CHAPTER 4: STRUCTURE YOUR SPEECH

GETTING STARTED
Step 1: Work in group to analyze the structure of a given speech

Step 2: Highlight the common parts of a speech and provide a brief

explanation of what the part should be about

Step 3: Share your group’s ideas

STRUCTURE OF A SPEECH
Introduction
In introducing your speech, try to accomplish three goals. First, gain your listeners’ attention. A
provocative statistic, a little-known fact, an interesting story, or a statement explaining the
topic’s significance will help secure this initial attention. Second, establish a connection among
yourself, the topic, and the audience. Tell audience members why you’re speaking on this topic.
Tell them why you’re concerned with the topic and why you’re competent to address them.
These are questions that most audiences will automatically ask themselves. Here’s one example
of how this might be done.
1. Have a strong opening sentence. This should be something other than your name and
where you are from. Try to start with something thought provoking, startling, or funny.
The first words from your mouth should be something with impact. Good examples could
be a quote or joke from a known person or an ‘imagine if’ scenario.
2. Include a thesis statement that introduces what your main points will be about. Try to be
as specific as you can and have this set up a preview for your audience for what your
main points are. For example, you could use the following lead in for a good thesis:
“Today I will be discussing how I am like my object because of its size and its color”.
From that statement, you can clearly see how many main points (two) there will be and
what the points will revolve around (how the person speaking is like the object’s color,
and how the person speaking is like the object’s size).
Body:
1. Have between two to three main points. Your assignment will be a relatively short
speech, so less will be more in this situation.
2. Include identifiable transition words or phrases in between paragraphs. For English
essays, you would break your paragraphs up by using tab indentations to mark the new
train of thoughts being introduced. When you are speaking, you have to show this break
verbally by using identifiable words like “next,” “finally,” “moving on,” and the like.
Conclusion:
In concluding your speech, do at least two things. First, summarize your ideas. For example, you
might restate your main points, summing up what you’ve told the audience.
1. Have a transition statement that signals that you are going to close. For public speaking,
you need to provide this by using a clear ending statement like “to conclude,” “to
summarize,” or “now we have seen,” so that your audience can tell that you are going to
end because of the verbal cues you have given them.
2. Reinforce the thesis statement you brought in at the beginning paragraph. Just as you
introduced your main points in the introduction by saying them specifically like the
example, “Today I will be discussing how I am like my object because of its size and its
color”, now you will need to say the same thing but in the past tense. In this example it
would be “Today I have told you how I am like my object because of its size and color.”
Doing so will help reinforce your main points for future recall.
3. You want your last sentence to be strong. Your last words need to resonate with your
audience and leave them feeling like you were fully prepared as a speaker. In example
you could finish the opening scenario, give a quote, or just craft your own thought
provoking sentence.

EXERCISE
Choose one of the following topics and make an outline for a speech:

Topic 1: How to land a college campus job

Purpose: To inform my classmates about how to land a college
campus job.
Main points: how to find the right job for you?
what a good resume looks like?
what are the proper interviewing techniques?

Topic 2: Being an educated voter

Purpose: To persuade my classmates to become an educated
voter on the next presidential election.
Main points: use knowledge gained from looking at previous voting
records
compare candidates’ positions on current topics.
 Basic Speech Organization Guidelines
Topic:
General Purpose:
Specific Purpose:
Central Idea:
Introduction:
1. Attention getter
2. Qualifications as a speaker
3. Audience involvement
4. Internal Preview

Partial bridge transition statement:

1. First main point in parallel format
a. Signpost—Supporting material (i.e. examples, illustrations, hypothetical situations, personal
experiences, facts, statistics, etc.)
b. Signpost—Supporting material (i.e. examples, illustrations, hypothetical situations, personal
experiences, facts, statistics, etc.)

Bridge transition statement:

2. Second main point in parallel format
a. Signpost—Supporting material (i.e. examples, illustrations, hypothetical situations, personal
experiences, facts, statistics, etc.)
b. Signpost—Supporting material (i.e. examples, illustrations, hypothetical situations, personal
experiences, facts, statistics, etc.)

Bridge transition statement:

3. Third main point in parallel format
a. Signpost—Supporting material (i.e. examples, illustrations, hypothetical situations, personal
experiences, facts, statistics, etc.)
b. Signpost—Supporting material (i.e. examples, illustrations, hypothetical situations, personal
experiences, facts, statistics, etc.)

Conclusion
1. Signal you are about to close
2. Internal Summary
3. PERSUASIVE SPEECHES ONLY: Call to Action
4. Memorable ending, tying in to the introduction attention getter
 EXTRA READING: LANGUAGES
Addition also, again, as well as, besides, coupled with, following this, further, furthermore, in addition, in the
same way, additionally, likewise, moreover, similarly
Consequence accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for this purpose, hence, otherwise, so then,
subsequently, therefore, thus, thereupon, wherefore
Generalizing as a rule, as usual, for the most part, generally, generally speaking, ordinarily, usually

Exemplifying chiefly, especially, for instance, in particular, markedly, namely, particularly, including, specifically,
such as
Illustration for example, for instance, for one thing, as an illustration, illustrated with, as an example, in this case

Emphasis above all, chiefly, with attention to, especially, particularly, singularly

Similarity comparatively, coupled with, correspondingly, identically, likewise, similar, moreover, together with

Exception aside from, barring, besides, except, excepting, excluding, exclusive of, other than, outside of, save

Restatement in essence, in other words, namely, that is, that is to say, in short, in brief, to put it differently

Contrast and contrast, by the same token, conversely, instead, likewise, on one hand, on the other hand, on the
Comparison contrary, nevertheless, rather, similarly, yet, but, however, still, nevertheless, in contrast
Sequence at first, first of all, to begin with, in the first place, at the same time, for now, for the time being, the
next step, in time, in turn, later on, meanwhile, next, then, soon, the meantime, later, while, earlier,
simultaneously, afterward, in conclusion, with this in mind
Common first, second, third…
Sequence
generally, furthermore, finally
Patterns
in the first place, also, lastly
in the first place, pursuing this further, finally
to be sure, additionally, lastly
in the first place, just in the same way, finally
basically, similarly, as well
Summarizing after all, all in all, all things considered, briefly, by and large, in any case, in any event, in brief, in
conclusion, on the whole, in short, in summary, in the final analysis, in the long run, on balance, to
sum up, to summarize, finally
Diversion by the way, incidentally
Direction here, there, over there, beyond, nearly, opposite, under, above, to the left, to the right, in the
distance
Location above, behind, by, near, throughout, across, below, down, off, to the right, against, beneath, in back
of, onto, under, along, beside, in front of, on top of, among, between, inside, outside, around, beyond,
into, over