Organizing and Supporting the Body of Your Speech

Organizing Your Information

Identify general goalIdentify specific goalIdentify main pointsWrite a thesis statement with main points

Develop the main points of your speech through research

Outline the speech body

Identifying the General Speech Purpose: (page 106)

To InformTo PersuadeTo Mark a Special OccasionTo MotivateTo entertain

Forming a Specific Speech Purpose: (page 119)

A specific speech purpose includes the following information:Your general GoalYour intended AudienceYour specific topic

ExamplesGeneral Goal: To informSpecific Goal: To inform my classmates on the history of WWII

General Goal: To persuadeSpecific Goal: To persuade my friends to recycle aluminum

Identify Main Points (page 193)

Limit your main points (two-five main points)

A main point should not introduce more than one idea

Main points should be stated in parallel form (use similar grammatical form and style)

Main points should be have an obvious organizational pattern

Transitions – words, phrases, or sentences that show a relationship between, or bridge, two ideas

Organizational Patterns of a Speech (page 204)

Topical / Logical pattern (based on types or categories)The Division of College Students: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior,

SeniorDiabetes: What is Diabetes, What Causes Diabetes, What are

Symptoms of Diabetes, What are Treatments of DiabetesChronological pattern (based on how things occur in

time)Oprah: Oprah’s Childhood, Oprah’s rise to success, Oprah’s

future ambitionsSpatial pattern (based on where things are located in

space)Places to visit in Alabama: Huntsville, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa,

Montgomery, MobileCompare & Contrast (Informative or Persuasive)

Shelton vs UA, Wedding Rituals: India vs UA

Organizational Patterns of a speechCause & Effect pattern

Binge Drinking: The effects of binge drinking on a college campus, the causes of binge drinking on a college campus OR discuss 2-5 causes OR discuss 2-5 effects

Problem & SolutionOvercrowded Prisons: The problem of

overcrowded prisons, the solution to overcrowded prisons OR the problem of overcrowded prisons, why this has become a problem, the solution to overcrowded prisons

Supporting Your Speech (page 133)

Supporting materials give substance to the speeches central idea. Supporting materials are used to clarify an idea, make an idea interesting, make an idea memorable, or prove an idea

Use a variety of supporting materials

Refer orally to your sources

Supporting Materials (page 134)

Types of Supporting MaterialsDefinitionsExamplesStatisticsFactsAnalogiesStoriesQuotations / Testimonies

Locating Supporting Materials (page 148)

BooksReference Works (Encyclopedia, Dictionary,

Almanac, etc)MagazinesProfessional JournalsNewspapersNonprint Materials (Audio, Audiovisual, etc)Websites Personal Interviews

Don’t Forget……

Make sure you use transitions to create a parallel structure (flow between main points and sub points)….

Transitions – words, phrases, or sentences that show a relationship between, or bridge, two ideas

Locating GOOD supporting materialsCredibility: Anyone can establish a website. Evaluate!Objectivity: Is the information bias? Is it an

advertisement?Currency: When was this information produced? Is it

updated?

Citing Sources: (include this in oral & written citations)Title of ArticleTitle of PublicationAuthor of ArticleDate of ArticleWebsite (name of organization, institution, etc.)Webpage