Introduction to Public Speaking – Week 4 Lecture
Chapters 7-8 Outline
It isn’t enough to just give
a speech; good speeches are planned and good speakers organize speeches in
a way that models effective and sound practices of rhetorical construction. Chapter
7 focuses on the organization and outlining processes by describing how to
write a thesis statement, main points, and section transitions. It also
explains how to outline the speech body, focusing on the supporting material
and subpoints of the main points. Chapter 8 discusses
the significance of carefully planned introductions and conclusions. The
information provided gives a solid foundation on which to create
attention-getting introductions and memorable conclusions.
Each week, you
should actively review the readings. To assist in your retention, in these
weekly written lectures you can find both an outline of the chapter and
glossary of key terms. These are included to help you as you read the chapters.
Use the outlines as a mechanism to take notes—fill in the gaps, make
connections to your personal life, and reflect on your growth.
CHAPTER SEVEN OUTLINE
Introduction (p. 115): If your
speeches are well organized, you are more likely to achieve your speech goal. This chapter focuses on developing the body of your speech by
describing how to: (1) identify main
points and arrange them using an appropriate main point pattern; (2) use
them to construct a clear thesis statement; (3) develop each main point with
appropriate supporting material (evidence and reasoning); (4) create
transitions that move the speech smoothly from one main point to the next; and
(5) outline the speech body.
I.
Organize
main points; the process of arranging your speech
material (p. 115).
A.
Identify
main points: two to four central
ideas that will help you achieve
your speech goal.
1. Begin by listing the ideas you believe
relate to your specific goal.
2. Eliminate ideas that your audience already understands.
3. Eliminate any ideas that might be too
complicated or too broad for your
audience to comprehend in the time allotted.
4. Check to see if some of the ideas can be grouped together under a broader theme.
5. From the ideas that remain, choose two to
four that will accomplish your specific speech
goal.
B.
Word
main points.
1. Write out a complete sentence for each main area.
2. This preparation
outline provides a draft of main points but doesn’t
specify clearly how each main point is related to the goal of the speech. To
know if you’ve achieved the best wording, apply a two test question.
a.
Is the relationship between each main point statement and the goal
statement clearly specified?
b.
Are the
main points parallel in structure?
i.
Parallel structure means the main points follow the same
structural pattern.
ii.
Although
not a requirement, parallel structure can help the audience recognize main
points when you deliver a speech.
C.
Select
a main point pattern because speeches can be organized
in many ways.
1. Time
order, sometimes called
sequential order or chronological order, arranges main points in sequence or by
steps in a process.
2. Narrative
order conveys ideas through
a story or series of stories.
3. Topical
order arranges the main
points using some logical
relationships among them.
4. Logical
reasons order organizes the
main points according to reasons for accepting the thesis as desirable or true.
II. Construct a clear thesis statement (p. 122).
A. This one- or two-sentence summary of your
speech incorporates your general and specific goals and previews the main
points of your speech.
B.
Your thesis
statement provides a blueprint for organization of the body of your speech.
III. Develop main points (p. 122).
A.
Identify
subpoints and supporting material.
1. Subpoints are statements that elaborate on a main
point.
2. A main point may have two or more subpoints depending on the
complexity of it.
3. Each subpoint is
further developed with supporting
material, which is evidence you’ve gathered
through research along with the logical reasoning you use to link it to the
main point it supports.
B.
A subpoint under each main point should be a listener
relevance link, a statement alerting listeners to this main point is important
to them.
IV. Create transitions: words, phrases, or
sentences that show a relationship
between, or bridge, two ideas (p. 122).
A.
Section transitions: complete sentences that bridge major parts
of a speech.
1. The glue that holds together the
macrostructure of your speech.
2. Help the audience follow the organization of ideas.
3. Help audience members to retain information.
B.
Signposts are words or phrases that connect pieces of supporting material to the
main point or subpoint they address.
1. Usually one-word references.
2. Can highlight numerical order: “first,”
“second,” or “third.”
3. Can help audience focus on a key idea:
“foremost,” “most important,” or
“above all.”
4. Can signify an explanation: “to illustrate,”
“for example,” or “to clarify.”
5. Can signal an important idea is coming to an end: “in short,” “finally,” or “to
summarize.”
V. Outline the speech body (p. 126).
A.
A formal speech outline is a sentence representation
of the hierarchical and sequential
relationships among ideas presented in the speech.
CHAPTER
EIGHT OUTLINE
Introduction (p. 132): This chapter focuses on the completion of the
organizational process discussed in Chapter 7, by creating an introduction that
gets attention and leads into the body, creating a conclusion that summarizes
the material and motivates listeners to remember, writing a title, and
completing a list of sources used to develop the speech.
I.
The
introduction. An introduction is generally about 10 percent of the length of the speech (p. 132)
A. Get attention: create an opening that will
win your listeners’ attention by arousing curiosity and motivate them to want
to know more about your topic. Determine which attention-getting device to use
by considering what emotional tone
is appropriate for your topic.
1.
Make a startling statement, a sentence or two
that grabs your listeners’ attention by shocking them in some way.
2.
Ask a
question to encourage your audience to get involved with the topic.
a.
Rhetorical question seeks a mental rather than a direct
response.
b.
Direct question demands an overt response from the audience.
3.
Tell a story, an account of something that has
happened (actual) or could happen (hypothetical).
4.
Tell a joke, an anecdote or a piece of
wordplay designed to make people laugh.
5.
Supply
a personal reference, a brief
account about something that happened to you or a hypothetical situation that
listeners can imagine themselves in.
6.
Recite
a quotation, a comment made by and
attributed to someone other than
the speaker.
7.
Perform
or motivate an action, an
attention-getting act designed to highlight and arouse interest in your topic.
8.
Create suspense to generate uncertainty or mystery during
the first few sentences and excites the audience.
B. Establish listener relevance by creating
clear listener relevance links: a statement of how and why
your speech relates to or might affect your listeners.
C. Establish your credibility through building
the perception your audience has about you as knowledgeable, trustworthy, and personable.
1.
To be
successful, you need to begin to establish ethos
(competence, good character and goodwill) during your introductory remarks.
2.
This
initial ethos responds to the questions listeners may have such as: Why should I trust you? Why should I
believe you?
D. State your thesis statement to introduce
your audience to your general goal,
specific goal, and main points.
E. Select the best introduction: it’s worth investing the time to compare different openings.
Try working on two or three different introductions; then pick the one you believe will work best for your specific
audience and speech goal.
II. The conclusion (p. 140). A strong conclusion
can heighten the impact of a good speech; therefore it
is important that it be carefully planned.
A. Summarize your goal and main points.
B. Clinch.
1.
Leave
the audience with a vivid impression of your message with a clincher, a short statement that
provides a sense of closure by driving
home the importance of your speech in a memorable way.
2.
Develop
vivid imagery with any of the devices discussed for getting audience’s attention.
3.
Appeal to action, the behavior you want your listeners to
follow after they have heard your arguments, is a common way to end some
persuasive speeches.
C.
Selecting
the best conclusion. Create two or three conclusions; then choose the one you
believe will best reinforce your speech goal with your audience.
III. Complete formal outline with reference list
(p. 144).
A.
Listing
sources enables you to direct audience members to the specific source of the
information you have used and to quickly find the information at a later date.
1. Many formal bibliographical styles can be
used in citing sources (MLA, APA, Chicago, CBE).
2.
Regardless
of the style, the elements that are essential to all are author, title of
article, name of publication, date of publication, and page numbers.
B.
Writing
a title.
1.
A title
lets the audience know what to expect.
2.
Titles
are probably necessary when someone will be formally
introduced, when the speech is publicized, or when the speech will be published.
3.
A good
title encourages listeners to attend to the speech.
4.
Titles
should be brief, descriptive of the content, and, if possible, creative.
C.
Reviewing
the formal outline. Use this checklist to complete the final review of the outline.
1.
Have I
used a standard set of symbols to indicate structure?
2.
Have I
written main points and major subpoints as complete sentences?
3.
Do each
of my main points contain a single idea?
4.
Does each
major subpoint relate to (support) its major point?
5.
Have I
included potential subpoint elaborations?
GLOSSARY OF
KEY TERMS
formal speech outline: a full sentence representation of the hierarchical
and sequential relationships among the ideas presented in the speech
listener relevance link: statement alerting listeners about how a
main point or subpoint is relevant to them
logical reasons order: organizing the main points according to reasons
for accepting the thesis as desirable or true
main points: complete sentence statements of the two to four central ideas the
audience needs to understand to achieve the speech goal
narrative order: organizing the main points as a story or series of stories
organizing: the process of arranging the speech content
parallel structure: when the main points follows the same
structural pattern, often using the same introductory words
preparation outline: a draft of main points and supporting ideas
section transitions: complete sentences that bridge major parts
of a speech
signposts: words, phrases, or visual cues that connect pieces of supporting
material to the main point or subpoint they address
subpoints: statements that elaborate on a main point
supporting material: evidence and reasoning used to develop the
main points
thesis statement: a one- or two-sentence summary of the speech
that incorporates the general and specific goals and previews the main points
time
order: organizing the main
points in sequence or by steps in a process
topical
order: organizing the main
points by categories or divisions of a subject
transitions: words, phrases, or sentences that bridge two ideas
action: an attention-getting act designed to arouse
interest in the topic
appeal
to action: a statement that
describes the behavior you want listeners to follow after they have heard your
arguments
clincher: a short statement that provides a sense of
closure by driving home the importance of your speech in a memorable way
create
suspense: wording an
attention getter so that what is described generates initial uncertainty or
mystery and excites the audience
credibility: the perception of a speaker as
knowledgeable, trustworthy, and personable
direct
question: a question that seeks
an overt response from the audience, usually by a show of hands
formal
outline: a complete
sentence representation of the hierarchical and sequential relationships among
the ideas presented in the speech
joke: an anecdote or a piece of wordplay designed
to make people laugh
personal
reference: a brief account
about something that happened to you or a hypothetical situation that listeners
can imagine themselves in
primacy–recency effect: the tendency to remember the first and last
items conveyed orally in a series
quotation: a comment made by and attributed to someone
other than the speaker
rhetorical
questions: questions
phrased to stimulate a mental response
startling
statement: a shocking
expression or example
story: an account of something that has happened
(actual) or could happen (hypothetical)
