Page 71 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

38 Part 1 Foundations

surprise ending (see pages 40–41). Depending on the nature of the assignment,
therefore, your fi rst speech may not require a preview.
In most of your speeches, however, a preview helps prepare the audience for
what follows. You should mention all your main points briefl y before treating
each one in detail. This is the “tell ’em what you’re going to tell ’em” part of the
speech. It may be as simple as saying, “I’m going to present three ways to save
money on your groceries: clipping coupons, watching for store ads, and buying

generic brands.” On the other hand, a preview may specifically enumerate the
three main points of the speech: “You can save money on your groceries, fi rst,
by clipping coupons; second, by watching for store ads; and third, by buying ge-
neric brands.” The preview helps reduce the audience’s uncertainty about what
is to follow, and it helps them see the relationship among your various points.

Body

The majority of your speech should develop the thesis you are trying to convey.

Usually, the body of the speech is divided into three to five main points that to-
gether develop the thesis of your speech.

Organize Your Main Points
A speech that wanders off the topic or whose main points don’t follow a logical
pattern of development is likely to lose the audience. The same is true of an overly
complex speech. Here are some basic patterns for organizing your main points:
• Time pattern. Most stories are arranged chronologically. The use of a nar-
www.mhhe.com/brydon6
rative or time pattern is one of the most basic forms of speech making.
To view a video of Montana In fact, one of our former professors, Walter R. Fisher, has argued that
Kellmer’s Storytelling Speech, humans are storytelling animals. In the box “Storytelling Speech,” you will
click on the Speech Coach
link on our Online Learning see how one of our students, Montana Kellmer, used time in an un usual way
Center Web site, and go to to tell his story. Rather than beginning at the beginning, he began part-way
Segment 2.2. through his story, and then used a fl ashback to tell the audience how he got
to that point. He then took us forward from that point to the story’s conclu-
sion and its implications for how all of us lead our own lives. You can read
his speech on pages 40–41 and view it on our Online Learning Center Web
site (www.mhhe.com/brydon6).
• Spatial pattern. Some topics are best dealt with spatially. A speech on the
solar system might begin with the sun and work out to the most distant
planets.
• Categorical pattern. Many topics fall into obvious categories. A teacher ex-
plaining the federal government to a civics class, for example, is likely to talk
about the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. This is sometimes
called a topical pattern of organization. If a topic lends itself to natural
divisions, this is an excellent way to arrange your speech.

These three ways to organize a speech are summarized in Exhibit 2.2. Other
ways to organize a speech are discussed at length in Chapter 9. For now, this will
give you a start. The key thing to remember in this regard is to pick a simple pat-
tern and stick with it for the entire speech.