Chapter 12:
Organizing Your Speech
COMM3
Verderber, Sellnow, and Verderber
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcomes
LO12-1 Describe methods for developing the body of
your speech
LO12-2 Explain how to create an introduction
LO12-3 Explain how to prepare a conclusion
LO12-4 Examine guidelines for listing sources
LO12-5 Develop a method for reviewing the outline
© 2014 Cengage Learning
ACTION STEPS
Organizing Your Speech
Action Step 3
Organize Ideas into a Well-structured
Outline.
Organization
• Although every speech should have an
introduction, a body, and a conclusion, not all
speeches that have these components are
well organized.
• Organizing, the process of structuring the
material you will present in your speech, is
guided by what you learned when you
conducted your audience analysis.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 12-1
Choose Main Points
• The first step when organizing the body
of a speech is identifying the main ideas
you want to share.
• Main points are complete sentences
representing the two to four central
ideas your audience needs to understand
if you are to achieve your speech goal.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 12-1
Write a Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is a one- or twosentence summary of your speech that
incorporates your general and specific
goals and previews the main points.
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Learning Outcome 12-1
Outline the Speech Body
• Once you have chosen your main points
and written a thesis statement, you can
begin to organize the information you
want to present under each main point.
• Speech outlines are full-sentence written
frameworks of the sequential and
hierarchical relationships among the
ideas presented in a speech.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
FIGURE 12.1
Katie’s Speech Framework
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Learning Outcome 12-1
Outline Hierarchy
• In most speeches, there are three levels of
hierarchy:
• Main points
• Subpoints
• Sub-subpoints
• Writing your main points and subpoints in
complete sentences will help you clarify the
relationships between main points and
subpoints.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
FIGURE 12.2
General Form for a Speech
Outline
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Learning Outcome 12-1
Organizational Patterns
• An organizational pattern is a logical way to
structure information that makes it easy for an
audience to follow what is being said.
• Four fundamental patterns are:
– Time order
– Narrative order
– Topical order
– Logical reasons order
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 12-1
Subpoints
• Subpoints are statements that elaborate on a
main point.
• A main point may have two, three, or even
more subpoints depending on the complexity
of it.
• Subpoints use supporting material—
developmental material you gathered through
secondary and primary research.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 12-1
Outlining Subpoints
• Subpoints should be represented on your
outline in full sentences.
• It helps to include internal references for
items of information you found in
secondary sources.
• As with main points, subpoints should be
revised until they are clearly stated.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 12-1
Transitions
• Transitions are words, phrases, or sentences
that allow you to move smoothly from one
point to another by showing the relationship
between the two ideas.
– Section transitions are complete sentences that
show the relationship between or bridge major
parts of the speech.
– Signposts are words or phrases that connect
pieces of supporting material to the main point or
subpoint they address.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 12-2
Developing the Introduction
• Once you have developed the
body of the speech, you can
decide how to introduce it.
• An introduction is generally about
10 percent of the length of the
entire speech.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 12-3
Developing the Conclusion
• Effective conclusions heighten the impact
of a good speech by:
– Summarizing the main ideas
– Leaving the audience with a vivid impression
• Even though it is a relatively short part of
the speech, your conclusion should be
carefully planned.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 12-3
Summarizing Main Points
An effective speech conclusion
includes an abbreviated restatement
of your thesis.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 12-3
Leaving a Vivid Impression
• A clincher is a short memorable
statement that provides a sense of
closure by driving home the importance
of your speech goal in a memorable way.
• Two effective strategies for clinching are
using vivid imagery and creating an
appeal to action.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 12-4
Compiling a Reference List
• Regardless of the type or length of your speech,
you’ll want to prepare a list of the sources you used.
• The two standard methods of organizing sources are:
– Alphabetically by author’s last name
– By content category
• For speeches with a short list, the first method is
most efficient.
• For long speeches with a lengthy source list, it is
helpful to group sources by content categories.
© 2014 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 12-5
Reviewing the Outline
• After creating all of the parts of the
outline, you must:
• Put them together in complete outline
form
• Edit them to make sure the outline is
well organized and well worded
© 2014 Cengage Learning