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

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

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

6. 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.

7. 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

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

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

10. 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

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

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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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.