Question

Describe the three types of organizational patterns (topical, time-sequence, and spatial) for informative speeches. Give an example of a topic that would fit for each one.

Answer 1

Answer.

the most common pattern for organizing a speech, topical organisation is by categories or topics. The goal of a categorical/topical speech pattern is to create categories (or chunks) of information that go together to help the speaker organize the message in a consistent fashion. For example, in order to persuade a group of high school students about selecting a particular college campus for higher studies, a speaker can organisethe information into three basic categories: what it’s like to live in the dorms, what classes are like, and what life is like on campus.

The spatial speech pattern organizes information according to how things align together in physical space. The basic reason to choose this format is to show that the main points have clear locations which exist independently. Thus for instance, explanation of an organ system such as the digestive system in a Biology class can utilise spatial speech pattern to describe the role of the oesophagus, stomach, then the liver, the intestines and finally the pancreas in explaining how food is digested and made available for use in the body. It is spatial because the organization pattern is determined by the physical location of each body part in relation to the others as discussed in the speech.

A third common way to organise speech is by the use of a chronological order or sequence of time. This type of speech pattern places the main idea in the time order in which items appear—either in a backward or forward form. For instance, in building a sequence of events that led to the First World War, one May begin the speech with talking about the Industrial Revolution And the conflict between the European countries over establishing colonies in Asia And Africa. Then, one can include other developments such as the rise of nationalism in Europe, and finally discuss the assassination of the Archduke of Austria Francis Ferdinand by Serbian militia as an immediately cause for the outbreak of war. By placing these three categories, we develop a system for understanding this historical material based on the events of the early 20th century.