Episode 32: Real Talking Tips – Word Emphasis: Let’s Make It (Parenthetical).

A Parenthetical statement is a way of expressing additional information. It could be a year, number, point of view, quote, clarification, personal insight, or legal disclaimer. Sometimes the parenthetical is an opportunity to show personality and opinion. Other times, it’s spoken quicker to hide the small print, legal information, or incidental or explanatory thought.

It’s easy for us to see and acknowledge parentheses when it’s written. But how do you take that typed curved set of brackets ( ), dash -, ellipses… , or off-set commas, and translate the written information into speech and conversation? Practice adding parenthetical speech and movements in this 6th of 11 Word Emphasis lessons.

Each element of the Word Emphasis Chart introduced in Episode 27 adds variety and attitude to words and phrases! In the last five episodes, we added a • dot , Arrow Up and Caret Up , Arrow Down , Caret Down , Wiggle , and Word Stretch to key words and phrases. Practice along with this Real Talking Tips vidcast, podcast, and blog, my Elaine Clark app, Adding Melody To Your Voice, and my best selling books, There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting.

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ADDING A (PARENTHENSES) TO THE MESSAGE.

Secrets grab our attention. Right?! The lowered voice… attitude change…sometimes even a faster pace and dismissive tone. It’s easy for us to see and acknowledge parentheses when it’s in writing. But how do you take that typed expression and translate it into speech and conversation?

= parenthetical statement to be dismissed quickly or spoken as a secret

How to speak using a “parenthetical” is the 6th episode in this 11-part Real Talking Tips Word Emphasis Chart micro-learning series.

So far we added a • dot , Arrow Up and Caret Up , Arrow Down , Caret Down , Wiggle , and Word Stretch . A paranthetical Word or Phrase is another way to add variety to our speaking voice and focus to our message.

Let’s explore how the Parenthesis ( ) can be used in advertising, presentations, podcasts, public speaking, and podcasts.

Word Emphasis #6: Parenthetical Expressions.

In the previous Real Talking Tips episode, we used two hands to billboard and stretch out important information, like proper nouns, business names, company brands, and titles. The movement for a parenthetical is a variation on the two-handed movement. This time, rather than keeping the hands straight and gesturing away from the body, both hands curve in to form the shape of the opposing parenthetical symbols and move closer together. After the parenthetical information is spoken, the hands release and immediately change out of that specific understated word emphasis placement.

The essential structure of a sentence is NOUN-VERB-SUBJECT OF THE NOUN. A Parenthetical Expression adds additional information. It could be a year, number, point of view, quote, clarification, personal insight, or legal disclaimer. Sometimes the parenthetical is an opportunity to show personality and opinion. Other times, it’s spoken to hide the small print, legal information, or an incidental or explanatory thought.

Here’s an example of a parenthetical phrase:

“I went to the store (and the traffic was terrible).”

The basic structure of the sentence is the noun (“I”), verb (“went), and subject of the noun (“store”). The added information about the “traffic” was merely an opinion and personal insight.

So you can hear the difference, listen to how it would sound if the intention of this sentence was to make it a balanced sentence – like we worked on in Episode 16 – where both parts of the sentence are equally important.

“I went to the store… and the traffic was terrible.”

Since the store isn’t selling “traffic”… this type of speech pattern doesn’t work. The information in the example about the traffic is a parenthetical aside that doesn’t add structure to the basic sentence but shares a personal insight and point of view.

5 WAYS TO SAY A PARENTHETICAL STATEMENT.

Let’s now explore 5 ways to recognize a parenthetical statement and incorporate the hand movements, opinion, and attitude into your speech. Get both hands ready and position them in one of the Power Box shapes we discussed in Real Talking Tips episodes 23-26. Be ready to cup your hands to form the right and left parenthetical shapes.

1. NUMBERS, YEARS, or PAGE NUMBERS: Real Talking Tips (Episode 32) is a podcast on how to use (parentheticals) to explain, qualify, or add additional information.

2. PERSONAL EXPRESSION AND POINT OF VIEW: Practicing the Real Talking Tips techniques, (I feel), improves speech communication.

3. OFF HANDED REMARK: Practice and improve your speech communication with Real Talking Tips (then you can go walk your dog).

4. QUOTE: Elaine Clark says Real Talking Tips is a podcast to help speakers (“improve speech communication.”)

5. LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Thanks for listening! (The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author, host, and guests.)

Don’t forget that you can practice this parenthetical and other Word Emphasis movements in the Elaine Clark Adding Melody To Your Voice app… and, of course, here in this podcast.

Join me next time in Real Talking Tips Episode 33 as we take a Dip in the Dip Down.

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