Preparation is key to being effective in public speaking and the most important step after you have decided on the goal for your speech, is to organize the information into a logical format. Whether you are delivering a speech to a large audience or a few friends, how well you prepare the speech outline will make a huge difference in how well you project ethos, engage with the audience, and feel confident and successful.
You need to work from an outline when you are delivering the speech so that you will be able to make eye contact with the audience and sound natural and extemporaneous. When you speak from an outline you are able to adapt to the audience and the situation and communicate your feelings and emotions.
There are two different outlines for a speech. The first is a complete outline with all the information that you plan to include in the speech. There is a correct format for this outline that includes main points, which are complete sentences, sub points and even sub-sub points. It will include a complete introduction and conclusion along with transitions between points. The second outline you will need is an outline to use when you are speaking. This is a shorter version of the complete outline and will probably include the main points and sub points. It is not necessary to include complete sentences in the delivery outline just a few bullets or talking points for each section and maybe quotes or statistics that you need to consult while speaking because you can't memorize every word of a quote or be sure to get numbers correct. In the following lessons we will be looking at how to develop effective introductions, conclusion and transitions and how to develop the evidence to support the points you make.
The advantages of outlining your speech are:
The reason for organizing your ideas is to make it easier to connect with the audience!
The following video explains why we organize our ideas and reviews the different patterns for organizing speeches and identifies the basic aspects of a speech outline.
All of you are already familiar with the basic outline consisting of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
There are many templates available for outlining correctly and you may choose from them one that works for your speech. Some are available in word processing programs and you can find others online. You will find there are professors who insist you use a particular format for your outline. Because this course is online and you must submit your outline to D2L there are some problems with formatting the outline. When you transfer the outline to D2L the formatting for indents is lost. It is important, therefore, that you make sure that your sections are labeled with Roman numerals in caps e.g. III or IV. The next level should be capital letters e. g. A. B. C. With numerals as sub points e g. 1. 2. 3. and if you need sub sub points they need to be lower case Roman numerals. i. ii. iii. iv. The outline below is for a speech on outlining so it might help you get these correct. One thing to remember is that for every main point or idea you need at least 2 sub points.
If you want help with your outline you can always go to the writing lab on campus for assistance putting your outline together.
Professor Mark Wasden of the College of Southern Idaho has put together an interesting example of an informative outline.
(Note: If a student were to give a speech on how to do a speech outline, this is what he/she might turn in for an outline of that speech. This is only an example to guide the creation of your own outline.)
Speech Outlining Example
General Purpose: To inform
Specific Purpose: After listening to my speech, my audience will know the basic format and
guidelines for preparing an outline.
Introduction
I Open with impact: Imagine you are going to build a house.
A. Wouldn't you want a set of plans before you started construction?
B. A speech also requires planning.
C. That's why each speech should be outlined.
II. Thesis: Correct speech outlining requires the mastery of a few simple principles.
III. Connect: Outlining your speech presents several advantages to you.
A. It enables you to organize your ideas clearly.
B. It enables you to easily rehearse your presentation.
C. It enables you to easily revise and refine your speech.
IV. Preview: Today I will tell you how to prepare a proper heading, how to use proper format, and how to follow basic outlining rules.
(Transition: Let's move now to my first point, which is how to prepare a proper heading.)
Body
I. Before the actual speech outline, you must provide at the top of the page both the specific purpose and thesis statements.
A. The specific purpose "written as a single infinitive statement, summarizes what you want your audience to know, do, or feel as a result of listening to your speech" (Morreale, Spitzberg & Barge, 2007, p. 228).
B. The thesis statement is the central idea of your speech; if your audience forgets everything else about your speech, this is the main idea that you want them to remember (Morreale, Spitzberg & Barge, 2007).
(Transition: Now that you understand how to create a proper heading, let's move now to my second point, which is how to use the standard outlining format.)
II. The format requires Roman numerals for main points.
A. Subpoints are indicated by capital letters.
1. Supporting points are indicated by Arabic numerals.
a. Lowercase letters may be used for further subdivisions.
b. There should always be a "b" to match an "a."
2. There should always be a "2" to match a "1."
a. There should always be a "B" to match an "A."
b. The signposts/transitions between main points should be written in parenthesis as illustrated in this outline.
(Transition: Now that I've told you how to create a heading and the standard outline format, you must also understand the rules of outlining, which brings me to my third point.)
III. Several rules should be followed in outlining.
A. Divide your outline into the introduction, body and conclusion.
1. Begin each section with Roman numeral I.
2. The introduction has four parts.
a. It should open with impact.
b. It should have a thesis statement.
c. It should connect with the audience.
d. It should preview your main points.
3. The body contains the main points and transitions.
4. The conclusion has two parts.
a. It should summarize the main points.
b. It should close with impact.
B. Use complete sentences in your formal outline.
a. List of tools, ingredients, etc.
b. Parts of a larger whole
c. Places where complete sentences would be awkward or unnatural
C. When citing sources, put the author's name and date in parenthesis after the point (American Psychological Association, 2004).
D. Make sure that your outline is typed.
Conclusion
I. Summarize: In conclusion, correct speech outlining involves a few simple principles.
A. You must give your outline a proper heading.
B. You must follow the standard format.
C. You must use complete sentences, develop three to five main points, and use proper source citation.
II. Close with impact: Following these few steps will prepare you for success with outlining and delivering speeches in this class.
References
American Psychological Association (2004). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.
Morreale, S., Spitzberg, B. & Barge, J.K. (2007). Human Communication: Motivation,
Knowledge and Skills. (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson & Wadsworth.