Public Speaking Techniques Expressions
Delivery in Swedish — konstpaus, på rak arm, and getting the budskap to actually gå fram.
The stagecraft sequel to speech prep: konstpauser, reading the room, speaking på rak arm — twenty techniques ending where all good speeches do, at the heart.
- 1
att fånga publikens uppmärksamhet
to hold the audience's attention
Tip: 'fånga' = to catch or capture
- 2
en konstpaus
a dramatic pause
Tip: literally 'an art pause' — Swedish has a dedicated word for the pause you take for effect
- 3
att tala högre
to speak up
Tip: literally 'to speak higher'; Swedish uses volume, not direction
- 4
att variera tonfallet
to vary your tone
Tip: monotone delivery is 'monotont'
- 5
att tala tydligt
to speak clearly
Tip: 'tydlig' is the key virtue in Swedish presentation feedback
- 6
att betona ett ord
to stress a word
Tip: 'betoning' = stress or emphasis, also used for word stress in pronunciation
- 7
att berätta en anekdot
to tell an anecdote
Tip: 'berätta' = to tell or narrate
- 8
en retorisk fråga
a rhetorical question
Tip: rhetoric, 'retorik', is a standard Swedish school subject
- 9
att tala på rak arm
to speak off the cuff
Tip: literally 'on a straight arm' — without preparation or notes
- 10
att vara snabb i tanken
to think on your feet
Tip: literally 'to be quick in thought'
- 11
att tappa bort sig
to lose your place
Tip: literally 'to lose oneself away'; 'tappa tråden' is the near synonym
- 12
att få budskapet att gå fram
to get the message across
Tip: 'gå fram' = to get through, said of a message reaching people
- 13
att få publiken på sin sida
to win the audience over
Tip: literally 'to get the audience on one's side'
- 14
att sluta på topp
to end on a high note
Tip: literally 'to end on top'
- 15
övning ger färdighet
practice makes perfect
Tip: literally 'practice gives skill' — the standard Swedish proverb
- 16
att upprepa kärnbudskapet
to repeat the key message
Tip: 'kärna' = core or kernel
- 17
att läsa av stämningen
to read the room
Tip: literally 'to read off the mood'
- 18
att hålla ögonkontakt med publiken
to keep eye contact with the audience
Tip: here Swedish uses 'hålla' (hold), unlike 'få ögonkontakt' for making it
- 19
att improvisera
to improvise
Tip: the noun is 'en improvisation'
- 20
att bygga upp mot en poäng
to build up to a point
Tip: 'poäng' = point, both in an argument and in a game
- 21
att tala från hjärtat
to speak from the heart
Tip: the same image as English, and highly valued in Swedish speech