Speech Class Writing an Outline and Making Cue Cards

Overview An outline breaks down the parts of your speech in a clear, hierarchical (top-down) manner. Most students find that writing an outline before beginning to write the speech is most helpful in organizing one’s thoughts. If your outline is good, your speech should be easy to write. The format for an outline uses an alternating series of numbers and letters – indented accordingly – to indicate levels of importance.

Indent (verb) – to start a line of text further from the margin than the main part of the text.

A Dent in a Car

Title of Speech I.Introduction II.Main Point #1 A.Information / Sub-point B.Information / Sub-point III.Main Point #2 A.Information / Sub-point 1.Info specific to Sub-Point A 2.Info specific to Sub-Point A a. More detailed info for A2 b. More detailed info for A2 B.Information / Sub-point C.Information / Sub-point IV.Main Point #3 A.Information / Sub-point B.Information / Sub-point V.Conclusion

Four Main Components for Effective Outlines Ideally, you should follow these 4 principles to create an effective outline. 1. Parallelism 2. Coordination 3. Subordination 4. Division

1. Parallelism Each heading and subheading must preserve parallel structure. 1 st heading is a noun  2 nd heading must be a noun 1 st heading is a verb  2 nd heading must be a verb Example: I. Choose Desired Colleges II. Prepare Application ("Choose" and "Prepare" are both verbs.)

2. Coordination All the information contained in Headings 1 & 2 must have the same significance. The same is true for the subheadings (which must be less significant than the headings). Example: I. Visit and evaluate college campuses II. Visit and evaluate college websites A. Note important statistics B. Look for interesting classes (Campus and website visits are equally significant, as are statistics and classes found on college websites.)

3. Subordination The information in the headings is general, while the information in the subheadings is more specific. Example: I.Describe an influential person in your life A. Favorite high school teacher B. Grandparent (“Favorite teacher” and “Grandparent” are specific examples of influential people.)

4. Division Each heading must be divided into 2 or more parts. Example: I.Compile resume A.List relevant coursework B.List work experience C.List volunteer experience

How to Build a Kite I.Introduction – Preview the 3 steps to building and testing a kite II.Designing the kite A.The Frame B.The “ Skin ” C.The Tail III.Building the Kite A.Getting the Materials B.Putting the frame together C.Adding the skin D.Attaching the tail E.Adding the final touch – the string IV.Testing the Kite A.Choosing the right wind and weather conditions B.Launching the kite – best techniques C.Keeping it in the air and avoiding obstacles D.Reeling it in V.Conclusion – Final thoughts on being creative in building a kite

Tips for Making Cue Cards Consider using cue cards (sometimes called note cards) to help you remember the main points of your speech. “Cue” means: “anything serving as a signal to do – or say – something”

Tips for Making Cue Cards Transfer Your Outline to Your Cue Cards How to Build a Kite I. Introduction Preview the 3 steps to building and testing a kite

Put each part of your speech on a separate card. Your Introduction should go on one card, the Body (Main Points) on the next few cards, and the Conclusion on a final card. This will minimize confusion as you are flipping through your cards during the speech.

II. Designing the Kite A.The Frame B.The “ Skin ” C.The Tail Use large, bold lettering to make your notes easier to read. If it helps you, use different colors to highlight important points. Use underlining, as well.

III. Building the Kite A.Getting the Materials B.Putting the Frame together C.Adding the Skin D.Attaching the Tail E.Adding the final touch – the String Use no more than 5 or 6 lines per note card. If you put too much on one card, you will end up confusing yourself.

III. Building the Kite 3. A.Getting the Materials B.Putting the Frame together C.Adding the Skin D.Attaching the Tail E.Adding the final touch – the String Number Your Cards. It’s very easy to lose track of your place while speaking. If you number each card, you can quickly recover in the event that your cards get out of order.

IV. Testing the Kite 4. A.Choosing the right wind and weather conditions B.Launching the kite – the best techniques C.Keeping it in the air and avoiding obstacles D.Reeling it in Write on only one side of each card. If you write on both sides, you increase the chances of getting mixed up and losing your place.

Use your cue cards to make comments to yourself. Put notes in the margins of a card to prompt yourself of something you might want to do during the speech. For example, you might write “Pause”, “Take a breath”, or “Slow down” on a few cards to remind yourself to speak at a nice, even pace. Just be careful not to write too many notes, or your cards will get cluttered and confusing.

IV. Testing the Kite (Take a Breath!) 4. A.Choosing the right wind and weather conditions B.Launching the kite – the best techniques C.Keeping it in the air and avoiding obstacles D.Reeling it in

V. Conclusion 5. Final thoughts on being creative in building a kite I hope you enjoyed this speech. If you build a kite, let me know how it turns out, OK? Maybe we can fly our kites together! When you conclude your speech, don’t simply say, “That’s all”!!! Make sure your conclusion is not too abrupt (i.e., a sudden ending).