ORGANIZING A

SPEECH
ORGANIZATION IS
IMPORTANT
- Speakers with organized speeches tend to be much
more competent and trustworthy than those who do
not.
- Listeners demand coherence, that is why, the
speaker must be sure that the listeners can follow
the progression of ideas in a speech from beginning
to end. This requires that speeches be organized
strategically.

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- Strategic organization is putting up a
speech together in a particular way to achieve
a particular result with a particular audience.
- When you work to organize your speeches,
you gain practice in the general skills of
establishing clear relationship of ideas.

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> The body is the longest and most important
part. You will usually prepare the body first.
It is easier to create an effective
introduction after you know exactly what
you will say in the body.
> The process of organizing the body of a
speech begins when you determine the main
points.
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 MAIN POINTS
> Main points are the central features of your
speech. You should select them carefully, phrase
them precisely, and arrange them strategically.
Main points are actually the major ideas
developed in the body of speech. Most speeches
contain from two to five main points.

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 EXAMPLE
> Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the major uses of
hypnosis.
> Central Idea: The major use of hypnosis today are to control pain in
surgery, to help people stop smoking, and to help students improve their
academic performance.
> Main Points:
> I. Hypnosis is used in surgery as an adjunct to chemical anesthesia.
> II. Hypnosis is used to help people stop smoking.
> III. Hypnosis is used to help students improve their academic performance

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 EXAMPLE
> Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the development, technology, and
benefits of hydrogen fuel cells.
> Central Idea: Developed as highly efficient form of energy, hydrogen fuel cells use
sophisticated technology and offer a number of economic and environmental
benefits.
> Main Points:
> I. Hydrogen fuel cells were developed to provide a highly efficient form of energy.
> II. Hydrogen fuel cells produce power through an electrochemical reaction involving
hydrogen gas.
> III. Hydrogen fuel cells provide an economically and environmentally superior
method of powering motor vehicles.

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 EXAMPLE
> Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of the basic steps in
making stained-glass window.
> Central Idea: There are four steps in making stained-glass
windows.
> Main Points:
> I. The first step is designing the window.
> II. The second is cutting the glass to fit the design.
> III. The third step is painting the glass.
> IV. The fourth step is assembling the window.

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 If, when you list
your main points,
you find that you
have too many, you
may be able to
condense them into
categories.
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 YOU CAN CONDENSE THIS!
> Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the practice of yoga.
> Central Idea: Yoga is an ancient practice that involves the whole body.
> Main Points: I. Yoga breathing starts with deep inhalation.
> II. Yoga breathing requires slow exhalation.
> III. Yoga breathing includes prolonged pauses.
> IV. Yoga breathing provides many benefits.
> V. Yoga postures involve all parts of the body.
> VI. Yoga postures increase flexibility.
> VII. Yoga postures strengthen muscle tone.
> VIII. Yoga postures demand precise movements.

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> If you look at the list, you see that the eight main points
fall into two broad categories: yoga breathing and yoga
posture. You might, therefore, restate your main points
this way:

> I. One part of practicing yoga involves proper

breathing.
> II. Another part of yoga involves body postures.

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STRATEGIC ORDER OF
MAIN POINTS
> Once you establish the main points, you
need to decide the order in which you will
present them. The most effective order
depends on three things – YOUR TOPIC,
YOUR PURPOSE, AND YOUR AUDIENCE.

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 CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
> A method of speech organization in which the
main points follow a time pattern. They may
narrate a series of events in the sequence in
which they happened. It is also used in speeches
explaining a process or demonstrating how to do
something. This order is especially useful for
informative speeches.

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 EXAMPLE
> Specific Purpose: To inform my audience how the Great Wall of China was
built.
> Central Idea: The Great Wall of China was built in three major stages.
> Main Points:
> I. Building of the Great Wall began during the Qin dynasty of 221-206
B.C.
> II. New sections of the Great Wall were added during the Han Dynasty of
206 B.C. – 220 A.D.
> III. The Great Wall was completed during the Ming dynasty of 1368-1644.

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 SPATIAL ORDER
> It is a method of speech organization in which the
main points follow a directional pattern. That is,
the main points proceed from top to bottom, left
to right, front to back, inside to outside, east to
west, or some other route. This is good for
informative speeches as well.

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 EXAMPLE
> Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the structure of a
hurricane.
> Central Idea: A hurricane is made up of three parts going from inside to
outside.
> Main Points:
> I. At the center of a hurricane is he calm, cloud-free eye.
> II. Surrounding the eye is the eyewall, a dense ring of clouds that produces
the most intense wind and rainfall.
> III. Rotating around the eyewall are large bands of clouds and precipitation
called spiral rain bands.

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 CAUSAL ORDER
> Speeches arranged in causal order organize main
points so as to show a cause-effect relationship.
When you put your speech in causal order, you have
two main points – one dealing with the causes of an
event, the other dealing with its effects.
> Because of its versatility, causal order can be used
for both persuasive speeches and informative
speeches.

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 EXAMPLE
> Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that a growing
shortage of qualified air-traffic controllers is a serious problem
for U.S. aviation.
> Central Idea: The growing shortage of certified air-traffic
controllers threatens the safety of air travel.
> Main Point:
> I. The U.S. aviation system faces a growing shortage of qualified
air-traffic controllers.
> II. If this shortage continues, it will create serious problems for
airline safety.

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 PROBLEM-SOLUTION ORDER
> It is a method of speech organization in which the
first main point deals with the existence of a
problem and the second main point presents a
solution to the problem. This is most appropriate
for persuasive speeches.

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 EXAMPLE
> Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that action is needed
to combat the abuses of puppy mills.
> Central Idea: Puppy mills are a serious problem that can be
solved by a combination of legislation and individual initiative.
> Main Points:
> I. Puppy mills are a serious problem across the United States.
> II. Solving the problem requires legislation and individual
initiative.

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 TOPICAL ORDER
> A method of speech organization in which the
main points divide the topic into logical and
consistent subtopics. It is applicable to almost
any subject and to any other method of speech
organization.

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 EXAMPLE
> Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of the major kinds of fireworks.
> Central Idea: The major kinds of fireworks are skyrockets, Roman candles,
pinwheels, and lances.
> Main Points:
> I. Skyrockets explode high in the air, producing the most dramatic effects of all
fireworks.
> II. Roman candles shoot out separate groups of sparks and colored flames with a
series of booming noises.
> III. Pinwheels throw off sparks and flames as they whirl on the end of a stick.
> IV. Lances are thin, colorful fireworks used in ground displays.

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TIPS FOR PREPARING
MAIN POINTS
1. Keep Main Points Separate.
Each main point in a speech
should be clearly INdependent
of the others.
 INEFFECTIVE MORE EFFECTIVE

I. The first step is choosing the I. The first step is choosing the
play. play.
II. The second step is selecting the II. The second step is selecting
cast. the cast.
III. The third step is conducting III. The third step is conducting the
rehearsals and then performing the rehearsals.
play.
IV. The fourth step is performing
the play.

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2. Try to Use the Same
Pattern of Wording for
Main Points.
 INEFFECTIVE MORE EFFECTIVE
I. Regular exercise increases I. Regular exercise increases
your endurance. your endurance.

II. Your sleeping pattern is II. Regular exercise

improved by regular improves your sleeping
exercise. pattern.

III. It is possible to help III. Regular exercise helps

control your weight by control your weight.
regular exercise.

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3. Balance the Amount
of Time Devoted to
Main Points.
I. 30 percent I. 20 percent
II. 40 percent II. 30 percent
III. 30 percent III. 50 percent

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SUPPORTING
MATERIALS
> These are the materials used to
support a speaker’s ideas. The three
major kinds of supporting materials
are examples, statistics, and
testimony.

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CONNECTIVES
 CONNECTIVES
> These are words and phrases that connect the
ideas of a speech and indicate the relationship
between them.

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Four types of
speech
connectives
 TRANSITIONS
> These are words or phrases that indicate when a
speaker has just completed one thought and is
moving on to another. Technically, the
transitions state both the idea the speaker is
leaving and the idea he or she is coming up to.

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 EXAMPLES
> Now that we have clear understanding of the
problem, let me share the solution with you.

> Keeping these points in mind about sign

language, let us return to the sentence I started
with and see if we can learn the signs for “You
are my mind”.

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 INTERNAL PREVIEWS
> These let the audience know what the speaker will
take up next, but they are more detailed than
transitions. In effect, an internal preview works
just like the preview statement in a speech
introduction, except that it comes in the body of
the speech —usually as the speaker is starting to
discuss a main point. Internal previews are often
combined with transitions.
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 EXAMPLES
> In discussing how Asian Americans have been stereotyped in the mass
media, we'll look first at the origins of the problem and second at its
continuing impact today.

> [Transition]: Now that we have seen how serious the problem of faulty
credit reports is, let's look at some solutions. [Internal Preview]: I will
focus on three solutions—instituting tighter government regulation of
credit bureaus, holding credit bureaus financially responsible for their
errors, and giving individual easier access to their credit reports.

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 INTERNAL SUMMARIES
> These are the reverse of the internal previews.
Rather than letting listeners know what is
coming up next, internal summaries remind
listeners of what they have just heard. Such
summaries are usually used when a speaker
finishes a complicated or particular important
main point or set of main points.

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 EXAMPLE

> [Internal Summary]: Let's pause for a moment to

summarize what we have found so far. First, we have seen
that America's criminal justice system is less effective
than it should be in deterring crime. Second, we have seen
that prison programs to rehabilitate prisoners have been
far from successful. [Transition]: We are now ready to
explore solutions to these problems.

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 SIGNPOST
> Signposts are very brief statements that
indicate exactly where you are in the speech.
Frequently they are just numbers.
> Questions are particularly effective as signposts
because they invite subliminal answers and
thereby get the audience more involved with the
speech

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 EXAMPLE
> The first cause of this problem is inefficient
agricultural production.
> The second cause is recurrent drought in the
affected countries.
> The final cause is mismanagement of available
food resources by local leaders.

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