COMS 101 Chapter 9: Chapter 9
10 Jan 2017
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Organizing the Body of the Speech
● Organization is important
○ Strategic organization→ putting a speech together in a particular way to
achieve a particular result with a particular audience
● Main points→ the major points developed in the body of a speech. Most speeches
contain two to five main points
○ Ex: specific purpose→ to inform my audience of the basic steps in making
stained glass windows
central idea→ there are four steps in making stained-glass windows
main points→ 1. The first step is designing the window.
2. The second step is cutting the glass to fit the design.
3. The third step is painting the glass.
4. The fourth step is assembling the window.
○ Number of main points
○ Strategic order of main points
■ Chronological order→ the main points follow a time pattern
■ Spatial order→ the main points follow a directional path
■ Causal order→ the main points show a cause-effect relationship
■ Problem-solution order→ the first main point deals with the existence of
a problem and the second main point presents a solution to the
problem
■ Topical order→ the main points divide the topic into logical and
consistent subtopics
○ Tips for preparing main points
■ Keep main points separate
■ Try to use the same pattern of wording for main points
■ Balance the amount of time devoted to main points
● Supporting materials→ the materials used to support a speaker’s ideas. The three major
kinds of supporting materials are examples, statistics and testimony
● Connectives→ a word or phrase that connects the ideas of a speech and indicates the
relationship between them
○ Transitions→ a word or phrase that indicates when a speaker has finished one
thought and is moving on to another
○ Internal preview→ a statement in the body of the speech that lets the audience
know what the speaker is going to discuss next
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Strategic organization putting a speech together in a particular way to achieve a particular result with a particular audience. Main points the major points developed in the body of a speech. Most speeches contain two to five main points. Ex: specific purpose to inform my audience of the basic steps in making stained glass windows central idea there are four steps in making stained-glass windows main points 1. The second step is cutting the glass to fit the design. Chronological order the main points follow a time pattern. Spatial order the main points follow a directional path. Causal order the main points show a cause-effect relationship. Problem-solution order the first main point deals with the existence of a problem and the second main point presents a solution to the problem. Topical order the main points divide the topic into logical and consistent subtopics. Try to use the same pattern of wording for main points.
