Question

1. Compare and contrast the patterns of organization for the body of a speech. (worth 6 points) 2. What role does outlining play in composing a good speech? What are the best techniques to use? (worth 4 points)

Answer 1

1) Method for organizing main points is the comparison/contrast speech pattern. While this pattern clearly lends itself easily to two main points, you can also create a third point by giving basic information about what is being compared and what is being contrasted.

for example:

• Show how Drug X and Drug Y are similar.
• Show how Drug X and Drug Y differ.

2) The spatial speech pattern organizes information according to how things fit together in physical space. This pattern is best used when your main points are oriented to different locations that can exist independently.

3) The chronological speech pattern places the main idea in the time order in which items appear whether backward or forward.

4) As you might guess, the biographical speech pattern is generally used when a speaker wants to describe a person’s life—either a speaker’s own life, the life of someone they know personally, or the life of a famous person.