Course Information:

My office phone: 6-4370
 PCSB (DCP) room 227
 Course website:
– http://www.geocities.com/elliscoms
– This site is not meant to replace your syllabus;
Simply enhance the course
– I have put due dates on the website, but in case I
have made any errors you will be held
accountable for the dates in the syllabus
Chapter 8
Organizing the Body of the
Speech
Importance of Organization
Perceptions of comprehension and
trustworthiness
 Strategic organization:

– Putting a speech together in a particular
way to achieve a particular result with a
particular audience
– Importance of strategic organization
• Audience can not “flip” between ideas
• Establishment of relationships among ideas
Main Points of the Speech
Most speeches have 2-5 main points
 Main points flow logically from the
specific purpose and central idea
 Style in which you choose to present
these points is essential to
communication

5 Strategic Order Forms for
Organization of Main Points
Chronological
 Spatial
 Causal
 Problem-solution
 Topical

Chronological Order



Specific purpose: to inform my audience of how the
great wall of china was built
Central idea: the great wall of china was built in
three major stages.
Main points:
– Building the great wall began during the Chou dynasty in
the fourth century BC
– New sections of the great wall were added during the Ch’in,
Han, and Sui dynasties from 221 BC to 618 BC
– The great wall was completed during the Ming dynasty of
1368-1644
Spatial Order

Specific purpose: to inform my audience
about the design of the Eiffel tower
 Central idea: the Eiffel tower is divided into
three sections
 Main points:
– The lowest section of the tower contains the
entrance, a gift shop and a restaurant
– The middle section of the tower consists of stairs
and elevators that lead to the top
– The top section of the tower includes an
observation deck with a spectacular view of Paris
Causal Order

Specific purpose: to persuade my audience
that the use of aging airplanes by US airline
companies is a serious problem
 Central idea: the use of aging planes by US
airline companies threatens the safety of air
travel
 Main points:
– To meet the demand for air travel, airline
companies are keeping more and more old planes
in service.
– If this trend continues, it will create serious
problems for airline safety
Problem-Solution Order



Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that the
US should act now to protect its citizens against
electronic invasions of their privacy
Central Idea: The loss of personal privacy in our
electronic society is a serious problem that requires
decisive action
Main Points:
– The use of electronic data gathering by business and
government poses a serious threat to personal privacy
– The problem could be greatly reduced by federal privacy
laws that impose strict controls on the collection of personal
information by businesses and government agencies
Topical Order



Specific purpose: to inform my audience of the major
kinds of fireworks
Central idea: the major kinds of fireworks are
skyrockets, roman candles, pinwheels and lances
Main points:
– Skyrockets explode high in the air, producing the
most dramatic effects of all fireworks
– Roman candles shoot out separate groups of
sparks and colored flames with a series of
booming noises
– Pinwheels throw off the sparks and flames as they
whirl on the end of a stick
– Lances are thin, colorful fireworks used in ground
displays
Tips for Preparing Main Points
Keep main points separate and
independent of each other
 Consistent patterns for wording of main
points
 Balance amount of time devoted to
each point

Supporting Materials
Used to support the main assertions
(points)
 3 types of supporting materials

– Examples
– Statistics (see website)
– Testimony (expert or your own)
Supporting Materials (cont’d)
Chapter 7 will cover these in more detail
 For our purposes now:

– Organization is key
– Relevance to your topic is necessary
Connectives
“A word or phrase that connects the
ideas of a speech and indicates a
relationship between them”
 4 types of connectives:

– Transitions
– Internal previews
– Internal summaries
– Signposts

Connectives are essential for listener
understanding
Chapter 9
Beginning and Ending the
Speech
The Importance of Introductions

Catch phrases:
– “A poor beginning may so detract or
alienate listeners that the speaker can
never fully recover”
– “Getting on the right foot is vital to a
speaker’s self-confidence”
4 Main Objectives for Every
Introduction
Get attention and interest
 Reveal the topic
 Establish credibility and goodwill
 Preview the body of the speech

7 Ways to Get Attention and
Interest

Relating the topic to the audience
• UConn’s Poultry Science Club






State the importance of your topic
Startle the audience
Arouse the curiosity of the audience
Question the audience
Begin with a quotation
Tell a story
4 Main Introduction Objectives
(Cont’d)

Reveal the topic clearly
 Establish credibility and goodwill
– Credibility
– Goodwill

Preview the body of the speech
– Use a preview statement in the introduction to
identify the main points
– Preview statement comes at the end of the intro
5 Tips for Preparing the
Introduction





Keep the intro fairly brief
Look out for information during your research
that could contribute to an intro
Be creative in devising your intro; experiment
with two or three versions for most impact
Do not worry about exact wording until your
speech is complete
Work out the introduction in detail
The Conclusion
Closing remarks are your last chance to
make a point!
 Delivery is key (next week)

2 Goals of the Conclusion

Signal the Ending
– Crescendo Ending?
– Dissolve Ending?

Reinforce the Central Idea
– Summarize the speech
– End with a quotation
– Make a dramatic statement
– Refer to the Introduction
4 Tips for preparing the
Conclusion
Look out for potential concluding
material during research process
 Conclude with a BANG not a whimper
 DO NOT be long winded
 Don’t leave anything to chance; practice
thoroughly

Chapter 5
Analyzing the Audience
Audience Centeredness

Keep the audience as the central
consideration during all points of speech
process (development and delivery)
 Learn about your audience for a pre-emptive
strike in adaptation
 Identification: Process through which a
speaker seeks to create a bond with the
audience by emphasizing common ground
Classmates ARE an Audience
Use this class as a testing ground for
your future
 The best speeches take into account
the feelings, attitudes and perspectives
of your classmates
 Treat this audience as any professional
speaker would treat theirs

Psychology of Audiences

Speaker must make the audience
choose to listen
– Interference
– Auditory perception is selective

Egocentrism
– Audience is concerned with themselves
– “Get inside their experience”
– Make your topic relevant to them
Demographic Audience Analysis

Age
• Challenger? Columbia?

Gender/Sexual Orientation
• Topic Choice?

Racial, ethnic or cultural background
• Lott and Thurmond, 1948 campaign
• Bubba and South Korea

Religion
• Episcopalians; W. against same-sex marriages

Group memberships
• NRA, UConn Student, Sports team, Greeks, etc.
Situational Audience Analysis

Size
 Physical setting
 Audience disposition toward the topic
• Interested or Indifferent?
• Knowledgeable?
• Predetermined attitude?

Audience disposition toward the speaker
• response to message is Impacted by perceptions of trust

Audience disposition toward the occasion
• follow social norms
Getting Information About the
Audience
Interviews
 Questionnaires (see page 115)

– Three types of questions
• Fixed-alternative
• Scale questions
• Open-ended questions
Adapting to the Audience

Two stages of adaptation:
– Before the speech
– During the speech

Always keep in mind that good
speakers are audience-centered