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An analogy is a comparison based on similarities between two phenomena, one that’s familiar to the audience and one that is less familiar. Analogies can be literal, meaning that two entities in the same category are compared. For example, a speaker might compare the careers of Diana Ross (lead singer of The Supremes in the sixties and a solo star in the seventies) and Beyoncé, or the German policy on wind energy to a similar policy in the United States. Analogies can also be figurative, which means that the two entities are not in the same category, but the characteristics of one (which is familiar to the audience) can help the audience understand the characteristics of another (which is unfamiliar). This type of comparison helps listeners use their existing knowledge to absorb new information.¹⁹

Here’s how Dean Lee, a physicist from North Carolina State University, used an analogy during a talk at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. He was discussing recent research at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, which provided evidence of the existence of the Higgs field (and Higgs boson, often referred to as the “God particle” in the media). Dr. Lee explained what this field does in the paraphrased text that follows:

The Higgs field gives mass to other particles. Without the Higgs field, an electron would have no mass. Think of a celebrity as an electron with no mass. He or she walks through a crowded room and is suddenly surrounded by fans who want his or her autograph. The celebrity has effectively formed a crowd with a lot of mass. That is sort of what the Higgs field is doing. It surrounds particles and gives them mass.²⁰

When you are preparing a speech, one effective approach is to provide analogies that draw on concepts you’ve heard in your classmates’ speeches. That way, you’ll know that your audience members will understand the concepts you’re using, and you’ll demonstrate goodwill to show that you have learned from your classmates’ presentations. Additional good sources of analogies are familiar sights and traditions on your campus, or aspects of college life that your listeners can all relate to.