Chapter 10.1 Determining Your Main Ideas
Learning Objectives
Revisit the function of a specific purpose.
Understand how to make the transition from a specific purpose to a series of main points.
Be able to narrow a speech from all the possible points to the main points.
Explain how to prepare meaningful main points.
Speech Structure
Speeches have three parts:
Introduction: Establishes the topic and engages the audience.
Body: The main content of the speech.
Conclusion: Wraps up the speech.
The body of the speech should be strategic.
Strategic: Determining what is important or essential to the overall plan or purpose of the speech.
Importance of Organization
Avoid being disorganized by thinking critically about the speech's organization.
Transition from a specific purpose to creating main points.
Specific Purpose
Revisit the specific purpose.
A speech can have one of three general purposes:
To inform
To persuade
To entertain
The general purpose is the broad goal.
The specific purpose includes:
General purpose
Specific audience
Prepositional phrase summarizing the topic
Examples of Specific Purposes
General purpose: To inform
Specific purpose: To inform a group of school administrators about the various open source software packages that could be utilized in their school districts.
General purpose: To persuade
Specific purpose: To persuade a group of college students to make the switch from Microsoft Office to the Open Source Office, Suite Open Office.
General purpose: To entertain
Specific purpose: To entertain members of a business organization with a mock eulogy of for pay software giants as a result of the proliferation of open source alternatives.
The general topic (open source software) remains constant, but the specific purpose varies based on the general purpose and audience.
Before organizing the body of the speech, define the specific purpose.
From Specific Purpose to Main Points
Main points are the key ideas that enable the speech to accomplish its specific purpose.
Number of Main Points
Fewer main points are generally better.
People don't remember much after listening to a message. Reference: Bostrom, R, N, and Walhart, E, S, 1988. Memory models and the measurement of listening. Communication education, 37, one to 13.
Speech organization is important for information retention. References:
Dunham, j r 1964. Voice contrast and repetition in speech retention. Doctoral Dissertation, retrieved from http:etd.lib.ttu.edu/ theses
Smith, R. G. 1951, An Experimental Study of the Effects of Speech Organization upon Attitudes of students, speech monographs, 2092 to three zero one
Thompson, E. C, 1960, an experimental investigation of the relative effectiveness of organizational structure in oral communication. Southern Speech Journal '26, '59 to '69.
For public speaking classes:
Speeches less than three minutes: two main points.
Speeches between three and ten minutes: three main points.
Remembering Information
People are more likely to remember information that is:
Meaningful
Useful
Of interest
Different or unique
Organized
Visual
Simple
Reference: de la Francois, G R, 1999. Psychology for Teaching, edition. Belmont, California, Wadsworth.
Two or three main points are easier to remember.
Support each point with examples, statistics, or other forms of support to make the speech interesting and memorable.
Narrowing Down Main Points
Brainstorm a list of potential points without judging their value.
Consider what information the audience needs to understand the topic.
Consider what the speech needs to convey to accomplish its specific purpose.
Example Brainstorming List (Open Source Software for Schools)
Define open source software.
Define educational software.
List and describe the software commonly used by school districts.
Explain the advantages of using open source software.
Explain the disadvantages of using open source software.
Review the history of open source software.
Describe the value of open source software.
Describe some educational open source software packages.
Review the software needs of the specific audience.
Describe some problems that have occurred with open source software.
Chunking
Narrow down the list to two or three main points by identifying related points.
Chunking: Combining smaller chunks of information into larger, more fully developed chunks.
Example Chunking (Open Source Software)
Specific purpose: To inform a group of school administrators about the various open source software packages that could be utilized in their school districts.
Main point 1: School districts use software in their operations.
Define educational software.
List and describe the software commonly used by school districts.
Main point 2: What is open source software?
Define open source software.
Review the history of open source software.
Explain the advantages of using open source software.
Describe the value of open source software.
Explain the disadvantages of using open source software.
Describe some problems that have occurred with open source software.
Main point 3: Name some specific open source software packages that may be appropriate for these school administrators to consider.
Review the software needs of the specific audience.
Describe some educational open source software packages.
The number of subpoints may vary, and the topics may not always fit together perfectly.
There is often more than one way to organize a speech.
Some points can be omitted or developed more fully depending on the purpose and audience.
Helpful Hints for Preparing Main Points
Uniting Main Points
Do the main points fit together?
Do the main points help the audience understand the specific purpose?
Avoid extraneous information that doesn't support the specific purpose.
Keeping Main Points Separate
Ensure that the information covered within each main point is clearly distinct from the other main points.
Avoid too much overlap between main points.
Balancing Main Points
Allocate roughly the same amount of time to each main point.
If one main point is too large, divide it into two main points and consolidate the other main points into a single main point.
Creating Parallel Structure for Main Points
Structure the main points so that they all sound similar.
Parallel structure makes it easier for the audience to remember the main points. Main Points Example
School districts use software in their operations.
What is open source software?
Name some specific open source software packages that may be appropriate for these school administrators to consider.
Maintaining Logical Flow of Main Points
Ensure that the main points make sense in the order presented.
The order of main points should be progressive and logical.
School Dress Codes Example
Main point 1: History of school dress codes.
Main point 2: Problems with school dress codes.
Main point 3: Eliminating school dress codes.
In this case, the main points are in a logical sequential order.
Rider Law Legislation Example
Main point 1: Why should states have rider laws?
Main point 2: What are the effects of a lack of rider laws?
Main point 3: What is rider law legislation?
This order is not logical. A better order would be:
Main point 1: What are the effects of a lack of rider laws?
Main point 2: What is rider law legislation?
Main point 3: Why should states have rider laws?
Key Takeaways
All speeches start with a general purpose and then move to a specific purpose that gives the who, what, where, and how for the speech.
Transitioning from the specific purpose to possible main points means developing a list of potential main points you could discuss.
Then you can narrow your focus by looking for similarities among your potential main points and combining ones that are similar.
Shorter speeches will have two main points while longer speeches will generally have three or more main points.
When creating your main points, make sure that they are united, separate, balanced, parallel, and logical.
Exercises
Generate a specific purpose for your