I. INTRODUCTION
A. Greeting (Optional)
B. Attention getter
C. Credibility statement
D. Thesis statement
E. Preview of main points
A. GREETING
1. Hello! My name is Mandar the Dark-Elf and
I will be talking to you today about the exciting
intricacies of live action roleplaying (LARP).
B. ATTENTION GETTER
1. There are five basic ways to engage an
audience
THE FIVE TYPES OF ATTENTION-GETTERS
1. Asking a question
2. Making a
reference
3. Using a quote
Have you ever tried
beating someone
up with a foam
sword?
I know that many of
you probably have
a preconceived
notion about the
type of people who
LARP.
“Cowards die many
times before their
deaths…” –Julius
Caesar
THE FIVE TYPES OF ATTENTION-GETTERS CONT.
4. Telling a story
5. Making a startling
statement
I had spent all night forging my weapons and
armor for this moment. As I crouched in the
darkness of dusk, I could see the faint
outline of a figure in front of me. Judging by
his opulent robes and cowled face he was a
spell-caster; easy prey for my duel blades. I
leapt from the shadows and struck quickly,
my right blade slicing downward through the
darkness and striking his shoulder. He
fumbled for his bag of spell components,
cursing loudly in pain and frustration. The
half-second delay was all I needed. My
second blade raked through the soft fabric
of his garment and found his heart. With
lips still twisted in incantation of the
powerful spell, he fell over dead. His life
force spilling out on the stones beneath
him. It was a glorious day!
9 out of 10 women prefer a man who still has
the sweat of battle on him-even when the
battle is with foam swords and duct tape
armor.
ACTIVITY:
With a partner use all five attentiongetters to engage your audience over
the following topics:
• How to make ice cube tray popsicles
with left over pickle juice.
• How to put the “Oh Yeah!” back into
Kool Aide.
• How to cure hiccups.
C. CREDIBILITY STATEMENT
1. Why should your
audience listen to
you and how are
you an expert?
Last summer, I spent
3 weeks at a
renaissance festival
as a squire to the
Green Knight and at
the end of my
service was knighted
by King George.
PARTNER ACTIVITY
• Turn to your partner and tell them one thing
that you are an expert on and why you are an
expert.
• How will your credibility be important when
picking a topic?
D. THESIS STATEMENT
1. A thesis statement is a
sentence stating the
specific idea or opinion you
address in your speech, and
is located in the
introduction of your speech.
I believe that there
is nothing more
exciting than
donning
homemade armor
and beating the
snot out of fellow
geeks and nerds on
the field of battle
with foam and
cardboard swords.
A THESIS STATEMENT MUST:
 Be specific
 Be a complete sentence
 Be in your introduction
 Be proven through your body paragraphs
 Be a road map for the speech; in other words,
it tells the audience what to expect is to come.
PRACTICE
• Using the topic you told your partner earlier, write a
thesis statement for that topic by following the
guidelines we just discussed.
• Have your partner check your thesis based on what a
thesis statement must be.
E. PREVIEW STATEMENT
1. Last sentence of
your introduction
2.Tells the audience
what you will be doing
in your speech
I will now explain three
basic parts to beginning
your LARP adventure,
which includes how to
create your weapon and
armor, creating realistic
fields of battle, and how to
engage in combat safely
and without complete
chaos.
REVIEW TIME!
YOUR OUTLINE INTRODUCTION SHOULD LOOK LIKE THE
FOLLOWING:
Title
Purpose: (Why are you giving this talk?)
Thesis: (What is your major point or argument?)
I. Introduction
A. Greeting (OPTIONAL)
B. Attention getter
C. Credibility statement
D. Thesis statement
E. Preview of main points
WRITE A COMPLETE INTRODUCTION FOR ONE
OF THE FOLLOWING SPEECH TOPICS:
• Bullying in schools
• Teen acne
• Cramming for a test
• Harry Potter
II. BODY PARAGRAPH OUTLINE
A. The main point is written in a complete
sentence.
1. Supporting material supports the
main points
a. Details narrow the points
further
BODY PARAGRAPH EXAMPLE
II. It is extremely important that have the necessary materials
before you start playing Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.
A. Players must have the AD&D Players Guide
1. It is essential in choosing the appropriate class
and race
2. It teaches the player how to use the dice to
determine outcomes
a. How else would you know how much damage
your fireball does?
WRITE A BODY OUTLINE FOR ONE OF THE
FOLLOWING TOPICS:
How to get a lodged slice of bread out of
a toaster safely.
How to tell a joke properly.
How to create an awesome mix tape.
TRANSITIONS: BRIDGING THE GAP
• Transitions provide continuity between
sections of your speech
• They are SIGNPOSTS to your audience that you
are about to change thoughts or ideas
• In your outline they are written in complete
sentences
SAMPLE TRANSITIONS WORDS:
Contrast and Comparison:
contrast, by the same token, conversely, instead, likewise,
on one hand, on the other hand, on the contrary, rather,
similarly, yet, but, however, still, nevertheless, in contrast
Sequence:
at first, first of all, to begin with, in the first place, at the same time,
for now, for the time being, the next step, in time, in turn, later on,
meanwhile, next, then, soon, the meantime, later, while, earlier,
simultaneously, afterward, in conclusion, with this in mind,
Summarizing:
after all, all in all, all things considered, briefly, by and large, in any case,
in any event, in brief, in conclusion, on the whole, in short, in summary,
in the final analysis, in the long run, on balance, to sum up, to
summarize, finally
TRANSITION EXAMPLES:
• Keeping these points in mind about scalding
yourself with a hot poker, let’s now look at how
to shape the hilt of your sword.
• Now that I have explained how to get slapped
in the face by a female, let me give you some
pointers about how to treat the resulting
stinging and swelling.
• Since I have already illustrated what not to do
in Oral Communication to get an F, perhaps we
should now look at how to kiss-up to your
teacher.
III. CONCLUSION
A. Restate your thesis
B. Summary
1. Should review the main points in your
speech
C. Memorable statement/Call to Action
2. Should really drive home your speech
a. Consider using material from your
attention getter
CONCLUSION EXAMPLE
III. Playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons creates
an exciting and addictive melding of comradery,
imagination, creativity, and adventure that no
other game can offer.
A. Rolling characters
B. Battling monsters
C. Treasure
D. Memorable statement/Call to action- Now lets
strap on our magic swords, take up our musty
spell books and let the adventure begin!
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Your outline should look like this….
Title
Thesis Statement (complete sentence)
Purpose Statement (complete sentence)
I. Introduction
A. Greeting (Hello, my name is)
B. Attention getter (five types)
C. Credibility statement (why should we listen to you?)
D. Thesis statement (complete sentence)
E. Preview (Today I will be….)
II -IV. Body (topic sentence)
A. Main Point
1. Support
a. Detail
2. Support
Transition (complete sentence)
V. Conclusion (Thesis restated)
A. Review main points
B. Memorable statement/Call to action (complete sentence)