Page 255 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

222 Part 3 Putting Theory Into Practice

III. Pop music transcends language.
A. Ricky Martin sings in Spanish about La Vida Loca.
B. Lil’ Kim, Pink, and Christina Aguilera sing in French about Lady
Marmalade.

It makes no sense to have only one subpoint under a main point. For
example:
I. Pop music transcends national boundaries.
A. The pop music charts feature artists from not only the U.S. but Brazil,
Canada, and France, to name a few.

If a main point is not divisible into at least two subpoints, it probably isn’t really
a main point. Rather, it should be a subpoint under another main point. Like
main points, subpoints should be parallel in structure, simply stated, and given
equal treatment.

Supporting Points

supporting point Sometimes the subpoints within a speech require further support and subdivi-
An idea that supports a sion. Thus, we might have supporting points for each subpoint. A supporting
subpoint. point is an idea that supports a subpoint. Returning to our example of pop mu-
sic, the body of a speech might be organized as follows:

[main point] II. Pop music transcends cultures.
[subpoint] A. African American and Caribbean cultures are well represented in
today’s pop music.
[supporting point] 1. Hip-hop music has obvious ties to African American culture.
[supporting point] 2. Reggae and SKA have obvious ties to Caribbean culture.
B. Many Anglo musicians have adapted the music of their ancestral cul-
ture to the contemporary pop scene.
1. Groups such as U2 and the Corrs have been infl uenced by their
Celtic roots.
2. The lyrics of Sting are suggestive of traditional English ballads.
Each supporting point could be further subdivided, but such a detailed sub-
structure probably would lose the audience. For a normal classroom speech, it is
unlikely there will be time to develop points beyond this level.
If we must further subdivide a supporting point, we use lowercase letters in
the outline as follows:

[main point] II. Pop music transcends cultures.
[subpoint] A. African American and Caribbean cultures are well represented in
today’s pop music.
[supporting point] 1. Hip-hop music has obvious ties to African American culture.
[further support] a. The rhythms are African American.
[further support] b. The music fuses elements of rhythm and blues, soul, and rap.
2. Reggae and SKA have obvious ties to Caribbean culture.
a. Bob Marley continues to be popular.
b. As does his son Ziggy.
Exhibit 9.1 illustrates the relationship among various levels of support in a
speech.