OUTLINING YOUR PERSUASIVE SPEECH

Here are some notes on outlining and three sample outlines. Hope these will help you produce
your own outline. (Please refer to my PPT slides on Organizing and Outlining your Speech)
Creating an outline is good practice as it helps speakers (or writers) organize their thoughts
better. An outline helps a speaker see the logical ordering of information and the relationship
between the different points. When your speech is organized well, you will be able to speak
more effectively in front of an audience. Of course, there are delivery factors and strategies as
well as the use of visual aids, but how you organized your speech will make a big difference
between a good speech and a bad speech. Owl Purdue, an online writing lab, highlights several
reasons for creating an outline applicable for essays and speeches, adapted here:
• Helps you organize your ideas
• Presents your material in a logical form
• Presents your material in a logical form
• Shows the relationships among ideas
• Gives you an ordered overview of your speech (so that if you become stuck, you could
easily see where you should restart, repeat, or emphasize etc.)
(https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/developing_an_outline/how
_to_outline.html)
To create an outline, you should already have a topic, a goal, and a thesis. Then you would have
your main points and all the relevant sub-points as support. As a recap of our discussion in
class, your points or material are derived from the following process:
• Brainstorming: listing ideas obtained from your reading, own knowledge, and other
sources
• Organizing of the ideas: grouping and categorizing related ideas or chunking
• Arranging the ideas: in sections and sub-sections. Choose one specific pattern of
organization: problem-solution etc. etc.
• Creating headings: main headings and sub-headings
There are many types of outlines. Most often used is the alphanumeric outline, which we
will use as a class. Provided in the next three pages are sample outlines. Please study them
carefully and use the format as a guide for writing your own outline. For ideas and
examples, I have adapted the sample outlines from various sources and synthesize
materials so that they are applicable to the course. You may use the template but modify
as necessary.
Sources:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/developing_an_outline/
types_of_outlines.html
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33370859/#:~:text=Results%3A%20About%209.0%2
5%20of%20older,age%20group%20and%20geographical%20location.
Griffin, C.L. (220). Invitation to Public Speaking. Thompson Wadsworth.
 SAMPLE OUTLINE 1
TITLE: The College Application Process in the U.S
GOAL: I want my audience to be aware that college application is a lengthy and rigorous process
Thesis statement: Parents should be aware that college application in the U.S is often a lengthy and
rigorous process as it requires applicants to choose the desired colleges, prepare the actual application,
and compile their resume.
INTROCUCTION
Attention- getter; reveal of topic and thesis statement; establish credibility (optional); preview of main
points.
(Section Transition: Let me begin by telling you about the tedious process of choosing colleges….)
BODY
I. Choose desired colleges.
A. Visit and evaluate college websites
1. Note interesting facts
2. Note important statistics
B. Visit and assess college campuses.
II. Prepare application
A. Write personal statement or college essay
1. Choose interesting topic
a. Describe an influential person in your life relating this to your application
b. Describe a life event which influenced your decision to apply to college
2. Include important personal details
a. Volunteer work
b. Participation in extra-curricular activities
B. Revise personal statement
1. Revise for content
2. Revise for conciseness
3. Revise for interest level
III. Compile Resume
A. List relevant coursework
B. List work experience
C. List volunteer experience
1. Tutor at foreign language camp
2. Counsellor for suicide prevention hotline
(Section transition: Let’s summarize what we have discussed so far before I conclude my speech…)
CONCLUSION
Concluding remark
Call to action and/or Impact statement

SOURCES
List of cited sources following The APA style citation
 SAMPLE OUTLINE 2

TITLE: Elder Abuse in Malaysia

GOAL: I want my audience to consider two possible solutions to the problem of elder abuse
Thesis statement: The problem of elder abuse in Malaysia is quite widespread but may be solved by
strict governmental measures, namely, thorough background checks of employees in health care
facilities and increased funding for training and salaries.
INTROCUCTION
Attention- getter; reveal of topic and thesis statement; establish credibility (optional); preview of main
points.
(Section Transition: Let me begin by telling you about the problems associated with elder abuse in
general, and specifically in Malaysia.)
BODY
I. The prevalence of elder abuse in Malaysia
1. What is elder abuse?
2. The statistics and cases in the local context
a. Nationwide population-based survey showing 9.0% percentage of older persons
experiencing elder abuse in the past 1 months
b. Nationwide survey showing the common types of elder abuse experienced by older
persons
II. The causes of elder abuse
1. Lack of knowledge and training
a. The demographics of carers
b. The educational background of carers
2. Poor social support
3. Previous history of abuse
(Section Transition: I have given you some important details regarding the problem of elder abuse.
So, what can be done to resolve this problem, or prevent further occurrences….)

III. Two solutions or preventive measures for tackling elder abuse problem
1. Thorough background checks of employees in health care facilities
a. (sub-sub points/Evidence as support)
b. (sub-sub points/Evidence as support)
2. Increased funding and salaries or incentives
a. Allocation required for training health care staff members
b. Incentives required for the relatives acting as carers
(Section transition: Before I conclude my speech, let me ask you to think about…)
CONCLUSION
Concluding remark
Call to action and/or Impact statement

SOURCES: List of cited sources following The APA style citation

 SAMPLE OUTLINE 3
TITLE: Elder Abuse in Malaysia
GOAL: I want my audience to consider two possible solutions to the problem of elder abuse
Thesis statement: The problem of elder abuse in Malaysia is quite widespread but may be solved by
strict measures carried out at multiple levels - healthcare, community, and the individual
INTROCUCTION
Attention- getter; reveal of topic and thesis statement; establish credibility (optional); preview of main
points.
(Section Transition: Let me begin by telling you about the problems associated with elder abuse in
general, and specifically in Malaysia.)
BODY
I. The prevalence of elder abuse in Malaysia
1. What is elder abuse?
2. Statistics and cases in the local context
a. Nationwide population-based survey showing 9.0% percentage of older persons
experiencing elder abuse in the past 1 months
b. Nationwide survey showing the common types of elder abuse experienced by older
persons
II. The causes of elder abuse
1. Lack of knowledge and training
a. The demographics of carers
b. The educational background of carers
2. Poor social support
3. Previous history of abuse
(Section Transition: ... So, what can be done to resolve this problem, or prevent further occurrences)
III. Solutions or preventive measures to tackle elder abuse problem
1. Solutions at the healthcare level
a. Thorough background checks of employees in healthcare facilities
b. Thorough training for employees in healthcare facilities
c. Increased funding and salaries for healthcare employees
2. Solutions at the community level
a. More social support for relatives acting as carers
b. (Other sub-sub points)
3. Solutions at the individual level
a. Increased opportunity for courses or talks for individuals as carer
b. Provision of counselling for individual as carer
c. Increased incentive for individuals as carer
(Section transition: Before I conclude my speech, let me ask you to think about…)
CONCLUSION
Concluding remark
Call to action and/or Impact statement