Variants or Examples of Speech OutlinesVariants or Examples of Speech Outlines

Example: Story-based Outline

Some people believe that stories are the best building blocks for speeches. For example, in The Story Factor (Annette Simmons), the author claims that storytelling is the key to business communications.

1. Attention grabbing opening which introduces the topic and core message
2. Tell a story.
• Make a point
3. Tell another story.
• Make another point.
4. Tell another story.
• Make another point
5. Memorable conclusion which ties together all three stories to support the core message.

Example: Scientific Conference Talk Outline

The outline for many scientific talks mirrors the scientific method:

1. Define the problem needing a solution
2. Describe the hypothesis which will explore one aspect of the problem
3. Describe the experiment performed to test the hypothesis
1. Detail 1 — schematic
2. Detail 2 — photograph
3. Detail 3 — description
4. Show the data collected and subsequent data analysis
1. Data analysis 1 — chart
2. Data analysis 2 — chart
3. Data analysis 3 — table
5. Draw conclusions relating back to the hypothesis
6. Suggest future actions

Example: Community Association Meeting Speech Outline

1. Story to introduce the symptom (e.g. vandalism)
2. Use facts and evidence to trace back to the core problem (e.g. lack of “safe” activities for youth)
1. Statistics
2. Reports
3. Interviews
3. Suggest a solution
1. Budget
2. Volunteers
3. Stakeholders
4. A strong call-to-action motivating the audience to join the cause

Example: Business Proposal to Investors

1. Be direct: “Invest $___ for %___ of the shares”
2. Story to illustrate the need for the product XYZ
3. Story to describe the vision of how product XYZ improves lives
4. Demo of product XYZ
1. Benefit #1 (focus on benefits, not features)
2. Benefit #2
3. Benefit #3
5. Invest now and make product XYZ possible
1. Story illustrating strength of the team
2. Market analysis
3. Financial projections
6. Repeat call-to-action: “Invest $___ for %___ of the shares”

Other Speech Outline Writing Tips

“When sequencing your outline points, try to avoid random order. Seek and extract the meaningful relationship.”

Note that all of these speech outline examples are appropriate for a short six to ten minute speech. Longer time windows will obviously allow for more detailed outlines.

You may be able to customize one of the generic speech outline formats for your speech; more likely, you will need to craft your own to fit your situation. A few other things to consider:

• The granularity of your outline should be roughly one outline point per minute of speaking time, perhaps less for lengthy presentations.
• For presentations which are complemented with slides, your outline might include slide concepts, but no finer details.
• Remember that your presentation is much more than your set of slides. Your outline should reflect your speaking elements which the slides complement.
• When sequencing your outline points, try to avoid random order. Seek and extract the meaningful relationship.
• Chronological – e.g. a biographical speech
• Spatial – e.g. an entertaining travel speech
• Cause-effect – e.g. speech relating crime rate to drug use
• Low to high importance – e.g. reasons to exercise
• Broad vision to specific details – e.g. a management speech outlining new company direction
• Your outline is not the same as cue cards, but they are related (if you use cue cards). An outline contains high-level speech elements; cue cards might additionally contain selected speech details e.g. transition phrases, key words/phrases, key numbers, or punch lines.

Speech Outline Example — Face the Wind

Here is the original outline that I put together for the Face the Wind speech. Comments follow which represent my thinking at the time of writing the outline.

1. Opening humor – connect with audience as typical home owner
2. Story #1 – Backyard tree battle
• “Strong roots… strong tree”
• Foreshadow: neighbour’s monster tree falling
3. Story #2 – Winter storms knock over many trees
• National news (trees falling on houses), but our house okay
• Arborists: “Wind came from a different direction”
• Establish key analogy – Trees cannot face the wind.
4. Story #3 – Baby Maximus
• Michelle and Lance have strong roots
• Maximus is born
5. Conclusion
• Call-to-action: “We must face our problems”

Comments on Face the Wind Outline

At the outline stage, I set up many key elements of the speech. I determined the three main stories, planned humorous opening, identified a few key phrases to incorporate, established contrast (tree/people), used a metaphor (roots of people), and concluded with a call-to-action.

Opening – I wanted to open with humor to offset the drama later in the speech. Also, I wanted to connect with the audience as a homeowner as many in the audience are also homeowners.

Story #1 – I wanted the first story to establish the “strong roots… strong tree” connection. By establishing that trees have strong roots, it makes the fact that they were toppled in the storm (story #2) more dramatic.

Story #2 – This story was essentially an expansion of the “wind came from a different direction” theory of arborists that I picked up several months prior from my friend. The fact that trees cannot face the wind is the key analogy in this speech, although the audience doesn’t know it yet.

Thank you.

Speech Outline Example

Topic of your speech: Your specific purpose statement: Do you want to persuade a fact, value, or policy?
Problem Solution Speech Preparation Outline	Problem Cause Effect Speech Outline
INTRODUCTION
Attention Device Tie to The Audience Build Credibility Preview
BODY
Describe the problem Give examples, statistics, severness, effects, size, who is affected, why should they care?
Present a solution to the problem. Why is your solution the best? What changes in policy you are proposing? Offer expert testimonies, examples, illustrations etc.	Show the cause. Describe the current situation and proof it with reliable evidence.
Tell what the most obvious disadvantages or objections are. Deal with these speech topics carefuly.
What do you want them to do or change? What is your call for action?	Present the effects of the causes.
CONCLUSION
Review the headings of the problem, (cause), solution (and or and effect) Memorable Closer Concluding Device
Works Cited: Library and internet sources used to write this speech preparation outline. Thank you.

How to Write an Outline

What is it?

An outline is a general plan of the material that is to be presented in a speech or a paper. The outline shows the order of the various topics, the relative importance of each, and the relationship between the various parts.

Order in an Outline

There are many ways to arrange the different parts of a subject. Sometimes, a chronological arrangement works well. At other times, a spatial arrangement is best suited to the material. The most common order in outlines is to go from the general to the specific. This means you begin with a general idea and then support it with specific examples.

Thesis Statement of Summarizing Sentence

All outlines should begin with a thesis statement of summarizing sentence. This thesis sentence presents the central idea of the paper. It must always be a complete, grammatical sentence, specific and brief, which expresses the point of view you are taking towards the subject.

Types of Outlines

The two main types of outlines are the topic outline and the sentence outline. In the topic outline, the headings are given in single words or brief phrases. In the sentence outline, all the headings are expressed in complete sentences.

Rules for Outlining

1. Subdivide topics by a system of numbers and letters, followed by a period.

Example:

I.

A.

B.

1.

2.

a.

b.

II.

A.

B.

2. Each heading and subheading must have at least two parts.

3. Headings for parts of the paper of speech such as, Introduction and Conclusion, should not be used.

4. Be consistent. Do not mix up the two types of outlines. Use either whole sentences of brief phrases, but not both.

Examples

Topic Outline

Choices in College and After

Thesis: The decisions I have to make in choosing college courses, depend on larger questions I am beginning to ask myself about my life’s work.

I. Two decisions described

A. Art history or chemistry

1. Professional considerations

2. Personal considerations

B. A third year of French?

1. Practical advantages of knowing a foreign language

2. Intellectual advantages

3. The issue of necessity

II. Definition of the problem

A. Decisions about occupation

B. Decisions about a kind of life to lead

III. Temporary resolution of the problem

A. To hold open a professional possibility: chemistry

B. To take advantage of cultural gains already made: French

Sentence Outline

Choices in College and After

Thesis: The decisions I have to make in choosing college courses, depend on larger questions I am beginning to ask myself about my life’s work.

I. I have two decisions to make with respect to choosing college courses in the immediate future.

A. One is whether to elect a course in art history or in chemistry.

1. One time in my life, I planned to be a chemical engineer professionally.

2. On the other hand, I enjoy art and plan to travel and see more of it.

B. The second decision is whether to continue a third year of French beyond the basic college requirement.

1. French might be useful both in engineering and travel.

2. Furthermore, I am eager to read good books which are written in French.

3. How necessary are these considerations in the light of other courses I might take instead?

II. My problem can be put in the form of a dilemma involving larger questions about my whole future.

A. On the one hand I want to hold a highly-trained position in a lucrative profession.

B. On the other hand I want to lead a certain kind of life, with capacities for values not connected with the making of money.

III. I will have to make a decision balancing the conflicting needs I have described.

A. I will hold open the professional possibilities by electing chemistry.

B. I will improve and solidify what cultural proficiency in another language I have already gained, by electing French.

Thank you.

Monroe's Motivational Sequence for Persuasive Speeches

These four elements for problem solutions speech topics are extracted from the very famous Monroe's Motivational Sequence for persuasive speeches:

1. Problem - State the problem or that some conditions are not quite optimal, and why it's important. Let them realize the scope and effects. Appeal to reason and to the needs and emotions of the audience to persuade them.

2. Solution - Advocate a solution for the problem and causes, or a plan to satisfact the needs.

3. Visualization - Visualize the practicality of your solution. Show how the solutions will improve the situation, show their effectiveness and practicality. Prove that the alternatives are impractical and cause more problems in order to overrule the objections against your solution.

4. Action - Convince them to agree, to change an existing policy or attitude, or move them to action in the way you propose in your problem solution speech topics.

Thank you.

Public Speaking

Assignment 1: Learn to Analyze a Speech

In this assignment, you will demonstrate that you can analyze a speech for informative, persuasive and entertainment content.

The assignment has five parts:

1.Pick a speech that interests you and read it from beginning to end.

2. Locate a sentence in the speech you have chosen that is designed to inform its audience. Copy the sentence and then write a description of what you think the sentence you've chosen is designed to accomplish (i.e. "In this sentence, speaker X is informing his audience about...)

3. Locate a sentence in the speech you have chosen that is designed to persuade its audience. Copy the sentence and then write a description of what you think the sentence you've chosen is designed to accomplish. (i.e. "In this sentence, speaker X is trying to get his audience to...)

4. Locate a sentence in the speech you have chosen that is designed to entertain its audience. Copy the sentence and then write a description of what you think the sentence you've chosen is designed to accomplish.

5. Email your analysis to me for 5% marks.

Thank you.