Transitions and Signposts

Have you ever listened to an oral presentation and thought to yourself, "I'm lost. What is the speaker talking about?" One reason this happens during oral presentations is that the speaker failed to incorporate transitions and signposts. Transitions are your way of letting your audience know that you are changing ideas, that is, from one main point to another. Signposts help identify evidence or subpoints supporting main ideas. Here are some guidelines for creating great transitions:

It is generally best to write clear and concise complete sentences for your transitions. Your presentation organization should be crystal clear to the audience.
The organization starts with a clear preview in the introduction (see the "Introductions & Conclusions" handout), but transitions serve a vital role in keeping the audience on the same page.
Use transitions every time you change ideas. As a general rule, you should use transitions after your introduction, between each main point, and before your conclusion.
Most importantly, transitions need to signal to the audience that you are shifting ideas.

Here are some suggestions for transition styles:

Review-Preview: What you just said, then what you are about to say.
- Ex: Now that we've established a need for fundraising, let's see which fundraisers might be most effective. I will focus on two types of fundraisers: silent auctions and sales.
- Ex: In short, fundraising efforts are needed because of budget reductions and increased expenses. Next, we'll look at our fundraising options.
Rhetorical Questions: A leading question that doesn't invite an actual response followed by the answer that you want.
- Ex: Will fundraising be too expensive to start up? Well, actually, it's cheaper than the alternative.
Signposting: By including certain words in your transitions, you can alert your audience that you are about to switch ideas. Start with a signpost word and then complete the sentence for a transition.
Signpost Words: next, first, last, we now turn, in the other hand, finally, now let's consider, if you think that's shocking, similarly, and yet, altogether, at present, etc.
- Ex: Keeping these points in mind about Japanese internment camps, let's look at their historical context.
- Ex: Now that we understand differential equations, consider this problem.
- Ex: Secondly, time can't repeat itself.
- Ex: If you think that's shocking, you will be really surprised by their re-admittance rates.
Themed transitions: Be creative! For Example, some speakers choose to carry out a theme throughout the speech.
- Ex: Let's begin our journey by looking at the panhandle of Texas... The next stop on our journey is East Texas, known for its lush forests... Next we will drive down to South Texas to explore the Valley... etc.
Story or example: Another option is to carry a story or example throughout the speech. Let's say you tell a shocking story about a college student named Sara contracting bacterial meningitis in the introduction. The transitions might look something like this:
- Ex: Like Sara, you are at risk for contracting bacterial meningitis. Let's talk more specifically about how you can contract the disease. Unlike Sara, you have the ability to prevent bacterial meningitis. So, I encourage you to keep Sara's story in mind as you make decisions over the next few weeks.

Remember, no speech is truly complete without transitions! If you have any more questions about how transitions can work for you, make a Speaking Center appointment with a tutor or check out our "Basic Outline Format for a Speech" handout to see where transitions fit in to your presentation outline.

Number 034 in the Speaking Center Handout Series