What do the best communicators do better than good ones?

8.  They use repetition (without being repetitious).

Writing and public speaking classes teach this same concept: tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them. Repetition helps people remember what you are communicating.

Depending on the message, it may be fine to use the exact same phrase over and over to cement it in the minds of others. A superb example of this was used by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His “I have a dream” speech is perhaps the greatest example of this technique. He didn’t replace the “I have a dream” phrase with “You know, I was thinking…” or “Wouldn’t it be great if…?”

Want to help your listener or reader get your message at the head and the heart level?

Make sure you repeat the key components so the concepts behind the words become familiar.