• In a speech there is no instant replay
• If the audience fails to understand you, they are out of luck
• A well organized speech promotes clear communication

• Easier to understand
• Easier for audience to remember
• More likely to be believed

1. Central Idea
2. Main Points
3. Supporting Details

Start with your Specific Purpose (the goal of your speech) and your Central Idea (the key concept you want to get across to your audience)

• Ask yourself "How can I get my audience to believe my Central Idea?"
  The answer is to give them a few main points based on the Central Idea
• Next, ask yourself, "How can I make these main points stick in the minds of my audience?"
  The answer is to back up each main point with support materials

For more information on the Central Idea of your speech, follow the "Topic" link in the menu to the left.

Create your Main Points by asking these questions:

• What is the Specific Purpose of my speech?
• What is my Central Idea, the key concept that I want my audience to understand, believe, and remember?
• What Main Points can I create to drive home the Central Idea?
• What Support Details will I need under each Main Point to explain or prove it?

Discard irrelevant material

Refine your Main Points

• Limit the number of main points—best to use at least three main points, but don't use more than five
• Make sure all main points develop the central idea
• Restrict each main point to a single idea

Organize Your Main Points

• Chronological Pattern—arrange main points in time sequence, good for dealing with periods of time in history
• Spatial Pattern—arrange main points according to the way in which they relate to each other in physical space
• Causal Pattern—tell your audience the effects of your subject, interest them, they will want to know the causes, and how to avoid them
• Problem-Solution Pattern—divide speech into two parts: a statement of the problem and the a statement of the solution. This technique is good for persuasive speeches. You convince your audience that a problem exists, then tell them how to solve it.
• Topical Pattern—divide your central idea into components or categories, or subdivide an idea by showing reasons for it. Emphatic order is often the best—save the best for last. Note: you must arrange your points in a logical pattern or audience will lose respect/interest.

• Supporting details develop and illustrate your ideas
• Supporting details can clarify your ideas
• Supporting details can make a speech more interesting
• Supporting details help listeners remember Main Points
• Supporting details help prove your assertions

• Definitions—meanings of words, define your terms, sometimes informal definitions may be more effective (Example: Chutzpah is the kind of audacity and gall that a youngster would show if he killed both his parents and then demanded that the court be lenient to him because he was an orphan.)
• Description—audience forms verbal pictures from your details
• Examples—illustrate statements and back up generalities
• Narratives—stories, people love stories
• Comparison and Contrast—comparison shows how things are similar; contrast shows how things are different
• Testimony—what knowledgeable people say about your subject, gives instant credibility
• Statistics—numerical ways of expressing information

Supporting Details must be relevant; they must support, explain, illustrate, or reinforce your Central Idea (your message). They cannot be thrown in simply to enliven your speech.

• Overview
• Selecting Your Topic
• Organization
• Introduction
• Conclusion
• Informative Speeches
• Persuasive Speeches
• Listening Skills
• Example Speeches
• Home