How do you craft a catchy speech outline in 5 steps?
You have a great topic, a clear message, and a passionate voice. But how do you turn your ideas into a speech that captivates your audience and leaves a lasting impression? The answer is: you need a catchy speech outline. A speech outline is a blueprint for your presentation, a way to organize your main points, support them with evidence, and connect them with transitions. A speech outline can help you save time, avoid rambling, and deliver a coherent and memorable speech. In this article, we will show you how to craft a catchy speech outline in five easy steps.
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Shane McDonaldAT&T Director - Communications & PR | CEO communications
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Fabio R. DallazemComo Organizar e Administrar Uma Empresa | Empresário e Mentor Licenciado da KLA Academia de Vendas & Negócios | Gestão…
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Marina ShabalinaEntrepreneur, PR Strategist for emerging star performers in FinTech, Contributor for Crowdfund Insider and Finextra
The first step to crafting a catchy speech outline is to identify your purpose and audience. What is the goal of your speech? What do you want your listeners to do, think, or feel after hearing you? How can you appeal to their interests, needs, and values? Your purpose and audience will guide your choice of topic, tone, and style. Write down your specific purpose statement and your target audience profile in one or two sentences.
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Elaborar um discurso cativante é uma habilidade valiosa. Em cinco passos, comece conhecendo sua audiência para ajustar a mensagem aos interesses deles. Na introdução, use uma história envolvente ou pergunta intrigante para capturar a atenção. Estruture o discurso de forma clara, dividindo-o em introdução, desenvolvimento e conclusão. Utilize linguagem acessível, evitando jargões, e enriqueça com exemplos e analogias para tornar a mensagem memorável. Mantenha autenticidade na entrega, variando tom de voz e ritmo. Praticar assegura clareza e envolvimento, garantindo um discurso cativante.
The second step to crafting a catchy speech outline is to brainstorm your main points. These are the key ideas that support your purpose and message. They should be clear, relevant, and consistent. You can use various methods to generate your main points, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or researching. Try to limit your main points to three or four, as too many can confuse or overwhelm your audience. Write down your main points in the form of complete sentences.
The third step to crafting a catchy speech outline is to arrange your main points. This is where you decide the order and structure of your speech. You can use different patterns to organize your main points, such as chronological, spatial, topical, problem-solution, or cause-effect. Choose the pattern that best suits your purpose, audience, and topic. You can also use subpoints to elaborate or support your main points. Write down your main points and subpoints in the order you want to present them.
The fourth step to crafting a catchy speech outline is to add transitions and signposts. These are words or phrases that help you move smoothly from one point to another and signal the structure and direction of your speech. Transitions can be internal, which link your main points and subpoints, or external, which link your introduction, body, and conclusion. Signposts are words or phrases that indicate where you are in your speech, such as first, second, finally, or in conclusion. Write down your transitions and signposts next to your main points and subpoints.
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I'm a super visual thinker, and I like to think of a speech as a rollercoaster. So when I'm starting pre-writing for a big speech, one of my favorite first steps is to literally draw a rollercoaster on paper, plotting the main phrases or emotions I want to convey as the high and low inflection points. I then fill in the gaps around these signposts, crafting different parts of the speech to crescendo or decrescendo up and down, sideways and over, guiding the audience to and through the major peaks and valleys of the story. And if you're feeling fun, you can even add a loop de loop (recommended about 2/3 of the way through) to introduce a captivating or creative idea that draws your audience back in ahead of your grand finale. Happy writing!
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I teach a college public speaking course, and I say to my students numerous times throughout the class to write out transitions and connective statements. Extemporaneous speaking is far better than reading or memorized speeches, but clunky transitions and visual cues can really detract from the overall purpose and significance of the speech.
The fifth and final step to crafting a catchy speech outline is to write your introduction and conclusion. These are the parts of your speech that grab and maintain your audience's attention and reinforce your message. Your introduction should include a hook, a thesis statement, and a preview of your main points. Your conclusion should include a summary of your main points, a restatement of your thesis statement, and a call to action or a memorable closing remark. Write down your introduction and conclusion in full sentences.
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I'd recommend you also consider "how" you'll deliver your speech. Three quick tips. - Use humor when possible. Think of it as an exclamation point to cement your message into your audience's brain. - Personalize your message. Give your story names and places. Filter the message through your lived experience. I don't care about layoffs, but when I hear about your friend Joan getting laid off, I'm invested because Joan is a real person. - Pause for effect. Sometimes we're so busy talking we forget to let our speech breath. Use pauses to drive points home. Your audience will thank you for the time to digest what you're saying.
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