Outlining Your Speech 9.4 205
friends at Shippensburg University, we may never think of vending
machines in the same way again—but it is important to understand that
convenience can sometimes come at a cost. It is important that we keep
ourselves and our campuses safe. Join me by signing my petition to
ensure that our safety and health come first, because giving students’
health a “college try” is just not safe enough.
rEFErEnCES
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (November 2013). Com-
mittee opinion: Access to emergency contraception. Retrieved from http://www
.acog.org/Resources_And_Publications
Associated Press (2013, January 25). FDA won’t regulate PA birth control machine.
Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2013/01/25/fda-wont-
regulate-birth-control-machine/As16uxqSxiCm6G0YGN1YTK/story.html.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (February 2013). Use of emer-
gency contraception among women aged 15–44. United States. 2006–2010.
Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db112.htm.
Kahelnborn, C., & Severs, W. (2012). Emergency contraception. Cleveland Clinic
Journal of Medicine, 80(3), 185.
Shippensburg University. Etter health center. Retrieved from http://www.ship.edu/
Health_Center/
Springer, K. (2012, February 8). Pennsylvania college sells “morning after” pills in
vending machine. Time. Retrieved from http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/02/08/
pennsylvania-college-sells-morning-after-pills-in-vending-machine
Developing Your Speaking Notes
As you rehearse your speech, you will find that you need your preparation out-
line less and less. Both the structure and the content of your speech will become
set in your mind. At this point, you are ready to prepare a shorter outline to
serve as your speaking notes.
Although your speaking notes should not be so detailed that you will be
tempted to read rather than speak to your audience, this outline should pro-
vide detail sufficient to ensure that you can make your presentation as you have
planned in your preparation outline. Format your speaking notes clearly. NASA
blamed the loss of the space shuttle Columbia in part on the fact that an outline on
possible wing damage was “so crammed with nested bullet points and irregular
short forms that it was nearly impossible to untangle.”^24
Figure 9.5 illustrates speaking notes for Brianne’s presentation on emer-
gency contraception. Here are a few specific suggestions for developing your
own speaking notes.
cHoose your tecHnoLogy Speaking notes can be high tech or low tech.
You may decide to display your outline on a laptop or electronic tablet—perhaps
utilizing one of several apps available for speaking notes—or you may opt to
use old-fashioned note cards. Even if you plan to use an electronic option, you
may want to have a backup outline on note cards in case of technical difficulty.
Following her instructor’s
requirements, Brianne includes
in her preparation outline a list
of her references, formatted in
aPa style.