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Chapter 14
Composing Your Speech
CHAPTER OUTCOMES
• Explain how to develop your speech thesis
• Discover ways to identify and arrange your speech’s main points
• Identify ideas for keeping your audience engaged
CHAPTER OUTLINE
DEVELOPING YOUR SPEECH THESIS
At this point in your speech preparation, you’ve spent considerable time thinking about your
audience, narrowing your topic, and finding quality information to use in your presentation.
Now it’s time to begin “Step 3: Compose” by putting all this information together in the
central idea—the thesis—of your speech. This will help you structure your presentation.
• The speech thesis is one complete sentence that identifies the central idea of your
presentation for your audience.
○ This statement is the foundation for composing your speech; everything, from the points
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○ To be compelling, it should answer the following question: What is the overall point or
position I want to convey to my audience?
• A good speech thesis meets three requirements:
1. It evolves from your specific purpose statement. You adapt the idea based on what you
discover during your research and to be more specific to your actual speech.
2. The speech thesis clearly demonstrates to the audience your overall point or position on
the topic.
3. The thesis provides clues on how your main points will develop.
IDENTIFYING AND SUPPORTING YOUR MAIN POINTS
• The speech thesis reflects your point of view or position on the topic. But simply stating your
thesis isn’t enough; you need evidence to back up your ideas. You do this by identifying your
main points and providing appropriate supporting materials. Without such evidence, it is
hard to build credibility with your audience. With your speech thesis drafted, you now
begin to structure your speech and determine what you will say in each of its three parts:
1. Introduction: You lay the groundwork for your speech by connecting with your audience,
2. Body: You develop your speech thesis with main points and supporting evidence. This is
the heart of your presentation.
3. Conclusion: You summarize your main points and share any final thoughts on your topic.
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IDENTIFYING YOUR MAIN POINTS
• The main points of your speech are the key statements or principles that support your
speech thesis and help your audience understand your message; they are the ideas that build
• Identify your main points by doing the following:
○ Asking yourself what essential information is necessary to support your thesis.
○ Looking for themes in your research.
• When developing main points, remember these four guidelines:
1. A speech should contain a small number of main points, usually two to five. Keep your
information manageable, making it easier for listeners to digest your speech.
2. Each main point must support your thesis statement. Do not distract from your speech
4. Some main points may need to be further divided into subpoints to help you explain a
main point better, and your audience will have an easier time listening to the overall idea.
Make sure each one relates to the main point to avoid confusing your audience.
SUPPORTING YOUR MAIN POINTS
• All your main points and subpoints require supporting materials to clarify the ideas and
make them memorable for your listeners.
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○ These include definitions, statistics, examples, and testimony
• The following types of questions will help you choose appropriate supporting materials that
will inform and interest your audience:
○ How familiar is your audience with your topic?
○ Will they need terms defined or other background information?
• Let’s look more closely at the four types of supporting material:
1. Definitions need to be considered when composing your speech because you may have
to define terms for your listeners. Don’t forget that differences in language can cause
misunderstandings.
○ Connotative meanings are the meanings you associate with words based on your life
experiences; you can’t assume all members of your audience will share those
references.
○ Your dialect is the language variations you use based on where you live, your
socioeconomic status, or your ethnic or religious ancestry and can be a source of
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2. Statistics are numbers that summarize a formal observation about a phenomenon and can
help you make a compelling point. When using statistics, keep a few things in mind:
○ Think about using a visual chart or graph to summarize statistical information.
“Seeing” the numbers in addition to hearing them will help your audience make sense
3. Examples, or specific references that illustrate ideas, can make your main points more
vivid and clear.
○ Real examples are drawn from actual events or occurrences.
○ Hypothetical examples are imagined events or occurrences used to make a point and
are helpful when you have difficulty finding an appropriate real example. Be sure to
indicate the use of hypothetical examples by using phrases like “Imagine that . . . ,”
“Suppose . . . ,” or “Let’s say that . . . ” so that your audience knows you’re not giving
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4. Testimony refers to relying on the words or experience of others and is a common way
that speakers support main points.
○ Speeches incorporate two types of testimony.
1. Expert testimony comes from those who, by way of their academic study, work
experience, or research, have special knowledge about your topic.
2. Layperson testimony is derived from those who have personal experience with the
topic.
○ Testimony can be presented through a direct quotation, or the exact words of a person.
You have an ethical responsibility to accurately convey the words of the person and not
change the words or take the quote out of context. Be clear in citing the source from
ORGANIZING YOUR SPEECH
Considering all the time and energy you put into finding supporting materials for your speech,
you want your audience to get the most out of it. If you make sure you clearly organize your
SELECTING AN ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN
• For your audience to follow the development of your speech thesis, you need to arrange
your main points into a logical pattern. There are five common organizational patterns:
1. Topical. Use this pattern when your main points can be organized into categories or
3. Spatial. Use this pattern to show listeners how things are related within a physical space.
5. Problem-solution. This pattern helps you motivate listeners to take action to address a
challenge by describing a problem and then presenting a solution.
USING CONNECTIVES
• Connectives are words and phrases that link your ideas together to help you move from one
idea to the next. Connectives help your audience accurately receive and understand your
• There are four types of connectives:
1. Internal previews are statements that allow you to provide your listeners with a first
look at the information you’re about to cover. They let your audience in on what you are
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2. Internal summaries provide a short review of information you’ve discussed within a
3. Transitional phrases are used when you want to indicate that you’re shifting to another
4. Signposts are brief words or numbers that quickly introduce a new idea. Words like
First, Second, Next, Additionally, and Finally are signposts.
KEEPING LISTENERS ENGAGED
• It is easy for your audience to get distracted by other people or their phones, or their minds
can simply start to wander. To combat such obstacles, try to present information in a way
that stimulates your listeners’ senses and provides new or unexpected ideas.
• When planning your speech, think about ways to keep your audience engaged. Some
suggestions include the following:
○ Integrate novelty. People pay attention to information that is novel, different, or unusual.
○ Integrate presentation media. Your audience will pay the most attention to what they see.
INTRODUCING AND CONCLUDING YOUR SPEECH
How your speech begins and ends can make or break its success. Your introduction is your
chance to grab your audience’s attention. Your conclusion has the final impact on how your
audience responds to your overall message.
INTRODUCING YOUR SPEECH
• Your speech introduction is your first chance to connect with your audience and prepare
them for what you will say.
INTRODUCTION CHECKLIST
• Gain Listeners’ Attention
○ Your introduction tells the audience what type of speech you are going to give. If you
start your speech with overused phrases such as “Hi, my name is . . . and today I’m going
to talk about . . . ,” you are telling your audience that your speech is going to be boring.
Instead, create anticipation for what you have to say with a more creative introduction.
○ Here are some ways to gain the listener’s attention:
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▪ Tell a story. Begin your introduction with a compelling, relevant story. When telling a
story, keep it brief. You don’t want the story to become the speech itself.
▪ Use a brief quotation. Alert your audience to the speech’s theme and grab their
attention with a relevant quote.
▪ Reference the occasion or recent events. Comment on common ground between you
and your audience.
• Disclose Your Speech Thesis
○ After grabbing your audience’s attention, you reveal the subject matter of your speech by
• Establish Credibility
○ As you introduce a speech, the audience may wonder about your qualifications or
experience with the topic. Listeners are more receptive to your message if they perceive
• Connect to Listeners’ Needs and Interests
○ People pay more attention to a speech when they think the topic is relevant to their needs
and concerns. But it’s not always apparent to your listeners how they can benefit from
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listening to your speech, so it is important to clearly state “what’s in it for them” during
your introduction.
• Preview Your Main Points
○ End your introduction by highlighting the main points of your presentation. This signals to
your audience that you are transitioning from the introduction to the body of your speech.
CONCLUDING YOUR SPEECH
• Your conclusion indicates that you have finished presenting your main points and are
approaching the end of your speech. Plan your conclusion carefully—it’s your last chance to
CONCLUSION CHECKLIST
• Signal the End
○ Provide your listeners with a signpost or transition. Simple phrases like “In summary” or
“Before I close” tell the audience that you’re about to end the speech. This transition also
gives inattentive audience members one last chance to hear your main points.
• Summarize Your Main Points
○ Quickly review your main points to help your audience remember and understand them.
• Have a Memorable Impact
○ Your parting words should also be memorable. Some of the same strategies used to gain
listeners’ attention also work for closing your speech. Another possibility is to introduce