A Place to Hang Your
Thoughts: Effective Message Structure
When you arrange your
points, consider the traditional patterns of speech organization, but also be
aware of how the sequence of ideas will affect your audience psychologically.
This material is based on
Ehninger, Douglas, et al. Principles and Types of Speech Communication. 9th
Ed. Glenview, IL: Scott, Forseman and Co., 1986 and Sprague, Jo and Douglas
Stuart. Speaker’s Handbook. 2nd Ed. San Diego: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1988.
The structure of pattern of roads and driving
Lines
Lights
Signs
Right side of road
Your text book
Chapters
Bold words
italics
Marginal notes
Questions
Key words
Punctuation
Capitalization
Spaces between words
Human beings work to make sense out of their environment.
If a person can find a pattern in a stimulus, they will better attend to and
remember the stimulus.
Therefore, an outline is
not merely an exercise in logic.
Most principles of outlining extend from principles of logic
that stand independent of any specific audience or persuasive purpose.
However, a logical outline, while being elegant in a
logical sense, may not be persuasive.
The structure is a persuasive tool, not a logical device.
Therefore, for a message to
be effective, the pattern of a message must be clear to an audience so they
will make the appropriate connections and remember.
Think of your structure as a scaffolding
or set up pegs on which the audience can hang your ideas.
The structure of the points in your speech is a pattern to
which the audience can make connections.
Different cultures prefer
different patterns of thought:
West—linear sequential
Hebrew—lateral, non-sequential
a.
Historical development—most common
i.
If
you were giving a speech on the course of European music 1600-1900, you might
arrange it this way:
1.) The
Baroque period (1600- 1750)
2.) The
Classical period (1720- 1810)
3.) The
Romantic period (1800- 1900)
b.
Past-present-future.
i.
In
a speech on automobile propulsion, you might arrange your ideas in this manner:
1.) In
the days of cheap oil, auto engines did not need to be energy efficient.
2.) Today,
stopgap attachments are being used to upgrade engine efficiency.
3.) We
can look forward to new technologies that may even replace the need for
fossil-fuel-burning engines.
c.
Step by step.
i.
The
topic “How to keep fit through aerobic exercise” could generate this outline:
1.) Determine
the resting and working heart rate for your age.
2.) Begin
each session with stretching exercises and low-level cardiovascular warm-up.
3.) Through
vigorous exercise maintain your working heart rate for thirty to forty minutes.
4.) Allow
at least ten minutes for cool-down and stretching exercises.
a.
Geography.
i.
Topic:
Crime
1.) Crime on the Eastern Seaboard
2.) Crime in the Midwest
3.) Crime on the
Pacific Coast
ii. Topic:
Crime
1.) Rural Crime
2.) Urban Crime
3.) Suburban Crime
b.
Smaller
area
i.
Topic:
An aircraft instrument panel
1.) I.
Instruments needed to maintain controlled flight are on the left side of the
panel.
a.) Compass
b.) Altimeter
c.) Artificial horizon
d.) Turn and bank indicator
e.) Air speed indicator
2.) II.
Instruments providing information on the operating condition of the aircraft
are on the right side.
a.) Tachometer
b.) Manifold pressure gauge
c.) Oil temperature gauge
d.) Oil pressure gauge
e.) Fuel gauge
a.
A cause-effect structure is well suited to a speech
where the goal is to achieve either understanding or
agreement rather than overt action.
i.
There
has been a sharp increase in housing costs over the last decade
[as a result]
ii. It
is extremely difficult for a one-income family to purchase a house.
b.
Occasionally
the pattern may be reversed to an effect-cause sequence.
i.
It
is extremely difficult for a one-income family to purchase a house.
[this is because]
ii. There
has been a sharp increase in housing costs over the last decade. Of course,
when using the cause-effect pattern, you must be sure that the causal
relationship you propose is a valid one.
a.
In persuasive speeches that advocate a new policy or a
specific course of action.
i.
The
current system of financing health care in the United
States is inadequate.
[to remedy this]
ii. A
system of national health insurance would provide medical care to all citizens.
b.
Possibly solution-problem pattern, but rarely.
i.
A
system of national health care insurance would provide adequate medical care to
all citizens.
[this is necessary because]
ii. The
current system of financing health care in the United
States is inadequate.
a.
Most common.
b.
Most
difficult in that you cannot rely on a predetermined structure, but must
understand the range and limitations of the subject itself in order to select
an effective pattern.
c.
A list of reasons
i.
Thesis:
Capital punishment should be abolished.
1.) Capital punishment does not deter crime.
2.) Capital punishment is ultimately more costly than life imprisonment.
3.) The risk of executing an innocent person is morally unacceptable.
d.
A deductive syllogism.
i. The United States cannot recognize both the
traditional regime and the current military junta in Ruritania. [major premise]
ii. It is essential to our national interest that we recognize the military junta.
[minor premise]
iii. The United States cannot continue to recognize the
traditional regime. [logical conclusion]
e.
An inductive format.
i. The city council keeps cutting police and fire department budgets. [and]
ii. There are potholes in the streets. [and]
iii. Municipal buses are out of service continuously. [and]
iv. City parks are poorly maintained. [therefore, logical
conclusion]
v. Our local government is not providing adequate services to the citizens.
1.
Choose the one that is most effective for your
purpose and audience. Choose what will be most clear and persuasive.
2.
Example: an informative speech on a vegetable
processing plant.
a.
You could:
i.
arrange the speech chronologically from when the produce
arrives to when the cartons of packaged food are shipped away.
ii. or arrange the speech spatially, leading the audience
through the front offices and around the floor of the plant.
b.
For
an audience familiar with food processing, either sequence might be fine.
c.
For an uninformed audience, though, the spatial
arrangement, which might start out in the quality control section, could be
confusing. The chronological pattern, starting with the vegetables arriving
from the fields, would be preferable.
1.
You can mix and match in almost any fashion
needed to convey your ideas in a clear, coherent manner.
2.
Whatever pattern is chosen, be sure that you use
it consistently, either at the level of main points or as you arrange a set of
subpoints under a main head.
3.
You can use one of the patterns that apply to
main points
4.
Or you can choose another method:
a.
Part to Whole.
i.
You
might describe the intricacies of a racing bicycle by discussing the wheels,
derailleur, and frame.
ii. If
your subject concerns the number of service organizations in your community,
you might list the meetings of the Kiwanis, Lions, and Rotary as subtotals of
the aggregate number of clubs in the area.
b.
Lists of Qualities or Functions.
i.
If
the main point suggests the purpose of some mechanical device, organization, or
procedure, the subpoints may list the specific functions it performs.
c.
Series of Causes or Results.
i.
The
causes of highway accidents, for example, could be examined under the subpoints
of excessive speed, drinking, poor road conditions, and improperly maintained
vehicles.
ii. The
results of a running program could be discussed under the subpoints of reduced
stress, better cardiovascular circulation, and improved fat/muscle ratio.
d.
Items
of Logical Proof
i.
If
you were arguing that “Strikes are wasteful” you might claim as your subpoints:
because workers lose their wages, employers lose their profits, and consumers
lose the products they might otherwise have had.
e.
Illustrative Examples.
i.
The
general statement that fluoride helps reduce tooth decay might have as its
subpoints a series of examples citing the experience of those cities which have
added fluoride to their drinking water.
5.
When arranging your points, keep these
psychological factors in mind:
a.
People generally can remember up to 7 items in a series
(think of a phone number, for example).
i.
Limit
the number of points to a number that will be memorable to the audience.
ii. Usually,
5 is the maximum.
b.
People
tend to remember the first thing the hear (primacy)
and the last thing they hear (recency).
i.
These
are the strong points in your message.
ii. Put
your most important points at the beginning or the end.
iii. There’s
no hard rule saying switch is better—start or finish.
1.) The
strongest point at the end may work best if you want to persuade a hostile or
neutral audience with a big finish.
2.) The
strongest point at the beginning may work best with a favorable audience to get
them off to a strong start.
3.) Either
way, don’t put your strongest point in the middle.
1.
Consider what fits the topic.
a.
History=chronology.
b.
Introducing
new product or machine=spatial or topical
c.
New solutions=problem-solution
2.
The specific purposes also may suggest which of
the patterns will be the most useful.
3.
Consider what fits your purpose.
a.
to explain the effects of
long-standing policies=chronological, cause-effect
b.
to illustrate that the location of an ambulance site will
make a difference in response time=a spatial pattern
4.
Consider what fits your audience
a.
If they’re already familiar with the topic, you don’t
need chronology.
b.
If
they already have firm objections to your message, a highly persuasive
structure may further alienate them.
