A quick word about rhetorical figures before we begin. In text that is read on the page, they can often come across as stiff and a little mannered. But delivered out loud, in front of a room, they hand you a real surge of strength and conviction. The epiphora is one of my favourites, and one of the easiest to start using today.
What an epiphora actually is
The epiphora is about ending several sentences in a row with the same run of words. It is the mirror image of the anaphora, which begins successive sentences the same way. Choose the repeated phrase well, and you get rhetoric that truly lands.
The classic example
The most famous example comes from Franklin D. Roosevelt: "In 1931, ten years ago, Japan invaded Manchukuo, without warning. In 1938, Hitler occupied Austria, without warning. In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, without warning. And now Japan has attacked Malaya, Thailand and the United States, without warning." Read it aloud and feel how those two final words gather weight with every repetition.
An everyday example
You do not need a moment in history to use it. Something as simple as this will do: "Three last tips. Learn the structure if you want to get better. Learn how to use your voice if you want to get better. And last but not least, learn the rhetoric if you want to get better."
A couple of things to remember
An epiphora exists from just two repetitions, and there is no upper limit, so do not get hung up on the idea that you must always have three the way the examples do. And if you want to make it more powerful still, combine it with a climax, letting each expression grow gradually stronger and finishing on the strongest of them all.
Want to become a better presenter?
This is a short piece from David's knowledge bank. To go deeper, the best places are a keynote, a course, or one to one coaching.