Other people will start a year-list of Eddie Stobart vehicles. I understand (though I use the word understand here in its really very loosest sense) that Stobart-vehicle-spotting is rather popular.
This is Stobart truck Sandra Ann.
But how do we begin?
Well, according to the rules of rhetoric you start with an exordium.
The purpose of your exordium is to let people know why they should listen to you, so you need to say what you're going to talk about (or at least be misleading about it in a interesting way); you need to convince people that you know what you're talking about; and it might be a good idea to make it clear what a untrustworthy idiot anyone who disagrees with you must be, as well.
You also need to decide whether to be funny or not. But that's easy: always be funny. Then, if you do have to be serious at any point, it goes down with even more oomph.
The beginning of your beginning I leave to you. But whether it's Hi, folks! or My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen! or I can explain everything, constable! all power to your tongue throughout 2014, and a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Thing To Be Aware Of Today: exordium. This word is Latin, from ōrdīrī to begin.
It's easy to *decide* to be funny, but it's not easy *to be* funny, and there are few things more stomach-knotting than a public speaker who's trying to be funny but isn't (although, if he's really, really, really unfunny, that can be hilarious).
ReplyDeleteIndeed. The only thing that can be done is to remember that it's NOT ABOUT THE SPEAKER, and that every word must be a gift to the audience.
DeleteI love EXORDIUM which is not a word I know. I will try and make my exoridia (classical education,. see? ) even better in 2014. Happy New Year to the wonderful Word Den and all who sail in her. It. Him.
ReplyDeleteSalvere iubeo, Adele!
ReplyDeleteAnd Godspeed to us all.