Platform Speech Outline



Platform Speech Outline

This outline consists of Four parts; The Header, The Introduction, The Body, and The Conclusion. Before you start writing your speech you should make an outline using these 4 headings and their sub headings.

1. Preliminary Information/Header

Topic

Decide on your topic

Audience

Analyze your audience. What do they already know about your topic? Are they interested in the topic?

Refine and limit topic

Based on your analysis of the audience you may need to slightly change you topic, by either changing the focus, or the scale of the topic.

Purpose Statement

Write down a clear statement of what it is you intend to achieve. What is the purpose of your speech?

For example; The purpose of this speech is to inform the audience about the recently discovered strain of TB that has is “untreatable”.

Organizational Method or Pattern

There is no single way to organize a speech. The pattern you will select will be determined by the information you have and the specific purpose you want to achieve. There are six basic patterns for organizing a speech:

▪ Logical or topical

▪ Chronological

▪ Spatial

▪ Classification

▪ Problem-Solution

Once you have completed these five parts of the 'Header', you are then ready to start planning the speech itself.

2. Introduction

Greeting and Attention getter

How will you greet the audience? How will you get the audience's attention? Think of a sentence that will make the audience sit up and listen.

Thesis Statement

The 'purpose statement' is where you simply state what your goal is. However, it is not possible to use this in the speech. You need to convert it to a 'thesis statement'. A thesis statement is one sentence in the introduction in which you declare your purpose and topic.

For example, a thesis statement of the above purpose statement would be; ‘There is no need for alarm over reports of a new strain of tuberculosis’ or ‘The new strain of TB presents a real danger to the international community.’

Outline of main the points - overview

What are your main points? When you list the points in a speech, say, “First, ….Next, …. and Finally….” instead of “First, … Second, … and Third…”

Why should our audience listen?

Tell your audience why you think your presentation will be useful to them. What information do you have that can directly affect their lives or immediately calls for their attention?

3. The body

Transition

Think of a sentence that will make it clear to the audience that you have finished the introduction, and are now about to start the body of the speech. A basic transition says, “Now that you understand the background of…. I can explain how it is currently being used by the government.”

There is a trend in platform speech events to incorporate witty or topic related puns into transition statements for example, if your speech is on a medical topic your first transition, might be ‘First, I’ll diagnose the problem by examining….’

Main points and ideas

Your platform speech should have 3 main points that each have supporting ideas, details and examples, and possibly utilize visual aids to illustrate a point.

|Main ideas |Supporting ideas |Details & Examples |Visuals |

|Write your main points and ideas|What ideas will you tell the |What details or examples do you|Will you have any visuals to |

|here |audience to support your main |have? As a general rule, you |help explain your points? |

|What is the thesis of each main |points? |should have 3 – 5 pieces of |V.A.’s should be used to clarify|

|point? |Break your main points into |evidence (references, quotes, |difficult concepts or to |

| |sub-points. |or statistics) per main point.*|demonstrate the idea or fact you|

| | | |are presenting. |

Remember to insert a Transition statement between each of your three main points!

* Details & Examples – When you reference a book, newspaper or magazine article, or person you must include a citation in your speech – just like you would do for a paper! For example, “According to the August 15, 2006 article in Newsweek, “……..”

4. The conclusion

Transition

Think of a sentence that will make it clear to the audience that you have finished the body and are now coming to the end of the speech.

Restatement of main points

Summarize your main ideas and think of which piece of information you really want the audience to remember.

Closer

Think of a final sentence to help the audience remember your speech. You should “bring the speech full circle”, meaning to refer back to something from the introduction or attention getter.

Once you have finished the outline you are then ready to start writing!

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