Imagine you are assigned to present an informative speech on a topic of your choosing. Select and narrow a topic and using the structure and patterns above, brainstorm a rough outline of the subpoints in your speech structure. In the right or left margin, make notes about the type of organizational pattern you choose to use in a section (e.g., chronological? Spatial?) Be sure that each main body section has at least two subsections (i.e., at least an “A” and a “B”) and ensure that you cover your topic sufficiently enough to help increase the audience’s knowledge, understanding and awareness of your informative topic. Afterward, exchange your draft with a classmate so you can review each other’s work and offer suggestions for improvement.

Keep in mind the visual content’s impact on the audience! Visual aids or visual support materials sometimes shown on a PowerPoint slide or prop can enhance your message significantly. Consider your draft outline from the activity above— where do you think you could include some kind of visual support (a photo, a demonstration, a diagram, or other visual image) to help further reinforce or clarify your message? Visual support also can reinforce the emotional appeals of a message, so it is important to consider and include where they are useful and appropriate for the message and audience. Also, some images may not be appropriate for certain audiences. For example: Unless you are giving a speech to medical students, showing a video or a picture of open-heart surgery may make your audience members squeamish and uncomfortable.