Friday 19 December 2014

USE METAPHORS IN A SPEECH

A well-deployed metaphor is a branding iron. Deployed effectively it can imprint a lasting impression in a listeners mind. It makes the message clearer, interesting and remarkable. But that is not all. What I like most about a metaphor is that it gives two stories for the price of one.
In the speech below, +Japheth Musau is discussing money issues. I found relating money to a spider extremely ingenious. It reduces a potentially boring money talk into an enjoyable narration. Alternately a boring scientific lecture is turned to an easy listening self-improvement elocution.

DANCE OR DIE

(By +Japheth Musau, +Kwanza Kenya Toastmasters club, for project 6 in the CC manual)

Dance or die! One mistake and he is dead meat! Literally!

When the male of the BlackWidow spider wants to mate, he has to dance for his prospect. This dance must be done right, with utmost dexterity and executed with the precision of a Swiss watch. Otherwise, the female will strike, kill and consume him instantly!

Fellow Toastmasters and welcomed guests money is like the female Black Widow Spider. If you don’t treat it right, it will crush your soul and pierce it with many sorrows and untold misery!
On the other hand, practising and using these money dance moves correctly will enable you to attract, multiply and protect the money that comes your way.

1.     Learn and use the right money vocabulary. The male black widow spider must dance not only to survive but also to achieve his divine mission. Dancing is hard enough when you have two left feet. The spider has eight! Yet he has to send the correct vibes to the prospective mate. The male spider initiates communication through the web by generating sporadic low-frequency vibrations. When this signalling is done right the ‘black widow’ sends back similar low-frequency vibrations. An elaborate exchange of courtship vibes ensues. The dance for survival slowly turns into a love dance.

Similarly, to court money use the correct money words. In the delicate web of finance, words have potent power. Profit! Capital gains! Break even! Bankruptcy, Risk, loss. These words are not the privilege or private property of accountants like Joseph (referring to +Joseph Muga our VPE) or bankers like myself. We all should learn these and other money words. According to money expert +Robert Kiyosaki, money is an idea. The greater your money vocabulary the more ideas you will have on how to make, multiply and protect your money.


2.     Instigate a total overhaul of your philosophy or attitude towards money. When the male black widow spider enters the domain of his prospect he must maintain the right attitude. Any signs of panic, hesitation or unbridled greed will have him dead in a flash. He must send constant vibes in a cool, calm and collected manner. He must focus on his goal without allowing the emotions such fear, haste and greed to drive him. Friends, you must have a clear reason for wanting money. Money is a tool whose purpose should be to help you achieve your lofty goals. If you allow fear or greed to drive you, you will soon find yourself marooned in a financial desert where you will starve and choke in the dust of your own gluttony. Be emotionally intelligent.

If you have a good command of the money language and have the right attitude towards wealth, you will attract, multiply and keep money that comes your way. Trillions of shillings circle the earth every day looking for a home. Like the black widow, they are listening out for the correct vibrations and looking for the right attitudes.

Will your dance moves make money eat you alive or choose you for a home?

If it does, will it be comfortable enough to stay?

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