Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1091IR // #c1091Synthesis

"To make a word emphatic, deliver it differently from the manner in which the words surrounding it are delivered. If you have been talking loudly, utter the emphatic word in a concentrated whisper—and you have intense emphasis."

— In our words · Source: The Art of Public Speaking (J. Berg Esenwein & Dale Carnegie)

[Use when]

You've been raising your voice to stress points and the room has tuned out.

[Why it matters]

Emphasis comes from contrast. A Fifth Avenue bus turns heads in a farm town and an ox team turns heads on Fifth Avenue, so whatever you've been doing, change it on the key word.

Filed under situations:When you need a yes and they’re not there yet

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