Storytelling is often a natural and effective way to get your message across. In the narrative pattern of arrangement, the speech consists of a story or a series of short stories, replete with characters, settings, plot, and vivid imagery.

In practice, a speech built largely upon a story (or series of stories) is likely to incorporate elements of other designs. For example, you might organize the main points of the story in an effect-cause design, in which you first reveal why something happened (such as a drunken driving accident) and then describe the events that led up to the accident (the causes).

Whatever the structure, simply telling a story is no guarantee of giving a good speech. Any speech should include a clear thesis, a preview, well-organized main points, and effective transitions. For example, in a speech entitled “Tales of the Grandmothers,”³ Anita Taylor uses the real-life history of her grandmothers to illustrate how women in the United States have always worked, even if they were unpaid. Although the story dominates the speech, Taylor frequently leaves off and picks up the story’s thread in order to orient her listeners and drive home her theme. For example, in addition to explicitly stating her thesis, Taylor pauses to preview main points:

My grandmothers illustrate the points I want to make. . . .

Taylor also makes frequent use of transitions, including internal previews, summaries, and simple signposts, to help her listeners stay on track:

But, let’s go on with Luna Puffer Squire Nairn’s story.

Taylor also pauses in her story to signal the conclusion:

So here we are today. . . . And finally . . .