The Case for the Verbal Colon

I love the colon. Not just the punctuation mark, although I’m a big fan.

I encourage you to speak using the colon. It says, “Listen up; I’m about to say something important.” Colon. Pause.

Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em. That’s the colon. Then, tell ‘em. Then, tell ‘em what you told ‘em.

When you start right into your content without preparing people, they are confused. This leads to [LINK: “audience whiplash.” https://www.mimidonaldson.com/why-hire-a-speech-coach/] Heads whip around, and you may hear, “What’s she talking about?”

All my book titles have colons before the subtitle. Pitch Perfect: Speak to Grow Your Business in 7 Simple Steps.

Bless Your Stress: It Means You’re Still Alive.

In fact, the earliest history of the colon defines it as a speaking cue, not a punctuation mark.

I found this, written in “olde English:”

In the 1600’s, the ancient reformers in language stated three manners of pauses: the shortest pause or intermission they called “comma;” the second they called “colon,” because it occupied twice as much time as the comma. The third they called “period,” and that was the longest pause.

We commonly use the punctuation mark of the colon before a list. The same applies in speaking. Here’s an example:

When you speak, reduce your nervousness by channeling your energy through the five channels: your eyes, voice, hands, body and feet.
We use a colon before a description or clarification, as in the following sentence. The situation is clear: the more you know your audience, the more your words will flow.

So use a verbal colon when you speak. Focus the listener. When I was in Human Resources, and all through my speaking career, I addressed the perennial manager dilemma of having difficult conversations, or delivering bad news. My favorite use of the verbal colon was to lead into the hard part with the phrase, “Here’s the situation.” Such a useful verbal colon. It propels the listener into the left or logic part of their brain, and they visibly sit up straighter, prepared to listen.

My manager participants loved it; they used it in every role play situation.

So are you making use of the verbal colon?

Let’s chat about how effective your verbal communications are. Please schedule a 30-minute complimentary clarity call to clarify your needs and see if we are a match to work together.

Featured Image Credit: iStock | Creator: Gleb Kosarenko | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto