Organizing Your Speech Lecture #8

Why Organize? O Listeners can better comprehend message O Shows relationship between ideas O Audience knows what to listen for O Demonstrates preparation and commitment O Enhances your credibility

Three parts to every speech… O Introduction O Body O Conclusion

Body O Main Points O Those few ideas that are most important for your audience to remember O Supporting Materials O Sub-points designed to prove, substantiate, or clarify your main points

How to select main points… O Consider your purpose O Take your audience into account O Select an appropriate number

Consider the following two sets of main points for a speech arguing that the government should not censor radio programs that contain indecent language, such as the Howard Stern show… Version A Version B 1. The history of broadcast regulation 2. Background on the Howard Stern show 3. In a free society, people should be allowed to listen to the programs of their choice 1. In a free society, people should be allowed to listen to the programs of their choice 2. Listeners who find Stern offensive can change the station 3. Government censorship efforts can be abused

PURPOSE Version B is the better set of main points. Main points should always focus on the purpose. In this case all three help support the thesis that is being argued (unlike Version A).

Consider the following two sets of main points for a speech about backpacking tips… Version A Version B 1. Choosing the right backpack 2. Remembering the essential equipment 3. Packing your backpack strategically 1. Coping with extreme elevation changes 2. Selecting light, nutritious food for week-long trips 3. Choosing optimal equipment for sub- zero temperatures

AUDIENCE Both versions contain main points that fit the topic. The question of which is better depends on the audience (novice for A and experienced for B).

How many Main Points? Purpose 1245

Make it manageable… O Check to see if you can combine related or redundant MPs O Review your audience analysis and decide if any MPs can be thrown out as ineffective O Determine which MPs are most essential as audience take-aways and exclude others O If you only have one, consider making it your thesis and use supporting points as main.

Supporting Materials O Use subordination O Def: a hierarchy of points and their supporting materials (main, sub, sub-sub, etc.) O Most easily implemented in an outline O Types O Examples O Definitions O Testimony O Statistics O Narrative O Analogies

Arranging your main points… O The structure in which you present your main points is crucial O 8 basic types of organization

#1: Spatial Pattern O Main points are adjacent to one another in location or geography O Effective with speech topics that can be broken down into specific parts that are spatially related O Ex: Anatomy lecture on human skeleton

#2: Temporal Pattern O Information is presented in chronological sequence O Each main point covers a particular point in a period of time O Can help audience keep track O Ex: Informative speech on WWII

#3: Causal Pattern O Cause and effect relationship O Helps audience understand the link between particular events and their outcomes O Can be multiple causes for one effect or a chain of cause and effect phenomena O Ex: Persuasive speech on why healthcare in America has failed

#4: Comparison Pattern O Organized around major similarities and differences between two events, objects, or situations O Can help an audience learn about unfamiliar topics through common ones O Ex: Comparison of newly discovered planets with those in our solar system

#5: Problem-Cause-Solution Pattern O Best if you want your audience to take a certain action or support a policy O MP1 discusses problems, MP2 shows their causes, and MP3 advocates for the proposed solution O Ex: Persuasive speech on the importance of solar energy

#6: Criteria-Application Pattern O Proposes standards for making a judgment about a topic O Then applies those standards to the topic O Ex: Best man toast (criteria for true love, application to newlyweds)

#7: Narrative Pattern O Story O Uses characters and plot line O Still can have a thesis or purpose; the story helps illustrate your point O Ex: Smoking is bad for your health

#8: Categorical Pattern O Each MP emphasizes one of the most important aspects of your topic O Generic O Should be logical O Ex: Interview speech on why you are best for the job

Organizing your body… O Transitions O A sentence that indicates you are moving from one part of your speech to the next (major and minor) O Signposts O Words or phrases that helps your audience understand your speech’s structure O Internal Previews and Summaries O Tell them what you are going to tell them O Tell them O Tell them what you told them

Introduction O Gains audience attention (hook) O Signals the topic and purpose of speech O Conveys the importance of the topic O Establishes your credibility O Internal preview of main points

Without a good hook you will lose the fish!

Conclusion O Clear transition to conclusion O Internal summary of main points O Strong clincher

Finish with a bang!