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Topic:
Thesis:
Introduction:
Body:
I. .Main point # 1
A. Supporting statement
1. Supporting information
2. Supporting information
B. Supporting statement
1. Supporting information
2. Supporting information
II. Main point # 2
A: Supporting statement
1. Supporting information
2. Supporting information
B. Supporting statement
1. Supporting information
2. Supporting information
Conclusion:
Lesson 16
The body
Before you select a specific organizational pattern for the body of your speech, you can begin organizing your speech by outlining your information. Since you have by this point selected your topic, designed your thesis, and selected your main points, the necessary information for the body of your speech is complete. Now construct an outline. An outline serves three purposes for a speech:
- It helps put order to the information.
- It serves as a model to check your work.
- It serves as a guide from which to deliver your speech. Figure below shows one general format you might use in constructing your outline. Next you need to select a specific organizational pattern. Some organizational patterns that will help create meaning for your audience are: Spatial Chronological Topical Logical
Spatial order is the pattern of attaining material by taking into consideration the physical properties ofdocsity.com
your topic. For instance, if you are describing a building, you might describe it from the roof to the basement or from the basement to the roof; you are thus organizing the information by considering its physical properties. If you are describing a movement, a trend, or a custom, you might arrange your material to describe the movement as it moved from east to west or from north to south. For example: Topic: Accents Thesis: Accents are different throughout the country. Spatial order: I. Accents in the East have certain characteristics. II. Accents in the West have certain characteristics. III. Accents in the North have certain characteristics. IV. Accents in the South have certain characteristics. Topic: Safe Deposit Schemes (SDS) Thesis: SDS are offered throughout the country I. 1st main point discusses the Peshawar branch II. 2nd main point discusses the Islamabad branch III. 3rd main point discusses the Lahore branch IV. 4th main point discusses the Karachi branch Chronological order Chronological order is the method of arranging your subject's main points in a time sequence. Some infor- mation, such as a message about a historical movement or process, lends itself to chronological ordering, For example: Topic : History of Lahore Thesis : Our city has changed a lot in the last ten years I. 10 years ago all the major roads were reconstructed II. Five years ago they were connected to the motorway III. Today it is considered to be one of the best cities of the country Topic : Earth quake victims Thesis : The Band-Aid Benefit Concert helped a lot towards their rehabilitation I. 1st main point focuses on the creation of the event II. 2nd main point focuses on the planning III. 3rd main point focuses on the actual performance/concert IV. 4th main point focuses on donation & assistance that resulted from the entire process
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The completed outline for our example, then, looks like this: Topic : Fad Diets Thesis : Fad diets can be dangerous to your health. I. Fad dieting is a serious, widespread problem affecting people's health. II. There are alternative solutions to the problem of being overweight. III. People should seek professional medical advice in selecting the best way for them to lose weight. A second logical arrangement is the cause/effect pattern or organization. With this pattern you can arrange your material by deve1oping the cause and then explaining the effects, or vice versa. This pattern is especially effective if the audience already knows that the problem exists. For example: Topic: Assertion Thesis: People are taught to be non assertive. Cause/effect pattern: Cause { I: People are punished for assertive behaviors by superiors. Cause {II: People often have role models who are nonassertive. Effect {III: People learn to be passive. Effect {IV: People learn to be aggressive. A deductive ordering is the pattern of beginning with a general statement that is commonly accepted by the audience and then introducing more specific statements that will develop and lead to the main point of your speech, You reason from the general statement to the more specific statements to your conc1usion or resolution. For example, your general statement is: "Reading is an important skill for every college student to have." You begin with this general statement, then list specific instances of the importance or reading to the college student (with examples that illustrate the results of an inability to read well) because you wish to persuade your audience that "every college student needs to take a course in reading.” Inductive ordering is just the reverse of the deductive. In the inductive pattern, you begin with specific examples, facts, and supporting evidence, then move toward more general arguments, and, finally, conclude with your general statement or thesis. One reason for using the inductive approach is to allow the audience to think through the process with you. Or if the audience feels negatively about your general statement, you need 'to .begin with specific information that will be less threatening to them. For instance, suppose the general statement or thesis is "Every child needs a dog." Maybe your audience is composed of parents who do not wish their children to have a dog for various reasons. You don't want to make the audience feel defensive. You might begin by stating that (1) my daughter has a pet; (2) many children in the neighborhood have pets; (3) Children are required to engage themselves by playing with them, taking care of them; (4) It is not only fun, but also builds confidence, responsibility in children; and finally (5) every child needs a pet. In this instance, you started with a specific example, you progressed to a more general statement, and you concluded with the thesis. Hopefully, by the time you are ready to conclude, the audience will feel favorably toward your thesis. The inductive ordering begins with the specific and progresses toward the general; with deductive ordering, you would begin with the general statement "Every child needs a pet" and then develop the speech by stating specific reasons.
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Conclusion The final step in putting the speech together is to design a conclusion. A conclusion should focus attention on the thesis, leave the audience in an appropriate mood, and give the audience a sense of completion. A conclusion is not simply stopping when you are tired of talking. There are several methods that can be used to conclude a speech: Summary Quotation, story, or example Statement of personal intention Call to action You might use one or a combination of them to conclude your speech. Summary You might conclude your speech by simply summarizing the information presented or restating your thesis. You have probably heard speakers who conclude their speeches with phrases that begin with "in summary," "to summarize my main point," or "to conclude, what I want you to remember is.. ." There are many artful ways of summarizing your information. You do not simply stop. You put your speech in focus with a summary. By restating your thesis or summarizing the main points: the audience will leave with your main idea still fresh in their minds. Quotation, story, or example You might conclude your speech by illustrating your thesis with a quotation, story, or example. The audience will then leave the speech situation with a memorable example or illustration of your thesis. Statement of personal intention Another method of concluding is to state what you intend to do with regards to the subject, situation, or problem. For example, suppose your subject is child abuse. You might conclude your speech by stating what you intend to do about the problem. Call to action You might ask the audience to do something. You might ask them to demonstrate that they understand or agree with your thesis by doing something new. If your thesis was concerned with the danger of smoking, for example, you might ask them to give up smoking or you might ask them to campaign against it. The point is that you conclude by asking the audience to take action – to get involved, to participate, or to change a behavior. Guidelines Conclusion should be worded strongly Conclusion should be phrased in a way that it shows your conviction Present a plan, proposal, or solution Ask the audience to do something tangible Your audience must be able to relate to your conclusion Your conclusion should be practical
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