9.3: Keeping Your Speech Moving

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the importance of transitions within a speech.
2. Identify and be able to use a variety of transition words to create effective transitions within a speech.
3. Understand how to use a variety of strategies to help audience members keep up with a speech’s content: internal previews, internal summaries, and signposts.

How to Stay Clear, Connected, and Coherent

Have you ever listened to a speech and suddenly thought, “Wait… what are we talking about now?” If so, the speaker probably skipped a crucial part of communication: signposting. In a written essay, readers can pause, re-read, and track your argument visually. But in a speech, your words fly by in real time. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

That’s why structure isn’t enough—you also need clarity. This section will help you use transitions, previews, summaries, and signposts to guide your listeners through your speech like a well-marked trail.

In short: you’re not just giving a speech—you’re leading a journey.

Figure 9.3: The Audience’s Journey

Image Description

This infographic visualizes a speech as a guided journey along a winding river. It is titled “Your Audience’s Journey” and uses a landscape-style illustration to represent the progression of a speech.

Starting point: A yellow flag labeled “Intro” is planted on a hill at the river’s origin.

Along the river: The river flows past green hills labeled “Main Point 1” (appears twice on opposite sides) and “Main Point 2.” Two arched bridges labeled “Transition” span the river between these sections, indicating smooth movement from one idea to the next.

End point: A final yellow flag labeled “Conclusion” appears on a hill at the end of the river.

The image includes trees and soft hills to evoke a natural, flowing path, reinforcing the idea that a well-structured speech should feel like a guided, coherent experience for the audience.

Image Transcription

Title: Your Audience’s Journey

Labels within the journey:

• Intro
• Main Point 1 (appears twice)
• Main Point 2
• Transition (appears twice on bridges)
• Conclusion

The Secret Sauce: Transitions

Think of transitions like verbal bridges: they help listeners move smoothly from one point to the next. Without them, your speech can feel like a series of disconnected ideas.

A good transition does two things:

• Reminds the audience what they just heard.
• Prepares them for what’s coming next.

Transition Words and Phrases

Here’s a toolbox of useful transition types and examples:

Table 9.1: transition types and examples

Purpose	Examples
Add	Also, furthermore, in addition, likewise
Compare	Similarly, just like, in the same way
Contrast	However, on the other hand, but, yet, in contrast
Sequence	First, next, then, finally, afterward
Cause/Effect	Because, as a result, therefore, thus
Emphasize	Above all, especially, most importantly
Summarize	In conclusion, to sum up, in short, overall

Try It: Transitions that Work

Activity Introduction: Strong transitions are like the connective tissue of your speech. They keep your ideas linked and your audience oriented. In this quick exercise, you’ll identify the purpose of common transition phrases so you can choose and adapt them more effectively in your own speeches

Activity Instructions: Choose the best label for each transition phrase in the sentence.

 

 

Wrap Up: This activity strengthens students’ ability to recognize transition types, improving speech flow and clarity. Recognizing transition types makes it easier to build flow into your speech. The more you can vary and purposefully place your transitions, the more confident and connected your delivery will feel.

Internal Previews

Internal previews are like short “coming up next” trailers inside your speech. They help listeners know what to expect within a major section.

Tip: Use internal previews when:

• You’re covering multiple ideas in one main point.
• You’re shifting into complex or unfamiliar material.

Try It: Make It Memorable: Practice Parallelism

Activity Introduction: Parallel structure isn’t just a grammar trick—it’s a memory tool. This short exercise will help you rewrite phrases so they have a consistent rhythm and style, making them easier for your audience to follow and remember.

 

 

Wrap Up: Parallel structure makes your main points easier to follow and more memorable.

When your points “sound” alike in structure, your audience can grasp them faster and recall them longer. Use this technique to reinforce your message’s clarity and impact.

Table 9.2: Before and After: Parallelism

Before (Non-Parallel)	After (Parallel)
Save money, being sustainable, and a healthier lifestyle.	Save money, live sustainably, and embrace a healthier lifestyle.
Running errands, to go shopping, and buying groceries.	Running errands, going shopping, and buying groceries.
She enjoys reading, to write stories, and swimming in the lake.	She enjoys reading, writing stories, and swimming in the lake.
The policy aims to reduce waste, improving efficiency, and to promote innovation.	The policy aims to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and promote innovation.
We need teachers who are patient, who can inspire,	We need teachers who are patient, inspiring, and creative.

Internal Summaries

Just like previews help listeners know where you’re going, internal summaries help them remember where they’ve been. These quick recaps reinforce memory and signal that you’re wrapping up a section.

Signposts

Think of signposts like road signs: they’re short, simple cues that help people follow your path.

They often mark:

• The number of points: “First, second, third…
• The importance of a point: “What matters most here is…”
• A shift in tone or topic: “Let’s pivot,” “Now let’s explore…”

Use signposts when you want your audience to track your structure in real time—especially in persuasive or instructional speeches.

Billboard Signposts: Emphasizing Key Ideas

While most signposts help with direction, some are more like billboards: they signal importance. These attention-grabbing cues say, “Hey, listen up—this matters.”

Putting It All Together

Let’s walk through an example to see how all four tools—transitions, previews, summaries, and signposts—might show up in a single speech:

When a speech flows well, it feels good to listen to. And when your audience can follow your ideas, they’re far more likely to remember—and act on—what you say.