Mastering Figurative Language

Turn ideas into IMAGES

A simple test you can use

Examples of a METAPHOR

• Steam was coming out of his ears
• She pounced on the invitation
• Her daughter is such an angel
• After that drink, his limbs became jelly
• My boss barked at me
• His handshake was a vice grip
• Her hair danced excitedly in the wind
• The words were ash in my mouth

Examples of a SIMILE

• The bare winter trees looked like giant witches hands clawing out from the dirt
• He stalked the bar like a jungle cat
• His ungroomed appearance made him look like a neanderthal
• She felt as light as a cloud
• I charged through the door like a bull
• Her eyes sparkled like gemstones

Examples of HYPERBOLE

• I have mountains of paperwork
• I packed my whole life into a suitcase
• The waitress brought the mile-high stack of pancakes to the table
• He was so old he used to ride a dinosaur to work
• he'd been out in the sun so long he became a lobster
• It was so hot I melted into my seat

Examples of ONOMATOPOEIA

• The child SPLASHED in the pool
• The fly was BUZZING all day
• The leaves RUSTLED in the trees
• The door CREAKS open
• The plate fell with a CRASH
• The WHIRRING of the machine
• The car SCREECHED to a stop
• The flag FLUTTERED in the wind

HOW TO CRAFT A STORY

1. FIND A MEMORY

2. WRITE THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

BYE BYE PC WORLD

• I took the train to work
• I had called in sick for 2 days to think
• I walked into the building
• My manager shouted at me
• I said 'I quit'
• I walked around feeling powerful
• A customer hired me 3 hours later
• I learned that I create my reality

ASK YOURSELF

• Who is the hero of your story?
• Who or what is the villain?
• What does the hero go through or grow through?
• What new abilities or possibilities come as a result?
• What is the lesson/moral or point?
• What themes does your story cover?

SO USING THE PREVIOUS EXAMPLE

• The hero: me
• The villain: my job
• The challenge: finding the guts to quit
• Reward: I got offered a better position
• Lesson: Learned to trust my gut
• Themes: trust, risk-taking, career

HOW TO TURN THIS SEQUENCE

CREATING YOUR STORY

• THE SETTING
• THE SCENE
• THE LESSON

CREATING YOUR STORY

• MAKE A POINT
• THE SETTING
• THE SCENE

LIKE THIS

HERE'S THE STORY VERSION

• I took the train to work
• I had called in sick for 2 days to think
• I walked into the building
• My manager shouted at me
• I said 'I quit'
• I walked around feeling powerful
• A customer hired me 3 hours later
• I learned that I create my reality

HERE'S THE FORMULA

• use VISUAL words to set the scene and describe the setting
• describe out loud how you FELT in each key moment
• mime and mimic ACTIONS using your hands and body
• Convey the full EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE authentically
• Share the LESSON or moral

COMPILE ALL YOUR STORIES INTO A

organise YOUR STORIES by

• moral/lesson
• themes/topics
• time needed to tell

get ready to WOW people

Acting Tips

Imagine the Scene

Mime

Create the environment

Use body language

For conversations

Lean in

lean away

Simulate sounds

Come alive

ANALOGY

The best analogies compare and contrast your chosen subject with something completely different, that serves to illustrate the point being made or explained.

A metaphor turns words into a picture.

An analogy uses words as a script and develops them into a full scene of understanding.

Metaphor: Her harmonious words were music floating through the air to my ears

Analogy: Speaking professionally is like baking a cake. It has many ingredients. If you miss too many out, your speech won't be as tasty. Like baking a cake, make sure it's ready. Take it out of the oven too early and it will be a soggy mess.

Metaphor: we launch our rockets of desire out to the universe

Analogy: Imagine your desire is a rocket. The rocket itself is your thoughts, clarity, direction. Your emotions are the rocket fuel. With no emotion your rocket goes nowhere. It's an empty shell. With no rocket your fuel spills everywhere and you manifest in all directions. You need to combine clear thought with emotion to manifest a specific desire effectively.

Analogy: Learning a new skill is like rock climbing. Yes it's good to know where you are going, to the top, though you can't get to the top just by focusing on the outcome. What matters is the process. The act of putting one foot and one hand after the other, step by step, until you get to the top. Similarly it's all the consistent and often small actions that lead to you developing a new skill.

Analogy gives you the opportunity to expand an image into a full, ongoing reference

Use analogy instead of jargon to explain complex, niche, or industry or field specific ideas

Analogy takes practice. Though with practice, you will be able to create analogies whenever you want to better explain any idea.

HOW TO Create an invitation

You are NOT the HERO

The CLIENT is the HERO

You have DONE IT before

You are here to SERVE

See the client as YOU

You INVITE

Answer objections

Rather than assume things

FOR EXAMPLE

Let's say you have a program

instead of asking

USE: For years I suffered with pain in my lower back

Then describe the new future

"Now I can move and twist and do sports"

I INVITE you to also have that

State your offer

Build the perception of value

• it's a 4 week online program
• it only takes 15 minutes a day so great for busy people
• We will cover all the not so known causes of back pain you never knew!
• You will receive a 20 minute personal consultation to discover the cause of the pain for you and your desired outcome
• You will experience 50% more ease

End with a sincere message

"I'm here to save you time and frustration"

CLEAR CALL TO ACTION