Speech Outlining Concepts

delivery outline

A condensed and abbreviated outline from which speaking notes are developed.

types of outlines

A working outline represents the beginning of your outlining process and contains the basics of your speech's content. formal outline contains a detailed account of main points, sub-points, and the other speech components. It is also known as a preparation outline. enlarge A keyword outline contains reference points, speaking prompts, and citations for you to use during the delivery of your speech. It is also known as a delivery outline or speaking outline.

keyword outline

An abbreviated version of a formal outline that may be used in presenting a speech.

working outline

An informal, initial outline recording a speaker's process of narrowing, focusing, and balancing a topic.

reviewing outline

Clarity Is the message of the speech obvious to the listener? Arrangement Are the main points arranged in a natural progression for the topic? Support Have you identified the available supporting materials you have to back up your statements? Variety Are you using a variety of supporting materials to provide different points of view? Completeness Have you listed all of the pertinent sub-points for each of your main points? Components Have you included your introduction, conclusion, and planned transitions?

keyword outline

Identify Keywords- Go through your formal outline and highlight the important trigger words from each idea. Only select those words that remind you of the most important information from the idea or a part of the idea that you have trouble remembering. Draft the Outline- Using the highlighted words, create your keyword outline following the same numbering/lettering format used in the formal outline. List Your Quotes- When you are quoting a resource directly, write out the full quotation in your keyword outline to ensure that you do not misspeak. Include Your Citations- Include source citations as you would in your formal outline.

benefits of outlining

Objectivity- Organizing your main points and sub-points visually in one document allows you to look at them with a fresh perspective. By seeing the ideas listed in the order you plan to present them, you are able to verify the inclusion of all important points necessary for making your speech effective. Creativity- With an outline, you can easily reorganize the order of the speech points to identify ways to make your presentation more creative and interesting to your audience. Connectivity- You can use outlining to pinpoint how you can connect your ideas with transitions and fine-tune your introduction and conclusion to ensure they accurately reflect the content of your speech.

principles of outlining

Singularity Each item in an outline level should represent one idea or point. Consistency Use a consistent lettering and numbering format throughout the entire outline. Adequacy If a main point is intended to contain sub-points, there must be at least two sub-points. Otherwise, it might be more appropriate to make the sub-point a main point of its own. Uniformity Keep the structure of your statements uniform. For example, if using complete sentences for one point, use them for all points. Parallelism Use a consistent grammatical structure for all of the information in the outline.

preparing your outline

Subordination- Supporting points under a main idea or point are subordinated, or placed under the main point. In an outline, the subordination of an idea is clearly identified by a different level of numbering/lettering and by indentation. Further indentation and a numbering/lettering change are applied to second-level sub-points. Coordination- Ideas or points are all coordinated on the same level in an outline. The coordination comes from applying the same letter or number format to all items at the same level to ensure consistency and easy identification of outline level. Discreteness- Each element of the outline discusses only one idea, whether it is a main point, a sub-point, or a second-level sub-point.

developing a formal outline

Title, Topic, Purpose, and Thesis The title for the speech is new in this outline format. Otherwise, listing the speech topic, the specific purpose, and the thesis statement are the same. Introduction, Body, Conclusion, and Transitions Each of these components is included, as in the working outline. In the formal outline, try to settle on exactly how you would like to state each point . Works Consulted Another new component is a section in which you list sources used in creating your speech. Doing so here makes it easier for you to refer to the list when needed and to prepare your bibliography.

outlining fuctions

Topic Scope- When you prepare an outline for a speech, you can see the depth and breadth of information you plan to cover. An outline provides the opportunity to see if you have sufficiently narrowed the focus of your topic to effectively address it within the time frame you have been allotted Logic- You can use outlining to ensure that the flow of information progresses logically and clearly from point to point in a format that will be easily followed by the listener. Relevance- The relevance of the main points and sub-points to one another is more visible in an outline format. As you see the points listed, you can identify if they all adequately relate to one another or if one should be eliminated to enhance the clarity of your message. Proportion- As the main points and sub-points are laid out on a page, you can see if you are providing enough support for each one in relationship to the importance of the point to your presentation. Delivery- You can plan your speech delivery by reviewing your outline. You can also use the outline itself as a rough set of delivery notes.