While the different parts of your speech may follow different organizational patterns, the entire speech should have an overarching structure that helps your audience navigate the sections. Use the steps below to make sure your outline includes the key elements of this structure. Add these elements if they seem to be missing.
You should start your speech by asking a question, stating an interesting fact, or quoting a statistic or expert about your topic.
Recall that your thesis statement should come at the very end of your introduction.
This is the supporting evidence for the claim. These are the main ideas in your thesis statement, and they should appear in your speech in the same order as they appear in the thesis.
Under each main idea, list at least two facts, definitions, details, examples, and quotations from your summaries. Remember that you made a list of these earlier in this lesson.
At the end of your speech, you should review your claim and your main points briefly.
Try to end your speech with an interesting thought, question, or call to action.
Question
How does a strong beginning and ending to your speech help you connect to your audience?
