2. Organizing the Main Points
 You MUST organize your main points
 The biggest difference between an Informative speech
and a Persuasive speech is the ORGANIZATION of the
points.
 Don’t just let your points “happen”…plan them!

3. Organizing Main Points
 Strategies for organizing the main points of
the speech
 Informative Patterns
 Time
 Chronological organization
 Example:
Speech Topic: Airline Food
I. Early airline food: a gourmet treat
II. The middle period: institutional food at thirty
thousand feet
III. Today’s airline food: the passenger starves

4. Organizing Main Points
 Strategies for organizing the main points of
the speech
 Time
 Topic
 Organization according to speaker’s discretion,
types or categories
 Example:
Speech Topic: College Students
I. Freshmen
II. Sophomores
III. Juniors
IV. Seniors

5. Organizing Main Points
 Strategies for organizing the main points of the
speech
 Time
 Topic
 Space/Geographical
 Organization by area
 Example:
Speech Topic: Great Lakes
I. Superior
II. Michigan
III. Huron
IV. Erie
V. Ontario

6. Organizing Main Points
 Strategies for organizing the main points of a
persuasive speech
 Cause and Effect
 Organization by discussing a situation and its
causes or a situation and its effects.
 Persuasive speeches have a third point:
Cause-Effect-Action or Cause-Effect-Solution

7. Organizing Main Points
 Strategies for organizing the main points of
the speech
 Time
 Topic
 Space/Geographical
 Cause and Effect
 Organization by discussing a situation and its
causes or a situation and its effects.
 Informative OR Persuasive*
 *Persuasive speeches have a third point:
Cause-Effect-Action or Cause-Effect-Solution

8. Cause and Effect Formats
 Informative
 I. Congested cities with more and more commuters are
causing the air pollution levels to rise.
 II. More and more children are succumbing to lung problems
like asthma.
 (You don’t ask your audience to DO anything about it in the
Informative example.)
 Persuasive
 I. Congested cities with more and more commuters are
causing the air pollution levels to rise.
 II. More and more children are succumbing to lung problems
like asthma.
 III. We need to convince our city to start utilizing buses and
sub- and railways more.

9. Organizing Main Points
 Strategies for organizing the main points of
the speech
 Cause/Effect
 Problem/Solution
 Organization by first discussing a problem and
then various solutions
 Persuasive pattern – has two different 3rd point
options
 Problem-Solution-Action
 Problem-Solution-Benefit

10. Problem Solution Formats
 Problem-Solution-Action
 I. Poisonous chemicals are in our foods every day!
 II. Organic foods are the solution to this problem.
 III. Everyone in this classroom should make an effort to
buy organic foods.
 Problem-Solution-Benefit
 I. Poisonous chemicals are in our foods every day!
 II. Organic foods are the solution to this problem.
 III. Health problems related to ingestion of toxins will
slowly disappear, saving our bodies and reducing our
healthcare expenses.

11. Organizing Main Points
 Strategies for organizing the main points of
the speech
 Cause/Effect
 Problem/Solution
 Claim
 Making assertions or points about a controversial
topic

12. Claim Pattern
 Abolish the Death Penalty
 I. It’s cruel and unusual
 II. It’s not a deterrent
 III. It’s too expensive

13. Organizing Main Points
 Strategies for organizing the main points of
the speech
 Cause/Effect
 Problem/Solution
 Claim
 Refutation
 Identifying objections to your topic and refuting
them

14. Organizing Main Points
 Strategies for organizing the main points of
the speech
 Cause/Effect
 Problem/Solution
 Claim
 Refutation
 Motivated Sequence

15. Motivated Sequence Pattern
 Attention (Introduction)
 Need (1st body paragraph, problem)
 Satisfaction (2nd, solution)
 Visualization (3rd, what it would look like)
 Call to action (Conclusion)

16. Motivated Sequence Example
 Attention (Introduction): Within 50 years, we’ll all be
stumbling through piles of trash!
 Need: We must address the growing problem of waste
disposal in our communities.
 Satisfaction: Creating more recycling facilities is the
answer!
 Visualization: Can you picture what our streets will
look like if we don’t address this problem now?
 Call to Action: Call or email the Dallas City Manager
today!