Sp Cm 212 Fundamentals of Public Speaking
Preparation Outline
Lecture 4F
The Informative Speech; The responsibility to convey clearly organized information
(Notes about the test!)
When you hear that today's subject is "organizing & outlining," you probably think it's going to
be as boring as anything. By contrast, I & the rest of the staff of this course are passionate about
organization. Why? Because it will help you, and it will help your audience.
It will help you because it is likely the one thing you can improve on the fastest. Many of the
skills of public speaking—using language accurately and poetically, delivering with your own
personal style, and mastering your speech content—will grow with time. In other words, we're
only trying to be realistic when we say that it'll take ten years to achieve the goals of this course.
But with a little thought and work, you can improve the clarity of your organization dramatically,
improving your speaking and your speech grades fast.
It will help your audience because it is likely the one thing you can do that will most help them
understand what you're saying. You've all been in classes with disorganized teachers, and know
how frustrating it is to be a listener there. Do not emulate the worst teacher you have ever had!
Be kind to your audience, and organize clearly!
That's why organization will be weighted so heavily when we assess your informative speeches.
Note that the grades for the major speeches in this class are not given in points—we are not
looking for a checklist of things, each one worth a different amount of points. Instead, we assess
your speeches "wholistically." We come to an overall judgment about how good they are—how
well they achieve the speaker's responsibilities. And organization plays a key role in this
judgment:
C=You have a basic Intro & Conclusion, and use a recognizable pattern in between.
B=Your Intro & Conclusion are complete, your organization sound, and all your
connectives are present.
A=Your organization is logical and creative, and you've mastered connectives.
So today let's talk about organization—and a little about outlining—and in particular:
I. What you need to know about Organizing
A. Why organize?—an experiment.
B. How to organize?—patterns of organization.
C. How to convey your organization to your audience.
D. The relationship of organization to the Central Idea.
II. Practice analysis!
III. What you need to know about Outlining.
A. Why outline?
B. What outlines look like—the "squint test."
Transition: If you understand why you need to organize, you'll be able to do it well.
I. What you need to know about Organizing
A. Why organize?—an experiment.
EXERCISE.
B. How to organize?—patterns of organization.
1. The textbook lays out 5 common patterns of organization, clearly and with
examples. Know them!—you will have to use them on the test.
2. The basic idea, however, is the same for all: You should be able to explain
why each point comes after the next. The organization should never be random or
jumbled.
3. Example: Sword speech.
C. How to convey your organization to your audience.
1. It is vital that not only YOU know what your organization is, but that your
AUDIENCE know it, too. In other words, you have to convey your organization
to your audience.
2. Story.
3. To do this, you use connectives.
a. We introduced you to speech connectives in the last unit—the
transitions, signposts and internal summaries/previews that help your
audience understand how your points fit together.
b. Your Paired Perspective speech gave you an opportunity to practice
simple connectives.
c. Your Informative speech is much more complicated, and will require
much more work.
d. Example: sword speech
D. The relationship of organization to the Central Idea.
1. Central Idea is another concept we learned in the first unit, but which wasn't
very complicated or demanding at that point.
2. Now it's more complicated. The basic rule is that your Central Idea should
incorporate all and only the main points in your organization.
3. Example: sword speech
II. Practice analysis!
Exercise
III. What you need to know about Outlining.
A. Why outline?
1. A good prep outline forces you to put your thoughts in order, revealing
gaps and confusions so you can correct them.
2. Crafting a good prep outline helps you remember your ideas.
3. A good outline shows you how you can use connectives to link your
points.
4. A good outline communicates your plan to your lab instructor, so
he/she can give you appropriate feedback.
B. What outlines look like—the "squint test."
EXERCISE
Conclusion: Even after you have great information, you still need to THINK about it. As a wise
man once said, "90% of the game is half mental." Organize well!—and have a great weekend.