Another way to make it easier for your audience to follow and absorb your speech is to clarify what the important parts are. As you learned in Chapter 13, one of the best means to achieve this is by using a preview device and a concluding summary. The preview device tells the audience what you are going to cover (“First, I will discuss X, second, Y, and third, Z”). A concluding summary reviews what the audience heard during the speech (“Today, I talked about X, then showed you Y, and, finally, discussed Z”).

Careful and deliberate use of phrases like “The key issue here is . . .” and “I have three main points regarding this piece of legislation” can also signal to your audience that you’re about to say something important. In some cases, you might actually highlight what is important by saying so, even telling the audience directly when you’re discussing something you want them to remember. This not only supports the organization of your speech but also gives people useful tools for organizing the information as they listen. It’s important to make certain, however, that you don’t contradict yourself. If you say, “I have one key point to make,” and you then list four points of equal importance, you will likely confuse (and annoy) your audience.