinions or statements are unsupported, it means they lack proof or evidence to validate their truthfulness, leading to unsupported allegations.

Transition

TRANSITIONS IN A SPEECH - http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/speech-transitions/

Have you ever experienced the following while listening to a speech?

• Pondering over the connection between different points?
• Feeling that the speaker randomly jumps from one point to another?
• Getting completely lost?

If any of these situations sound familiar, chances are the speaker failed to employ appropriate speech transitions.

In this article, we will define speech transitions and understand their crucial role. Additionally, we will provide numerous examples of speech transitions that you can incorporate into your own speeches.

What do speech transitions entail?

Speech transitions are like magic words and phrases that facilitate the smooth flow of your argument. They can be a single transition word, a short transition phrase, or even an entire sentence. In written speeches, speech transitions are typically found at the beginning of paragraphs.

Speech transitions serve to bridge the gap between two ideas and establish a connection between the words just spoken and those about to be spoken. By using speech transitions effectively, you can help your audience grasp your message.

Types of Speech Transitions

There exist several types of speech transitions, each highlighting a distinct verbal relationship. For instance, one type of transition emphasizes the contrast between two ideas.

Here are some examples of each type. Can you think of others?

Transition between Similar Ideas or Points

• Likewise ...
• Similarly ...
• This is just like ...
• In a similar way ...
• We observe the same phenomenon if we consider ...

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.

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 concise speech, a single statement can conclude it:

• In short ...
• In summary ...
• In conclusion ...

In a longer presentation, your conclusion may involve summarizing the key points:

• Let's summarize the key lessons ...
• Let's recap what we've covered today ...

Transition to Another Speaker

During a team presentation, it is essential to transfer control between speakers.

Instead of abruptly switching speakers, it's smoother to pass the verbal baton to the next speaker (X):

• 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 ...

Transition Back to an Earlier Point

There are instances when you need to revisit a previous idea to provide additional information. This can occur 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 effectively, speech transitions enhance the understandability of a speech.

However, poorly executed transitions can obscure meaning and frustrate audiences.

Beware of these four types of faulty transitions:

Miscount Transition

This faulty transition arises when a speaker starts counting main points but fails to 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 sub-points and becomes mixed up.

Incompatible Transition

This faulty transition occurs when a speaker uses a transition word or phrase that does not match the relationship. (e.g., starting with the word "however" but following it with an example) Just like signaling left and then turning your car right, incompatible transitions cause confusion as the audience expects one thing but receives conflicting information.

Tangential Transition

Transitional phrases like "That reminds me...", "Ironically...", or "As an aside..." are risky as they often lead to off-topic diversions that blur the speech's focus and waste time for both you and your audience. It's best to avoid them altogether.

Missing Transition

This is the most common faulty transition of all. It occurs when a speaker abruptly transitions from one point to another without using any transition words or phrases. This leaves the audience confused and lost as points get jumbled together, obscuring critical relationships.

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Christopher Seebaran (pc)

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