Real Communication An Introduction

Chapter 13  Organizing, Writing, and Outlining Presentations 373

strategy is often based on which element—cause
or effect—is more familiar to the intended
audience: if you’re talking about fuel prices, for
example, it might be best to start with the cost
of gasoline—a very familiar expense—and work
backward from there. The cause–effect pattern of
organization is especially useful when your purpose
is to get your audience to agree with or understand
your point rather than to call people to action.

Narrative Pattern

Speakers often tie their points together in a way
that presents a vivid story, complete with characters,
settings, plot, and imagery. This is called a narrative
pattern. However, most speeches built largely on a
story (or a series of stories) are likely to incorporate
elements of other organizational arrangements. For example, you might pre-
sent a story in a cause–effect design, in which you first reveal that something
happened (such as a small aircraft crash) and then describe the events that led
up to the accident (the causes).

Motivated Sequence Pattern

The motivated sequence pattern, created more than seventy years ago by the
noted public speaking scholar Alan Monroe, is a five-step plan for organizing
a speech that can be useful in a variety of contexts. Based on the psychological
elements of advertising, the motivated sequence pattern includes five phases:
attention, need, satisfaction, visualization, and action. Monroe argued that
these five steps motivate listeners and may be modified to suit the desired
outcome of your speech. Presentations that lend themselves to the motivated
sequence include persuasive presentations, inspirational speeches, graduation
addresses, speeches advocating social change, and motivational talks. For a
more detailed discussion and examples of Monroe’s motivated sequence, please
see pp. 487–488 in Chapter 16.

Connecting Your Points

When you’re pulling together, supporting, and arranging your points, you
may find yourself falling into what we like to call the “grocery list trap.” Essen-
tially, this is where your speech begins to seem like a thorough list of good but
seemingly unrelated ideas. So, how do you move smoothly from one point to
another? The key lies in your use of transitions, signposts, and internal previews
and summaries.

Transitions

Transitions are sentences that connect different points, thoughts, and details in
a way that allows them to flow naturally from one to the next. Clear transitions
cue the audience in on where you’re headed with the speech and how your ideas

WHEN ORGANIZING

your speech in a narrative

pattern, put your feet in a

storyboard artist’s shoes.

Visualize your outline as a

storyboard, and think of your

speech points as scenes. The

Kobal Collection at Art Resource, NY

Clearly, transitions help to

clarify messages and keep

them flowing in oral and

written forms of communi-

cation. But do transitions

function similarly in mediated

communication contexts?

For example, how might you

transition between points

and ideas via text message

or instant message?

AND YOU?