Examples of sight words
What Are Sight Words? Get the Definition Plus Teaching Resources
When you’re a new teacher, the number of buzzwords that you have to master seems overwhelming at times. You’ve probably heard about many concepts, but you may not be entirely sure what they are or how to use them in your classroom. For example, new teacher Katy B. asks, “This seems like a really basic question, but what are sight words, and where do I find them?” No worries, Katy. We have you covered!
What’s the difference between sight words and high-frequency words?
Oftentimes we use the terms sight words and high-frequency words interchangeably. Opinions differ, but our research shows that there is a difference. High-frequency words are words that are most commonly found in written language. Although some fit standard phonetic patterns, some do not. Sight words are a subset of high-frequency words that do not fit standard phonetic patterns and are therefore not easily decoded.
We use both types of words consistently in spoken and written language, and they also appear in books, including textbooks, and stories. Once students learn to quickly recognize these words, reading comes more easily.
What are sight words and how can I teach my students to memorize them?
Sight words are words like come, does, or who that do not follow the rules of spelling or the six types of syllables. Decoding these words can be very difficult for young learners. The common practice has been to teach students to memorize these words as a whole, by sight, so that they can recognize them immediately (within three seconds) and read them without having to use decoding skills.
Can I teach sight words using the science of reading?
On the other hand, recent findings based on the science of reading suggests we can use strategies beyond rote memorization. According to the the science of reading, it is possible to sound out many sight words because they have recognizable patterns. Literacy specialist Susan Jones, a proponent of using the science of reading to teach sight words, recommends a method called phoneme-grapheme mapping where students first map out the sounds they hear in a word and then add graphemes (letters) they hear for each sound.
How else can I teach sight words?
There are many fun and engaging ways to teach sight words. Dozens of books on the subject have been published, including the much-revered Comprehensive Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Guide by Fountas & Pinnell. Also, resources like games, manipulatives, and flash cards are readily available online and in stores. To help get you started, check out these Creative and Simple Sight Word Activities for the Classroom. Also, check out Susan Jones Teaching for three science-of-reading-based ideas and more.
Where do I find sight word lists?
Two of the most popular sources are the Dolch High Frequency Words list and the Fry High Frequency Words list.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Dr. Edward Dolch developed his word list, used for pre-K through third grade, by studying the most frequently occurring words in the children’s books of that era. The list has 200 “service words” and also 95 high-frequency nouns. The Dolch word list comprises 80 percent of the words you would find in a typical children’s book and 50 percent of the words found in writing for adults.
Dr. Edward Fry developed an expanded word list for grades 1–10 in the 1950s (updated in 1980), based on the most common words that appear in reading materials used in grades 3–9. The Fry list contains the most common 1,000 words in the English language. The Fry words include 90 percent of the words found in a typical book, newspaper, or website.
Looking for more sight word activities? Check out 20 Fun Phonics Activities and Games for Early Readers.
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Examples of Sight Words for Kindergarten
Learning sight words is a necessary component in a child’s reading development. It helps them build their vocabulary and pronunciation, refine their writing skills, improve their confidence in reading comprehension, and become better communicators. That is why by the time they are in kindergarten, children should recognize sight words. But, how do you do that? In this article, I’ll give you examples of sight words for Kindergarteners and strategies to teach these words.
Examples of Sight Words for Kindergarten
There are 52 sight words for kindergarten. They are:
- all
- am
- are
- at
- ate
- be
- black
- brown
- but
- came
- did
- do
- eat
- four
- get
- good
- have
- he
- into
- like
- must
- new
- no
- now
- on
- our
- out
- please
- pretty
- ran
- ride
- saw
- say
- she
- so
- soon
- that
- there
- they
- this
- too
- under
- want
- was
- well
- went
- what
- white
- who
- will
- with
- yes
Strategies to Teach Sight Words to Kindergarten
There are many strategies to teach sight words in kindergarten. Here are some methods I tried as a teacher that work well:
Teach Sight Words by Batch and by Category
It’s too much for a kindergarten student to memorize 52 sight words.
Hence, it is easier and more effective to organize the words by category and teach them by batch. Your school may have a list of categories, so you should follow that. If these categories don’t work, try categorizing the sight words based on their frequency and length. Furthermore, teach these words by a batch of not more than three.
List 1
he, was, that, she, on, they, but, at, with, all
List 2
here, out, be, have, am, do, did, what, so, get, like
List 3
this, will, yes, went, are, now, no, came, ride, into
List 4
good, want, too, pretty, four, saw, well, ran, brown, eat, who
List 5
new, must, black, white, soon, our, ate, say, under, please
Examples of Sight Words for Kindergarten Organized by LengthList 1
am, at, be, do, on, no, he, so
List 2
All, are, ate, but, did, eat, get, new, now, our, out, ran, saw, say, she, too, who, yes
List 3
Came, four, have, into, like, must, ride, soon, that, they, this, want, will, went, what
List 4
Black, brown, please, pretty, there, under, white
Let Kindergarteners Use Their Hands to Learn Sight Words
Develop your child’s kinesthetic learning skills by letting him learn sight words using his hands and motor skills.
This learning style stimulates the child’s brain and helps in absorbing information better. Below are some examples of hands-on activities you can use to teach sight words to your kindergartener. Just a tip though; before starting the activity, explicitly explain the mechanics or make a trial to show them how to do it.
Sight Words Castle
This hands-on activity to learn sight words uses sand and sandcastle molds. The mechanics are simple:
- Let your child make a sandcastle.
- In the sandcastle, write one sight word and let the child read and memorize it. Once he can recognize the sight word for three consecutive rows, he can destroy the sandcastle and make a new one.
- Repeat with a new sight word.
Play-Doh Sight Words
Another hands-on activity you can use to teach sight words to your kindergarten child is the Play-Doh Sight Words. To do it:
- On a piece of paper, write down some sight words and read them aloud to your child.
- Let the child make the exact words using play-doh.
- Once finished with one word, allow your child to read it repeatedly.
- Then let the child point to the exact words he made using play-doh from the ones written down on paper.
Watercolor Mystery Sight Words
Watercolor mystery sight words is another hands-on and fun activity that will help your kindergartener learn sight words. For this activity, you need some clean pieces of paper, a white crayon, and some watercolor. Start by writing a sight word using the white crayon on a clean piece of paper. Then ask the child to find the mystery sight word by painting the paper using watercolor. The mystery sight word will show up once they finish painting the whole paper.
Give Children Repeated Exposure
Children will learn to recognize sight words better if they have more exposure to these words. Therefore, even when they have already learned the words during activities, you still need to give them exposure to these words.
By doing this, they will not easily forget the words they have already learned. One great way to do this is to use our Advanced Nouns Flashcards which contain 150 sight words that are perfect for Kindergarteners.
Learning these examples of sight words for kindergarten is important for your child’s development. Yet, it’s also important that they have fun. Thus, incorporate play into their learning.
References:
Sight Word Reading Strategies for Learning Disabilities
Kindergarten Is Crazy (Fun): 10 Ways to Teach Sight Words for Literacy Station and Guided Reading Group Activities
Kindergarten reading under the Common Core Standards (greatschools.org)
Literacy Strategy: How to Teach Sight Words | Understood – For learning and thinking differences
Introductory words in Russian - table, types and examples
What are introductory words
Let's start, as always, with a definition - let's figure out what words are called introductory and why they are needed.
Schoolchildren face them starting from the 5th grade, although they study in detail only in the 8th grade. This is not a difficult topic if you have a good visual memory - there are very few rules regarding introductory words in Russian, and you just have to remember some things.
| Introductory words are sentence units that do not carry a separate semantic load, but enhance the speaker's emotional assessment, confidence or doubt. They can also indicate the sequence of events, attract attention, etc. |
There are several types of introductory words, but they all have the following features:
- are distinguished in the text by commas, brackets or dashes;
- do not have grammatical connections with other members of the sentence;
- can be omitted from the text without loss of meaning.
Important!
Introductory words are not part of the sentence. They should be distinguished from exactly the same words that act as circumstances, definitions or additions. The difference is that the introductory construction cannot be questioned.
Let's consider an example:
- Sasha did come, though , he was half an hour late.
- Sasha confirmed that everything written is pure true .
So, we have the word "truth", which in the first sentence acts as an introductory one, since it cannot be questioned. In the second sentence, it is also a predicate. We can pose the question: “what is written is what?”.
- I, right , will not get home soon.
- The whole class is correct solved this problem.
As you can see, in the second sentence, you can put the question “how?” to “correctly”. Therefore, this word is not introductory.
The same rules apply to compound introductory words. They, too, can disguise themselves as different members of a sentence, and it is important to learn to recognize them.
Compare:
- He woke up every morning with joyful anticipation, in one word , he was happy. - With a single word you cannot convince anyone, actions are needed.
- Sea air and plenty of sun, without any doubt help to quickly recover from illness. - Misha dreamed of the sky since childhood, and therefore , without any doubt, chose the flight school.
Another way to distinguish introductory words is to remove them altogether and see if the sentence loses its meaning.
Let's try to do this on one of our examples:
- Sasha did come, however, he was half an hour late.
- Sasha confirmed that everything written is true.
It is clear that in the first case the meaning remained the same, but in the second it was lost. This confirms that in the first sentence we are dealing with an introductory word.
Demo lesson in Russian
Take the test at the introductory lesson and find out what topics separate you from the "five" in Russian.
Signs of introductory words: table for grade 5
Grammatically, introductory words can be any part of speech and even a short sentence:
- noun - no doubt, true ;
- adjective - at least, is to blame;
- verb - I hope, I suppose ;
- adverb - undoubtedly, certainly ;
- gerund - frankly ;
- phrase - if you want to know, according to experts ;
- impersonal sentence - seemed to me, as I see it .
Examples of the use of introductory words:
- Pacific Ocean, no doubt , the largest on the planet.
- Frankly speaking , I could not convince him that I was right, and I did not try.
- This role, as I see it , will be best played by Masha.
- — Will you be expected by eight in the morning?
- Of course !
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Classes of introductory words by value
As we have already said, introductory words can perform a variety of functions in oral and written speech.
Some of them emphasize the position of the speaker - his confidence, surprise, regret, etc. Others point to the next action or event, the logic of the story or the source of information. The third ones are only needed to attract attention. Let's figure out what the introductory words of different types mean, and at the end we will summarize using a table with examples.
Various degrees of certainty, assumption and assumption
This is the most common category of introductory words that we refer to on a daily basis. The main function of this category is to emphasize confidence or uncertainty in any information, so it is very important.
Examples: certainly, certainly, of course, of course, suppose, probably, perhaps, maybe .
If such an introductory word is removed, the sentence will not lose its meaning, but its meaning will still become slightly different.
Compare:
- Maybe I'll call on you tonight.
- I will visit you tonight.
In the first case, uncertainty remains, while in the second, the proposal sounds positive.
If we talk about introductory words that express confidence, this difference is less noticeable. With them, the statement becomes more categorical, but does not acquire other shades of meaning.
- The task will be difficult, but you, of course , can do it!
- Certainly is the shortest road to the city center.
- This deal, no doubt , launched his successful career.
Do not confuse with members of the sentence:
I believed his words (how?) definitely and without the slightest doubt.
Next, we will consider how the introductory words are indicated, but for now we remind you: if you can put a question to the word, it is a member of the sentence and is not separated by commas.
Emotions, feelings and assessment of what is happening
Using this category of introductory words, the speaker expresses his attitude to events, gives an assessment. Such words can denote joy, delight, grief, horror, a sense of shame, fear, etc.
Examples: to everyone's joy, to horror, to my delight, unfortunately, unfortunately, the hour is uneven, that's it.
They are characteristic of direct speech, as they reflect the emotions and feelings of the speaker.
- Sorry, , I will not be able to personally meet you at the station.
- Time, surprisingly , flew by very quickly - I did not have time to get bored.
In fiction, these same introductory words can also be used to tell about the feelings of the hero or his attitude to events.
- Katya, to her shame , did not know the meaning of this word and did not understand what it was about.
- The artist went for an encore and, to the delight of the audience sang all the hits.
Do not confuse with members of the sentence:
(What for?) The delight of the audience was mixed with a share of disappointment that the favorite hit was never heard.
Ordinary, ordinariness of what is happening
Quite a small category of introductory words, in which the majority are colloquial expressions. They not only allow you to point out the ordinary nature of events, but also enliven the text, give it color.
Examples: happened, as usual, happened, as a rule, as usual, as usual, as always .
- Grandfather Semyon opened the gate and, according to the old custom , leaned towards the shaggy Beetle.
- After a walk in the park, we, as usual , went for a cup of tea in a cafe.
Do not confuse with members of the proposal:
Not accepting the church reform, the community continued to live (how?) old custom .
Introductory words indicating the source of the message
The main task of introductory words of this type is to indicate authorship, refer to the source of information or give the statement some kind of authority. They are typical for news reports, reviews, articles in the media and are part of the journalistic style, although they are used not only within its framework.
Examples: according to experts, according to scientists, according to the prime minister, according to a correspondent, in my opinion .
- About 97% of all water on our planet, according to scientists , is contained in the oceans.
- According to Deputy Prime Minister , economic growth will continue next year.
In addition, such introductory words help convey direct speech without resorting to exact quotation.
- Ivan Ivanovich said: "Our plant overfulfilled the plan by 5% last quarter."
- According to Ivan Ivanovich , the plant overfulfilled the plan in the last quarter by 5%.
Do not confuse with members of the proposal:
Do not draw far-reaching conclusions (for what?) according to experts , the situation may still change.
Connection of thoughts and sequence of presentation
This kind of introductory words indicates the internal logic of the sentence, sequence or any other connection between events. It is especially often used in textbooks and scientific materials, since it makes it possible to streamline the text, build a causal chain.
Examples: therefore, firstly, secondly, accordingly, therefore, on the one hand, first of all, in addition, finally .
- These triangles have a common hypotenuse, hence , they are equal.
- On the one hand, Dasha liked living in France, but on the other hand, she still missed home.
Do not confuse with members of the sentence:
The sheet of paper was painted only (where?) on one side and the other side remained blank.
Notes on the style of speech, way of expressing thought
Introductory words from this category are usually used to point out the features of the presentation or to reformulate the thought. Like the previous view, sometimes they can precede a certain conclusion, but do not directly indicate the connection of events, but rather help express the same idea through other facts or in a different style.
Examples: in other words, to put it mildly, to put it more precisely, if I may say so, in short, in a word.
- The children started to get bored and look at their phones, in other words , the movie was not very interesting.
- This, if I may say , is not jasper at all - the stone heats up too quickly in the hands.
Do not confuse with members of the sentence:
(What?) In other words, can be wounded no worse than with a dagger.
Introductory words that attract the interlocutor's attention
Marker words with which you can draw the listener's attention to one or another part of the statement, emphasize the main idea. Very often they are at the beginning of a sentence, but they can also occur in the middle, but at the end they are extremely rare.
Examples: listen, imagine, emphasize, believe it, see, notice what is essential, what is even more important .
- Note , no one left the classroom, although the teacher was already half an hour late.
- At this meeting, we were able to sum up the results and, which is significant , outline a plan for the next year.
Do not confuse with members of the proposal:
Marina always collected her briefcase in the evening, which (how?) significantly saved her time in the morning.
Of course, it is almost impossible to list all the introductory words that are, but we have compiled a short cheat sheet - a table with examples of sentences.
| Value | Introductory words | Examples |
| Degree of certainty, assumptions, assumptions | Undoubtedly, unequivocally, it may happen, of course, of course, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps, etc. | Possibly , our department will join this project next month. Katya, of course , the best student in the class. |
| Emotions, feelings and assessment of what is happening | Fortunately, to my surprise, to my shame, unfortunately, the hour is uneven, to joy, unfortunately, God forbid, thank the gods, etc. | The weather has deteriorated and, the hour is uneven , it will also rain in our city. Masha quickly found an error in the problem and, fortunately , managed to correct it. |
| Information source designation | According to scientists, according to the press, they say, according to experts, in my opinion, in your opinion, etc. | This summer, they say there will be many berries in the forest. According to scientists , green tea has a positive effect on the nervous system. |
| Indicating the sequence of events or thoughts | Firstly, therefore, therefore, on the contrary, finally, in particular, in the first place, thus, etc. | Katya dreamed of a trip, and Dasha, opposite , would like to stay at home. Winter will be harsh, therefore , you need to think about warming the house. |
| Drawing attention to all or part of a proposal | Do you understand, do you know, look, listen, confess, if you want to know, do me a favor, etc. | Listen to , if he did it, then he had a good reason. We waited for him all evening, and he, you see , simply forgot about the meeting. |
| Indication of the commonness of an event or subject of conversation | It happened, usually, it happened, as always, as a rule, as usual, etc. | I came to work, as usual , at eight in the morning. It used to be , Ivan was late for the last bus and walked. |
| Remarks on the style and nature of speech, the way of expressing thoughts | To put it mildly, to put it bluntly, in a word, to put it bluntly, in other words, to say more precisely what is called, etc. | Your act, to put it mildly , looks tactless and offends those around you. We live in a village near Tula, or rather , in the suburbs. |
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Punctuation marks for introductory words
All introductory words in Russian are distinguished by punctuation marks, which is clearly seen in the examples from our table.
In this they differ from the same words that act as members of a sentence and answer a certain question. In addition to the question, there is another way to understand whether it is necessary to put commas or other punctuation marks - try to move the word (phrase) to another part of the sentence.
- As a rule Ivan eats oatmeal for breakfast.
- Ivan, usually , eats oatmeal for breakfast.
- Ivan eats oatmeal for breakfast, usually .
The meaning of the statement has not changed, the construction looks good in any part of the sentence. This means that these are introductory words and they are separated by commas.
Surprisingly, usually can be so confusing and difficult to understand.
In this case, the phrase "usually" has a strong syntactic relationship with other words in the sentence, it cannot be moved without losing its meaning.
So it is not introductory. We can check this assumption by analyzing it by composition, and we will find out that the "rule" here is the subject.
Important!
If in a compound sentence with the union “and” both parts of it are preceded by one inserted word, a comma is not required between these parts.
- Apparently it's , the lesson hasn't started yet and the children were still making noise outside the door.
- Luckily, , the rain had already stopped and I didn't get wet at all on the way home.
- Yesterday I saw this document, hence , it was lying on the table and Nikolai could not pick it up.
How else is an introductory word distinguished in a sentence, apart from commas? Sometimes you can put a dash in front of it, but this refers more to the author's punctuation, which is needed to create a special rhythm of the text or convey intonation.
- I realized that I forgot my passport and I was very scared - the hour is uneven , I will have to turn back.
- Sergey was annoyed - you see , he expected to get a promotion this month.
Introductory words and insertive constructions
| Insertive constructions and insertive sentences differ from introductory words in that they are an autonomous part of a sentence and contain a complete thought. They can act as incidental remarks, indications, author's explanations in relation to the main sentence, and sometimes even have a weak syntactic connection with it. |
To make it clearer how the introductory words and plug-in constructions differ, we have compiled a small table.
| Introductory words | Inserts |
| July, they say will be warm and sunny. | July, I think will be warm and sunny. |
| Alexey, of course already knew how to properly saddle a horse. | Aleksey, we were confident in this , he already knew how to properly saddle a horse. |
| The ring lay in a conspicuous place and, certainly , attracted attention. | The ring lay in a conspicuous place, and - as the reader has already guessed - attracted attention. |
It is easy to see that insert constructions, unlike introductory words, have their own subject and predicate.
Very often they can be issued as a separate proposal.
Short insertions may be separated by commas, while longer ones are often separated by parentheses or dashes. However, it depends not so much on the length of the structure, but on the author's intention. Putting a dash or bracket instead of a comma in most cases will not be a mistake.
- Several guys - there were about a dozen - turned off the path to eat raspberries.
- An old tram rumbled along the street ( such trams have long been discontinued ) and slowly disappeared around the corner.
- Once — Kolya and Vitya remembered this day for a long time. — dad took the whole family fishing in the neighboring region.
Usually, when choosing between commas, brackets and dashes, they are guided by the following: if an interstitial construction has little or no syntactic links with the sentence, it is better to enclose it in brackets.
Sometimes an interstitial sentence ends with an exclamation mark or a question mark to enhance expression. In this case, it can be distinguished exclusively by brackets or a dash.
Last spring - it was a real miracle! - the old apple tree is suddenly covered with flowers again.
Important!
If the insertion ends with an exclamation point or a question mark, then the sentence must be continued with a lowercase letter.
Interestingly, introductory words can sometimes be distinguished in the same way. As a rule, this is found in fiction and is one of the ways to emphasize emotions, express the feelings of the author or character.
- Katya carefully entered the dark room and — oh horror! - I noticed how the curtain swayed slightly by itself.
- And soon ( wonderful thing! ) Petya fell in love with mathematics so much that he solved all the problems for the next quarter.
Here we are dealing with introductory words that could be separated by commas, but in order to enhance the emotional coloring of the text, they are presented in the form of interstitial sentences with an exclamation mark. They can equally well be separated by brackets or dashes.
So we have dealt with such an extensive topic as introductory words in Russian, and in order to consolidate knowledge, we recommend that you finally go over the tables and lists with your eyes.
how to win over the audience from the first words
Startup founders cannot avoid public speaking and presentations. As a rule, representatives of other companies also speak at them, and you need to really fight for the attention of the public. We publish an excerpt from the book “You are an orator” Alexander Yanykhbash , presentation trainer and IIDF expert, in which the author lists five main techniques for attracting the attention of the audience.
How to break the ice and win over the audience from the first words?
Even venerable speakers who regularly speak at conferences are sometimes "lucky" exactly the opposite. What if your presentation is the last one on the schedule before lunch and, say, the sixth in a row? How to make the audience “turn on” from the first words and listen to the end? Let's turn to techniques that no longer concern the preparation of content, but the very process of speaking and involving the public.
The most boring introduction
There is perhaps the most boring way to start a speech. Its “script” is simple and consists of the triad “Greeting + name + topic name”.
You just need to say:
“Hello (greeting). My name is (name). Today I will talk about (topic name). So let's start with…”
90% of speeches at conferences and forums begin with these phrases. But that doesn't work! A boring start doesn't “turn on” the attention of the audience, because it is like a lecture at a university (which is what people want the least).
It doesn't meet the needs of the audience. Things to do first:
This is how you answer their questions “Who is this speaker?” and “Expert/non-expert?”.
Next, remember the objectives of the speech: bring to the topic and motivate, showing the audience that the future will be relevant and important for them. So we will dispel their fear “will there be something useful?”. And finally, by using one of the following audience engagement techniques, you will show yourself not as a bore, but as an interesting speaker.
There is an expression in English: "Sitting on the edge of the chair". Literally, it translates as "to sit on the edge of a chair." This indicates a strong involvement and interest in what is happening. This is the ideal to strive for. Unfortunately, during most of the performances, you just want to lean back in your chair, take out your mobile phone and check your mail or Facebook.
Here are 5 attention grabbing techniques that I think are the most effective in terms of audience engagement and ease of use.
Question or series of questions
Let's start with one of the classic introductory tricks. It is equally good for large conferences and presentations in meeting rooms in front of several viewers.
What is the mechanism by which the reception works?
People reflexively respond to questions. Even if the speaker does not directly address anyone in the audience, each of the audience mentally "pronounces" a possible answer. In order not to create traps for yourself from scratch, use the “funnel principle”: first, general questions, then questions to someone from the audience.
Advice on hands-on questions: don't overdo it! Now every second speaker, going on stage, commands: “Raise your hands, those who ...” You should not ask more than two such questions in a row. Even better, change the form of the second question: instead of raising hands, ask to speak out loud, just push people to answer “yes” or “no”. Alternate the forms of questions and develop your thought further.
It is very important to understand what you want to lead after receiving answers. You must see your route in its entirety and plan your bridge phrase.
Myth or stereotype
Usually such a technique begins with the words: “There is an opinion that ...”, “There is a common stereotype ...”, “It is known that ...”, followed by the phrase: “Today we will find out once and for all Is this true or a myth?
The essence of the technique is as follows: we take some ambiguous fact or well-known event and question its plausibility. As a result, this fact will either have to be refuted and shown to be nothing more than a myth, or to confirm the conjectures and rumors that have arisen around it. The audience feels what we are getting at with the phrase “There is a common opinion that ... however”, and begins to search for the truth together with the speaker. All you have to do is take some famous event and play out the situation in the spirit of the MythBusters TV show.
And because people don't feel comfortable being "out of the loop," attention and interest in what you're about to say is guaranteed.
Here is an example of the beginning of a speech:
- Ladies and gentlemen, there is a common stereotype that girls with blond hair do not have high intellectual abilities . Yes, we have all heard jokes and jokes about blondes. However, today we will finally dot the i's and find out if this is true or a myth. So, I present to you the results of our new sensational study on the topic "Intellectual abilities and physiology: connections, diagnostics, prediction."
The effect of the reception is that we will either “reverse” the existing opinion by 180 degrees, or “cement” it with our discoveries, statistics and research data.
News or event
A very easy-to-use technique that allows you to jump to the main part, starting from an event. It is used in a situation where the speaker did not pick up a myth, a rare fact, or questions.
All you need to do is “hook” on some event that will serve as the starting point for your speech.
What events are suitable for this? For example, the news that everyone is hearing:
- We all know that two weeks ago the president signed resolution introducing new taxation rules for...
This may be a precedent that few people know - this is how we add intrigue:
- Three days ago at conference N, institute Y presented for the first time the results of the latest study, according to which ...
Further, of course, we need a "bridge" for the development of thought. In the first case, it might look like this:
- And this means that now the procedure for submitting documents is greatly simplified. However, is everything so transparent? What are the pitfalls in this process? I am going to talk to you about them today .
In the second version, the "bridge" will be the phrase:
- We will look at these results in a different context.
I'll tell you how you can...
The transition of the speaker from the news to the main part, in fact, consists of a generalization and announcement of the content of his speech.
Why does this trick work? Firstly, people love to get fresh news and keep up to date with the latest developments in some area, so your "opening of the last days" will attract their attention. Secondly, people like to discuss something known, and if the event also causes controversy, so much the better - this is an occasion for discussion.
Quote
A bright, relevant quote looks good at the beginning of motivational speeches. People love the apt word. It testifies to the vivacity of thinking and erudition of the speaker (even despite the fact that everyone understands that win-win statements are selected in advance on the Internet). The quote gives the audience the opportunity to think, look for meanings, compare with their own experience. Of course, the phrase should be clearly related to the topic of the presentation.
Agree, such a bunch of quotes and topics looks ridiculous:
"Coco Chanel once said, 'You don't get a second chance to make a first impression.' And we will talk about the problems of growing dicotyledonous plants in an oxygen-depleted environment.”
What do the agricultural industry and Coco Chanel have in common, and what does the first impression have to do with it?
There are also "blunders" with quotes when they are greatly misrepresented or attributed to the wrong person. So, the author of the above phrase on the slides in one presentation was not Coco Chanel ... but Donald Trump! Knowledgeable viewers immediately noticed a slip. Use quotes to the point and always check their accuracy!
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Stories
According to my observations, storytelling at the beginning of a speech is one of the most powerful techniques. Firstly, everyone loves stories, and this love has been instilled in us since childhood.
Secondly, they help to establish contact and inspire confidence from the audience. A skillful storyteller is immediately seen as “not a bore”, and this is important for the involvement of listeners. The hall loves interesting speakers. In parallel, the speaker can lead to the topic of the presentation, revealing the main problem in the story.
Third, stories convey meaning. It is for ideas, experience or intimate knowledge that people come to presentations. Stories traditionally have a strong impact on listeners. What is the best way to use them at the beginning of a speech to “grab” attention?
Check out the beginning of Benjamin Zander's TED Talk (I recommend that you turn on the video right now and watch the first 2 minutes, and then return to the book). What is the point of that little story that Zander started with? He starts from the following thought: the same situation can be considered from different points of view - and proceeds to the main part: “Likewise with classical music.
Someone thinks that she has already died, and someone...” One could immediately start the speech with this phrase, but it would be too straightforward, “on the forehead”. Zander translates the key idea of the story into the context of the topic of his speech.
The material for the story does not necessarily have to be a fictional parable. It can be a real case from your or someone else's life or from the activities of a company.
An example of the use of a real story is a story that reveals the issues of the presentation. Watch Melissa Marshall's TED talk. In "problem stories" it is enough to focus on the moment of occurrence of difficulties (conflict) and make a transition to the topic of the speech. The main thing is to clearly identify the problem itself.
Agree, such an introduction works much better: a life story “turns on” the imagination, clearly demonstrates the problem and brings the audience to the main part of the speech.
The considered 5 ways to “capture” attention are techniques that allow you to establish contact with the audience, “talk” the audience, causing a reaction or “turning on” the imagination of those present.
