How to Outline Speeches
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This document provides guidance on creating an effective speech outline. It explains that an outline lists the main parts and points of a speech but is not a full script. An outline provides structure, which is important for maintaining the audience's interest and earning a good grade. Key components of an outline include the introduction, body, and conclusion; main supporting points; and transitions between elements. Outlines should logically sequence points in a meaningful order like chronological or from broad to specific. Formatting conventions like Roman numerals and indentation help outlines be easily understandable. A works cited section must also be included to provide sources. Outlines differ from cue cards which may contain additional speech details for a presenter.
How to Outline Speeches
- 2. What’s an outline? • A listing of the main parts and points of your speech. Unlike a manuscript, it is not a complete, word-by-word account of your speech.
- 3. Outline
- 4. Manuscript
- 5. Why outline? • Your speech needs structure. Without structure, your audience will either wonder what your core message is or they will lose interest in you entirely. Sadly, this step is often skipped to “save time.” A planned outline is vital. • Your grade will suffer. Poor outlines and missing outlines will lose major points. No excuses will be accepted for missing outlines.
- 6. Outline ingredients • An outline is a blueprint for your presentation. • It highlights the key logical elements. i.e. what points are being made to logically support the core message? • It highlights the key structural elements. e.g. introduction, body, conclusion, stories, high-level concepts • It links these elements together in a sequence, perhaps allocating very rough timings. • It can also map out the transitions between elements, although this may be deferred to a later stage of preparation.
- 7. Generic outline • Introduction — Establish topic and core message; list supporting points • Body – Supporting Point One – Supporting Point Two – Supporting Point Three • Conclusion — Recap main points; summarize core message; call-to-action
- 8. Organize your points When sequencing your outline points, try to avoid random order. Seek and extract the meaningful relationship. •Chronological – e.g. a biographical speech •Spatial – e.g. an entertaining travel speech •Cause-effect – e.g. speech relating crime rate to drug use •Low to high importance – e.g. reasons to exercise •Broad vision to specific details – e.g. a management speech outlining new company direction
- 9. Use symbols and indents This is the most common type of outline and usually instantly recognizable to most people. The formatting follows these characters, in this order: •Roman Numerals (I, II, III, IV, etc.) •Capitalized Letters (A, B, C, D, etc.) •Arabic Numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) •Lowercase Letters (a, b, c, d, etc.)
- 10. Include Works Cited A works cited page or bibliography must appear at the end of your outline. It is a list of all of the sources you have used (whether referenced or not) in the process of researching your work. In general, a bibliography should include: •the authors' names •the titles of the works •the names and locations of the companies that published your copies of the sources •the dates your copies were published •the page numbers of your sources (if they are part of multi- source volumes) •Informative speeches must provide at least three credible sources and the works cited/bibliography must follow APA or MLA format.
- 11. Not the same as cue cards • You will hand in an outline to me before your speech. When you speak, I recommend using index cards if you need reminders. Outlines are not the same as cue cards, but they are related. An outline contains high-level speech elements; cue cards might additionally contain selected speech details e.g. transition phrases, key words/phrases, key numbers, or punch lines. They may also note gestures or cues on visual aids.