Structure of Speech

Khaizran Iftekhar
Micro Structures: Using Language to
Organize Ideas

 The key idea underlying verbal organizational is this :

 People use language to structure and thereby make sense of their world.
 Think of some language strategies you use to organize parts of your life.
 Numarical order: in the first place… Such language establishes sequence
 Temporal Order: Before I… After you do…” this language establishes when
things might be done.
 Physical Space “In the middle ; “To the west, east and South..” Establishing
special releationships sllows you to see physical oder through language.
 Topics or types” “Executive , legislative and Judicial branches of
government” Animal, Vegetable and Mineral. Past , present and Future”.
Dividing a subject in to a manageable and memorable topics help clarify
relationships.
 Narrative Order: “Once upon a time” ; “I heard the story the other day I
awoke with a start that morning. “ Turning a series of events into a story.
 Logistic interference: Because of this… therfore…” As evidence for this
assertion ;, I believe that because”. These patterns show connections
between ideas, thereby indicating what follows from what.
 Hierarchies: “ Higher , lower;, Inside , Outside;, “underclass , middle class,
upper class. Main Points, secondary points. We often build hierarchies to
help us understand or argue for what is more or less central to our lives.
Meso Structures: Patterns of internal
Organizations
Following are five key criteria for communicating ideas

1, The organization of main points must be easy for the audience to grasp and
remember
 Listeners find it easier to track your ideas if they see relationships among the
main points. If the structure is clear, they even anticipate your next point through
the pattern.
2. The pattern must allow full, balanced coverage of the material it organizes.

 Spend appropriate time on every topic

3. The pattern should be appropriate to the occasion.

 Expected to observe group traditions

 Example: political fund raising speeches almost always built around a problem-solution
format with a call for contribution as the action step
4. The pattern should be adapted to the audience’s needs and level of
knowledge.
 Depends on audience awareness of an issue/problem
 If listeners are not well informed, then there is a need to explain history & context

5. The speech must move forward steadily toward a complete and satisfying
end
 Keeping listeners with u is easier if they have a clear idea of where speech is heading
 Use clear transitions b/w main points
 Following are some other useful patterns for structuring the bodies of
speech:

 Topical
 Chronological
 Spatial
 Causal (cause & effect)
Topical

 Standardizes subject matter divisions

 Justify the limitations by indicating why you are not talking about other facets

 Arrange by the audience’s most immediate needs or interest

 E.g., stress in college students’ lives

 Physical stress
 Emotional stress
 Social stress
Chronological

 It is the temporal structuring of events.

 Used for topics that describe a sequence of events (temporal sequence)

 Used to unfold a story or narrative (narrative sequence)

 Temporal Sequence
 Begin at some period or date & move forward (or backward) systematically to provide
background info
 Selection & sequencing of events are strategic moves, use the past to explain the present
 Example: Pak studies, historical books

 Narrative Sequence
 When speaker wants to do more than explain or provide background for some problem
 To draw conclusions about series of events
 Example: lawyers tell stories in arguing for their defendants’, guilt or innocence
 Stories are the source of supporting material
Spatial Pattern

 Speeches purpose is to describe or explain the physical arrangement of a

place, a scene, or an object

 Main points are arranged in order of their physical proximity or direction

relative to one another

 Geographical pattern organizes material according to well known regions

or areas

 Example: Tour of a particular place

Causal (Cause-Effect) Pattern

 Described as providing a cause and effect relationship

 Cause-effect pattern (e.g., presentation is the best way to increase

student’s confidence)

 Effect-cause pattern (as students lack confidence the reason could be

lack of performance in social situation. Thus their confidence could be
increased through presentations)
MACRO STRUCTURE: THE FIVE BASIC
STEPS OF THE MOTIVATED SEQUENCE
 Motivated Sequence:

A five step process that begins with arousing the

listeners’ attention and ends with calling for
action. Very effective when you want the
audience to do something.
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence

 Step 1 Attention: Grab audience attention

 Step 2 Need: Clearly establish the need and describes the issues
that need to be addressed
 Step 3 Satisfaction: Offers the audience members a proposal to
reinforce or change their attitudes, beliefs or values
 Step 4 Visualization: Provide the audience with a vision of
anticipated outcomes associated with the solution
 Step 5 Action: Making a direct request of the audience. Call them
to action.
 The Monroe Sequence
Sequence" is intended to
motivate the audience to
respond to the speaker's
purpose.

In its most complete form, the

Motivated Sequence consists of
five steps.
THE FIVE STEP PROCESS:

1. Attention
2. Need
3. Satisfaction
4. Visualization
5. Action
Chronological Patterns

1. Attention:

1. Gain the attention of the audience

 2. Need

 focus on the needs of audience

 3. Satisfaction

 Satisfy the need with a solution

 4. Visualization

 Intensify desire for solution

Step 1 -- Attention

 Get the attention of the audience

 Relate to the audience
 Show the importance of your topic
 Use a startling opening
 Arouse curiosity
 Stories, visual aids
Example – Attention Step

 Imagine feeling tired, lethargic, and depressed every day

 Now imagine waking each day feeling strong and happy
 You can feel this way by eating properly and reducing fast food and junk
food from your life
Step 2 -- Need

 Relate it to values / vital concerns of audience

 Intrinsic need (self motivation)
 Extrinsic need (avoiding bullying in school)
Example – Need Step

 You need to eat correctly to save your life

 You are at risk of
 High blood pressure
 Diabetes
 Obesity
 Shortened life
Step 3 -- Satisfaction

 Offer a solution to the issue

 Offer a plan for success
Example – Satisfaction Step

 You can exercise daily

Step 4 -- Visualization

 Intensify desire by visualizing benefits

 Use vivid language and imagery
 Show what audience will get from it
 Demonstrate how they will profit
 Positive method of visualization
 Negative method of visualization
 Contrast method of visualization
Example – Visualization Step

 Visualize being stronger by dropping the fast food and junk food
Step 5 – Action

 Encourage a specific call to action

 Explain what they need to do and how to do it
 Stirring appeal that reinforces commitment to act
Example – Action Step

 to join a diet organization

 Donate money for an organization
Using the Motivated Sequence to
Frame a Speech
 TO TO TO TO
General End
INFORM ENTERTAIN PERSUADE ACTUATE

SPECIFIC
UNDERSTANDING BELIEF
Reaction Sought ENJOYMENT ACTION
CLARITY INTERNAL
OBSERVABLE

Draw attention to the Draw attention to the Draw attention to the Draw attention to the
Attention Step
subject. theme. need. need.

Present evidence to prove

Show why the listeners the existence of a
Present evidence to prove
need knowledge of the situation which requires
Show why the theme is the existence of a
Need Step subject; point out what that something be decided
worthy of consideration. situation which requires
problems this information and upon which the
action.
will help them meet. audience must take a
position.

Present
Propose the specific
information to give them a
Get the audience to action required to meet
satisfactory knowledge of Elaborate on theme
believe that your position this situation; get the
the subject as an aid in through numerous
on this question is the audience to believe in it by
Satisfaction Step the solution of these illustrations that will elicit a
right one to take, by using presenting evidence and
problems; begin and end pleasurable reaction from
evidence and motivational motivational appeals (as
this presentation with a the audience.
appeals. in the speech to
summary of the main
persuade).
points presented.

Picture the results which

Sometimes: briefly Sometimes: briefly Briefly stimulate a
such action or the failure
suggest pleasure to be suggest what is to be favorable response by
Visualization Step to take it will bring; use
gained from this gained through humorous projecting this belief into
vivid description (as in the
knowledge. examination of the theme. imaginary operation.
speech to persuade).