Main Points, Supporting Points, and Transitions Chapter Eleven Main Points, Supporting Points, and Transitions

Chapter Eleven Table of Contents Main Points: Making the Claim Supporting Points: Supplying the Evidence Principles of Organizing Main and Supporting Points Transitions: Giving Direction to the Speech

Main Points, Supporting Points, and Transitions Speech structure: Introduction establishes the purpose and relevance Body presents main points Conclusion ties the purpose and main points together.

Main Points: Making the Claim Main Points: used to express the key ideas and major themes Also used to make claims in support of the thesis

Main Points: Making the Claim Using the Purpose and Thesis Statements as Guideposts Number of Main Points Form of Main Points

Main Points: Making the Claim: Using the Purpose and Thesis Statements as Guideposts The specific purpose and thesis statements can be guideposts to help generate the main points of your speech.

Main Points: Making the Claim: Number of Main Points Use two to seven main points, depending on Topic Amount of material Length of the speech

Main Points: Making the Claim: Form of Main Points A main point should only introduce one idea.

Main Points: Making the Claim: Form of Main Points Parallel Form: stating main points in similar grammatical form and style

Supporting Points: Supplying the Evidence Supporting Points: material or evidence gathered to justify the main points Main points are enumerated with upper-case Roman numerals Supporting points with capital letters

Principles of Organizing Main and Supporting Points A well-organized speech is characterized by unity, coherence, and balance.

Principles of Organizing Main and Supporting Points: Unity Unity: when a speech contains only points related to the purpose and thesis statement.

Principles of Organizing Main and Supporting Points: Coherence Coherence: clarity and logical consistency throughout Subordination and coordination: logical placement of ideas relative to their importance to one another

Principles of Organizing Main and Supporting Points: Balance Balance: an appropriate amount of weight given to each part of the speech relative to the other parts

Transitions: Giving Direction to the Speech Transitions: words, phrases, or sentences that tie the speech ideas together rhetorical question restatement of the previous point forecast of the next point

Transitions: Giving Direction to the Speech Internal preview: a transition that tells the audience what to expect next. Internal summary: draws together important ideas before proceeding to the next point.