“Where do I begin?” is a common thought for those tasked with giving any sort of presentation. Creating an outline is an imperative first step to guide a speaker to collect their thoughts into an organized manner. An effective outline has a a beginning, a middle and an end. Specifically, an opening introduction of the topic, clearly organized subtopics that support the theme, and a closing that reviews what you’ve covered. In high school, this concept was presented to me as “Tell what you’re going to tell, tell it, then tell what you told.”
In the public speaking classes that I teach, I find that writing an effective outline starts by understanding which of the three types of presentation you’ll be giving: either to inform, to persuade or to inspire. Therefore, we start by defining these different types of …show more content…
As a speech writer, being knowledgable about one’s audience and possessing the ability to adapt the presentation style to varying audiences are arguably equally important components for a successful outcome. As a result of my experience, I now conduct a more thorough due diligence in an effort to learn more about my audience. I do this by asking questions and advice from the stakeholders who are asking me to present. I want to know as much as I can about the demographics of the group, including if there are areas I should avoid for any reason. For instance, I’m extremely liberally politically, which means in our current political landscape that has bred intense divisiveness, I need to be careful about what I might say to a group that is more