“Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Writing a speech outline is a powerful way to build confidence and stay focused during your slideshow. It helps you stay focused, sound confident, and in control. Start by planning how you will introduce yourself and your topic. A strong introduction engages your audience and sets the tone for your message.
Next, outline the key points you want to cover. Mapping these points in a logical order will make your speech flow smoothly and help your listeners follow along. Be sure to think about the interests and needs of your audience. Tailoring your speech to them ensures they remain engaged and connected to your message.
While some may think a speech preparation outline is an unnecessary step, it is essential for delivering a memorable slideshow. Having a clear outline allows you to focus on delivering your message with authority, making your speech more effective and impactful.
Key Takeaways
- Plan Your Introduction: Start with a strong introduction to grab your audience’s attention and set the tone for your message.
- Structure Key Points: Outline your main points in a logical order to ensure your speech flows smoothly and remains easy to follow.
- Tailor to Your Audience: Consider the interests and needs of your listeners to keep them engaged and connected to your message.
- Types of Outlines: Use a working, full-sentence, or speaking outline to structure your speech effectively, with each type offering a different level of detail to suit your needs.
Importance of a Speech Outline
Creating a formal outline for speech is a vital step in the speechwriting process. It helps you structure your main ideas and supporting points in a way that captures and keeps your audience’s attention. Even a rough outline can guide your mind toward drafting a well-structured speech that listeners will enjoy.
An outline keeps your speech focused on its main idea or thesis statement. Every example, story, or piece of information you include will tie back to the central message. This ensures your message stays relevant and impactful.
A clear organizational structure is key to making your speech easy to follow. An outline helps you summarize your ideas in a logical order, ensuring that every part of your speech connects seamlessly. This structure also makes it easier to create smooth transitions between sections, helping your speech flow naturally and keeping it from feeling disjointed.
Additionally, an outline saves time, resources, and effort when writing your final draft. It provides a roadmap, eliminating the struggle of staring at a blank page. With your salient points and sub-points already laid out, you can focus on refining and expanding your ideas.
An outline for a speech isn’t just helpful—it’s essential for delivering a polished, engaging, and cohesive speech.
Different Types of Speech Layouts or Outlines
There are several types of outlines, each designed for different steps of the speechwriting process. Here, we’ll explore:
- Working outlines
- Full-sentence outlines
- Speaking outlines
Working Outline
A working outline is the basic structure of your speech—the framework you use when you first begin putting your slideshow together. To create a working outline, you’ll need:
- A speech topic
- An idea for your opening “hook”
- A thesis statement
- 3-5 main points, each with a supporting claim
- A conclusion
Each of your salient points will also have sub-points, but we’ll dive into those later.
The advantage of a working outline is its flexibility. If you find that the order of your salient points doesn’t make sense or that a point should be removed, it’s easy to adjust. Since this is the starting point, you haven’t done any exhaustive work yet, so changing things is simple.
Once you’re happy with your outline’s basic structure, you can move on to the next type.
Full-Sentence Outline
As the name suggests, a full-sentence outline uses complete sentences instead of bullet points or quick notes. Research all the information you plan to include and write it out in full sentences.
Why is this step important? A full-sentence outline ensures that you:
- Include all the necessary information for your listeners
- Structure your material effectively
- Stay within your time limits
Don’t skip this step while planning your speech.
Speaking Outline
The final outline format is the speaking outline, which strikes a balance between the working outline and the full-sentence outline. It includes the main parts of your speech—the introduction, salient points, and conclusion—with a bit more context.
You might add a key quote or a few words to remind yourself of an anecdote. When you give your speech, this is the outline you’ll use. While it might seem tempting to use the full-sentence outline on stage, doing so could make you more likely to read from it, which can sound unnatural. A speaking outline helps you stay focused and sound more conversational.
How to Write a Speech Outline: Public Speaking Tips & Examples
Choose a Topic
Before you start writing an outline, it’s important to know your speech topic. Sometimes, you’ll be given a topic, especially in a public speaking class where you must follow the instructor’s guidelines. However, in many cases, you’ll need to choose your own topic.
Think about your audience and what kind of helpful, entertaining, or informative content they need. Your topic and message should be relevant to them. If you don’t understand your listeners well enough to pick a topic, that’s a problem.
Your audience comes first, but it’s also helpful to choose a topic that interests you. What are you passionate about or knowledgeable in?
Writing a speech on a topic you care about will be much easier than writing one on a subject you’re not invested in. If you find a topic that both interests your listeners and excites you, you’ll be in the perfect position to write and deliver a memorable speech.
Start with a Greeting
Begin your speech by introducing yourself. Your audience will want to know who you are right away. If someone has already introduced you as the speaker, take a moment to thank them and acknowledge those who organized the event or invited you to speak.
Feeling nervous at the start of your speech is normal. To stay on track, write this opening step into your outline as a reminder.
If there’s a personal connection between you and the listeners or the event organizers, mention it in your greeting. This can help create a friendly and relatable tone, especially if you weren’t introduced by someone else. Keep this introduction brief and focused—it sets the tone for the rest of your speech.
Open with an Attention-Getter
Start your speech with something that grabs attention right away. This could be an icebreaker, a personal story, or an interesting observation related to your topic that doesn’t fit elsewhere in your speech. The goal is to capture your audience’s interest and keep it throughout.
When picking your attention-getter, think about your listeners. What would catch their interest or make them laugh? It’s important to focus on what works for them, not just what you personally enjoy.
If you’re unsure if your idea will land, test it out. Practice in front of friends or family who are similar in age and interests to your audience. Their reactions can help you refine your approach before the big day.
Engage Your Audience
“Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners.” – Dale Carnegie
Give your audience a reason to pay attention to your speech. After engaging them with an opening anecdote or statement, smoothly transition to the main topic. This step should only take one or two sentences.
Next, explain why the topic matters. If your speech is informative, focus on why the information is relevant or useful to your listeners. For argumentative speeches, highlight the potential consequences of not addressing the issue. This enables your audience to understand the importance of your message and keeps them engaged.
Present Your Thesis Statement
Your thesis statement establishes the tone for your speech by giving the listeners an idea of what to expect. It outlines the main focus of your speech, and its message will depend on the type of speech you’re delivering.
If you’re giving an argumentative speech, your thesis should clearly state the main point you want to prove. It serves as the foundation for the arguments and evidence you’ll present.
For an informative speech, your thesis will briefly explain the kind of information you’ll share with the audience, helping them understand the scope of your topic.
In a scientific speech, the thesis usually highlights the hypothesis or key idea of the study you’re discussing. It acts as a guide for your audience to follow the scientific findings you’ll explain.
By crafting a clear and concise thesis, you provide your audience with a roadmap, helping them stay engaged and focused throughout your speech.
Establish Your Credibility
After making your point, it’s important to show the audience why they should listen to you. Credibility doesn’t always come from formal qualifications like degrees or years of research. It can be as simple as sharing a personal story.
For example, if you’re giving a speech for a class, your credibility might just be the fact that you’ve taken the course and done your research on the topic. If you have a personal connection to the subject, mention it here.
In an argumentative speech, personal stories can make your message more relatable and impactful. Let’s say you’re talking about urban housing policies because your family once faced eviction. Sharing this connection can resonate with your audience even more than professional expertise. Personal experiences often help you connect on a deeper level, building trust and engagement.
Preview Your Main Points
Once your audience knows the topic of your speech, your purpose, and why they should care, give them a quick overview of the salient points you’ll cover. This helps set the stage for what’s to come.
Most speeches have three main points, but there’s no strict rule. List these points in your introduction in the order you plan to discuss them during your speech. The order you choose depends on the type of speech you’re giving:
- For an argumentative speech: Start with your strongest point and move down in order of strength.
- For an informative speech about a historical event: Arrange your points in chronological order.
- For other types of informative speeches: Consider starting with broad ideas and moving to more specific details.
The key is to structure your points in a way that feels natural and allows smooth transitions from one idea to the next. This allows your audience to follow along and keeps your speech cohesive.
Wrap-up: How to Write Your Speech Outline
Drafting a public speaking outline is an essential step in preparing for a successful slideshow. It helps you stay on your main message. Start by planning your introduction to set the tone for your speech. Then, structure your key points logically to ensure a smooth flow. Customize your content to your audience’s needs and interests to keep them engaged.
A speech outline format provides structure and clarity, whether you use a working, full-sentence, or speaking outline. It ensures your speech remains on track and helps with transitions, making your delivery more confident and natural. Ultimately, an outline allows you to focus on delivering your message effectively, making your speech more impactful and memorable.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is a speech outline?
A speech layout or outline is a plan that helps structure your main ideas and key points. It serves as a roadmap, ensuring your speech is clear, focused, and flows smoothly. It can be in bullet points or full sentences.
2. What should a presentation speech include?
A presentation speech should include an engaging introduction, a clear thesis statement, well-organized salient points, and a strong conclusion. It’s important to tailor your message to the audience and maintain their interest throughout.
3. What should a speech outline look like?
A speech outline can vary in detail. A basic outline includes your introduction, main points, and conclusion. A more detailed outline may include full sentences or specific reminders like key quotes, ensuring a well-structured, focused speech.
4. How do I make my speech writing outline effective?
To make your outline effective, start by knowing your topic and audience. Structure your ideas logically, and keep the speech focused on your main message. A clear structure with smooth transitions will help keep your audience engaged.
Create Winning Presentation Speeches with Prezentium
Crafting an impactful presentation speech requires a clear structure and focus, and Prezentium is here to help you achieve just that. Our team of specialists can transform your ideas into compelling speeches, ensuring that your message resonates with your audience. We assist you in organizing your salient points, ensuring that each section flows seamlessly, making your speech easy to follow and engaging. Whether you’re preparing for a short slideshow or an in-depth talk, we’ll work with you to personalize the message to your audience’s interests and needs.
At Prezentium, we also offer design support, turning your speech into a visually stunning slideshow, making it both informative and memorable. From our Overnight Presentations service, delivering quick appointment turnarounds, to our Accelerators and Zenith Learning programs, we help you refine your speaking skills and master your slideshow delivery. Let us partner with you to create a speech that leaves a lasting impression.