Organize Speech

Organizing Your Main Ideas

Refer back to the "Generate Main Ideas" step of the speechmaking process. At that stage, you developed three or four main ideas for your speech. Remember that you didn't have to decide what order to put them in at that point. Now, you'll consider how to strategically arrange those main points.

First, locate the main ideas you developed in your email software. Then, consider the organizational formats available to you. You may wish to read pages 193-199 in your book as well.

• "Chronological organization is organization by time; that is, your steps are ordered according to when each step occurred or should occur" (193). If you used the "Tracing Specific Steps" method of generating main points, you'll probably want to use chronological order.
  
  
• Topical organization is used when your central has natural divisions or develops reasons.
  
  
• Spatial organization "arranges items according to their location and direction" (197). This pattern may be used when you have natural divisions in your central idea.
  
  
• Cause-effect organization first identifies a situation and then discusses the effects that result from it. "Or the speech may present a situation and then seek its causes (effect-cause)" (197).
  
  
• Problem-solution organization discusses why a problem exists and the effects of the problem as well as suggests some solutions for the problem. Usually this format is used for persuasive speeches.
  
  

Determine which will be best for your speech and complete the activity below by answering these questions.

• Chronological
• Topical
• Spatial
• Cause/Effect
• Problem/Solution

Why did you choose this pattern?

Now, write the main points in their correct order. You may wish to review the previous wording of your main points to make them more precise.

Developing Signposts

In order for your audience to move with you through the speech and to help them see the relationships between your ideas, it is important for you to use signposts.

• Transitions "indicate that a speaker has finished discussing one idea and is moving to another. Transitions may be either verbal or nonverbal" (205).
  
  
• Previews "introduce and outline ideas that will be developed as the speech progresses" (206). Internal previews occur in each point, while the preview statement occurs at the end of the introduction. You've probably already written a preview statement in the "Generate Main Ideas" stage of the speechmaking process.
  
  
• Summaries "provide additional exposure to a speaker's ideas and can help ensure that audience members will grasp and remember them" (207).

In order to get you started writing the signposts for your speech, review pages 205-209 in your book and complete this exercise.

1. Write a verbal transition in the space below.
2. Write a preview in the space below.
3. Write a summary in the space below.

Writing the Introduction and Conclusion

1. Get the audience's attention.
2. Introduce the subject.
3. Give the audience a reason to listen to the speech.
4. Establish your credibility as a speaker.
5. Preview your main ideas.

Review pages 217-229 and then complete this activity.

1. First, write a few sentences that get your audience's attention. You might use an illustration, statistic, question, or some other method of gaining your audience's attention.

2. Next, write a sentence that introduces the subject. This is your central idea that you may have already developed. Review your notes in your email software.

3. Now, give the audience a reason to listen to your speech.

4. Now, write a sentence that establishes your credibility.

5. Finally, enter your preview statement that you may have already developed. Review your notes in your email software.

The Conclusion

The conclusion to your speech should achieve four goals:

• Summarize the speech.
• Reemphasize the main idea in a memorable way.
• Motive the audience to respond.
• Provide closure.

Review pages 229-234 and then complete this activity by answering these 4 questions in the space provided.

1. First, write a sentence that summarizes your speech.

2. Next, write a sentence that reemphasizes your central idea.

3. Now, motivate the audience to respond according to your specific purpose.

4. Now, write a sentence that provides closure.