192 9.2 Organizing and Outlining YOur Speech
You can sometimes use the five standard organizational patterns to arrange
your supporting material. Illustrations, for instance, may be organized chrono-
logically. In the following example, the speaker uses a chronological sequence of
several brief illustrations of cutting-edge technology:.... miracle has followed upon miracle—from a television in every home in
the 1950s, to the launching of the first communications satellite in the 1960s,
to the introduction of cable TV in the 1970s, the rise of personal computers
in the 1980s, the Internet in the 1990s, and social media in the 2000s.^11
At other times, however, none of the five patterns may seem suited to the
supporting materials you have. In those instances, you might need to turn to
an organizational strategy that is more specifically adapted to your supporting
materials. These strategies include (1) primacy or recency, (2) specificity, (3) com-
plexity, and (4) “soft” to “hard” evidence.
Primacy or recency We have already discussed how the principles of pri-
macy and recency can determine whether you put a main idea at the beginning
or the end of your speech. These patterns are used so frequently to arrange sup-
porting materials that we mention them again here.
Suppose that you have several statistics to support a main point. All are rele-
vant and significant, but one is especially gripping. In a recent speech, American
Cancer Society CEO John Seffrin showed images of and described the following
brief examples of international tobacco advertising:
The effort to build brand loyalty begins early. Here is an example of that
in Africa—a young man wearing a hat with a cigarette brand logo....
Look at this innocent baby wearing a giant Marlboro logo on his
shirt....
Notice how this ad links smoking to American values that are
attractive to third-world kids—wealth, sophistication, and urbanity. It
also shows African Americans living the American Dream. If you’re a
poor kid in Africa, this image can be very powerful.
And finally, this one from Bucharest, Romania, which is my favorite.
When the Berlin Wall came down, no one rushed into Eastern Europe
faster than the tobacco industry. Here you can see the Camel logo etched
in the street lights. In my opinion, this is one of the most disturbing exam-
ples of the public sector partnering with private industry to the detriment
of its citizens.^12
It is evident that Seffrin applied the principle of recency to his examples,
as he identifies the final one as “my favorite” and “one of the most disturbing.”
The principle of primacy or recency can also be applied to groups of statistics,
opinions, or any combination of supporting material.sPeciFicity Sometimes your supporting material will range from very spe-
cific examples to more general overviews of a situation. You may either offer
your specific information first and end with your general statement or make the
general statement first and support it with specific evidence.