Comm 211
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Apply the principles of clarity, relevance and
balance to identify what points to include in
your speech.
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Your main points should identify for the audience
what your speech is about and the response you seek
and support your specific purpose and thesis.
 Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the
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science of happiness.
Thesis: According to scientists, people achieve
happiness through involvement with daily activities and
other people, contributing in meaningful ways to larger
goals and finding pleasure in everyday life.
Main Points:
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I. The first component of happiness is being engaged in
activities and interacting with others.
II. The second component of happiness is feeling like what
you do contributes in meaningful ways to larger goals.
III. The third component of happiness is simply finding
pleasure in everyday things you do.
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The main points of the speech should pertain
directly to the topic. Main points should be
relevant to one another as well.
◦ Specific Purpose: To increase my audience’s awareness
of some of Octavia E. Butler’s important achievements.
◦ Thesis: Octavia Butler’s many achievements include
winning two Hugo and two Nebula awards, a MacArthur
genius grant and a lifetime achievement award from the
PEN American Center.
◦ Main Points:(all about Butler’s awards)
 I. Butler won two Hugo and two Nebula awards for her
science-fiction stories.
 II. In 1995, Butler became the first, and so far, only science
fiction writer to win a MacArthur genius grant.
 III. Butler won the PEN lifetime achievement award in 1999.
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Each point should be about equal in
importance relative to the topic and the other
points.
◦ Specific Purpose: To teach my audience about the
interesting facets of Ann Arbor’s Street Art Fair.
◦ Thesis: The people who make the event successful
are the organizers, volunteers, and artists.
◦ Main Points:
 I. Organizers work all year planning the event.
 II. Volunteers do everything from giving tours to
helping parents find lost children.
 III. Nearly 200 artists display their creative work.
Definition
Useful for…
Gives
audience
Examples
Chronological
The way
something
develops over
time
Recounting
the history of
a topic
A sense of
how a topic
unfolds over
time
Finding a job
requires a
resume,
application,
interview
Spatial
Physical or
geographical
relationship
Describing an
object or
place
A visual
understanding
of the parts of
the topic
Disney World
has four
separate
parks.
Topical
Subtopics are
of equal
importance
Explaining the
elements of a
topic
An image of
the subpoints
of a topic
The primary
modes of
public
transportation
are…
Definition
Useful for…
Gives audience
Examples
Cause and Effect
Shows how
an action
produces a
particular
outcome
Demonstrating a
causal link
between two or
more events
A view of the
relationships
between events
Foods with too
much sugar have
caused the recent
rise in diabetes
ProblemSolution
Describes a
problem and
provides a
solution
Convincing
audience to agree
with a course of
action
A rationale for
considering a
particular
solution
Long commutes
pollute the
environment.
Companies should
offer
telecommuting.
Compare &
Contrast
Illustrates on
topic by
comparing it
to another
Explaining the
elements of a
topic
An analogy to
better
understand the
topic
Studies have found
major
demographic
differences
between
consumers who
would consider
buying electric
cars and those
who would not.
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Allow you to move smoothly and clearly from
the introduction to the body of the speech
Allow you to move from one main point to
the next main point within the body of the
speech
Allow you to exit from the body of the speech
to the conclusion
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Ordering (first, second, third)
◦ Example: First, I’ll review the history of missions in
California.
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Reinforcing (similarly, in addition, also)
◦ Also, you could volunteer as a tutor.
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Contrasting (however, although, unless)
◦ However, your best strategy is to prepare in
advance.
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Chronology (when, while, now, before, after,
meanwhile)
◦ During this process, you must keep a close watch
on your time.
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Causality (therefore, consequently, since)
◦ Therefore, learning to manage your money now will
help you avoid problems in the future.
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Summarization (In summary, finally, let’s
review)
◦ Finally, good study habits require evaluating what
works and what doesn’t.
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Signposts, which include ordering transitions,
such as first, next, finally let the audience
know where you are in the speech.
To move from the introduction to the first
main point in the body of the speech, you
might use this signpost:
◦ To begin, I’ll describe…
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Let the audience know what the speaker will
discuss next, but are more detailed than
transitions.
Works like the preview statement in the
introduction, but occurs in the body of the speech
just before a main point
Not used before every main point
Example: 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.
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Remind listeners of what they have just heard
Usually used when a speaker finishes a
complicated or important main point
A good way to clarify and reinforce ideas
Example: Now that I’ve described what
human biological cell cloning is, let’s turn to
my second main point, the advantages of
human cloning to medical research.
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Let your audience know you’re moving from
the final main point to the conclusion.
Once you use a transition to signal to your
audience that the end of your speech is near,
they expect you to finish soon.
Transition to the Conclusion:
◦ In summary, I’ve covered the basics of RFID tags,
their use for pets, store inventory and electronic
passports, and their vulnerability to computer
viruses. (Transition, review of main points)
Just like having a theme helps with knowing how
to decorate or dress for a party, having a theme
for a speech can make it easier to follow and
more interesting. Themes also lend themselves
to visual aids.
Catching the Big Fish Clients
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◦ Knowing where to fish
◦ What to use for bait
◦ Reeling them in
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Consider expressing main points as variations on
a theme.
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Each main point should be supported with
some kind of evidence.
Evidence may include the following:
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Expert testimony
Lay testimony
Facts
Statistics