Informative Speech Outline
Student’s Name: Angela Altomare, Jonathan Min, Neha Thakur, Cian Dowd, Andrew
Somers
Group Leader: Neha Thakur
Group Name: Wookiees of the Year
Course #/Section: Introduction to Communication and Information Section 91
Informative Speech “Working Outline”
Introduction
Write in complete sentences.
I.
Attention Getter:
One survey said that 47% (Steven, 2022) of people would love to
work in a team at work. Another said that only 14.2% (Merlevede,
2005) of employees like working alone. What is the rationale behind
these opinions?
II.
III.
Connection with
Audience/Speaker’s
Credibility:
Thesis
Statement/Preview of
Main Points:
As college students that have been taking part within group work for
many years now, we are able to sit here and tell you what works and
what doesn’t work for different people.
We use communication principles and the idea of an informative
speech to distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of
working in a group and working alone, so that your team achieves
maximum success. So let’s take a deeper look!
Informative Speech “Working Outline” (contd.)
Body
Write in complete sentences. Important: Include evidence in sub-points, as applicable (i.e., refer to source in
each sub-point by paraphrasing, quoting, or summarizing with a citation following APA format – 6th edition),
and insert transitions between main points.
I.
Main Point One:
Sub-point A:
(w/source
citation, if
applicable)
Sub-point B:
(w/source
citation, if
applicable)
Sub-point C:
(w/source
citation, if
applicable)
II.
There are various advantages to working in a group, such as diversity of
thought, less workload for each member, and increased motivation.
Working in groups has allowed for diversified skills and ideas, as each
group member is able to bring their own level of expertise to the project.
By combining the knowledge of many individuals, the group has access
to much more information and skill than just one individual. Not only
that, but group work has been found to “achieve at higher levels of
thought” (Gokhale, 2021). So not only does group work increase the
amount of knowledge available to each individual, but also directly
increases the brainstorming and critical thinking abilities of individuals
as well.
Shared responsibility distributes the work among group members,
reducing the overall amount of individual work required. Performing a
task with multiple people is almost always easier than performing it
with only one person. By dividing and conquering, we are able to get
more work done in a shorter period of time. In addition, the diversified
skills within a group means that we are able to distribute work to people
who are better at doing a certain task.
Individuals feel more connected to the accomplishments of the group
leading to increased motivation. As Carr and Walton discuss in their
paper “Cues of working together fuel intrinsic motivation”, which found
that people who believed that they were solving the puzzles in groups,
spent a significantly longer time on the puzzle as well as overall finding
the puzzle more interesting and enjoyable to work on (Carr & Walton,
2014). “The present research found that cues that evoke this form of
social interaction itself inspire intrinsic motivation, causing people to
work harder on challenging tasks for their inherent satisfaction (Carr &
Walton, 2014).
Transition:
Here’s a clip of some individuals in a workplace who have experienced
these advantages of working as a group.
Main Point Two:
At the same time, critics believe that there are significant disadvantages
to working in a group, which include groupthink, C-Type versus A-Type
conflicts, and groups within groups.
Sub-point A:
(w/source
citation, if
applicable)
A major problem of working in a group is groupthink. According to
Alvernia University, groupthink happens when “decision makers insist
on cohesiveness at the loss of outside viewpoints or opinions” (Alvernia
University). The biggest problem is that in the workplace, there are many
competitive measures in place such as getting the biggest bonus which
can cause dominant personalities to assume a subtle “my way or
Sub-point B:
(w/source
citation, if
applicable)
Sub-point C:
(w/source
citation, if
applicable)
Transition:
highway” approach. Additionally, in a work environment, everyone is
getting paid, so there is no need for some less competitive or submissive
individuals to do what is told of them, thereby enabling groupthink.
When working in a team at work, there are high probabilities of there
being two types of conflicts: the C-Type Conflicts or the A-Type Conflicts.
In the book Organizational Conflict, C-Type conflict is a cognitive conflict
that focuses on substantive, issue-related differences of opinion (Vilas
Boas, 2018). In other words, this is a task conflict. This type of conflict is
actually encouraged because it promotes diversity of thought. However,
in the workplace, there are larger chances of an A-type conflict
happening. This is an affective conflict that contains disagreements over
personalized matters, so this is a relationship conflict. This is a
destructive conflict because in the workplace, people who wouldn’t
usually hang out are thrown together to coexist, “with different values
and perceptions” (Shonk, 2022), which may create animosity and
negative competition within groups.
● Groups within groups
As cliquey as we thought high school was, workplaces are no different. In
the workplace, you may encounter two-three people in a team who are
closer than the others. While there is no problem with that, many of
these instances result in workplace cliques. This results in a lot of
“conformity” (Oxford CBT, 2022), which decreases diversity of thought.
There may also be a reduction in the other employees’ morale and could
also be a source of distraction, which pulls all the attention away from
the main task.
Here’s a clip of some individuals in a workplace who have experienced
these disadvantages of working as a group.
While we’re on this topic, we will discuss some good things about
working alone.
III.
Main Point Three:
Sub-point A:
(w/source
citation, if
applicable)
Sub-point B:
(w/source
For our lone wolves, some of the advantages of working alone are the
ability to do more efficient work, control, and the chance to get all the
credit.
Working independently can be beneficial to a project as it can increase
the efficiency of work. Since you are working alone you know the exact
vision that you have for the project and can implement it that specific
way. There will also be no lost time or work from team conflicts or
miscommunication. You will not need to waste any time meeting with
your team or discussing the project together. Whether it's from chit-chat,
office noise or the limitations of working at specific work hours and
locations, working in teams can sometimes be distracting. By working
independently you cut out many of the “inefficient processes” of working
in a team. This allows you to concentrate and complete your work in an
efficient manner (The Benefits of Working Alone, 2022).
When working alone you are completely in charge of the direction,
approach, and execution of the project. Working independently can be
citation, if
applicable)
Sub-point C:
(w/source
citation, if
applicable)
Transition:
very liberating as you are in complete creative control. Additionally since
you are working by yourself you are not constricted to specific working
times and can instead schedule your own working hours and location. It
can be extremely beneficial to have a flexible working environment. Not
only can this increase efficiency but it can also lead to self improvement.
Working by yourself can be great for improving self-motivation and
independence.
When you work independently on a project you are the sole contributor
to it. This means that the success, achievement, and execution of the
project are all attributed to your hard work. Since you will receive all the
credit for the work completed it can greatly enhance your reputation.
Thus working independently on projects can be beneficial for
“increasing an individual's personal professional credibility” (Dalley,
2019).
Here’s a clip of some individuals in a workplace who have thrived
working alone.
While working by yourself has many benefits it doesn’t come without
some downsides to it as well.
IV.
Main Point Four:
As is with everything, there are cons to working alone, too. These include
having a limited perspective, too much responsibility, and lack of
networking.
Sub-point A:
(w/source
citation, if
applicable)
When working alone there is a limited perspective as you can only think
of so many ideas or think of things in certain ways due to how you grew
up and the people around you. One person alone often overlooks flaws
or obvious shortcomings with their own ideas. Similarly ideas can’t be
built upon by others as there is no other person to build off of.
Sub-point B:
(w/source
citation, if
applicable)
When working alone you bear the sole responsibility for your work,
while as mentioned above this puts you in charge of your work, it can
also lead to negative side effects like burnout or lacking resources.
Burnout can result from “working too much” according to Gielan from
the Harvard Business Review, but also from being lonely (Gielan et al.,
2021) and when working alone your network of people that you can
reach out to if you need help is smaller than that of a group.
Sub-point C:
(w/source
citation, if
applicable)
As your network is smaller than a group, working in a group provides
the opportunity to network not only with those in your groups but also
the people that your group knows. According to Bianca Cole,
“networking is vital for success in the modern workplace as it allows for
an avenue to exchange ideas, an avenue for newer opportunities, an
extra resource library and a growth in status and self confidence” (Cole,
2022).
Transition:
(SKIT OF SOMEONE ALONE AND DEPRESSED)
There are many benefits and downsides of working both alone and in
groups.
Informative Speech “Working Outline”
Conclusion
I.
II.
Write in complete sentences. Refer to chapter on Outlining Your Speech.
Summary of Main
Points:
We have discussed some key advantages and disadvantages of both
group work and working individually. Through the use of
communication principles, we are able to give you a guideline of
what may or may not work for you. Hopefully, this puts the statistics
we showed earlier into perspective!
Clincher:
There are many different ways to look at the meaning behind
working together to end with a common goal for everyone all around
you.
Reference List
Include a complete Reference List (i.e., Bibliography) for five (5) research sources including at least 1 source
from a Rutgers University Libraries periodical database that was referenced in the Main Points (sub-points).
All sources are to meet the 6 criteria: expertise, objectivity, accuracy, currency, origin, and relevancy. The
Reference List is to follow APA format style guidelines (6th edition). Refer to the chapter on Researching Your
Speech, and also the APA Resources at the end of this document.
Full Citation I:
Full Citation II:
Full Citation III:
Gielan, S. A. and M., Kopans, D., & Molinsky, A. (2021, August 27). Burnout
at work isn't just about exhaustion. It's also about loneliness. Harvard
Business Review. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://hb
r.org/2017/06/burnout-at-work-isnt-just-about-exhaustion-its-also-abo
ut-loneliness
Cole, B. M. (2022, October 12). 10 reasons why networking is essential for your
career. Forbes. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/biancamillercole/2019/03/20/why-net
working-should-be-at-the-core-of-your-career/?sh=359a47731300
The Benefits of Working Alone. (2022, June 24). Indeed Career Guide. Retrieved
March 16, 2023, from
Full Citation IV:
Full Citation V:
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/benefits-o
f-working-alone
Dalley, M. (2019, September 2). The Pros and Cons of Working Independently.
CareerAddict. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from
https://www.careeraddict.com/working-independently
Gokhale, A. A. (1995). Collaborative Learning Enhances Critical Thinking. Journal
of Technology Education, 7(1), 22-30.DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21061/jte.v7i1.a.2