The signposts and
key words aid you in determining the main idea of the speech . Signpost
is a post bearing a sign that gives
information or guidance. Keywords are important too. You
may find it helpful in laying out the structure of your notes if you listen out
for verbal 'signposts'; phrases such as:
'Today we are going to study …
' 'This is one of three aspects on … that we are going to
cover …
' 'We'll start by looking at …'
'At this stage, we need to consider …' etc.
Or summary/repetitive phrases such
as:
'In other words …
' 'Summing up these points we have …
' 'What I am trying to say is …
' 'You must always remember that …
' 'I must emphasize …'