CONNECTIVES
•connective: a word or phrase that connects the ideas of a speech and indicates the relationship
between them
•Without connectives, a speech is disjointed and difficult to understand.
•Four kinds of connectives: transitions, internal previews, internal summaries, and signposts.

Transitions
•Transitions enable the flow of a speech.
•A speech without transitions often seems choppy, and can even seem unorganized.
•Many tools for transitions allow a speaker to reiterate the central ideas they are trying to
express.

Transitions
•a word or phrase that indicates when a speaker has finished one thought and is moving on to
another
•Briefly state the previous idea and the idea you are moving on to.
•Example: Now that we have a clear understanding of the problem, let me share the solution with
you.

Transitional Phrases
•Transitional phrases signal the conclusion, or perhaps addition to, an idea.
•Examples of these transitions include "also," "as well as," "in addition to," "for example,"
"which raises another interesting point," "the next point I would like to make," "perhaps you are
not yet convinced," etc.
•The use of transitional phrases marks a real difference from much written material--orally
delivered speeches often have more of these transitional phrases.
•

Internal Previews
•Internal previews are more detailed than simple transitional phrases, but serve a similar
function.
•While the preview in the introduction discloses to the audience the general points to be made in
the speech, the internal preview outlines the critical points to be made within the body of the
speech.
•Internal previews cue the audience to listen for the key elements within major points.
•Examples of internal previews include statements like "there are a couple of points I would like
to make here," "there is both a problem and a solution to propose," or "there are several items to
note in this section."
•Each of these statements might be followed by more detailed, though brief, explanations of what is
to come in the speech.
•

Internal Previews
•a statement in the body of the speech that lets the audience know what the speaker is going to
discuss next
•Use internal previews when they will help speakers keep track of ideas
•Example: In discussing how Asian Americans have been stereotyped in the mass media, we will look
first at the origins of the problem and second at its continuing impact today.
•

Internal Summaries
•Internal summaries, in contrast to internal previews, review the key points a speaker just made.
•These regular summaries help the audience to remember the key points just articulated by the
speaker.
•Examples of internal summaries include statements like "I have reviewed...," "Now that I have
talked about a couple of the key points," or "to summarize briefly what was just discussed..."
•Each of these statements would be followed by more specific but still brief summaries.
•Internal summaries reinforce the key issues in the speech.
•

Internal Summaries
•
•a statement in the body of the speech that summarizes the speaker’s preceding point or points
•Use internal summaries when you’ve just finished a complex or significant main point or set of
main points

Internal Summaries
•Example:
•[Internal Summary] Let’s pause for a moment to summarize what we have found so far. First, we have
seen that  America’s criminal justice system is less effective than it should be in deterring
crime. Second, we have seen that prison programs to rehabilitate prisoners have been far from
successful. [Transition] We are now ready to explore solutions to these problems.
•

Signposts
•Signposts are often the numerical indications of the main body points. •Many speakers utilize
"first, second, third" type numbering to indicate where they are in their speech. •Signposts allow
an audience to remember the key points and follow along in the speech. •They serve to clearly
distinguish main body points from each other and also from the introduction and conclusion.
•

Signposts
•signpost: a very brief statement that indicates where a speaker is in the speech or that focuses
attention on key ideas
•Used to help your speaker stay oriented and keep track of the points you have presented.
•

Signposts
•Example:
•The first cause of this problem is inefficient agricultural production.
•The second cause is recurrent drought in the affected countries.
•The final cause is mismanagement of available food resources by local leaders.
•

Signposts
•Example:
•So just how serious is the problem of mail-order fraud? Is it just a few isolated cases, or is it
widespread enough to require serious measures to protect consumers?
•
•So how can we solve this problem? Is there a way to protect the rights of legitimate mail-order
companies while attacking the fraudulent ones?
•