Chapter 13Organizing Your Speech

Organizing Your Speech

•Organizing the speech outline: the process of selecting and structuring ideas you will present in your speech.

•Organize and Develop speech material to meet the needs of your particular audience.

Determining Your Main points• Limit the number of main points so that the

audience can keep track of your ideas.• Being by listing ideas that relate to your

specific goal.• Eliminate ideas that your audience already

understands.• Check to see if some points can be grouped

together.• Eliminate ideas too complicated to be

communicated in brief speech.• From the ideas that remain, choose three to

five.

Writing a Thesis Statement

•Def.- a statement that identifies the topic of your speech and the main ideas you will present.

•Determine the main points.•Then select points to be included in your

thesis statement.

Outlining the Body of the Speech

•Speech outline: the sentence representation of the hierarchical and sequential relationships between the ideas presented in a speech.

•Writing main points as complete sentences help express the association of the points with the key elements of the thesis statement.

Outlining the Body of the Speech

• Wording main points▫Does the main point statement specify how it is

related to the goal?▫Are the main points parallel in structure?

• Selecting an organizing pattern for main points▫Time-order: organizing main points by

chronological sequence.▫Topic-order: organized by category▫Logical-reasons-order: used when the main

points are the rationale or proof that supports a thesis.

Outlining the Body of the Speech

•Selecting and outlining supporting materials.▫Developing supporting points▫Organize evidence by main point

organizational pattern.•Prepare section transitions

▫Words, phrases, or sentences that show the relationship between ideas or help bridge main points.

Creating the Introduction

•Introduction must engage and motivate your audience to listen and is generally 10 percent of the length of the entire speech.

•Goals of the introduction▫Getting attention▫Stating the thesis▫Establishing your credibility▫Setting a tone▫Creating a bond of goodwill

Methods of Attention Gaining• Startling Statement: grabs listener attention

by shocking them.• Rhetorical question: a question seeking a

mental rather than vocal response.• Personal reference: personalizes the speech

for the audience.• Quotation: a vivid or thought provoking

quotation on your topic.• Story: an account of something that happened.• Suspense: an introduction that leaves some

mystery for the audience.

Preparing the Conclusion

•Summary of Main Points▫Reminds audience of what you have said in

a wrap-up.▫Helps audience remember your ideas.

•Leaving vivid impressions▫A story to close.▫Appeal to action.▫Listing sources enables you to direct

interested listeners to more information.