Speech Organization

A Brief Guide to Constructing a Speech

An effective introduction will…

-Gain Attention

-Establish Credibility

-Give the Audience a Reason to Listen

-State Central Idea/Reveal Topic

-Preview the Body of the Speech

-Be Relatively Brief (usually not more than 10/15 percent of the length of the speech)

The Body of the Speech should…

-Have a Clear Organizational Structure

-Clearly State each Main Point

-Provide Necessary Elaboration of the Main Points

-Use Signposts to Introduce New Points (transitions, previews, summaries)

The Speech Conclusion Should…

-Summarize

-Reemphasize the Main Idea in a Memorable Way

-Avoid Introducing New Main Points

-Signal the End of the Speech

-Be Relatively Brief (usually not more than 10/15 percent of the length of the speech)