Organizing Your Presentation: Basic Outline Format Good organization is essential anytime you need to communicate your ideas to another person or group of people. It helps them follow you, understand how ideas are related, and retain the information, Regardless of your audience, purpose, or content, the following outline format will help you determine the best placement of the information you need to convey. Remember to start with the body ~ decide on your main points first— and then proceed to develop an introduction and conclusion. All decisions about content and organization should be made with your overarching thesis in mind. The number of main points and subpoints depend on your particular topic and the content you need to convey. L Introduction A. Attention-getter (How will you make the audience interested and want to listen?) 8. Establish credibility (Why are you qualified to speak on this topic?) C. Thesis (What is the main focus of your presentation?) D. Preview (What will your main points be in this presentation?) Body A. First main point 1. Supporting materials/ideas 2. Supporting materials/ideas B. Second main point 1. Supporting materials/ideas 2. Supporting materials/ideas Third main point D. ete. Mi Conclusion ‘A. Signal to the audience that you've finished with your main points B. Review your main points Provide closure ‘The reading that follows describes several types of organizational patterns that you can use to decide what your main points will be. Its an excerpt from: O'Hait, D, Stewart, R,, & Rubensten, H. (2007). A speaker's ‘guidebook: Text and reference (3 ed.]. Boston: Bedford:St. Martin's,Types of Organizational Arrangements ice you select the main points for your speech, you must decide on a type of jalzational arrangement or combination of arrangements for therm, Public ‘eches make use of at least a dozen different organizational arrangements. 12/we look at seven commonly used patterns forall forms of speeches: topi- » chronological, spatial, causal, problem-solution, narrative, and cieculat apter 26 covers three additional patterns of organization: Monroe's motivated uence and refutation, which are designed specifically for persuasive speeches, 4 comparative advantage, which can be applied to both informative and per- sive speeches, (See Table 12.1 and Chapter 26.) ‘As you review these organizational designs, bear in mind that there are sitiple ways to organize a speech. Each method communicates something dif- ent, even ifthe topic is the same, Your goal should be to choose one that lis- 1ers can easly fotiow, (Once you select an organizational arrangement, you can proceed to flesh out ‘main points with subordinate ideas. Your subpoints need not always follow the ‘tem you select for your malt points. For Instance, for a speech about the recent {ory of tattooing in the United States, you might choose a chronological pat- ‘to organize the main points but switch to a cause-effect arrangement for "ne af your subpoints about why tattooing Is on the rise today. (See Table 12.1, descriptions of patterns.) Organization, whetiner of main points er subpoints, auld be driven by what's most effective for the particular rhetorical situation, tranging Speech Points Topically hhen each ofthe main points isa subtopic or category ofthe speech topic, the pical pattern of arrangement (also calied the categorical patter) nay be st appropriate. Consider preparing an informative speech about choosing sicago asa place to establish a career, You plan to emphasize three reasons for cosing Chicago: the strong economic climate of the ay, its cultural variety, 4 its accessible public transportation. OF relatively equal importance, these ree points can be arranged in any order without afectng each other or the ech purpose negatively. For example: es ‘Chicago isan excellent piace to establish a career L Accessible transportation H. Cultural variety IIL Economie stability ae lee tee a eee nm om om oe raging speech Pons pialy Bj 188 TABLE 12:1 + Types and Functions of Oiganizational Aringements Function Pattern of Organization “Teplat “Tostress natura dvsons oa top: alows pls tobe moves tour a emphasis tenes nee an eres ‘Caronslogiat “To describ + rir of developments in ime ora reo sone occuring sequently Spal “To decibe or explain he phys arangarent ofa plac, scene, event of object {Coal (Causefecl) To exp or demonstrates top n lems of To uneng| hues or eects ‘roblem Sokiion To amonstate the nature and sgniance oe roam and rovcnuseston fora peoporassokton Naratve “To convay es twough the medium ofa sry with character etings, ond plot Grane “To demonsoate how one idan lends to anaer and hen avatar it whch fence back to the speech ess ‘onroc's Motivated To mothate lta ta adopt a cours of scion (ea Sequence Chapter 26) Tetaation Te dprove an opposing cam to you pasion Gee Chapter 26) 7 demonstrate the spery ene vewpant or proposal her enter (ee Chepte 26) ‘hls isnot to say that when using a topical arcangement you should arrange the main points without careful consideration. If your main polnts perma i, you may want to arrange them in ascending ot descending order according to their relative importance, complexity, or timeliness. Perhaps you have deter- mined that listeners’ main concero Is the city's economic stability, followed by an interest in its cultural variety and accessible transportation, You may then decide to arrange the points In the onder of the audience's most Immediate needs and interests: 1. Economie stability HL Cultural variety I, Accessible transportation ‘Topical arrangements give you the greatest fieedom to structure main poinis according how you wish to present your topic. You can approach a topic by dividing It into two or more categories, for example, or you can lead with your strongest evidence or leave your most compelling points until you near the conclusion. If your topic does not call out for one of the other patterns de- scribed ln thls chapter, be sure to experiment with the topial pattern.BF Wypes of Organizational Arrangements oncanzine \rranging Speech Points Chronologically ‘ome speech topic lend themselves well to the arcangement of main points ac- ‘ording to their occurrence in time relative to each other. The chronological lattern of arrangement (also called the tomporal pattem) follows the natural ‘quential order of the main points, To switch polnts around would make the rangement appear unnatural and might confuse the audience. Tops that de- ibe a series of events in time (e.g, events leading to the adoption of a peace ‘eaty) or develop in line with 2 set pattern of actions or asks (e.g, building 2 ‘todel car, procedures for admitting patients to a hospital) call out to be orga \zed according to a chronological pattem of arrangement, For example, a speech escrbing the development af the World Wide Web calls fer a chronological, + time-ordered, sequence of main points: hess tartan The Internet evolved fora a small network designed for academic scientists nto a vast system of networks used by billions of people around the globe. |. The Internet was fist conceived in 1962 as the ARPANET to promote the sharing of research among sclentists in the US. In the 1980s a team created TCP/IP, 2 language that could link networks, and the internet as we know It was born, IIL, At the end of the cold war, the ARPANET was decom: missioned and the World Wide Web made up the bulk of Internet traffic, IV, The Internet celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary, with 10 million people connected? mn addition to topics that involve time lines, the chronological arrangement 5 appropriate for any topic that invalves a series of sequential steps. A scientist hight desctibe the steps in a research project on frult fies, for example, of 2 0k might explain the steps in a recipe. \rranging Speech Points Using a Spatial Pattern ‘when the purpose of your speech isto describe or explain the physical arange- nent of a place, a scene, or an object, logic suggests that the mala points be svanged in order oftheir physical proximity ar dieection relative to each other. his calls for the spatial pattern of arrangement. For example, you can select spatial arrangement when’ your speech provides the audience wit a "tour" of pattleular place: hed be a leg ee mt i ca ofcaManG AEngmg speech roms Yong ¥ Lous LaBESIELY Fa aE thesis starewey® E1 Morro National Monurment in New Mexico is captlvat- Ing for its variety of natural and histotiea! landmarks, 1. Visitors first encounter an abundant variety of plant life native to the high-country desert. 1, Soon visitors come upon an age-old watering hole that has receded beneath the 200-foot cliffs UL, Beyond are the famous cllf carvings made by hun- dreds of travelers over several centuries of exploration in the Southwest. IV, At the farthest reaches of the magnificent park ate the ‘of a pueblo dwelling secured high atop Ina speech describing a computer company’s market growth across various regions ofthe county, a student speaker uses the following spatial arrangement: ests staTEMENT Sales of Dig-Tel Computers have grown in every region of the country. I. Sales are strongest inthe Eastern Zone, TL Sales are growing at 2 rate of 10 percent quarterly in the Central Zone. UI, Sales are up slighty in the Mountain Zone, TW, Sales in the Western Zone are lagging behind the ‘other regions, Arranging Speech Points Using a Causal Some speech topics represent cause-effect relationships. Examples might in- clude (1) events fading to higher Interest rates, (2) reasons sudents drop out ‘of college, and (3) causes of spousal abuse In speeches on topes such a hese, the speaker relics something known to be a “cause” to its “effects.” The main points in a causal (cause-effect) pattern of arrangement usually take the following form: 1 Cause ect Sometimes 2 topic can be discussed in terms of multiple causes fora single ctfec, ota single cause for multiple effects:© ws doge sawagemens a Multiple Causes for a Single Effect (Reasons Students Single Cause for Multiple Effects (Reasons Students Drop Out of College) Drop Out of College) 1, Cause 1 (lack of funds) 1, Cause (lack of fonds) Cause 2 (unsatisfactory I. Effect 4 (lowered eaenlngs social fe) over lifetime) IIL, Cause 3 (unsatisfactory UL Effect 2 (decreased ob satis- academic performance) faction over lifetime) IW, Effect (drop out of college) IV. Effect 3 (Incrensed strass level ‘over lifetime) ‘Some topics are best understood by presenting listeners with the effect(s) first and the cause(s) subsequently. In an informative speech on the 1988 ex- plosion of Pan Am fight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, for instance, a student speaker arranges his main points as follows: ‘mess svatéMent: The explosion of Pan Arm fight 103 aver Lackerble, Scot- land, killed 270 people and resulted in the longest-running aviation Investigation in history. 1. (Bffect) Two hundred and fy-nine passengers and ‘crew members ded; an additional eleven people on the ground perished, 1, (Effect) To date, its the longest-running aviation Investigation in history Il, (Cause) The court found that the cause was a terrorist ack; speciiclly, a bomb planted by Libyan citizen Al Megrahi IV. (Cause) Many people believe that Megrahl did nat act alone, if he acted at al, in this case, the speaker presents the effects ofthe alzplane explosion asthe Ast two main polots. He subsequently addresses the causes of the explosion in the ensuing main points Arranging Speech Points Using a Problem-Solution Pattern : ‘The problem-solution pattern of arrangement organize main points both to demonstrat the nature and significance af «problem and to povie justi cation for a proposed solution, This type of anvangement ean be a gebral as {0 main points : Problem (define what itis) Solution (offer a way to evercome the problem) J ee ee ee ee ee ato at it orcarene However, many problem-solution speeches require more than two pols to adequately explain the problem and to substantlate the recommended solution: L The nature of the problem (Identify its causes, incidence, et.) 1._Eifects of the problein (explain why it's a problem, for whom, ec.) UL, Unsatisactory solutions (discuss those that have not warked) |, Proposed solution (explain why it's expected to work) Following is « partial outline of a persuasive speech about teen pregnancy arranged in a problem-solution format (see also Chapter 26) ‘Thtsisstarewens Once you cealize the nature and probable causes of the problem of teen pregnancy it should be clear that current solutions remain unsuccessful andl an alternative solution ~ peer counseling should be consicered, 1. Early unwed pregnancies ‘A. Average age of teen mothers B. National and local incidence 1, Probable eauses of teen pregnancy A. Lack of knowiedge about contraception B. Lack of motivation to use contraception C. Dysfunctional social relationships ill, Unsuccessful solutions |A. School-based sex education 5. Mass-media campaigns encouraging abstinence WW, Peer counseling asa possible solution A, How peer counseling works 5. Peer counseling coupled with school-based sext- alty curriculum Arranging Speech Points U: Storytelling is often a natural and effective way to get your message actoss. in ‘he narrative pattern of arrangement, the speech consists ofa story or a se- tics of short stoves, replete with characters, settings, plot, and vivid imagery However, most speeches bull largely upon a story (Of a series of stories) are LUkely to incorporate elements of other organizational arrangements described im the chapter. For example, you might present the story ln a time sequence, ‘hus using a chronological design. Or the story could be organized in an effect- catuse design, in which you fist reveal why something happened (such a5 a drunken ding acldent) aud then describe the events thet led ito the ac sent (the causes), Aesop Pasting a rate oem @Q) 109Whatever the structure, simply telling 2 story is no guarantee of giving a good speech. Any speech should include a clear thesis, a preview, well-organized ‘main points, and effective transitions. Ina speech enttied "Tales of the Grand- mothers," professor of communication Anita Taylor illustrates her thesis ~ that the US economy would not be what itis today without the range of “home ‘work” that women have traditionally performed —by relating an extended story about her female ancestors, beginning in 1826. Althovgh the story dominates the speech, Taylor frequently leaves off and picks up its thread in order to orl- cent her listeners and drive home her theme. In addition to explicitly stating her ‘esis, Taylor pauses to preview main points My grandmothers illustrate the polots I want to make, ‘Taylor also makes frequent use of transitions, including internal previews, sum= smaris, and simple signposts, to help her listeners stay on track: But, let's go on with Luna Puffer Squice Naien's story ‘And here, Taylor signals the conclusion So here we are today... And Sinally, Arranging Speech Points Using a Ci Jn the circular pattern of arrangement, the speaker develops one Kea, which leads to another, which leads to a third, and £0 forth, until he or she arrives back at the speech thests.* This type of organization can be useful when you vant listeners to follow a particular line of reasoning, especially wihen your ‘maim goal is persuasion. Ina speech on the role that frlendship plays in physi- cal and mental well-being, a student speaker showed hour acts of consideration, and kindness lead to more friendships, which in tur lead to more social sup- Port, woleh then results in impzoved mental and physical health. Each main point leads directly into another main point, withthe final main point leading back to the thesis Matching the Organizational Pattern to the’ Audience 1. Doss the arrangement move the speech along In a logical an ‘convincing fashion? — 2% Do my ideas tlw naturally from one point to another, lang to a satisying conchsion? —— 5. Does the organizational pattern enc my speech momentum? —— 4 Does the organizational plan convey the information listeners ex- ect orneed in a way that they willbe able to grasp? ely eee aay J bel tet iL ‘aranangapeecnYonts Using a heuer Pater UE) 192 Pubtic Speaking in Cultural Perspective Arrangoment Formats and Audience Diversity, Sues onto that th way you organize your leas tects our uence’ un seenaning ef em. other ar at ay aes hon ne cpa een ‘ptosis core! fe cena gossbons ae be to eran cures? 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