Organizing Your Speech
Linear organization
Overview
• The organization of the body of the speech
• The Introduction
• The conclusion
Why do we Organize Speeches
• Effective organization helps public speakers by
simplifying content preparation.
-- To get started, choose an organizational pattern.
-- Develop a list of main points.
-- Increase speaker’s credibility and confidence (i.e.
focusing on delivery rather than recall).
Speech Topic
The advantage of
getting a college
education
Main Points
1. Salary differences between high-school
and college graduates
2. Life status differences between highschool and college graduates
3. Health outcome differences between
high-school and college graduates
Why do we Organize Speeches
 Effective organization helps listeners.
-- Helps listeners understand, remember, and
listen to speech. (clear logics, links, transitional
words…)
-- Allows listeners to enjoy the message, rather
than struggle to follow it.
Guidelines for Organizing your Content
Step 1: Develop the body of your speech first.
Decide upon the major ideas you’ll highlight in your
speech and then go back and introduce them
effectively.
Step 2: Clearly state your central idea, which
provides the backbone for your speech.
Central idea
Speech topic
“Capital punishment is Ethics of capital
unethical because it
punishment
unfairly targets
minorities, is
irrevocable, and is a
violation of basic
Main points
1. Is unfair to minorities.
2. Cannot be revoked.
3. Violates human rights.
Make sure your supporting materials are
directly relevant to the main points
I.
There are several reasons why people
immigrate to the United States.
A. Over the years, millions of people have
immigrated to the United States
B. Many people immigrate in the search of
economic opportunity.
C. Others immigrate to attain political freedom.
D. Still others immigrate to escape religious
persecution.
Guidelines for Organizing your Content
Step 3: Limit your number of main points.
• Using more than five points will make it difficult for
you and your audience to remember your message.
• Limit yourself to the number of points you can fully
develop and remember during your speech.
• Keeping your number of points low will help your
audience recall your main points.
Length of speech
Number of main points
3 to 4 minutes
2
5 to 7 minutes
3 to 4
10 minutes or more
Up to 5
Point + proof, proof, proof
•Make a logical argument
•Easy to follow
•Best with 3 points
Tips for Preparing Main Points
• Write your main points in as few words as
possible.
√ Effective
“The tax code penalizes
married couples.”
× Ineffective
“ The tax code is unfair because people who
are married pay more taxes than people who
are single of those who love together have to
pay.”
• Use parallel main points to help yourself and
audience members recall your main points.
Speech topic
Parallel main points
The benefits of internship
1. Internships are beneficial because they
provide job skills.
2. Internships are beneficial because they
provide business contacts.
3. Internships are beneficial because they
provide job opportunities.
Tips for Preparing Main Points
• Keep main points separate.
Ineffective
I. The first step is choosing the
play.
II. The second step is selecting
the cast.
III. The third step is conducting
rehearsals and then performing
the play
Effective
I. The first step is choosing the
play.
II. The second step is selecting
the cast.
III. The third step is conducting
rehearsals .
IV. The fourth step is performing
the play.
• Balance the amount of time devoted to main
points.
Tips for Preparing Main Points
• Try to use the same pattern of wording for
main points
Ineffective
Effective
I. Regular exercise
I. Regular exercise
increases your endurance.
increases your endurance.
II. Your sleeping pattern is
II. Regular exercise
improved by regular
improves your sleeping
exercise.
pattern.
III.It is possible to help
III.Regular exercise helps
control your weight by
control your weight.
regular exercise.
Guidelines for Organizing your Content
Step 4: Organize your points in a logical sequence.
• Arrange your ideas in an order that make sense.
• E.g., job skill  contacts  job opportunities
Step 5: Identify your sources.
Do
Example
When you make a claim, you need “ Air pollution today is the worst it
to support it.
has ever been.”
Indicate the source of the support
you offer.
“ Environmental Protection
Agency Report published in 2009”
Provide the specific source and
integrate it smoothly into your
speech.
“According to the EPA, …”
Organization Patterns for Informative Speech
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Chronological
Geographical/Space sequence
Cause and effect
Topical
Formula or gimmick
•
Some organizational patterns can also be used
for persuasive speeches
Chronological
• Used to discuss a series of events that
happened in order.
Types
Historical
Sample Speech Topics
“Today, I am going to discuss the
escalation of the United States’
involvement in the Vietnam War.”
Someone’s life
“Let’s take a look of the life of John F.
Kennedy.”
Instructions
“By the end of this speech, you’ll know
exactly how to plant your own English
garden.”
Processes
“Now, let’s examine how an amendment
is added to China’s Constitution.”
Geographical or Space Sequence
• Use this pattern to
-- Discuss your main points based on
physical proximity.
-- Describe a place or an object.
e.g., “Today, we’ll take a tour of the
country’s national parks, from the west to
the east coast.”
Cause and Effect
• Highlighting causes of a problem and
discussing their effects.
• E.g.,
Speech topic
Causes
Air Pollution
1. Car emissions
2. Dust from
construction
3. Manufacturing
emissions
Effects
1. Breathing
difficulties
2. Allergies
3. Can shorten
life span
Topical
• Use when you want to take a broad topic and
divide it into categories, e.g.,
Speech
topic
Categories or main points
Weight
loss
1. Exercise
2. Nutrition
3. Genetics
Formula or Gimmick
• Helpful for improving memory by spelling a
word with the first letter of each main topic, e.g.,
Speech topic
Formula or
Gimmick
Main points
Adolescent
drug-resistance
strategies
R
Refuse
E
Explain
A
Avoid
L
Leave
• Or, begin each point with the same letter, e.g.,
-- The four C’s of diamonds include: cut, clarity,
color, and carat.
Four Persuasive Organizational Patterns
Pattern #1: Pro-con: recognize the counter argument
and impress your audience with a compelling
argument for the other side of the issue.
-- Use stronger evidence for one side.
-- Attack the other side of the issue.
Speech topic
Gun Control
Laws
Your argument
Counter argument
“Stronger gun control laws “Stronger gun control laws might increase the
will decrease the number of number of deaths by the number of people who
deaths due to accidents.”
cannot defend themselves because they do not
have guns.”
Acknowledge an aspect or advantage of the
Use strong evidence to support your arguments,
counter argument, such as “Currently, you can such as “However, there are many more deaths
own a gun to defend yourself.”
caused by accidents than by those who do not
have access to guns to defend themselves.”
Pattern #2 Problem-Solution
Speech topic
Obesity in
China
Problem
Solution
“Three problems occur
because of obesity.
Obesity leads to
increased health costs,
decrease the quality of
life for the obese, and
can even lead to
premature death.”
“We can solve the
problems of obesity by
decreasing the size of
portions in restaurants,
decreasing the reliance
on automobiles, and
decreasing the
consumption of
processed foods.”
Pattern #3 Elimination–Order Pattern
• Describe possible solutions and eliminate all but
yours, and explain why only your solution will
successfully solve the problem.
Speech topic
Possible solutions
Eliminate all solutions
except your own
Overcrowding in
the parking lots on
campus
“There are three solutions to
1. “It costs too much, and we
don’t have enough land.”
2. “Students don’t want to
ride a shuttle bus, and it
increases air pollution.”
3. The best solution is to
build bike paths.”
the parking problem on
campus:
1.Build more garages on
campus;
2.Build lots off campus and
shuttle students in, or
3.Build more bike paths.
Evidence: “At other universities, the building of bike paths has
decreased congestion in parking lot.”
Pattern #4 Formula or Gimmick （窍门）
• Helpful for improving memory by spelling a word
with the first letter of each main topic, e.g.,
Speech topic
Adolescent drugresistance
strategies
Formula or
Gimmick
Main points
R
Refuse
E
Explain
A
Avoid
L
Leave
• Or, begin each point with the same letter, e.g.,
-- The four C’s of diamonds include: cut, clarity, color,
and carat.
Monroe's motivated sequence
• Monroe‘s motivated sequence is a
technique for organizing persuasive
speeches that inspire people to take action. It
was developed in the mid-1930s by Alan H.
Monroe at Purdue University. It consists of
five steps.
• The advantage of Monroe's Motivated
Sequence is that it emphasizes what the
audience can do. Too often the audience
feels like a situation is hopeless; Monroe's
motivated sequence emphasizes the action
the audience can take.
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
 Commercials, editorials, and political speeches often use
this technique.
 Five steps: ANSVA
-- Attention: Visualize or show how serious a problem is.
-- Need: Explain why the audience should be concerned
with a particular problem and why they should change
a belief, attitude, or behavior.
-- Satisfaction: Explain how your solution will address
the problem or need.
-- Visualization: Motivate audience with a mental
picture and solution.
-- Action: Advise ways to change by providing
instructions
Evaluation of an Introduction
1. Capture your audience’s attention (9 strategies);
2. State your purpose and topic (see an example);
3. Establish relevance to your audience (see an
example);
4. Build your credibility/authority over your topic
(e.g., personal experience and/or extensive
research);
5. Transition into the body of your speech (see an
example).
6. Set your tone (i.e., lighthearted or serious);
7. Preview your main points (a map to navigate
the speech with all the major points);
Remember: A good introduction should be
between 45 and 60 seconds or accounts for
10-20% of your speech.
1. Capture your audience’s attention (9 strategies)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Open with a quote (brief, relevant, & easy to link your topic).
Use a startling fact/stats (to focus your audience’s attention on
your topic).
Begin with a question (either rhetorical or direct).
Refer to a current event (to increase audience’s interest).
Tell a story/anecdote about yourself to others (to gain audience’s
interest and familiarity).
Perform a demonstration to connect your audience nonverbally
(Alert: don’t distract from it or frighten your audience).
Refer to a literary material (by concisely discussing a relevant
character, book, or reading a short poem).
Use humor (to make your audience laugh, feel alert, relax, and/or
develop positive feeling; avoid using offensive humors).
Create suspense verbally or nonverbally (to increase audience’s
curiosity).
2. State your purpose and topic
Type of Speech
Tips for Statement of Example
Purpose
Informative
Use a clear, declarative
statement.
“Today I am going to
explain three ways that
you can improve your net
worth while in college…”
Persuasive
Use a statement of
action or outcome.
“Today, I am going to
persuade you to vote for
China…”
3. Establish relevance to your audience
• How can you make date rape a relevant issue for all
your audience (both males and females)?
-- Explain the frequency of date rape occurrences
(e.g., one out of four college female students in
U.S.).
-- Mention that anyone is a potential victim, including
the friends and families of the audience members
(e.g., mother, sister, girlfriend/boyfriend).
-- Discuss the consequence of being accused of
date rape (e.g., short-term and long-term trauma).
4. Build your credibility/authority over your
topic
• I started lifting weight when I was in high school,
and I have kept at it for the past eight years.
• I have been interested in the history of the civil
rights movements for several years, and I have
read a number of books and articles about it.
• The information I am going to share with you
today comes mostly from my biology class and
an interview with Reyna Vasquez of the local
Audubon Society.
*Whatever the source of your expertise, be sure to
let the audience know.
5. Transition into the body of your speech
Main points
Transition
1. Completing college in
three years.
2. Avoiding the use of
credit cards.
3. Carefully selecting
summer jobs.
“ Now I will tell you what a
difference it can make in
your net worth if you
complete college in three
years versus four.”
Examples of Questions
Examples:
 Direct: Do you know how many small businesses are started
each year in China? Please show your hand if you know.
 Rhetorical: Have you ever spent a sleepless night studying for
an exam? Can you remember rushing to finish a term paper
because you waited too long to star writing it? Do you often
feel overwhelmed by all the things you have to get done at
school? At work? At home? If so, you may be the victim of
poor time management. Fortunately, there are proven
strategies you can follow to use your time more effectively and
to keep control of your life.
 Avoid asking embarrassing questions, e.g., “How many of
you cheated on your romantic partners?”
Example of Suspense
Example:
Each of you has a gift. What kind of gift is it? It’s not a
Christmas gift or a birthday gift. It’s not some special
talent or skill. It’s a gift that could save a life—maybe
more than one. If you decide to give it, you lose nothing.
Some people bury their gift. Others burn it. All but one
of you who completed my questionnaire would gladly
receive the gift, but only 20 percent of you have decided
to give it. This gift is the donation of your vital organs
when you die.
Evaluation of a Conclusion
Role of Intro
Role of Conclusion
•State topic
•Restate topic
•Preview main points
•Review main points
•Build your confidence
•Increase audience
interest and responsiveness
•Encourage listener recall
•Give a slow and emphatic
review of main points
•Make your speech
memorable
Example of Conclusion
• Speech topic: Why the audience should vote?
Step 1: Recap your major points.
E.g., closing statement: “You should vote because voting is
your basic civil right. It’s your responsibility as a citizen, and
it’s your one avenue for affecting public policy.”
Step 2: Motivate listener’s involvement (“what do I want my
audience to take from my speech?”)
E.g., “You might think one vote doesn’t count, but you’re
wrong. Remember, in the 2000 presidential election, fewer
than 1,000 votes separated the winner from the loser. It could
have been your vote.”
The model
•The introduction
• Start the speech. Get attention and interest.
•Thesis
• One sentence to tell your point.
•Preview
• Three main points without the details.
•Body
• This accounts 90% of the whole speech. Problem---cause--• solution.
•Summary
• Use past tense. You tell what you told them.
•Conclusion
• Address your introduction (go back to the beginning).
Assignment
1. What is your definition of success?
2. What contributes to success (think of at
least 6 factors)?
3. What are the qualities and characteristics
successful people share?
4. Read chapters concerning informative
speech for the next session.