Communications: Outline help
Purpose Statement: To inform my audience (or To persuade my audience) that_________
Thesis Statement: A claim or prediction that you will prove or demonstrate.
Introduction
Attention Getter: Something to grab your audience’s attention right from the very moment you begin to speak. If you want to introduce yourself, do it after you have the audience’s attention.
Overview of Main Points: Make it clear what main points are going to be.
(Transition from intro to first main point)
I. First main point written in complete sentence
A. Support for 1st main point. (preferably complete sentences)
B. Support for 1st main point
1. Support for B`
2. Support for B
(Transition)
II. Second main point in complete sentence.
A. Support for 2nd main point
1. support for A
2. support for A
a. Support for #2
b. Support for #2
B. Support for 2nd main point.
(Transition)
III. Third main point in complete sentence.
A. Support for 3rd main point
B. Support for 3rd main point.
(Transition)
Conclusion:
Summary of main points of the speech
Wrap up of the speech– statement that will provide closure for the audience.
Remember, this Preparation Outline is what you use to write your speech and what you will turn into me. It is NOT what you will be speaking from.
For actually giving your speech, you should prepare a Speaking Outline with key words and short quotations only.
The amount of support material you have under each main point is up to you. The only rule is that if you have an “A”, you must have a “B.” If you have a “1”, you must have a “2.” You need enough information to support the main point and stay within the time limitations of the speech. Also, your speech should be somewhat balanced with the close to the same amount of time given to each main point.
Because this is a speech instead of a research paper, you must tell your audience where you got your information within the speech. Give them enough information that they could find the information for themselves if they wanted to.
Bibliography
On your Preparation Outline, you must provide an MLA Works Cited or APA Reference page.
