Have you noticed that in some movies the opening scene and the ending scene are in the same place or with similar narratives? How do you feel as an audience member when this happens? Now, have you also noticed how some speakers also take this type of circular approach in their speeches? They begin their speech from a place where they reach when they finish their speech.
The objective of a speech or a movie is to move the audience emotionally from a point A to another point B and to satisfy the objective, the above approach is non-intuitive from a logical point of view.
But from an emotional point of view, this has a different type of impact. Instead of a similar scene, dialogue, action boring us – have a riveting experience on us by such occurrences. In my opinion, our brain comforts in similarity and then starts processing the differentials intently for meaning. Especially if the emotion differs it creates an “aha” experience.
Have you watched the movie “Happy New Year”? The movie starts with the premise – “There are two types of people in this world – winners and losers. And luck is the ba***** that changes side unpredictably.” The opening is full of excitement & curiosity. The same words when repeated in closing – are sounds of triumph – after the execution of a heist. And the emotional difference makes the second occurrence special. And those words stick.
The take away is this – how can we use the same concept, word, phrase, body language multiple times in a speech or in a movie under a different emotional context. Maybe the same phrase in problem, in exploration, in solution (remember points #1, #2, #3?), and of course in the context of a different emotion. Maybe the ending of the speech is a U-turn from the opening transition into the body of speech.
Why not try this out in your next speech?
Thanks,