Real Communication An Introduction

394 Part 4  Public Speaking

prompt you to say: “Sleep deprivation costs businesses more than $3,000 per

employee annually, in terms of lowered productivity, according to a report by

Patrick Skerritt in The Harvard Business Review.” For material quoted word for

word from the source, the oral citation must clarify that the material is in fact

quoted rather than your own expression (“As Skerritt notes, ‘This doesn’t include

the cost of absenteeism—those with insomnia missed an extra five days a year

compared to good sleepers’”). In such instances, you will likely want to use full

sentences in your outline, rather than key words or phrases, to ensure that you

do not misquote or misrepresent your source.

Finally, you should choose a comfortable format for using your speaking

outline in front of your audience. You may transfer the outline to note cards,

which will enable you to flip through notes quickly; alternatively, you might

create virtual note cards on your smartphone or tablet, or you might prefer to

use a standard-size sheet of paper. In many classroom situations, your instructor

will indicate the preferred format.

From Preparation Outline to Speaking Outline

Title: Sleep It Off: Understanding the Dangers of Sleep Deprivation

General Purpose: To inform

Specific Speech Purpose: To inform my audience about the dangers of

sleep deprivation so that they may take appropriate steps to avoid this

troubling medical issue.

Thesis Statement: You must understand the causes and effects of

sleep deprivation—as well as simple steps you can take to avoid it—in

order to improve your life now and avoid costly personal and social

ramifications.

Sample Preparation Outline (^) •
Introduction
I. Do you ever feel like you’re struggling to juggle relationships, work,
and classes? Many of us do, and often enough, the first thing we cut
out of our busy daily routine is sleep. •
II. For better or worse, the human body needs an adequate amount of
sleep to function properly, and my research indicates that we simply
aren’t getting enough of it.
III. You must understand the causes and effects of sleep deprivation, as
well as simple steps to take to avoid it, to improve your life now and
avoid costly personal and social ramifications. •
IV. Today I will speak about sleep deprivation. I will begin by explain-
ing what it is, before moving on to its causes and effects, and exam-
ining simple solutions to the problem. •
SAMPLE SPEECH OUTLINE 13.1

• Note that the speaker uses a
  sentence outline style through-
  out the preparation outline.


• The speaker opens with an
  attention-getting question and
  offers a response that the audi-
  ence will likely relate to.


• Thesis statement


• Preview of main points

How do you outline? Do you

think of an outline as a hard-

and-fast map, written before

you begin writing and strictly

adhered to throughout the

process? Or do you start

with a rough outline, revising

and refining the organization

as you move through the

writing process?

AND YOU?