SPCH U201: Foundations in Oral Communication: Speech Organization

A saying among professional speakers refers to these three basic presentation segments this way.

In the opening, you tell them what you are going to tell them.
In the body, you tell them.
In the conclusion, you tell them what you’ve told them.

ALL speeches should be organized!  Organization is important to improve the clarity and effectiveness of the message.  Your speech should be organized into three general parts; Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. 

• In the introduction (or opening), you will be gaining the audience's attention, establishing credibility, and giving the audience a preview of what the speech will be about. 
• In the Body of the speech, you will offer the main points.  Short speeches should have no more than 3 main points.  This information can be organized in several ways; 
  • chronological how things have happened or should happen
  • cause and effect how one thing has brought around another
  • spacial how things are related or situated
  • topical how things belong together
  • compare/contrast how things are similar or different
• In the Conclusion of the speech, it should summarize again what was said, referring back to the introduction, and also it should give a sense of closure.  A good conclusion should also include a question or a call to action.

In general, an outline is a tool that presents the main points of a topic in a logical manner. Outlining your speech allows you to keep your speech focused and coherent.  Without an outline, you run the risk of a rambling illogical speech.  Outlining helps you organize your ideas by creating an ordered overview of your speech and grouping your ideas into main points.  A good outline will allow you to see both the content and scope of your speech, asses if every section is fully developed, and help you create structure in your speech.  By outlining your key points, you can see how your ideas relate to each other and present your points in the most logical manner.