MLK’s “I Have A Dream” Speech and the Power of Repetition in Speaking
You’ve heard the expression, "repetition is the mother of all learning." Think how often you have used repetition to learn things. When you were young, learning math, you had to say it over and over again and then write it over and over again: 2+2 = 4. Now, as an adult, you never think of these things anymore. You simply know 8×8 is 64, and 9×9 is 81. These answers are automatic if you have used them enough in the past. Now 13x13 is…Maybe you didn’t know this one instantly, likely because most school teachers stopped at 12 x12, and therefore any number over 12 was not repeated and remembered.
Repetition is key in helping you remember!
One of the best examples of this type of persuasive repetition is Martin Luther King Jr.'s, "I Have a Dream Speech," which he delivered on August 28, 1963, and is considered to be the greatest speech in modern times. When he gave that address, over a quarter of a million people were in Washington, D.C., in front of the Lincoln Memorial. What you might not know is the sound system was tampered with, and as a result, hardly anybody could hear it. Yet, now, almost 60 years later, it still is considered one of the best speeches ever delivered. One of the reasons was that Dr. King used the phrase I Have a Dream eight times. But, the phrase was almost not used at all! Mahalia Jackson, who was on the program as a singer, said to Martin Luther King Jr. just before he was about to speak, "Why don't you include the part about the dream?" That last-minute encouragement got Dr. King to add I Have a Dream throughout his speech extemporaneously.
This repetition is a commonly used technique in speaking called anaphora. Anaphora is a speaking tool you should use in any talk to help make a point more impactful. Using repetition can mean repeating the exact phrase in different parts of your presentation. For example, it could be in the opening and again in the closing, or you can use it throughout your message as part of your “golden thread” or theme. Whatever you do, use the power of repetition in your speaking.
Another form of repetition is using the same words in the same sentence at least twice. Some examples that you may be familiar with are:
Go big or go home.
Be bold, be brief.
Get busy living or get busy dying.
Give me liberty or give me death.
You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't.
I wish I may, I wish I might.
One of my speech coaching clients, Martha McSally, talks about her experience as the first female combat pilot in the United States Air Force history. In describing a personal challenge she experienced, she uses the phrase "like a jackass in a hail storm." By itself, it has absolutely no meaning to anybody in her audience. Yet, after she explains that she went to the Air Force chaplain for guidance through a difficult time, his answer was to be like a "jackass in a hail storm." Imagine somebody saying that to you. Your response would be the same as Martha's: "What does that mean?" The chaplain explained that she should stand there and take it because the weather would eventually change. The jackass knows that the hail will eventually stop. It’s not going to go on forever. That was a turning point in Martha's life and the moment she realized that difficult times are not permanent.
If you re-read what you just read, you’ll see that the phrase "a jackass in a hailstorm" was used multiple times. Now think about your next presentation. Can you drive home your point by using the power of repetition in your next webinar, podcast, or speech to make it even more memorable for your audiences? You have the same opportunity to use anaphora to drive your point home, using repetition to be even more memorable. Now go out and make it a great day!
