PREPARING A SPEECH

OUTLINE
THESIS STATEMENT & BODY

LMCE 2092
SPEAK TO PERSUADE
 Preparing a Speech Outline - Thesis
Statement & Body

• NOTE: For this course you are required to run your Speech Outline through
an online plagiarism checker and submit the report with your Speech
Outline.

• A Speech Outline consists of:

• Speech Goal
• Introduction*
• Thesis Statement
• Body (Main Points + Supporting Information + Section Transitions)
• Conclusion*
• Sources
 Outlining Your Speech Body - 3 Steps:

• Turn your speech goal into a thesis statement that forecasts

your main points.

• State your main points in complete sentences that are clear,

parallel, meaningful and limited to a maximum of five.

• Organize your main points in the pattern best suited to your

material and your audience.
 Writing Your Thesis Statement

• A thesis statement is a sentence that outlines the elements of your speech

goal.

• It indicates the specifics of your speech goal and frames the structure of
your speech.

• A clear thesis statement makes it easier for you to select, state and build
your main points.

• (If you have already collected a variety of information related to your

speech goal, you need to decide which information / what further
information is most valuable for achieving your goal).
 Outlining Your Main Points

• Main points are complete-sentence representations of the

ideas you have
specified in your thesis statement. They will make up the
body of you speech.

• Writing them in complete sentences will make clearer to

your audience the relationships associated with the key
elements of your thesis statement. Example:
 Outlining Your Main Points
Thesis Statement: “The three criteria you can use to find a suitable credit card are level of
real interest rate, annual fee, and advertised perks.”
[This example is informative not persuasive]

Main Points in Phrases Main Points in Complete Sentences

I. Examining the interest rate is one criterion you can use

I. Level of interest rate to find a credit card that is suitable for where you are in life.

II. Another criterion you can use to make sure you find a credit card
II. Annual fee that is suitable for where you are in life is to examine the annual fee.

III. Finding a credit card can also depend on weighing the advertised perks,
III. Advertised perks which is the third criterion you will want to use to be sure that it is
suitable for where you are in life.
 Grouping of Main Points
A long list of main points will not be easy for your audience to follow and remember.
If you have more than 5 points, you need to group them into sub-points. For example:
How to Shoot an Effective Foul Shot [Again, this example is informative, not persuasive]

Main Points in Phrases Main Points in Complete Sentences

1. Face the basket before shooting.

1. First, square yourself to the basket.
2. Hold your shoulders parallel to the
a) Face the basket before shooting.
foul line.
b) Hold your shoulders parallel to the foul line.
3. Spread your feet comfortably, with
your knees bent.
2. Second, have proper balance.
4. Put your foot that is opposite to
c) Spread your feet comfortably, with your knees bent.
your shooting arm slightly forward.
d) Put your foot that is opposite to your shooting arm slightly
5. Hold the ball in your shooting
forward.
hand, with your elbow bent.
6. Concentrate on the spot just over
3. Third, deliver the ball smoothly.
the rim.
e) Hold the ball in your shooting hand, with your elbow bent.
7. Straighten your knees as you shoot
f) Concentrate on the spot just over the rim.
the ball.
g) Straighten your knees as you shoot the ball.
8. Follow through after the ball is
h) Follow through after the ball is released.
released.
 Organizing Your Main Points

• For persuasive speeches, the most appropriate is logical

reasons order, where the main points are organized by the
reasons that support the speech goal, either according to their
importance or some specific sequence if they build on one
another.
Choose ONE of the 5 organizational patterns:

1.Statement of Logical Reasons

2.Problem-Solution
3.Comparative Advantage
4.Criteria Satisfaction
5.Motivational Sequence
 The Five-Step Motivational Sequence

1. The Attention Step

∙ Replaces the traditional introduction

∙ Begin with an attention generating statement
∙ Get audiences’ curiosity by talking about the value of what you
are going to say
∙ May refer to the knowledge and experiences you have to build
credibility
∙ Finally, state purpose and preview
 The Five-Step Motivational Sequence

2. The Need Step

•Explores the nature of the problem that gives rise to the need for a
change
•Point out conditions that are unsatisfactory
•Use statistics and expert opinions to strengthen arguments
•Describe implication of this problem
•What is happening because the condition is allowed to continue?
•Allude to how the audience might be instrumental in changing the
situation
 The Five-Step Motivational Sequence

3. The Satisfaction Step

•Explain the solution to the problem

•Show, point by point, how what you are proposing will satisfy
each of the needs that you mentioned in the need step
•Mention other places where your proposal has been tried and is successful
•Present & refute any objections to the proposal
 The Five-Step Motivational Sequence

4. The Visualization Step

•Ask audience to imagine what will happen if your proposal

is implemented or not implemented or both
•The more descriptive and graphic this step is, the
more likely it will have an impact on your audience
 The Five-Step Motivational Sequence

5. The Action Appeal Step

•Functions like a conclusion

•May quickly review main ideas
•Emphasize the specific belief/action that you are directing
your audience toward
•State/restate your own commitment and action you have taken
•Conclude with an emotionally compelling quote, story or other
elements
 Identifying Good Reasons & Sound
Evidence

•Identify reasons that support your speech goal

•Evaluate each reason to select those that are of the highest quality

a.Is the reason directly related to proving the proposition?

b.Is there strong evidence to support a reason?
c.Is the reason persuasive for the audience?
Selecting Evidence to Support Reasons

a. Does the evidence come from a well-respected source?

b. Is the evidence recent, and if not, is it still valid?

c. Does the evidence really support the reason?

d. Will the evidence be persuasive for this audience?

Selecting & Outlining Supporting Material
• Under each main point, list the key elements of information that
you have found.
• At this point, don’t worry about the arrangement of the ideas. Just
list them first.
• Then look for relationships between the ideas and group related
ideas together.

• Format (see sample outlines)

• Use capital Roman numerals (I, II, III) for main points
• Use capital letters (A, B, C) for major sub-points
• Use regular numerals (1, 2, 3) for supporting points
 B. Motivating Audiences
• Writing Your Section Transitions
• A section transition is a sentence that links the major sections of a speech:
∙ between the Introduction and the Body
∙ between all the Main Points within the body
∙ between the Body and the Conclusion
• They signal that you have finished with one section/main point and will
move to the next one.
• A section transition sentence has two parts:
• A summary or wrap up of the previous part + a preview of the next part.