Presentation Feature: Showing importance and/or relevance of content

What is it?

A statement of why the main topic of the talk or why a particular theme/argument mentioned during the talk is important and/or relevant. The statement may be important and/or relevant to one person, the audience, the speaker, the disciplinary field, or all of these parties.

Why is it important?

It informs the audience that the topic of the talk or a particular theme/argument is important or relevant for the disciplinary field, a particular person, the audience, the speaker, or all of these parties. This feature may help the speaker refocus the audience’s attention to the topic of the talk or a particular theme/argument.

How is it done?

The speaker may explicitly state the word “important” or its synonyms in describing the topic of the talk or a particular theme/argument. Additionally, the speaker may explicitly mention a need for or the implications of further inquiry into the topic of the talk or a particular argument within the talk. The speaker may also use words that evoke a stronger sense of emotion such as “shocked”, “amazed” or similar words of that nature. Another approach is to ask a rhetorical question such as “Why is this the case?” or “How can we do this?” to draw the audience’s attention. These methods are usually accompanied by a marked usage of intonation or stress.

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