Chapter 21 Create mental images in clearly familiar language

Image, image, image!They are as free as the air you breathe!Embellish your speech with them and your conversation will be more interesting and impactful. As an example, suppose you want to show that Niagara Falls wastes a staggering amount of potential energy every day.If you just say this, and then add this: If these energies could be used, and the proceeds used to buy the necessities of life, many people would be fed and clothed.Is this narrative method interesting?Definitely not fun.But let's see what Edward Slosson reported about it in the Daily Science Bulletin: “We know that there are millions of poor people in the United States who are underfed and underclothed. Yet we waste an average of 250,000 loaves of bread an hour. We can picture in our minds that here in Niagara Falls, 600,000 fresh eggs are dropped from a cliff to make a giant omelet in a whirlpool. If calico is constantly being woven from a loom as wide as the Niagara River 4,000 feet wide, that means , the same amount of fabric is wasted. If the Carnegie Library were placed under a waterfall, the entire library could be filled with all kinds of good books in about an hour or two. Or we can also imagine that a large The department store floats down Lake Erie every day to wash its wares 160 feet down onto the rocks. It would be an extremely interesting and spectacular spectacle, as attractive as Niagara Falls is at present, and it doesn't have to be Then spend money to maintain it. Yet some may object on the grounds of waste, just as some currently object to harnessing the energy of a waterfall."

Obviously, this kind of description is much better than the flat straightforward statement above.Let's see what vivid words and sentences are there like pictures?They jumped out and ran away in every sentence, as many as hares on the Australian prairie: "250,000 loaves of bread, 600,000 fresh eggs rolled off the cliff, big egg rolls in the swirl, calico Running from a loom 4,000 feet wide, the Carnegie Library being placed under a fountain, books, a floating department store being washed down... the rocks below, the waterfall..." To ignore such a speech or article is probably as difficult as not to pay any attention to a film that is being shown on the screen in a movie theater.

Let's take a look at an award-winning speech that follows the principles we mentioned above.This speech was given several years ago at the National Association of Realtors.The speech was awarded first place in a competition of 27 speeches from other municipalities - an award that would be awarded even today.The speech is perfectly structured, presents facts, and is clearly, vividly, and interestingly narrated.The entire speech is spiritual, inspiring, and well worth reading and studying.Please see: "Chairman, dear friends: “It was 144 years ago that this great nation—the United States of America—was born in Philadelphia, where I live. So it was only natural that a city with such a record should have that strong American spirit: not only making it the greatest industrial center of the country, and at the same time the greatest and most beautiful city in the world.

"Philadelphia has a population of nearly 2 million people, an area equal to Milwaukee and Boston, or Paris and Berlin combined. And in our city's 130 square miles, we offer nearly 800 acres of optimal land for beautiful parks , squares, and boulevards, so that our citizens have proper places for leisure and entertainment, and a normal environment that belongs to every legitimate American citizen. "My friends! Philadelphia is not only a great, clean and beautiful city, but it is also known as the 'Factory of the World. factories and enterprises, and produce products worth $100,000 in every 10 minutes of every working day. According to a famous statistician, no city in the United States can produce as much wood as Philadelphia goods, leather goods, knitwear, textiles, felt hats, hardware, tools, batteries, steel boats, and other items. We produce a locomotive every two hours, day or night. In this country, more than half population rides on streetcars made in Philadelphia. We make 1,000 cigars a minute. And, the year before, our 115 hosiery factories made two pairs of socks for every man, woman, and child in our country We produce more carpets than the United Kingdom and Ireland combined. In fact, the amount of our business transactions is too large. The total transaction amount of our bank last year reached 37 billion US dollars, which can pay All war bonds issued by Great Britain during the First World War.

"But, friends, as proud as we are of our great industrial progress, as proud as we are of being the greatest center of medicine, art, and education in this country, we are even more proud of the fact that Philadelphia has more private homes than any other metropolis in the world. In Philadelphia alone, we have 397,000 private homes. If you put these homes on a 25-foot-wide lot, one next to another, the In a single row, we can travel all the way from Philadelphia to the Kansas City Convention Hall where we are now, and then continue to Denver, a total of 1,881 miles. "Philadelphia is not a fertile ground for a European monarchy. For our family, our system of education, and our vast industrial system are born of the true American spirit that was born in our city, and is the legacy of our forefathers .Philadelphia is the mother city of this great nation and the foundation of American freedom. The first American flag was made in this city; the first American Congress met in this city; the Declaration of Independence was written in this city signed by the city in which America's most beloved national treasure, the Liberty Bell, has inspired tens of thousands of our fellow men, women and children. We are therefore convinced that we have a sacred mission: not to worship the bull, but to To spread the American spirit, and keep the fire of liberty burning. Thus, by the grace of God, the administrations of Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt shall be revelations to mankind."

Let's analyze this speech.Let's see how it's structured and how it brings out the power of the speech.First, it has a beginning and an end.It's rare—more rare than you might imagine.It starts somewhere, and it flies straight to that spot like a wild goose.It doesn't idle around, and it doesn't waste time. This speech is fresh and personal.The speaker begins by stating a feature of his city that no other speaker could have said of theirs.His city, he noted, was the birthplace of an entire nation. He said his city was the largest and most beautiful city in the world.But this kind of statement is very common and old-fashioned, and it will not make a deep impression just by saying it.The speaker knew this, and to give his audience a concrete idea of ​​the size of Philadelphia, he said, "Philadelphia is the size of Milwaukee and Boston, or Paris and Berlin combined." It was specific, clear, interesting, and Surprising.This statement works far better than a page of statistics.

He went on to declare that Philadelphia was "the factory of the world known to all."Sounds a little bragging, doesn't it?And it's more like propaganda.If he had talked about the next issue right away, no one would have believed him, but he didn't.He cites the products in which Philadelphia leads the world: "Woodwork, leatherwork, knitwear, textiles, felt hats, hardware, tools, batteries, iron-hulled boats..." In this way, it doesn't look like propaganda, does it? Philadelphia "produces a train locomotive every two hours, day or night ... over half the population rides on Philadelphia-made trolleys."

Hearing this, we must have thought, "Oh, I never knew that, maybe I was on one of these trams when I went into town yesterday. I'll have to watch out tomorrow, the trams in our town Where did you buy it from?" "Producing 1,000 cigars a minute...making two pairs of socks for every man, woman, and child in the country." We were even more impressed: "Perhaps my favorite cigar is from Philadelphia...and, these socks I'm wearing right now..." What's the next step for the speaker?Going back to what he said about the size of Philadelphia in the first place, and telling us some facts that he forgot at the time?No, it is not.He focuses on a problem, and after talking about it, there is no need to go back and talk about it.For this, I greatly appreciate it.What could be more confusing and bewildering than a speaker who jumps from one question to another and then comes back to it again like a bat flying through the night? ?However, there are many speakers who do this, and instead of talking about issues in the order of one, two, three, four, five, they talk about issues like a football team call signal: 27, 34, 19, 2.No, they are worse than this.The order in which they talked about the issues was this - 27, 34, 27, 19, 2, 34, 19.

But this speaker went straight ahead at the appointed time, never loitering, never turning back, never turning, nor turning left or right, like those locomotives he himself mentioned. But he now brings up the weakest point in the entire speech: He declares that Philadelphia is "the greatest center of medicine, arts, and education in this country." He just declares that, and then rushes on to something else Come—just a short sentence, trying to describe the facts, thinking that it is a vivid description, and deeply rooted in people's memory, this is impossible.Of course it can't be done!The human mind is not a tape.He spends so little time on this one question, and speaks so generally, so vaguely, that he seems to have little impression on himself, and has almost zero influence on his listeners.So what should he do?He knew that he could apply the same technique he had just used to explain that Philadelphia was the factory of the world.But he also knew that someone with a stopwatch was counting the time he spent during the speech contest.He only has 5 minutes, not much more than 1 second.Therefore, he must ignore this point, or ignore other points.

"Philadelphia has far more private residences than any other metropolis in the world." How does he deepen people's impression of this sentence and increase its credibility?First, he cited numbers: 397,000.Second, he made the figure concrete: "If these dwellings were placed on a twenty-five-foot lot, one next to the other, in a single row, they would go all the way from Philadelphia to where we are now." Kansas City Convention Hall, and then continue to Denver for a total of 1,881 miles.” Perhaps he has not finished his sentence, the audience has forgotten the figures he cited.But it's almost impossible to forget what he's describing.

Cold data and facts are important, but eloquence cannot be brought out of them.The speaker is trying to create a climax that will move the hearts of the listeners and arouse their senses.So now when it comes to family issues, he uses emotional materials to deal with them.He praised Philadelphia as "the cornerstone of American liberty."free!It is a magical phrase, an emotional phrase, for which millions of people have sacrificed their lives.The sentence was good on its own, but he made it a thousand times better.Because he cites historical events and documents to support his statement, it is very dear and sacred to his audience: "In this city the first American flag was made; the first Congress of the United States In this city was met; in this city the Declaration of Independence was signed...the Liberty Bell...a sacred mission...to spread the spirit of America, to keep the fire of liberty burning, so, by the grace of God Next, the administrations of Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt will be revelations to mankind." What a climax! The layout of this speech has many merits.But what is most admirable is that, from the point of view of its structure, if this speech had been delivered with a calmness that lacked energy and vitality, it might fail and be worthless.But the speaker delivered it with the same sincerity of emotion and enthusiasm as it was written.No wonder this speech won the first prize of the "Chicago Cup".