Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
CHAPTER 8: Organizing Your Speech
Overview Learning Objectives Ideas for Instruction
The Elements of Sound Organization
Clarity of Ideas ·Simplicity of Ideas ·
Suitability to the Situation
pp. 152–154
8.1 Explain how the quality of your
ideas influences the strength of your
speech’s organization.
Discussion questions: 8a; 8b
Activities: 8f
How Patterns of Organization
Connect Ideas
Chronological or Sequential Order ·
Spatial Order ·Categorical Order ·
Climactic Order ·Causal Order ·
Problem-Solution Patterns (including
Motivated Sequence) ·Narrative
Patterns
pp. 154–160
8.2 Describe basic organizational
patterns you might use as you arrange
your ideas strategically.
Discussion questions:
8c
Activities: 8a; 8f
Guidelines for Organizing Your
Speech
8.3 List and explain underlying
principles of sound organization you
Discussion questions: 8d; 8e; 8f
Transitions as Connectives
Internal Previews ·Internal Summaries
·Signposts ·Rhetorical Questions
pp. 161–163
8.4 Describe different transitional
devices you might use in creating a
coherent presentation.
Discussion questions:
8g
Activities: 8b; 8f
Introducing Your Speech
Establish Common Ground ·Capture
and Maintain the Listeners’ Attention ·
8.5
Identify the key components of a
speech’s introduction.
Discussion questions:
8h
Concluding Your Speech
Summarize Your Ideas ·Challenge
Your Audience ·Appeal to Your
Audience ·Visualize the Future ·End
with a Quotation ·Refer to the
Introduction ·Final Tips about
Conclusions
pp. 170–175
8.6 List different ways of
concluding
a speech effectively
Discussion questions:
8i; 8j
Activities: 8d; 8f
Ideas for Instruction
As noted elsewhere, you will not be able to cover everything in the text—nor should you attempt to (i.e.,
“The more we teach, the less they learn.”). I always “assume” students have read the assigned reading and
that my job as an instructor is to highlight a few, select ideas from the reading (or to introduce
supplemental material) for students to contemplate, reflect upon, and apply. My goal is to help them build
meaning and internalize what they have learned, retaining it for future use.
What follows are ideas for how some material might be treated through discussion and activity.
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
For each activity or discussion item I offer, I also estimate how much time it would require. The actual
time required, of course, is going to vary from section to section depending on what students come up
with and where we—as a class—“go” with it. I always try to plan for the session (50-minute or 75-minute
or whatever) and build in enough flexibility to abbreviate, cut, or expand.
We also provide PowerPoint slides, in case you want to review something students were to have
read. Be mindful that our slides are necessarily wordy to assist you with locating which ones you want to
Discussion Questions. Use these to stimulate discussion and prompt reflection. As students process the
material at a deeper, more meaningful level, they likely will offer interesting observations or pose
provocative questions of their own. Make note of these, literally! Let students know when you’re
Discussion Question 8a
Approximate time required: 3–5 min.
In what ways is good organization beneficial?
Students should note that a well-organized speech is easier to follow and process, and the
message is better retained/remembered. As a result, listeners will likely learn more as well as be
more likely to be influenced.
A speaker who presents a well-organized speech is also perceived as more credible. They seem
more intelligent than someone who fumbles along. In addition, they are perceived as more
thoughtful than someone who is disorganized—an obvious indication of not being fully
prepared and, hence, not properly concerned about the audience.
Discussion Question 8b
Approximate time required: 3–5 min.
The quality of one’s organization depends on what?
Having carefully contemplated and expressed the main ideas of the speech. Once a speaker has
a clear idea of the main points and thesis, she or he can determine how those ideas could best be
arranged. The main ideas serve as the basic framework—helping the speaker frame the body as
well as the preview (in the introduction) and the review (in the conclusion). Using the main
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
and the audience both to struggle to find meaning and coherence.
Note: For students who struggle with crafting points and/or thesis, consider providing the opportunity for
them to revise those elements of their speech, as well as the preview, transitions, and review. See the
worksheet we provide at the end of this chapter’s guide, titled Revising Basic Structural Elements.
Discussion Question 8c
Approximate time required: 3–5 min.
Most topics can be approached from a variety of organizational perspectives. What does this
imply for the speaker?
A speaker must carefully consider which organizational pattern would work best for the
Discussion Question 8d
Approximate time required: 3–5 min.
What is symmetry, and what should guide a speaker’s efforts to achieve it?
Symmetry refers to the balance in coverage in a speech. Generally speaking, each area of the body
should be developed about the same amount. In a speech that is arranged with a categorical pattern, for
example, each topic would normally deserve the same amount of elaboration, and it would signal poor
planning or poor execution of a plan if the speaker devoted an inordinate amount of time to one area
and paid scant attention to another.
At times, though, this general rule prescribing balance can be broken. If one main point is basically
Discussion Question 8e
Approximate time required: 3–5 min.
How many main ideas should a speaker issue and develop during a speech? Why?
To some extent, the time allowed for a speech will dictate the number of points that can be developed
sufficiently. In short speeches, such as the ones presented in the classroom (six to ten minutes in
length), four points would likely be the upper limit.
Even without the constraints of time, though, a speaker should still limit the number of points made and
Discussion Question 8f
Approximate time required: 5–7 min.
What are the implications of primacy and recency effects for how we arrange the main ideas/points of a
speech? Present students with the following series of main points and ask them which should be
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
stated/developed first, second, and last. Then, discuss primacy and recency effects with them and see if
they hold to the same opinion. Students who have studied the chapter already will know, of course, and
for other students it will be a good initial exposure to primacy and recency.
Installing solar panels to help power City Hall will show our commitment to environmental causes.
Installing solar panels to help power City Hall will ensure that business can proceed, uninterrupted,
even during outages.
Discussion Question 8g
Approximate time required: 4–6 min.
How should we regard transitions, and why? Within your explanation, note how they are crafted.
Transitions are, perhaps, the most unappreciated and underutilized components of effective
speechmaking. Good speakers recognize their value and employ them. Good speakers understand that a
transition does more than make a speech smoother by assisting movement from one idea to the next.
Discussion Question 8h
Approximate time required: 4–6 min.
Why should you, as a speaker, “craft your introduction with care”?
There are several reasons why, and students likely will recall some of these, and you can add the rest,
such as:
1) You want to get the speech off to a good start in order to have your audience with you
3) In addition, a strong beginning creates a good first impression, boosting your credibility.
Some of the best advice for crafting an introduction came from one of our favorite professors, Robert
Gunderson, who told us that our introduction (and conclusion) should “grab ‘em by the lapels!”
To craft a good introduction, you likely benefit from contemplating various approaches. While drafting
the body, record any ideas that come to you. While you are researching, too, note anything you come
Discussion Question 8i
Approximate time required: 4–6 min.
How much attention should one give to planning and preparing the conclusion for a speech?
The conclusion needs to be carefully crafted, for essentially the same reasons that an introduction must
be crafted well. A poorly crafted, poorly delivered conclusion can kill the impact of a good speech. You
want to leave a lasting positive impression of your message and yourself. A strong finish allows the
recency effect to function in a positive sense—firming up belief and conviction and commitment to
action.
Note: You might also emphasize that the speaker should also be careful to keep the conclusion brief. The audience
should have a sense of closure, yet yearn for more—a bit sad that the speech had to end.
As with planning for an introduction, a speaker might devote a file folder to the conclusion, tossing in whatever
ideas pop up while researching and drafting the speech.
Discussion Question 8j
Approximate time required: 3–5 min.
Why might a speaker want to come back to the introduction in the conclusion of a speech?
Coming back to the introduction has many potential benefits. By returning to a story, quotation, or
rhetorical question used in the opening, for example, a speaker provides a sense of coming full circle—
Suggested Activities. Use these “hands-on” applications to get students actively involved with the material.
What we suggest often requires students to synthesize what is covered in the chapter, as well as what they
were to have learned from other chapters.
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
Activity 8a
Approximate time required: 12–15 min.
Have students work in groups of three or four to determine the best organizational pattern for one of the
following topics/situations. Have half of the groups do one topic and the other half do the other. After
allowing the groups about five minutes, discuss each group’s recommendations and offer insights of your
own.
1) Alarmed at recent cigarette ads in fashion magazines (which largely attract young female readers in
2) The Bald Eagle has just been removed from the endangered species list. Some experts argue, though,
Activity 8b
Approximate time required: 15–18 min.
Have students work in groups of three or four to craft transitions for the main points featured in
Discussion Question 8f. Tell them to usher in the thesis, as well, when making the transition. What they
devise will vary, of course, but will resemble what we offer below.
Note: The thesis (which is not stated here) would be something along the lines of
(Thesis) “We should install solar panels to help power City Hall.”
I. Installing solar panels to help power City Hall will show our commitment to environmental causes.
(transition)In addition to doing the right thing for the environment, we also ensure that city operations
can proceed unimpeded—another reason why we should install the panels.
II. Installing solar panels to help power City Hall will ensure that business can proceed,
uninterrupted, even during outages.
III. Installing solar panels to help power City Hall will eventually save the city thousands of dollars in
energy costs.
Note: As a follow-up activity, have students craft a full-blown introduction and conclusion for this speech. See
Activity 8d
Activity 8c
Approximate time required: 12–14 min.
Have students work in groups of three or four to create a full blown introduction for one of the
topics/situations entered in Activity 8a. Proceed in the same manner as in Activity 8a, having half of the
groups do one topic and the other half do the other. Allow the groups about eight minutes, then discuss
each group’s recommendations and offer insights of your own.
Note: Instruct students to include the following components in the following order:
2. stress relevance
4. present the central idea (thesis)
After eight minutes, have each group present its creation. You might have them divide up the presentation
so that each member of the group presents part of it.
Activity 8d
Approximate time required: 15–17 min.
Have students work in groups of three or four to create a full-blown introduction and full-blown
conclusion for the main points offered in Activity 8b. The introduction should include the components
Activity 8e
Approximate time required: 18–20 min.
Have students read a brief article, such as “A Fix for Traffic Jams,” by Josh Sandburn, appearing
in Time on March 25, 2013, page 40. Next, have them identify what would comprise a good
Activity 8f
Approximate time required: 15–17 min.
Have students work in groups of four or five to do the following. You may wish to divide the “work” into
two or three portions, having some groups analyze area 1 and others analyzing all or part of area 2.
1. Read the speech, “Job Training for the Poor,” that appears in the final pages of Chapter 9
and respond to these questions:
a. What pattern of organization did the speaker use?
2. Look at the same speech, focusing now on the introduction, conclusion, and transitions.
Respond to these questions:
a. How did the speaker go about capturing the audience’s attention?
b. How effectively did he justify his topic/indicating its relevance to
listeners?
c. What, if anything, did the speaker do to establish his credibility?
How effective was his attempt?
d. How well did the speaker clarify his speech’s purpose? What was that purpose?
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
e. Did the speaker offer a preview? What main points did he plan to address?
f. What sorts of transitions and transitional devices did the speaker use, and how
effectively did they function throughout the speech?
g. What kinds of concluding devices did the speaker use? In your judgment, were
they compelling?
h. What suggestions for improvement do you have?
Lecture Ideas. Some elements in the chapter lend themselves to careful review and/or some
supplemental material. Either way, you’ll amplify something that deserves amplification. We’ll offer
some suggestions, often providing one or more corresponding PowerPoint slides.
Lecture 8a: Use one or more of the slides from the PowerPoint slideshow that accompanies this chapter
and prepare your own examples as illustrations of the concepts featured on the slide(s). Break up the
“lecture” by including some of the discussion questions we provide and/or an activity or two. Any
Lecture 8b:
Approximate time required: 6–8 min.
To emphasize the importance of keeping ideas simple and help students understand how to do so, you
may wish to review relevant portions of Activities 5h and 5i.
Exam Items. Testing, of course, can be an important part of instruction. We provide numerous, high-quality
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Chapter Outline: Chapter 8: Organizing Your Speech
I. The Elements of Sound Organization
Learning Objective 8.1—Explain how the quality of your ideas influences the
strength of your speech’s organization.
Section Intro:
Good organization is important for many reasons. Speakers who are well organized
appear to be more competent, focused, and knowledgeable. As a result, listeners perceive
them as more credible. An organized presentation promotes learning and retention.
Delivering a well-organized presentation is one of the best ways for you to show respect
for your listeners. No listener should have to struggle to listen to a presentation that is
disorganized or incoherent.
A. Clarity of Ideas
2. The speech plan should be clear, with straightforward main ideas
stated in complete sentences.
3. Developing subordinate ideas and information to elaborate on each
main point will create a coherent and understandable whole.
B. Simplicity of Ideas
2. State your ideas fully and accurately, yet in terms simple enough
3. Avoid combining two or three ideas into one main point.
5. Simplicity goes hand in hand with clarity as a basic characteristic
of a well-stated main point.
C. Suitability to the Situation
2. The level of complexity of any idea will be significantly influenced
by the audience’s relationship to the topic.
3. How technical or complex your discussion should be depends on
the audience’s background, experience, and expectations.
II. How Patterns of Organization Connect Ideas
Learning Objective 8.2—Describe basic organizational patterns you might use as
you arrange your ideas strategically.
Section intro:
Most speeches can be organized in a variety of different ways. Your task is to choose the
most appropriate organizational pattern for the particular topic and situation in which you
are speaking.
A. Chronological or Sequential Order
2. Chronological order may be useful with a variety of topics, most
notably those that deal with a process or an historical event.
3. The sequential pattern is used if you want your audience to
understand some step-by-step process.
B. Spatial Order
2. Geographical settings are one example of using space as an
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
C. Categorical Order
1. Ideas can also be arranged in a pattern that emphasizes distinct
topics—a categorical pattern.
3. This pattern and the other patterns described so far are especially
well suited for organizing informative speeches.
D. Climactic Order
1. Another way of arranging ideas is to use a sequence that goes from
2. When the climactic order reflects audience needs and priorities, it
3. In using climactic order, you arrange your arguments or ideas to
build up to your strongest argument or most compelling idea.
4. The climactic pattern is most often used in persuasive speeches.
E. Causal Order
1. Ideas can be arranged in an order that leads from cause to effect or
from effect to cause.
2. The causal pattern can be used when you want an audience to
4. One event following another may represent chance as easily as
cause.
6. At times, cause-and-effect order is incorporated into a problem-
solution pattern.
F. Problem-Solution Patterns
1. The problem-solution pattern is most common in persuasive or
political speeches.
3. The traditional problem-solution pattern is based on education
philosopher John Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Sequence, and
typically addresses these questions:
a. How shall we define and limit the problem?
b. What are the causes and extent of the problem?
c. What are the effects of the problem? Who has been hurt?
d. What are the criteria by which solutions should be judged?
e. What are the possible solutions and the relative strengths
and weaknesses of each?
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
4. Depending upon the problem and the audience’s prior knowledge,
you might spend more or less time discussing the nature of the
problem and its contributing causes.
G. The Motivated Sequence as a Special Problem-Solution Pattern
1. One specific approach to organizing a problem-solution speech is
the motivated sequence. The pattern is organized around five steps:
a. Arouse: capture the audience’s attention and focus on the
problem.
2. The motivated sequence is best suited to those topics that combine
emotional with logical appeals.
4. The motivated sequence provides a balanced treatment of the
problem and the solution, but it concludes with a call to action.
address the problem in specific ways.
H. Narrative Patterns
1. A speech may be organized around telling one or more stories,
using a narrative pattern.
a. The speaker may begin by introducing a theme.
b. Then, various stories will be shared to illustrate and
reinforce the speaker’s thesis.
c. Narratives should possess what rhetorical scholar Walter
Fisher called fidelity—that is, they must “ring true” with
III. Guidelines for Organizing Your Speech
Learning Objective 8.3—List and explain underlying principles of sound
organization you will follow, regardless of the specific pattern you choose.
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
A. Given the wide variety of organizational patterns, a few general principles
should be kept in mind.
1. Making the Pattern a Strategic Choice
a. The way you present your ideas and information should be
2. Developing Main Ideas with a Concern for Symmetry
a. If the idea you are addressing is one of the speech’s main
3. Determining the Number of Main Ideas
a. Including too many main ideas may result in the inadequate
development of each.
4. Choosing the Placement of Main Ideas
a. Researchers do not agree on whether arguments are more
memorable and persuasive if they are placed first (primacy)
or last (recency), but they do agree that those two positions
IV. Transitions as Connectives
Learning Objective 8.4—Describe different transitional devices you might use in
creating a coherent presentation.
A. A transition is a bridge that connects one idea to another.
2. You must alert your listeners to a new idea about to be introduced
3. A transition links one major idea with another in a speech, showing
their relationship to each other.
5. A transition is a quick glance back at the idea just discussed and
then a quick look forward to the next main idea.
B. Internal Previews
1. When moving from one idea to the next, you can give your
2. You may benefit from using an internal preview when you want to
set the stage for a particular portion of your speech.
C. Internal Summaries
2. In these cases, you may use an internal summary, briefly going
3. The brief summary keeps the audience mentally on track and
reinforces key ideas.
D. Signposts
1. Signposts are verbal markers alerting your audience to the fact that
E. Rhetorical Questions
1. A speaker can also use rhetorical questions to highlight movement
2. Rhetorical questions stimulate thought and interest without seeking
an oral response.
V. Introducing Your Speech
Learning Objective 8.5—Identify the key components of a speech’s introduction.
A. The introduction needs to be structured so that audience members will want
to listen to your speech, view you as a credible source, and have some idea
of your speech’s purpose and main ideas.
B. Establish common ground
1. Audiences tend to listen to speakers with whom they share
2. In speaking contexts outside the classroom, the speaker may want
3. Establishing common ground with listeners creates a sense of “we-
ness” that invites the audience to listen.
C. Capture and Maintain the Listeners’ Attention
1. Tell a story.
2. Use rhetorical questions.
3. Begin with a memorable quotation.
a. Sometimes the thesis of a speech has been captured and
4. Use humor.
a. Humor should be approached with caution.
D. Stress Relevance
1. In the introduction, you should take time to establish the
E. Establish Your Credibility
F. Clarify Your Purpose/Advance Your Thesis
1. A key function of the introduction is to advance your speech’s
2. By articulating your thesis as part of the introduction, you help the
3. Often, the thesis statement is followed by a preview of the
G. Preview Your Main Points
1. Before moving to the body of your speech, you should provide a
2. The preview introduces your main ideas, offering a road map so
that listeners can more easily follow your speech.
4. By providing a preview, you increase the likelihood that your
H. Finals Tips about Introductions
1. Part of your first impression as a speaker will be based on the way
you introduce your speech.
2. Craft your introduction with care.
a. You might wait until you have outlined the body of the
3. The length of the introduction varies with the needs of the
situation. In most cases, you should keep your introduction brief.
4. Each introduction should be tailored to the situation, based on the
needs of the topic, the listeners, and the occasion.
5. A strong introduction makes the audience want to hear more.
VI. Concluding Your Speech
Learning Objective 8.6—List different ways of concluding a speech effectively.
A. Summarize Your Ideas
2. The summary reinforces your ideas and reminds the audience of
your most important points.
3. The summary provides a final chance to reiterate key ideas and
help the audience remember them.
B. Summaries are often used in conjunction with another concluding device.
2. Appeal to Your Audience
3. Visualize the Future
a. Visualizing the results of your advocated changes is an
4. End with a Quotation
5. Refer to the Introduction
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
a. This achieves a sense of symmetry and reinforces major
themes.
C. Final Tips about Conclusions
1. The conclusion represents your last chance to reach out to listeners
and reinforce your purpose.
3. You can signal to the audience that you are concluding by offering
a summary and using signposts such as “finally” or “in closing.”
5. Your conclusion is your last opportunity to connect with your audience,
and that opportunity should never be lost.
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
Revising Basic Structural Elements
Dear _________,
You may recover some points for your speech by completing the attached worksheet, as
follows.
1) Identify the idea (point) you wish to make for each area of development in your
speech, and place each one in the proper space below (alongside a Roman
2) Enter the thesis (overall idea, or “gist” of your speech) in the line indicated. The
thesis is the collective idea of all of your points/main ideas. It is what you are
3) Craft a transition between each point which enlists our formula—glancing back at
the point just made and ahead to the next point. (See pages 193+ in the textbook.)
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
Name:________________________
Thesis: ________________________________________________________________
I. __________________________________________________________
(transition) ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
II. __________________________________________________________
(transition) ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
III. __________________________________________________________
(transition) ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
IV. __________________________________________________________
(transition) ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Preview:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Review:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Please attach the graded outline to this worksheet so I can see what/how you revised. Thanks!
Chapter 8: Ideas & Materials for Instruction
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Instructional ideas for Chapter Eight
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