Public Speaking

122 CHAPTER^9 Organizing Your Main Points

Signposts and Transitions

Signposts signal the audience about what’s ahead in the speech. They include words

such as first, next, and finally that introduce new points and help your listeners identify

the flow of your ideas. Other words and phrases such as in addition, for example, therefore,

and as a result connect one idea to another. Phrases such as the main thing to remember

or most importantly highlight ideas you want to emphasize. Here are two examples of

signposts from Jordan’s outline:

•   First, let’s look at the problem of e-waste.

•   More importantly, electronics contain a bevy of harmful chemicals.

Transitions summarize what you’ve covered and where you’ll go next in the speech.

You can use them both between points and within one of your points. Here is a simple

transition between Zitong’s major points:^16

Now that we’ve seen how Chinese couples prepare for a traditional wedding

[where we’ve been], let’s look at their actual wedding day [where we’re going].

Her second major point was, “Three main events take place on the wedding day:

welcoming the bride, performing the ceremony, and pranking the bridal chamber.” After

she describes the first two causes, she can transition to the final one by saying:

After the bride is welcomed and the ceremony performed [first and second

subpoint], friends and relatives gather in the bridal chamber to “prank” the couple

[third subpoint].

Internal Previews and Internal Summaries

Internal previews occur within the body of your speech when you briefly tell the

subpoints you will develop under one of your major points. For instance, this internal

preview, “Epiphany celebrations vary in Louisiana, Argentina, and Mexico,” shows that

Cheyenne will use a spatial pattern to develop one of her main points.^17

Summarizing a point or points after you’ve made them is an internal summary.

Thus, this sentence summarizes the causes before moving on to the effects of amusement

park accidents:

In short, we have seen that equipment failure, operator failure, and rider behavior

combine to create thousands of tragedies annually.

In summary, connectives are the words, phrases, and sentences used to weave your

ideas together and enhance the flow of your speech as a whole. As Table 9.2 shows, they

serve to introduce your points, show the relationship of one point to another, preview

and summarize points within the speech, and overall help your listeners keep their place

in your speech.

signpost connective such as
first, most importantly, and
consequently that links ideas,
lends emphasis, and helps
listeners keep their place in
the speech

transition summarizes
where you’ve been and where
you’re going in your speech

internal preview brief
in-speech summary that
foretells the subpoints you’ll
develop under a major point

internal summary restates
the ideas within a point or
points

TabLe 9.2

Connectives

Signposts Words such as first and next introduce points; phrases such as for

example and as a result connect ideas

Transitions Summarize where you’ve been and where you’re going in the speech

Internal Preview Brief statement of the subpoints you’ll develop under a main point

Internal Summary Brief summary of the point or points you just made in the speech

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