How to Create a Speech Outline
Once you have the entirety of the information you would like to share organized into a paper-like format, you
must then break it down into an outline. Format your outline like so:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Introduction
a. Attention Grabbing Device
b. Introduce self
c. Link
d. Common Ground
e. Thesis
f. Transition to body paragraph
1st Body Paragraph
a. Main Point 1
i. Detail 1
1. This will be used to give even more info …
2. …
ii. Detail 2
iii. Detail 3
b. Main Point 2
i. Detail 1
ii. Detail 2
1. …
2. …
iii. Detail 3
c. Main Point 3
i. Detail 1
ii. Detail 2
iii. Detail 3
nd
2 Body Paragraph (similar to 1st Body)*
a. Main Point
b. Main Point
c. Main Point
3rd Body Paragraph (similar to 1st Body)*
a. Main Point
b. Main Point
Conclusion
a. Transition from body paragraph
b. Reminder of Topic/ Thesis
c. Link back to Intro (optional)
d. Ending Line (provide a sense of finality and closure)
e. Thank you!
*(Paragraphs II and III not fully expanded to save space)
REMEMBER:
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Elements of the Introduction/ Conclusion are covered in Chapter 6, so please review them if you are
having trouble structuring those paragraphs.
Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 should all be somewhat similar, but everyone will have a different amount of
main points and details since everyone is writing about something different. There is no solid outline
format that will work for each person.
Try to keep around 3 “Main Points” and no more than 5 “Details”. You don’t want to bog yourself down
with notes when you want to be focusing on speaking with the audience. Use key words and phrases to
help you remember what comes next.
You should NEVER have more than 5 paragraphs!
Be careful not to break down your paragraph so much that you are just transferring the sentences of your
paper into an outline. The outline should stay brief and easy to read.
Just because you have made an outline, that doesn’t mean the full paper has gone away. Feel free to
practice from what you’ve already written. Just use the outline as a tool to keep you on track and to help
remind you of what you wanted to say.
STRUCTURE RULES:
1. I, II, III, IV, and V are capital Roman Numerals. These will always be your highest value and will be the
topics of your paragraphs. You should not have more than five paragraphs.
2. To get your document program into Outline Formatting, type a capital “I”, place a period directly after
the I, and then press the space bar. You should see the formatting button show up and your capital
roman numeral should indent slightly.
3. There cannot be an “a” without a “b”, a “i” without an “ii”, and so on. If you can’t break down a point,
just use the highest outline value.
4. Different programs will format the outline differently. As long as you have different values (I, A, i, etc.)
for each type of information (main points, details, etc) then it’s okay! Let the computer format the
outline for you and don’t try to force it to be like the one I have shown you. They should be very similar
though, so if your program/ computer is trying to format your outline in a totally different way, please
check with me.
5. Do not manually space! Your indenting will be off and the breakdown of your information will become
muddled.
TIPS:
1. Write clearly on your notecards so you can glance down quickly and see what you need to say next.
2. If you have messy handwriting, consider typing your outline in a slightly larger font to cut up and glue
onto notecards.
3. Feel free to highlight certain things you don’t want to forget or difficult words/ phrases to practice.
The outline is your tool for success. If you don’t have a clear outline or give yourself enough information
to work from, you will not have a smooth and conversational speech.