cacfull_ch14

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 can begin to structure your speech, or determine what you will say in each part of your presentation. Most speeches have three parts:

Introduction: You lay the groundwork for your speech by connecting with your audience, disclosing your speech thesis, establishing your credibility, and previewing your main points.
Body: You develop your speech thesis with main points and supporting evidence. This is the heart of your presentation.
Conclusion: You summarize your main points and share any final thoughts on your topic.

We will go over all three sections in this chapter, but let’s start with the body of the speech. Identifying and supporting your main points will help you figure out what to say in your introduction and conclusion.