COMM PBRL 2211 How to Write an Informative Speech Outline Outlining Your Speech Most speakers and audience members would agree that an organized speech is both easier to present as well as more persuasive. Public speaking teachers especially believe in the power of organizing your speech, which is why they encourage (and often require) that you create an outline for your speech. Outlines, or textual arrangements of all the various elements of a speech, are a very common way of organizing a speech before it is delivered. Most extemporaneous speakers keep their outlines with them during the speech as a way to ensure that they do not leave out any important elements and to keep them on track. Writing an outline is also important to the speechwriting process since doing so forces the speakers to think about the main points and sub-points, the examples they wish to include, and the ways in which these elements correspond to one another. In short, the outline functions both as an organization tool and as a reference for delivering a speech. Outline Structure Because an outline is used to arrange all of the elements of your speech, it makes sense that the outline itself has an organizational hierarchy and a common format. Although there are a variety of outline styles, generally they follow the same pattern. Main ideas are preceded by Roman numerals (I, II, III, etc.). Sub-points are preceded by then Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.), and finally lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.). Each level of subordination is also differentiated from its predecessor by indenting a few spaces. Indenting makes it easy to find your main points, sub-points, and the supporting points and examples below them. Since there are three sections to your speech— introduction, body, and conclusion— your outline needs to include all of them. Each of these sections is titled and the main points start with Roman numeral I. In addition to these formatting suggestions, there are some additional elements that should be included at the beginning of your outline: the title, topic, specific purpose statement, and central idea. These elements are helpful to you, the speechwriter, since they remind you what, specifically, you are trying to accomplish in your speech. They are also helpful to anyone reading and assessing your outline since knowing what you want to accomplish will determine how they perceive the elements included in your outline. Additionally, you should write out the transitional statements that you will use to alert audiences that you are moving from one point to another. These are included in parentheses between main points. At the end of the outlines, you should include bibliographic information for any outside resources you mention during the speech. These should be cited using whatever citations style your professor requires. This is an example of the appropriate outline format. Example of Informative Speech Outline Informative Outline Topic: The Titanic General Purpose: To Inform Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about one of the most famous tragedies in history, the Titanic. Central Idea: From the disaster to the movie, the sinking of the Titanic remains one of the most famous tragedies in history. Introduction I. An American writer named Morgan Robertson once wrote a book called The Wreck of the Titan. The book was about an ‘unsinkable’ ship called the Titan that set sail from England to New York with many rich and famous passengers on board. On its journey, the Titan hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sunk. Many lives were lost because there were not enough lifeboats. So, what is so strange about this? Well, The Wreck of the Titan was written 14 years before the Titanic sank. II. From the disaster to the movie, the sinking of the Titanic remains one of the most famous tragedies in history. III. The sinking of the Titanic was one of the largest non-war related disasters in history, and it is important to be knowledgeable about the past. IV. I have been fascinated by the history of the Titanic for as long as I can remember. I have read and studied my collection of books about the Titanic many times, and have done research on the Internet. V. First, I will discuss the Titanic itself. Second, I will discuss the sinking of the ship. Finally, I will discuss the movie that was made about the Titanic. This is your ‘Attention Getter!’ This is your Topic Preview This is your Relevance Statement This is your Credibility Statement This is your Preview of Main Points Body I. The Titanic was thought to be the largest, safest, most luxurious ship ever built. 1. At the time of her launch, she was the biggest existing ship and the largest moveable object ever built. a. According to Geoff Tibbals, in his 1997 book The Titanic: The extraordinary story of the ‘unsinkable’ ship, the Titanic was 882 feet long and weighed about 46,000 tons. b. This was 100 feet longer and 15,000 tons heavier than the world’s current largest ships. First main point Sub-point Supporting Points 3. The Titanic was widely believed to be the safest ship ever built. a. Tibbals, as previously cited, described the Titanic as having an outer layer that shielded an inner layer — a ‘double bottom’ — that was created to keep water out of the ship if the outer layer was pierced. b. The bottom of the ship was divided into 16 watertight compartments equipped with automatic watertight doors. c. The doors could be closed immediately if water were to enter into the compartments. d. Because of these safety features, the Titanic was deemed unsinkable. Now that I’ve discussed the Titanic itself, I will now discuss the tragedy that occurred on its maiden voyage. II. The Titanic hit disaster head-on when it ran into an iceberg four days after its departure. 1. The beginning of the maiden voyage was mostly uneventful. a. Tibbals (1997) stated that the ship departed from Queenstown in Ireland at 1:30 pm on April 10th, 1912, destined for New York. b. The weather was perfect for sailing — there was blue sky, light winds, and a calm ocean. d. According to Walter Lord in A Night to Remember from 1955, the Atlantic Ocean was like polished plate glass on the night of April 14. 2. The journey took a horrible turn when the ship struck an iceberg and began to sink. a. In the book Titanic: An illustrated history from 1992, Lynch explains that the collision occurred at 11:40 pm on Sunday, April 14. b. According to Robert Ballard’s 1988 book Exploring the Titanic, the largest part of the iceberg was under water. c. Some of the ship’s watertight compartments had been punctured and the first five compartments rapidly filled with water. d. Tibbals (1997) wrote that distress rockets were fired and distress signals were sent out, but there were no ships close enough to arrive in time. Sub-points and supporting points cont. 2. The beautiful accommodations of the Titanic were decorated and furnished with only the finest items. a. According to a quotation from Shipbuilders magazine that is included in Peter Thresh’s 1992 book Titanic, ‘Everything has been done in regard to the furniture and fittings to make the first class accommodation more than equal to that provided in the finest hotels on shore’ (p. 18). b. Fine parlor suites located on the ship consisted of a sitting room, two bedrooms, two wardrobe rooms, a private bath, and a lavatory. c. The first class dining room was the largest on any liner; it could serve 500 passengers at one sitting. Supporting Points (cont.) Transition between main points Second main point Sub-points and supporting points c. Thresh stated in Titanic: The truth behind the disaster, published in 1992 that the Titanic accommodated around 2,345 passengers and 860 crew-members. 4. The ship eventually disappeared from sight. a. Tibbals (1997) explains that at 2:20 am on Monday, the ship broke in half and slowly slipped under the water. b. At 4:10 am, the Carpathia answered Titanic’s distress call and arrived to rescue those floating in the lifeboats. c. Lynch (1992) reported that in the end, 1,522 lives were lost. Sub-points and supporting points cont. 3. As the ship went down, some were rescued but the majority of passengers had no place to go. a. Thresh (1992) stated that there were only 20 lifeboats on the ship. b. This was only enough for about half of the 2,200 people that were on board. c. The lifeboats were filled quickly with women and children loaded first. Now that we have learned about the history of the Titanic, I will discuss the movie that was made about it. 2. Making Titanic was extremely expensive and involved much hard work. a. According to a 1998 article from the Historical Journal of Films, Radio, and Television, Kramer stated that the film had a 250 million dollar budget. b. A full-sized replica of the ship was constructed in Baja California, Mexico in a 17 million gallon oceanfront tank. c. Cameron assembled an expedition to dive to the wreck on the ocean floor to film footage that was later used in the opening scenes of the movie. d. Marsh (1997) further explained that the smallest details were attended to, including imprinting the thousands of pieces china, crystal, and silver cutlery used in the dining room scenes with White Star’s emblem and pattern. 3. The movie was extremely successful. a. Kramer (1998) reported that Titanic made approximately 600 million dollars in the United States, making it the #1 movie of all time. b. It made approximately 1.8 billion dollars world-wide and is also the #1 movie of all time world-wide. c. Titanic was nominated for a record eight Golden Globe Awards only a few weeks after its release, and won four. d. It was also nominated for a record fourteen Academy Awards, and it won eleven. Third main point Sub-points and supporting points III. A movie depicting the Titanic and a group of fictional characters was made. 1. The movie was written, produced, and directed by James Cameron. a. According to Marsh in James Cameron’s Titanic from 1997, Cameron set out to write a film that would bring the event of the Titanic to life. b. Cameron conducted six months of research to compile a highly detailed time line so that the film would be realistic. c. Cameron spent more time on the Titanic than the ships’ original passengers because he made 12 trips to the wreck site that lasted between ten and twelve hours each. Conclusion I. Today I first discussed the Titanic itself. Second, I discussed the sinking of the ship. Finally, I discussed the movie that was made about the Titanic. From the disaster to the movie, the sinking of the Titanic remains one of the most famous tragedies in history. II. In conclusion, remember The Wreck of the Titan, the story written fourteen years before the Titanic sank. It now seems as if it was an eerie prophecy, or a case of life imitating art. Whatever the case, the loss of lives on the Titanic was tremendous, and it is something that should never be forgotten. References Ballard, R. (1988). Exploring the Titanic. Toronto, Ontario: Madison Press Books. Kramer, P. (1998). Women first: ‘Titanic’ (1997), action adventure films and Hollywood’s female audience. Historical Journal of Films, Radio, and Television, 18, 599-618. Lord, W. (1955). A night to remember. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company. Lynch, D. (1992). Titanic: An illustrated history. New York, New York: Hyperion. Marsh, E. (1997). James Cameron’s Titanic. New York, New York: Harper Perennial. Thresh, P. (1992). Titanic: The truth behind the disaster. New York, New York: Crescent Books. Tibbals, G. (1997). The Titanic: The extraordinary story of the ‘unsinkable’ ship. Pleasantville, New York: Reader’s Digest. Adapted from: Barnett, J.T. (2011). Organizing and outlining. The Public Speaking Project. Retrieved from http://publicspeakingproject.org/PDF%20Files/Organizing%20 Web%201.pdf Restatement of main points Signalling conclusion Clincher: Say something memorable Sample Outline: Informative Speech on Lord Byron By Shannon Stanley Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the life of George Gordon, Lord Byron. Central Idea: George Gordon, Lord Byron overcame physical hardships, was a world-renowned poet, and an advocate for the Greek’s war for freedom. Introduction I. Imagine an eleven year old boy who has been beaten and sexually abused repeatedly by the very person who is supposed to take care of him. This is one of the many hurdles that George Gordon, better known as Lord Byron, overcame during his childhood. II. Lord Byron was also a talented poet with the ability to transform his life into the words of his poetry. III. Byron became a serious poet by the age of fifteen and he was first published in 1807 at the age of nineteen. Lord Byron was a staunch believer in freedom and equality, so he gave most of his fortune, and in the end, his very life, supporting the Greek’s war for independence. IV. While many of you have probably never heard of Lord Byron, his life and written work will become more familiar to you when you take Humanities 1201, as I learned when I took it last semester. Body I. Lord Byron was born on January 22, 1788 to Captain John Byron and Catherine Gordon Byron. A. According to Paul Trueblood, the author of Lord Byron, Lord Byron’s father only married Catherine for her dowry, which he quickly went through, leaving his wife and child nearly penniless. B. By the age of two, Lord Byron and his mother had moved to Aberdeen in Scotland and shortly thereafter, his father died in France at the age of thirty-six. C. Lord Byron was born with a clubbed right foot, which is a deformity that caused his foot to turn sideways instead of remaining straight, and his mother had no money to seek treatment for this painful and embarrassing condition. 1. He would become very upset and fight anyone who even spoke of his lameness. 2. Despite his handicap, Lord Byron was very active and liked competing with the other boys. D. At the age of ten, his grand-uncle died leaving him the title as the sixth Baron Byron of Rochdale. 1. With this title, he also inherited Newstead Abbey, a dilapidated estate that was in great need of repair. 2. Because the Abbey was in Nottinghamshire England, he and his mother moved there and stayed at the abbey until it was rented out to pay for the necessary repairs. 3. During this time, May Gray, Byron’s nurse had already begun physically and sexually abusing him. 4. A year passed before he finally told his guardian, John Hanson, about May’s abuse; she was fired immediately. 5. Unfortunately the damage had already been done. 6. In the book Lord Byron, it is stated that years later he wrote ‘My passions were developed very early- so early, that few would believe me if I were to state the period, and the facts which accompanied it.’ Transition: Although Lord Byron had many obstacles to overcome during his childhood, he became a world renowned poet by the age of 24. III. Lord Byron experienced the same emotions we all do, but he was able to express those emotions in the form of his poetry and share them with the world. A. According to Horace Gregory, The author of Poems of George Gordon, Lord Byron, the years from 1816 through 1824 is when Lord Byron was most known throughout Europe. B. But according to Paul Trueblood, Childe Harold was published in 1812 and became one of the best-selling works of literature in the 19th century. 1. Childe Harold was written while Lord Byron was traveling through Europe after graduating from Trinity College. 2. Many authors such as Trueblood, and Garrett, the author of George Gordon, Lord Byron, express their opinion that Childe Harold is an autobiography about Byron and his travels. C. Lord Byron often wrote about the ones he loved the most, such as the poem ‘She Walks in Beauty’ written about his cousin Anne Wilmont, and ‘Stanzas for Music’ written for his half-sister, Augusta Leigh. D. He was also an avid reader of the Old Testament and would write poetry about stories from the Bible that he loved. 1. One such story was about the last king of Babylon. 2. This poem was called the ‘Vision of Belshazzar,’ and is very much like the bible version in the book of Daniel. Transition: Although Lord Byron is mostly known for his talents as a poet, he was also an advocate for the Greek’s war for independence. IV. Lord Byron, after his self-imposed exile from England, took the side of the Greek’s in their war for freedom from Turkish rule. A. Byron arrived in Greece in 1823 during a civil war. 1. The Greek’s were too busy fighting amongst themselves to come together to form a formidable army against the Turks. 2. According to Martin Garrett, Lord Byron donated money to refit the Greek’s fleet of ships, but did not immediately get involved in the situation. 3. He had doubts as to if or when the Greek’s would ever come together and agree long enough to make any kind of a difference in their war effort. 4. Eventually the Greek’s united and began their campaign for the Greek War of Independence. 5. He began pouring more and more of his fortune into the Greek army and finally accepted a position to oversee a small group of men sailing to Missolonghi. B. Lord Byron set sail for Missolonghi in Western Greece in 1824. 1. He took a commanding position over a small number of the Greek army despite his lack of military training. 2. He had also made plans to attack a Turkish held fortress but became very ill before the plans were ever carried through. C. Lord Byron died on April 19, 1824 at the age of 36 due to the inexperienced doctors who continued to bleed him while he suffered from a severe fever. 1. After Lord Byron’s death, the Greek War of Independence, due to his support, received more foreign aid which led to their eventual victory in 1832. 2. Lord Byron is hailed as a national hero by the Greek nation. 3. Many tributes such as statues and road-names have been devoted to Lord Byron since the time of his death. Conclusion I. In conclusion, Lord Byron overcame great physical hardships to become a world-renowned poet, and is seen as a hero to the Greek nation and is mourned by them still today. II. I have chosen not to focus on Lord Byron’s more liberal way of life, but rather to focus on his accomplishments in life. He was a man who owed no loyalty to Greece, yet gave his life to support their cause. III. Most of the world will remember Lord Byron primarily through his written attributes, but Greece will always remember him as the ‘Trumpet Voice of Liberty.’ References Garrett, M. (2000). George Gordon, Lord Byron. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Gregory, H. (1969). Poems of George Gordon, Lord Byron. New York, NY: Thomas Y. Crowell Company. Trueblood, P. G. (1969). Lord Byron. (S. E. Bowman, Ed.). NewYork, NY: Twayne Publishers. Adapted from Tucker, B., & Barton, K. (2016). Exploring Public Speaking: 2nd Revision. Communication Open Textbooks. Retrieved from http://oer.galileo.usg.edu/communication-textbooks/1 Speech outline template The template is a guide to use as you develop outlines for your informative and persuasive speeches. This template has three main points in the body of the speech. In your speeches the number and organization of main points, sub points, and sub-sub points may vary depending on the topic and purpose of any given speech. However, the elements needed in the outline, such as title, specific purpose statement, central idea, introduction, body, conclusion, connectives, reference, should remain the same. IMPORTANT: The speech outline is the full representation of the entire speech. You must cite at least 3 times from 3 different credible sources. Entire speech should be written in full sentences. Obesity Specific purpose: To inform my audience about three major causes of obesity Central idea: The three major causes of obesity are a sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits, and a genetic predisposition to weight gain. Introduction (Approximately 10% of your speech) I. II. III. IV. V. I. (Attention getter) (Preview your topic) a. b. (Your credibility as a speaker) (Relevance to your audience) (Preview your main points) The three major causes of obesity are a sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits, and a genetic predisposition to weight gain. (Internal preview) The first cause of obesity is a sedentary lifestyle. (Make sure the audience knows you are moving from the introduction to the first main point of the body) Body (First main point) Living a sedentary lifestyle … The first main point is a single complete sentence expressing the main point of this section of the speech 1. Sub-point. As main points, sub-points should be written in full sentences i. Supporting points 2. Sub-point 3. Sub-point (Transition) Now that we discussed how a sedentary lifestyle causes obesity, let’s talk about poor eating habits. (Use a transition connective to help the audience move with you from one main point to the next) II. (Second main point) Poor eating habits … The second main point is a single complete sentence expressing the main point of this section of the speech. 1. i. 2. 3. (Transition) Not that you know about poor eating habits, we will cover how genetic predisposition to weight causes obesity. III. (Third main point) Genetic predisposition to weight gain … The third main point is a single complete sentence expressing the main point of this section of the speech. 1. i. 2. 3. Conclusion (Approximately 10% of your speech) I. II. III. (Signal your conclusion) (Restate your main points) Let the audience know you are ending the speech and reinforce the central idea. (Say something memorable) References (at least 3 references from credible sources; include all sources cited in your speech) Purchase answer to see full attachment Tags: public speaking Permanent Resident Card Labour Market Impact Assessment straightforward pathway of immigrating Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program Student has agreed that all tutoring, explanations, and answers provided by the tutor will be used to help in the learning process and in accordance with Studypool’s honor code & terms of service.