Using idioms in public speaking
It is delivery that makes the orator's success
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
It is said
that a picture is worth thousand words and an experience is worth thousand
pictures! Good speakers create a mental picture in the minds of the listener so
that their speech is remembered vividly. Metaphors and similes create a mental
picture. Idioms are yet another way to make your speech interesting and
figurative. Idiom is a manner of speaking that is natural to a native speakers
of a language.
As I said
earlier, we have to read lot of short stories and novels in the language in
which we want to be an expert public speaker to understand and use idioms
appropriately. I give below some popular idioms and their meanings.
- Clear as bell: to
understand clearly
- Get up on the wrong
side of the bed: to start the day on a less happy
note
- Bone of contention: a
topic which contains a dispute for discussion amongst the parties
- Blessing in disguise: something
good which is not recognised in the first instance
- Doubting Thomas: a
sceptic person who needs a tangible evidence to believe
- Against the clock: a
hectic dash or running against time
Next time when
you have to give a speech try to use idioms appropriately.
N C Sridharan
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