“Height and weight,” the nurse says.
We’re in a tight alcove, between a bathroom and a desk. I step onto a scale wedged beside a woman in an office chair.
My arm brushes her back. A doctor squeezes past us. A lab-coated technician turns sideways to slip by in the opposite direction. It’s a hallway traffic jam disguised as a check-in.
“Five feet-ten inches,” the nurse announces to anyone within earshot.
(HIPAA, anyone?)
I carry my shoes in one hand, bag in the other, shuffling down the hall in socks like I’m deep in airport security. Finally I sit — again — in a waiting room.
This is my annual physical.
But the real diagnosis? A total lack of transition. From the waiting room, to a one-lane hallway, to an exam room. No pause. No cue. No explanation. Just confusion from start to finish.
But it’s not just doctors’ offices that are guilty of this. I’ve witnessed speakers derail potentially great talks by rushing from one idea to the next. Or by jumping into specifics on a slide without explaining its main point first.
Here, too, it’s all done without pause, or cue, or explanation. And the result is the same: Confusion from start to finish.
You Are a Tour Guide
When you present, you need to play the role of expert tour guide, continually orienting us to our surroundings and readying us for what comes next. Strong transitions are the key to mapping your ideas in the minds of listeners, so they may make meaning of what you are saying.
From point to point, from slide to slide, you keep them engaged and help them reach the desired destination.
But none of this happens by chance. As the tour guide of your presentation, you will want to employ specific “verbal tactics” to make effective transitions.
Here are five, along with their rationale.
#1 Sequential Transition
Signal the completion of one point (and slide) before moving to the next.
“Now that we’ve debunked common stereotypes, let’s move on to the crucial aspect of how we educate consumers about sustainability.”
This clear signposting keeps your audience engaged.
#2 Comparative Transition
Show the relationship(s) between one point/slide and the next.
“Now that we’ve explored the benefits of our product, let’s pivot to the next slide, where we’ll confront the competition head-on.”
Comparative transitions — “On the flip side” — make your presentation more seamless by helping the audience get ready to view things through a new lens.
#3 Category-to-Category Transition
Move between related topics or points within a framework.
“In the previous slide, I highlighted the advantages of our innovation. Moving forward, we’ll uncover the obstacles we overcame to reach this point.”
As Barbara Minto, creator of the Pyramid Principle, says: transition by linking your points explicitly. Move from one category to the next with verbal clarity.
This type of transition helps your audience stay oriented by breaking complex ideas into modular components.
#4 Chronological Transition
Move logically through time or phases of a process.
A favorite author of mine, Atul Gawande, uses a timeline-based transition in his book The Checklist Manifesto to walk us through the historical evolution of the medical profession.
He guides us from solo craftsmen to complex teams:
“We began with a doctor at the bedside, with little more than a few tools. Then we entered the era of specialization… Next came the age of the checklist… And now, we’re trying to figure out how to make systems work in a way that human beings alone can’t.”
You might try this:
“First… Then… Next… Finally…”
Or:
“Let’s rewind to…”
Chronological transitions are often our default structure; it’s how we think. Done well, this simple structure can keep your listeners interested and help them feel the flow or evolution in your message.
#5 Cueing Transition
Help your audience track where you are in your talk.
Brené Brown, in her Netflix special The Call to Courage, uses direct cues to guide her audience:
“There are three things I want to share with you today about vulnerability…”
She returns to that framing at each stage, helping the audience stay oriented.
“Let’s look at three key points…” she says to guide us, “that was the first, now here’s the second…”
Using cues is especially useful in multi-part structures or when you need to reinforce your roadmap. It reduces cognitive load. Your listeners know what’s coming and can relax into your message.
More Than Your Words
The power of your transitions isn’t just in your words. It hinges on how you deliver them — with clarity, tone, and flow.
Practice your transitions alongside your visuals. Use them to connect your points. Guide your audience, taking them by the hand, from one idea to the next.
Lead them so clearly that your message cannot get lost. And that’s when powerful communication happens: When your ideas become theirs.