Speech Structure General tips on how to organize your speech

Most good writing, we are told, must have structure. A good speech is no exception.
By providing your speech with a beginning, a middle, and an end, you will lay the
foundations for a successful speech that fulfills all of your aspirations.

Opening

The first thirty seconds of your speech are probably the most important. In that period of time
you must grab the attention of the audience, and engage their interest in what you have to say
in your speech. This can be achieved in several ways. For example you could
i. raise a thought-provoking question,
ii. make an interesting or controversial statement,
iii. recite a relevant quotation
iv. recount a joke.
Once you have won the attention of the audience, your speech should move seamlessly to the
middle of your speech.

Body

The body of your speech will always be the largest part of your speech. At this point your
audience will have been introduced to you and the subject of your speech (as set out in your
opening) and will hopefully be ready to hear your arguments, your thoughts or even your
ramblings on the subject of your speech.

The best way to set out the body of your speech is by formulating a series of points that you
would like to raise. In the context of your speech, a "point" could be a statement about a
product, a joke about the bridegroom or a fond memory of the subject of a eulogy.

The points should be organized so that related points follow one another so that each point
builds upon the previous one. This will also give your speech a more logical progression, and
make the job of the listener a far easier one.

Don't try to overwhelm your audience with countless points. It is better to make a small
number of points well than to have too many points, none of which are made satisfactorily.
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Closing
Like your Opening, the Closing of your speech must contain some of your strongest material.
You should view the closing of your speech as an opportunity. It is an opportunity to:

Summarize the main points of your speech

Provide some further food for thought for your listeners
Leave your audience with positive memories of your speech
End with a final thought/emotion (e.g. With well wishes to the Bride and Groom, With
fond memories of a departed friend, With admiration for winners and losers at an awards
ceremony).

The Informative Speech

The purpose of an informative speech is to share reliable factual information that you have
acquired through research. It is not intended to promote a policy or opinion; rather, it seeks
to provide a foundation for people to better understand a topic.
Length: 6-8 minutes.
An outline is required. Note cards must be used.
INFORMATIVE SPEECH OUTLINE FORMAT
Name:
Date:
Topic: Title that suggests the topic of your speech
General Purpose: To inform
Specific Purpose: Your specific purpose identifies the information you want to communicate in the
mode you have chosen.
Thesis: The central idea of your speech.
I. Introduction
A. Attention Getter: Something that grabs the attention of the audience.
Examples of this: startling statistics, stories, rhetorical questions, quotations, scenarios, etc. This
point should be more than one sentence long.
B. Reason to Listen: Why should the audience listen to your speech? Make it personal to each of them.
C. Credibility Statement:
1. What personally connects you to this topic?
2. What type of research have you done to establish credibility?
D. Thesis & Preview of Main Points: (this preview should reinforce the mode you have selected)
I. Thesis: ______________________________________________________________________
1. First, I will describe
2. Second, I will examine
3. Third, I will discuss
II. Restate thesis.
A. Statement of the first main point; you should not use a source in this sentence.
1. Idea of development or support for the first main point
a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source*)
b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)
2. More development or support
a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)
b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)
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3. More development if needed

Transition: (Required) Statement that looks back (internal summary) and looks forward
(preview).
B. Statement of second main point. Do not use a source in this statement.
1. Idea of development or support for the first main point
a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)
b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)
2. More development or support
a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)
b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)
3. More development if needed
Transition: (Required) Statement that looks back (internal summary)
and looks forward (preview).
C. Statement of third main point. Do not use a source in this statement.
1. Idea of development or support for the first main point
a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)
b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)
2. More development or support a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)
b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)
3. More development if needed
III. Conclusion
A. Review of Main Points:
1. Restate your first main point.
2. Restate your second main point.
3. Restate you third main poin.
B. Restate Thesis: Exact same as above (the beginning of the speech).
C. Closure: Develop a creative closing that will give the speech a sense of ending. This point may be
more than one sentence. You should refer back to your Attention Getter.

Works Cited Page

*Electronic sources must be authoritative and credible. Sources from the .com domain are not to be used
unless authorship is verifiable and authoritative. (.edu, .gov or .org domains are acceptable)

Exercise: Informative Speech Outline

Task: Study the following sample informative speech outline.
What is missing? How would you improve the speech?
CANCER
Topic: Cancer
INTRODUCTION
Attention Getter: More than 1/2 million people are expected to die of cancer this year. That's
more than 1,500 a day. An average of 1/2 of men and 1/3 of women will develop cancer.
Purpose: To inform my audience about cancer.
Importance to Audience: Cancer can affect anyone, so you can gain something from this
speech by being informed about cancer, and how to prevent it
Thesis Statement: Cancer is a serious disease that may be preventable and curable.
Preview: I will discuss what cancer is, ways to prevent cancer growth, and the different types
of treatment for cancer.
(Transition: To start off, I will explain what cancer is.)
BODY
I. First Main Point: Cancer is a condition of uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells.
A. Subpoint: Normal cells usually grow and divide to replace old or dead cells.
B. Subpoint: Cancer cells continue to grow and divide.
1. Cancer cells accumulate in one place.
2. The accumulated cells form tumors.
3. Tumors destroy body cells.
C. Subpoint: 2 types of tumors
1. Malignant
2. Benign
D. Subpoint: Cancers are classified according to the body part in which it originates. `
Example: If there is cancer growth in your prostate and it spreads to another part of
your body, it would be classified as prostate cancer. Although the cancer has spread to
another part of your body, it only counts where the cancer originated.
(Transition: Next, I will talk about ways to prevent cancers from forming.)

II. Second Main Point: A person can take different measures to lower his/her chances of
developing cancer.
A. Subpoint: Lifestyles can affect the chances of future cancer development.
1. Smoking/Drinking
2. Be active and maintain healthy weight.
3. Eat healthy avoid fat foods (animal products) and eat plant sources (fruits,
vegetables)
(Transition: Finally I will discuss the treatments for cancer.)
III. Third Main Point: There are various treatments for cancer.
A. Subpoint: Surgery
1. Oldest form of treatment.
2. Offers greatest chance for cure.
3. 60% cancer patients receive surgery/operation.
B. Subpoint: Radiation therapy high energy particles
C. Subpoint: Chemotherapy use of drugs. Effective because the drugs go into your
bloodstream which circulates throughout your body.
(Transition: In conclusion,)
CONCLUSION
Summary Statement: Cancer is a condition of uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that
evolve into tumors. Fatty foods, smoking, and drinking all affect the chances of developing
cancer. Treatments for cancer include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Concluding Remarks: Anyone can become a victim of cancer but we can decrease our
chances of getting cancer by being more informed on the disease and how to prevent it.