• Part 1 symbol pink circle
    getting started
  • Part 2 symbol blue triangle
    fundamentals
  • Part 3 symbol green square
    content
  • Part 4 symbol purple triangle
    delivery
  • Part 5 symbol three blue circles
    engaging your audience
  • Part 6 symbol orange asterisk
    speaking to inform
  • Part 7 symbol pink diamond
    speaking to persuade
  • Part 8 symbol green star
    speaking occasions

Framing Your Presentation

The speech framer, is a visual framework that identifies a place for every component of a presentation’s content.2 We often begin structuring a presentation with a speech framer because, generally, it puts the introduction, key points and supporting material, and conclusion on a single page, and it’s easy to modify. Think of it as a road map to your presentation.

SPEECH FRAMER TEMPLATE

Introduction:

Central idea:

Key points

1.

2.

3.

Supporting material

Supporting material

Supporting material

Supporting material

Connectives

Conclusion:

SPEECH FRAMER EXAMPLE: WHY AND HOW TO DEAL WITH ANGER

Introduction:

[Ask the audience] Have you ever been angry? Natural, human reaction. Soccer story.

Central idea:

Understanding anger can help you avoid, manage, and respond appropriately to your own and others’ anger.

Define anger: “Emotional response to unmet expectations” [Connective to key point 1]

Examples: Expected grade, promotion, honesty [Ask for more examples]

Key points

1. Anger myths

2. Your anger

3. Others’ anger

Supporting material

True or False? Anger can be helpful because it lets you vent your feelings.

  • True: Danger response
  • False: Angry people become angrier.

Admit you are angry.

  • No shouting
  • Control nonverbals: face, body, tone
  • (Ruth example)

Acknowledge.

  • “I understand how angry you are.”
  • “I’d be just as upset if I were you.”
  • “I should have . . . ”

Supporting material

True or False? Anger is caused when someone upsets or hurts you.

  • False: You are responsible for your anger.
  • Don’t blame others. (Ari example)

Avoid personal attacks.

  • Name-calling, threats, canceling
  • [Ask for more examples.]

Clarify.

  • “I don’t think I said I’d write the report.”
  • “How is this different from when we . . . ”

Supporting material

Use “I” statements.

  • “I expected . . . ”
  • “I don’t understand . . . ”
  • “I thought you said . . . ”

Collaborate

  • “Let’s work this out together.”
  • Example: Asking Petra to mediate

Connectives

How to manage anger?

Responding to someone else’s anger?

Conclusion:

Understand anger myths, manage your anger, and respond appropriately to others’ anger. Take responsibility for your feelings and behavior when you feel or face anger.

Carol Tavris (author of Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion) quote: Anger “requires an awareness of choice and an embrace of reason. It is knowing when to become angry . . . when to make peace; when to take action, and when to keep silent.”

The speech framer works best when you are speaking EXTEMPORANEOUSLY Part 4 symbol purple triangle (215), as opposed to using a manuscript or memorizing your presentation. It provides a set of well-prepared notes in a quick-to-reference format, making it easy to modify, move, add, and delete content before and as you speak. For example, if you discover that you have less time than you initially planned for, you can see your whole presentation at a glance and decide quickly which key points and/or supporting material you can shorten or eliminate. In this way, it encourages experimentation and creativity and serves as an efficient and adaptable set of speaking notes for any presentation.

Before using the speech framer, revisit your MIND MAP Part 3 symbol green square (154–55) and review the probable key points of your presentation. Then identify an appropriate ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN Part 3 symbol green square (157–66) and select the SUPPORTING MATERIAL Part 3 symbol green square (134–51) that you’ll need to achieve your purpose. Finally, arrange your content into the speech framer template. As you can see in the template, the speech framer is designed to resemble a window, with each pane providing space for each component of your presentation.

The speech framer template has space for three key points and three pieces of supporting material for each point, and you can adjust the format to accommodate any number of key points and supporting material for your particular speech. For example:

  • If you have four key points, add a fourth column to the frame.
  • If you have three key points but do not have relevant supporting material for one of the points, delete that key point—or do more research.
  • If there are three types of supporting material for one key point and two types for another, that’s okay—just make sure all the supporting material is strong.

Although you can usually put most of a presentation’s content on a one-page speech framer, there are some rhetorical situations where you may need more room than that. If, for example, your introduction is longer than usual or needs to be presented word for word along with your central idea, put those on the first page. A second page can cover the key points, supporting material, and connectives. If your conclusion doesn’t fit on the second page, put it on a third page.

Glossary

speech framer
A creative visual framework that provides a place for every component of a presentation on a single page, acting as a road map to your presentation and making delivery and adaptation easier.

Endnotes

  • The speech framer was developed by Isa Engleberg as an alternative and supplement to outlining. See Isa N. Engleberg and John A. Daly, Presentations in Everyday Life, 3rd ed. (Boston: Pearson, 2009), 217–18.Return to reference 2