{"id":10188,"date":"2020-03-09T17:00:41","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T00:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/?p=10188"},"modified":"2020-01-30T15:31:48","modified_gmt":"2020-01-30T23:31:48","slug":"persuasive-speech-outline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/persuasive-speech-outline\/","title":{"rendered":"This Persuasive Speech Outline Will Help You Write Faster"},"content":{"rendered":"

To some people, writing a formal outline for a speech is about as much fun as getting a flu shot.<\/p>\n

I get it. If you\u2019re not a fan of outlines, it can be pretty tedious to sort out where to put an \u201cA,\u201d a \u201c1,\u201d or a \u201cb.\u201d The mere thought of it is enough to drive you mad.<\/p>\n

In all reality, though, outlining isn\u2019t that<\/i> bad, and it\u2019s important to realize that there are some things in life that we just have <\/i>to do\u2014simply because they\u2019re good for us.<\/p>\n

When you’re a student, sometimes writing a formal outline is one of those things.<\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t find writing an outline that painful, there can be times when you need a little help getting your ideas together in the right format.<\/p>\n

Whether you love (or hate) outlines, here\u2019s how you can develop an outline to help you write your persuasive speech faster.<\/p>\n

Before You Start Your Persuasive Speech Outline<\/h2>\n

Before you start outlining, you will, of course, need a topic for your persuasive speech. If you don\u2019t already have one, this list of 49 speech topics<\/a> or this one of 33 socially conscious persuasive topics<\/a> should give you at least a little inspiration.<\/p>\n

Even if you already have a topic, don\u2019t immediately jump into outlining unless you\u2019ve spent at least a little<\/i> time pondering your topic. You need time to sort out your thoughts.<\/p>\n

If your assignment<\/a> requires research<\/a>, make sure you also do a preliminary search to gather ideas and potential sources.<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t done either of these yet, take a brainstorming<\/a> break now to do some research if needed.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll be here when you return. I\u2019ll just grab a cup of coffee and wait.<\/p>\n

How to Write a Persuasive Speech Outline<\/h2>\n

Have you pondered your topic? Spent a little time perusing sources? Excellent. Let\u2019s talk outlines.<\/p>\n

Even if you have a love\/hate relationship with outlines, they’re excellent prewriting tools that will enable you to organize your thoughts and lay out the details of your speech.<\/p>\n

They actually save a lot of time too. Once you put your ideas in outline form, you can write the actual speech in no time flat.<\/p>\n

Another bonus of writing a detailed outline:<\/b><\/p>\n

Your teacher may allow you to use only <\/i>your outline when you deliver your speech. Having a well-written and concise outline means you\u2019ll have your talking points in order (and you won\u2019t fill the dead air with \u201c…ummm\u201d until you can think of something to say).<\/p>\n

Where should you start?<\/h3>\n

The finished outline will contain all the usual sections: introduction<\/a>, body, and conclusion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean that you have to start <\/i>with the introduction and work, step by step, until you reach the conclusion, though.<\/p>\n

You might start with a working thesis statement<\/a> to help you establish the focus for your speech and then <\/i>develop your main ideas. You can always go back and fill in the introduction and conclusion once you have a solid direction for your speech.<\/p>\n

Of course, if you\u2019re the type of person who needs <\/i>to start at the introduction, that\u2019s fine too. Do whatever works for you.<\/p>\n

In my persuasive speech outline for this post, I\u2019m going to start with the introduction and provide a step-by-step outline to help you get started on your own.<\/p>\n

Here’s the topic for my persuasive speech outline: why adults should get a flu shot.<\/p>\n

Persuasive speech introduction<\/h3>\n

The introduction needs to hook your audience, provide background and context for your topic, and contain a thesis statement<\/a> to focus your speech.<\/p>\n

Attention grabber<\/h4>\n

Begin the introduction by grabbing the attention of your audience with a clever or shocking hook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Think about all those boring lectures you\u2019ve sat through as a student. You don\u2019t want to be that <\/i>speaker. You don\u2019t want your audience to tune you out and think about where they\u2019re going to dinner instead of listening to your speech.<\/p>\n

Instead, you want them on the edge of their seats, eager to hear what you have to say.<\/p>\n

To grab the attention of my audience, I would start my introduction with this shocking statistic:<\/b><\/p>\n

In the 2017\u20132018 flu season, 61,000 Americans died from the flu. It was one of the most severe flu seasons in history (CDC.gov<\/a>).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This statistic hits home and shows the audience just how dangerous the flu can be.<\/p>\n

Background\/context<\/h4>\n

This section includes information that helps the audience understand the context of your topic and provides any background they may need to know to fully understand your key points.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also want to consider your audience<\/a> as you develop your outline (and speech). If you\u2019re speaking to senior citizens, for instance, the information you\u2019ll include here (and throughout your speech) would likely be different than if you\u2019re speaking to seniors in high school.<\/p>\n

In my example, I\u2019m trying to convince a general audience that they should get a flu shot, so I\u2019d briefly explain a little bit about the shot and again stress how important a flu shot is to one\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

Thesis statement<\/h4>\n

Wrap up your opening with a clear thesis statement<\/a> to let your audience know your stance on the topic.<\/p>\n

My thesis statement would be something like this:<\/b><\/p>\n

Adults should get a flu shot each year because it can be a life-saving vaccine.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This thesis statement clearly indicates that my topic will be flu shots, and because I\u2019m writing a persuasive<\/i> outline, my thesis presents my stance on the topic: that people need a flu shot because it can save lives.<\/p>\n

Persuasive speech body<\/h3>\n

The body will be the majority of your speech. A basic outline will contain at least<\/i> three main ideas to support your thesis.<\/p>\n

Develop each idea in at least one paragraph. Unless you’re writing an extremely short speech, the body of your speech should be a minimum of three paragraphs. You may include more main ideas (and thus more paragraphs), of course, depending on your assignment.<\/p>\n

Each main idea needs evidence<\/a> to support your claim<\/a>. (A claim is essentially the argument presented in your speech.)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re citing sources<\/a>, look for statistics, examples, and expert opinions to support your claims. Use paraphrases, summaries<\/a>, and quotes<\/a> to integrate the information into your speech.<\/p>\n

Remember: <\/b>Evidence from sources should support<\/i> your claims, not make up the bulk of your writing. In other words, resist the urge to copy and paste large chunks of content into your outline. Write the speech in your own words<\/a> and use sources as supporting <\/i>evidence for your claims.<\/p>\n

If research isn\u2019t <\/i>required for your persuasive speech, include personal examples and your own knowledge of the topic to support your claims.<\/p>\n

Example body paragraph<\/h4>\n

 <\/i>Here\u2019s an example of how one of my body paragraphs would be structured:<\/b><\/p>\n

Claim: <\/b>Getting the flu shot helps with herd immunity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Evidence:<\/b> \u201cOnce enough people are vaccinated, the flu can\u2019t spread quickly because it encounters people who are protected against it. The flu virus runs into a dead end\u201d (Lynch<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Analysis\/Commentary: <\/b>Essentially, if everyone gets a flu shot, the virus can\u2019t easily spread because everyone is protected against it. This also means that people who aren\u2019t able to be vaccinated (such as the very young) are less likely to get the flu because fewer adults around them will become infected.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This example presents a solid claim and provides a quote from a reliable website<\/a> to support the fact that getting a flu shot helps keep everyone safe. (You may wish to include more than one piece of evidence to support each claim.)<\/p>\n

It also includes my own analysis and commentary<\/a> to not only discuss the topic of herd immunity but also further explain (using my source as evidence) why adults should get an annual flu shot.<\/p>\n

As you develop your<\/i> main ideas, keep in mind that you want to appeal to your audience, and you want to use solid arguments<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To learn more about appeals and logic, check out these two posts:<\/p>\n