CHAPTER Organizing the Body of the Speech Stephen

CHAPTER Organizing the Body of the Speech 常姗姗 上海财经大学 ©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.

ORGANIZING THE BODY OF THE SPEECH Clear Organization Is Essential to Public Speaking 2

ORGANIZING THE BODY OF THE SPEECH • Listeners Demand Coherence From Speakers – Because Listeners Get Only One Chance To Hear The Ideas In A Speech , It Is Crucial That These Ideas Be Clearly Structured 3

ORGANIZING THE BODY OF THE SPEECH Critical thinking Research Indicates That Listeners Find Speakers Who Give Well-organized Speeches More Competent And Trustworthy 4

Main points • The major points developed in the body of a speech. Most speeches contain from two to five main points.

ORGANIZING THE BODY OF THE SPEECH Main Points Are The Most Important Element In The Organization Of A Speech 6

Organization of the speech • Three basic parts of a speech • Introduction • Body- the longest and the most important part • Conclusion

ORGANIZING THE BODY OF THE SPEECH Main Points Are The Central Feature Of the Body Of The Speech 8

ORGANIZING THE BODY OF THE SPEECH • Select Main Points Carefully • Limit the Number of Main Points – 2 to 3 Main Points 9

ORGANIZING THE BODY OF THE SPEECH Main Points Should Be Organized Strategically To Achieve A Speaker’s Purpose 10

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the origins, events, and philosophy of the Special Olympics • Central Idea: • The Special Olympics gives people who are mentally or physically challenged a chance to experience athletic competition.

1. The Special Olympic Games was founded in 1968 to promote fitness for the mentally and physically challenged. • 2. Held locally every year and internationally every four years the Special Olympics has sports events similar to those in the Olympic Games • 3. Although medals are awarded , the Special Olympics stresses effort and participation rather

• Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the features of China’s National Stadium, commonly known as the Bird’s Nest. • Central Idea: China’s National Stadium, commonly known as the bird’s nest, features a seating bowl, an outer steel frame, concourses, and a retail development.

• Main Points: • 1. A red concrete seating bows holds more than 80, 000 spectators. • 2. A distinctive steel frame around the outside of the bowl looks like a bird’s nest. • 3. Spacious concourses are accessible at different level of the stadium. • 4. A large mixed-use retail development lies beneath the

ORGANIZING THE BODY OF THE SPEECH STRATEGIC ORDER OF MAIN POINTS 15

Basic Patterns of Organization • • • Chronological Spatial Causal Problem-Solution Topical

Chronological Order A method of speech organization in which the main points follow a time pattern.

Example of Chronological Order Specific Purpose: Central Idea: Main Points: To inform my audience how the Great Wall of China was built. The Great Wall of China was built in three stages. I. Building of the Great Wall began during the Qinqin Dynasty of 221 -206 B. C. II. New sections of the Great Wall were added during the Han dynasties from 206 B. C. 220 A. D. III. The Great Wall was completed during the Ming Dynasty of 1368 -1644.

Example of Chronological Order Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of the four major stages in the history of Tsinghua University Central Idea: Tsinghua University has gone through four major stages in its history. Main Points: I. Tsinghua was established in 1911 as a prep school. II. Tsinghua was expended into a university in 1925. III. The school was renamed National Tsinghua University in 1928. IV. Tsinghua was given its current name in 1949.

Spatial Order A method of speech organization in which the main points follow a directional pattern.

Example of Spatial Order Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the design of the Eiffel Tower. Central Idea: The Eiffel Tower is divided into three sections. Main Points: I. The lowest section of the tower contains the entrance, a gift shop, and a restaurant. II. The middle section of the tower consists of stairs and elevators that lead to the top. III. The top section of the tower includes an observation deck with a spectacular view of Paris. .

Causal Order A method of speech organization in which the main points show a cause -effect relationship.

Example of Causal Order Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the possible causes for the collapse of Mayan civilization. Central Idea: The causes for the collapse of Mayan civilization have not been fully explained. Main Points: I. II. Mayan civilization flourished for over a thousand years until 900 A. D. , when it mysteriously began to disintegrate. (EFFECT) Scholars have advanced three explanations for the causes of this disintegration. (CAUSE)

Problem-Solution Order A method of speech organization in which the first main point deals with the existence of a problem and the second main point presents a solution to the problem.

Example of Problem-Solution Order Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that legislation is needed to control the abuses of fraudulent charity fund-raiser. Central Idea: fraudulent fund-raising for charities is a serious problem that requires action by government and individual alike. Main Points: I. fraudulent charity fund-raising has become a wide-spread national problem. II. The problem can be solved by a combination of government initiative and individual awareness.

Example of Problem-Solution Order Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience China should implement stricter law enforcement to prevent accidents in coal mines. Central Idea: China should implement stricter law enforcement to solve the problems of underfunding and negligence that lead to accidents in coal mines. Main Points: I. many coal mine accidents in China result from underfunding and negligence. II. Stricter law enforcement will help prevent underfunding and negligence of China’s coal mines.

Topical Order A method of speech organization in which the main points divide the topic into logical and consistent subtopics.

Example of Topical Order Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the artistic versatility of Pablo Picasso. Central Idea: Picasso was equally versatile as a painter, sculptor, and printmaker(版 画复制匠）. Main Points: I. As a painter, Picasso tested the limits of abstraction. II. As a sculptor, Picasso often incorporated “found” objects. III. As a printmaker, Picasso gave vent to his whimsy and eroticism.

Connective A word or phrase that connects the ideas of a speech and indicates the relationship between them.

Types of Connectives • • Transition Internal preview Internal summary Signpost

Transition A word or phrase that indicates when a speaker has finished one thought and is moving on to another.

Examples of Transitions • Now that we have explored the ancient origins of astrology, let us turn to its modern popularity. • So much for the present; what about the future? • We have spent a lot of time talking about the problem. It’s time to discuss the solution.

Internal Preview A statement in the body of the speech that lets the audience know what the speaker is going to discuss next.

Example of an Internal Preview In discussing how Asian Americans have been stereotyped in the mass media, we’ll look first at the origins of the problem and second at its continuing impact today.

Transition Combined with Internal Preview [Transition]: Now that we have seen how serious the problem of faulty credit reports is, let’s look at some solutions. [Internal Preview]: I will focus on three-instituting tighter government regulation of credit bureaus, holding credit bureaus financially responsible for their errors, and giving individuals easier access to their credit reports.

Internal Summary A statement in the body of the speech that summarizes the speaker’s preceding point or points.

Example of an Internal Summary In short, palm reading is an ancient art. Developed in China more than five thousand years ago, it was practiced in classical Greece and Rome, flourished during the Middle Ages, survived the Industrial Revolution, and remains popular today.

Internal Summary Combined with a Transition [Internal Summary]: Let’s pause for a moment to recapitulate what we have found so far. First, we have seen that America’s criminal justice system does not effectively deter crime. Second, we have seen that prison programs to rehabilitate criminals have failed miserably. [Transition]: We are now ready to explore solutions to these problems.

Signpost A very brief statement that indicates where a speaker is in the speech or that focuses attention on key ideas.

Examples of Signpost The first step in producing a Broadway play is choosing the play. The second step in producing a Broadway play is selecting the cast. The third step in producing a Broadway play is conducting the rehearsals. The fourth step in producing a Broadway play is performing the play. •

• you work in the purchasing department of a large clothing manufacturer. The company’s design team has come up with an idea for a new shirt requiring a lightweight, stretchable fabric. Because the fabric can’t be provided by your company’s usual suppliers, you were assigned to research other suppliers and to evaluate their products for quality, availability and cost. • you have just returned from a 10 -day trip during which you visited textile firms in many countries. You will present your findings and recommendations to the purchasing and design departments, but you are not sure how best to organize your talk. Your major choices are chronological order, problem-solution order, and

• Topical order, what might be the main points of your speech with each of these methods of organization? Explain which method you think will be most effective for your presentation.