From Preparation Outline to Speaking Outline

Page 276

In most public speaking situations, you will use the basics you’ve learned to create two outlines. The first is a preparation outline (sometimes called a working outline), a draft that you will use, and probably revisit and revise continually, throughout the preparation for your speech. The function of a preparation outline is to firm up your thesis statement, establish and organize your main points, and develop your supporting points. From the preparation outline, you will eventually develop a speaking outline, or delivery outline, which is your final speech plan, complete with details, delivery tips, and important notes about presentation aids (which we will discuss in chapter 13).

You may find that a sentence outline works well when you work on your preparation outline; as you move toward a final speaking outline, it’s best to switch to a phrase or key-word approach (or a combination of the two). To do this, look at your full sentences, and pull out key words, phrases, or headers that will jog your memory and serve as guideposts as you speak. Sample Speech Outline 12.1 shows the full progression from preparation outline to speaking outline.

Your speaking outline should also include delivery cues, brief reminders about important information related to the delivery of your speech that are for your eyes alone. You’ll likely want to include reminders to show a presentation aid or speak slowly at the beginning of the speech, when you are likely to be the most nervous. We’ll discuss more about delivery in chapter 13.

Another important aspect of your speaking outline is that it should contain notes for your oral citations, the references to source materials that you mention in the narrative of your speech. After a sentence or phrase in your outline, you might simply place the source in parentheses so that you remember to give credit. For example, the key words “SD—financial costs (Skerritt, HBR)” should prompt you to say: “Sleep deprivation costs businesses more than $3,000 per employee annually, in terms of lowered productivity, according to a recent report by Patrick Skerritt in the Harvard Business Review.” For material quoted word for word from the source, the oral citation must clarify that the material is in fact quoted rather than your own expression (“As Skerritt notes, ‘This doesn’t include the cost of absenteeism—those with insomnia missed an extra five days a year compared to good sleepers’”). In such instances, you will likely want to use full sentences in your outline, rather than key words or phrases, to ensure that you do not misquote or misrepresent your source.

Finally, you should choose a comfortable format for using your speaking outline in front of your audience. You may transfer the outline to note cards, which will enable you to flip through notes quickly; alternatively, you might create virtual note cards on your smart phone or tablet, or you might prefer to use a standard-size sheet of paper. In many classroom situations, your instructor will indicate the preferred format.