informative speech

The heading of your formal outline contains the title of your speech, the topic, and the specific purpose statement.  These must be included on your outline but are not to be stated in your speech.  You actually begin your speech with your attention getter and continue with your thesis statement and preview.  Then you will transition into the body of the speech starting with your first main point.  You could have four transitions in your speech.  In the conclusion, you will want to summarize your speech and actually conclude. 

The works consulted or works cited is also known as the bibliography and it is placed at the end of the outline.  You must use reliable, reputable, unbiased sources for your bibliography.  Use Academic Search Premiere, Ebscohost, and/or Wilson Biographies if you are doing a biographical speech.  A “.org” or “.com” site is not usually acceptable.  You must put the complete bibliographic source citation on the outline.  Example:  "Picasso.com" or "Picasso.org" is not acceptable. 

I like to tell my students this:  In the introduction, you tell us what you are going to tell us.

In the body of the speech, you tell us.

In the conclusion, you tell us what you told us. 

I know it can sound repetitive to repeat the points in the introduction, body and conclusion but that is the way it goes in speechmaking. 

The formal outline should be written in complete sentences. The formal outline is good for you to use as you practice your speech initially.  Then you need to use your note cards. You should use key words or phrases.  You must not write out complete sentences or write too much on your note cards because the temptation is to read from the note cards.  You can write a direct quotation and read it to us.