The Ladder of Abstraction and the Public Speaker. “Experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is mere intellectual play.” — Immanuel Kant There are many types of bad speakers, and this article is about two of them: Speakers who bury audiences in an avalanche of data without providing the significance.Speakers who discuss theories and ideals, completely detached from real-world practicalities. Both of these speakers fail because they don’t understand the ladder of abstraction. In this article, we define the ladder of abstraction, give several examples, and explore why it is important for all speakers. Then, we explore specific strategies that you can apply to improve the balance and understanding in your presentations. What is the Ladder of Abstraction? The ladder of abstraction is a concept created by American linguist S.
Consider a ladder like the one in the image accompanying this article. Conversely, the top of the ladder of abstraction is for abstract ideas and concepts: democracyfreedomjusticewealthtruth.
Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies. Robert F. Kennedy - Speech to the Cleveland City Club (Mindless Menace of Violence) [AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio.] [This is a time of shame] and a time of sorrow. It is not a day for politics. I have saved this one opportunity -- my only event of today -- to speak briefly to you about the mindless menace of violence in America which again stains our land and every one of our lives. It's not the concern of any one race. The victims of the violence are black and white, rich and poor, young and old, famous and unknown. Why? Whenever any American's life is taken by another American unnecessarily -- whether it is done in the name of the law or in defiance of the law, by one man or by a gang, in cold blood or in passion, in an attack of violence or in response to violence -- whenever we tear at the fabric of our lives which another man has painfully and clumsily woven for himself and his children -- whenever we do this, then whole nation is degraded.
Too often we honor swagger and bluster and the wielders of force. How One Clear Verb Can Take Your Presentations From Blah To Amazing. We can learn a lot from actors. Take a look at the work of two of my favorites, Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. I suggest Susan Sarandon in The Client and Sean Penn in Milk. And I suggest Sarandon and Penn together in Dead Man Walking.
All four are Oscar-nominated performances, deservedly so. Sarandon won for Dead Man, Penn for Milk. Penn and Sarandon are smart actors. Here’s one thing every actor learns at some point in acting class: You take a scene in a script and you break it into beats. 1.The objective needs to be an action verb. 2.It needs to describe the impact I seek to have on another person. 3.It needs to be visceral for me. Action verbs matter because they unleash forward-moving velocity. So--let’s take this very simple notion and apply it to our everyday relating. Creating Intent in Formal Presentations Not every moment in a professional relationship needs to produce Oscar-worthy fireworks. Three principles will help you to select an intent that works for you. Armistice Day 1948 Address: General Omar N. Bradley » OpinionBug.com. Recently, I read some intriguing quotes taken from an Armistice Day speech given by General Omar N.
Bradley. The quotes were short, but packed with wisdom that I felt was applicable to our day. I desperately wanted to read the quotes in context, but I was unable to find a ready source. Thanks to the Interlibrary Loan program, I got my hands on a copy of his collected writings. I have now transcribed the general’s address so that we all may read and absorb the wealth of wisdom he offered. Enjoy. An Armistice Day Address By General Omar N.
TOMORROW is our day of conscience. Armistice Day is a constant reminder that we won a war and lost a peace. It is both a tribute and an indictment: A tribute to the men who died that their neighbors might live without fear of aggression. Therefore, while Armistice Day is a day for pride, it is for pride in the achievements of others—humility in our own. Neither remorse nor logic can hide the fact that our armistice ended in failure. Works Cited Other Credits. The Five Best Movie Presidential Speeches - Politics. In honor of President's Day, please enjoy these speeches from some of our greatest fictional presidents. All too often these days, speeches from our presidents are merely jumbles of catchphrases, designed to merely not offend anyone. Our presidents are also rarely faced with asteroids or alien attacks, moments that inspire truly great rhetoric.
And they rarely get inspirational music played over their speeches. 5: President Dave Kovic (i.e. 4: The President (name unknown), from Armageddon. 3: President Mays Gilliam, Head of State. 2: President Thomas Whitmore, Independence Day. 1: President Andrew Shepherd, The American President. BONUS: While not a movie president, no list of presidential speeches can be complete without The West Wing's President Bartlett. The art of the commencement speech, an archive. The commencement ceremony affirms each student’s search for knowledge. It often includes a speech which seeks to put their recent hard (or not so hard) work into the context of their future.
Many of us hear one or two commencement addresses as graduates or listen to a handful as spectators. Yet – as we graduate from one year to another, one relationship to another, one experience to another – we always are learning. Though these myriad departures and arrivals of everyday existence are seldom met with ceremony, words traditionally reserved for momentous occasions may ring true and inspirational at any hour. That’s why we created this unique archive of commencement addresses (below), selecting an eclectic menu of thirty-eight extraordinary speeches from thousands that we have reviewed since beginning work on this initiative in 1989. - Tony Balis P.S.
In addition, here is our new list of the Top Ten Commencement Speeches of All Time (on this planet anyway). 2/ J. Top 10 Commencement Speeches. These are truly inspirational graduation speeches worth reading from the beginning to the end. Since 2010, I also create top ten lists for the best speeches of the year, so if you are looking to find some of the best commencement addresses in the recent past, look no further.
Truth be told, I love each and every speech I collected on this site. This is why the top 10 list was really hard to make; I believe you can't go wrong with any of the speeches in the Graduation Wisdom collection, there is something to learn and share from every single commencement speech. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. Commencement Address at Stanford University, 2005 It doesn't matter that your dream came true if you spent your whole life sleeping.
Commencement Address at University of Wisconsin, 2003 Commencement Address at University of Texas Austin, 2014 Commencement Address at Kenyon Collge 2005.