Rhetorical devices

Direct address

In his TED Talk “How to fix a broken heart”, Guy Winch addresses his audience directly multiple times. Most notably, he ends his speech with a clear direct address where he offers advice to his audience:

So if you know someone who is heartbroken, have compassion, because social support has been found to be important for their recovery. And have patience, because it’s going to take them longer to move on than you think it should. And if you’re hurting, know this: it’s difficult, it is a battle within your own mind, and you have to be diligent to win. But you do have weapons. You can fight. And you will heal.

In this way, Winch summarizes the advice he has explained throughout his talk and repeats it for his audience so that they may remember his message. This direct address also comes across as understanding and sympathetic which highlight Winch’s message about how hard to overcome heartbreak can be.

Winch also addresses the audience when he summarizes what his experience of working as a psychologist has taught him: “when your heart is broken, the same instincts you ordinarily rely on will tim...