• 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

Outlining Your Presentation

Another method of organizing your presentation’s content is to use an outline, which places the components of your speech in a specific order and with particular formatting conventions (indenting, numbering, and so on) to indicate the relative importance of, and the relationships among, those sections. Like the speech framer, an outline provides a road map for your presentation. And like the speech framer, you can only create an outline once you’ve identified your purpose, central idea, key points, supporting material, and a potential organizational pattern for your topic.

Outlines vary in format and level of detail. If your speaking situation requires an outline, follow the two basic rules that apply to all outlines: use numbers, letters, and indentations; and keep the outline consistent.

USE NUMBERS, LETTERS, AND INDENTATIONS

Every part of an outline should be systematically numbered, lettered, and indented to signal the hierarchy of ideas in your presentation. Roman numerals (I, II, III, and so on) signify the largest major divisions at the top of the hierarchy. We recommend using a roman numeral I for your introduction, roman numeral II for the body, and roman numeral III for the conclusion since these sections are vital to a presentation’s structure and success.

After using roman numerals to establish the major sections of your presentation, indented uppercase letters (A, B, C, and so on) identify the major sections in your introduction and the key points in the body of your presentation. Further indented arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, and so on) indicate the next level down in the hierarchy of your outline. They are used to substantiate the key points with supporting material. If you need a fourth level, use lowercase letters (a, b, c, and so on). If you include subsections to a point, include at least two subsections—after all, you can’t divide something into just one part. In other words, if there is a point A, there must be a point B; for every subpoint 1, there should be a subpoint 2. For example:

  1. Introduction
  2. Body
    1. Key point 1
      1. Supporting material
      2. Supporting material
    2. Key point 2
      1. Supporting material
      2. Supporting material
  3. Conclusion

KEEP THE OUTLINE CONSISTENT

Use a consistent writing style throughout your outline. For each key point (A, B, C), use a single word, phrase, or full sentence, but don’t mix styles. You may need more detail when you get to the arabic-number level (1, 2, 3), but try to be consistent in style and grammar at each level. If you begin a subpoint with a verb, the subpoints that follow should also start with a verb. This will make your outline easier to read and will help you find precise language for each section when delivering your presentation.

✓CONSISTENT STYLE:

I. Myths about anger

II. Management of anger

✓CONSISTENT STYLE:

I. Understanding the myths about anger

II. Managing your anger

✗INCONSISTENT STYLE:

I. Myths about anger

II. Managing your anger

Glossary

outline
A method for organizing the CONTENT of a presentation in a specific order using conventional formatting rules to indicate the importance of and relationships among major sections, KEY POINTS, and SUPPORTING MATERIAL.