🗣️ RHETORIC, INFLUENCE & PUBLIC SPEAKING – signposting verbs, oratory and the grand finale (C1)
Level C1 (Advanced – Public Speaking and Grand Finale)🗣️ C1 FINAL PUBLIC SPEAKING CHALLENGE
STEP 1 DI 10
📌 Lesson Contents (C1 – Grand Finale)
🧭 Signposting Verbs: Guiding the listener
In a public speech or a C1-level presentation, you can’t just jump from one topic to the next. You need signposting verbs to show the direction:
- Introducing a point: “By way of introduction, let me outline…”
- Changing topic: “Turning now to the second issue…” / “Moving on to…”
- Going into more detail: “I’d like to elaborate on this point…”
- Ending a section: “To sum up…” / “This brings me to the end of…”
🔗 Advanced Discourse Markers
To link complex ideas with rhetorical elegance and avoid the dull *”however”* or *”furthermore”*:
| Rhetorical Function | Advanced C1 Marker ✅ |
|---|---|
| Despite this / Granting that | “Be that as it may, we must proceed.” |
| As a result / Therefore | “Consequently, our strategy shifted.” |
| On the contrary / Vice versa | “Conversely, traditional methods failed.” |
⚡ Rhetorical Devices to persuade
- The Rule of Three (Triads): The human mind remembers ideas in threes (e.g. *”We must plan, execute, and deliver”*).
- Anaphora: Repeating a word at the start of consecutive sentences for dramatic emphasis (e.g. *”We choose hope over fear. We choose unity over division”*).
- Rhetorical Questions: Questions that don’t need an answer but grab attention (e.g. *”Can we truly afford to wait?”*).