How to Write an Outline for a Narrative Speech

The outline for a narrative speech is the blueprint for a speaker to follow

Just as a builder needs a blueprint to follow when building a house, a speaker needs an outline to follow when preparing a speech, and this principle is just as true for a narrative speech as it is for a persuasive, informative or how-to speech. After all, an outline is essential if you wish to deliver an effective speech because it will help ensure that all your ideas flow logically from beginning to end.

Things You'll Need

• Narrative topic
• Pen and paper or word-processing software

Instructions

1. Write the specific purpose statement. The specific purpose statement is placed at the top of the outline, after the title, and expresses what you intend to accomplish with your speech. A narrative is a story about an event or series or events, either in your life or another person's life, but what is the purpose of your relating this particular story? For example, what if you wanted to tell the audience about your good friend, Tom, who has the worst luck of anyone you know? Would you want listeners to laugh at Tom's misadventures, would you want them to learn some lesson or would want to accomplish both goals?

2. State the central idea. This is one complete sentence that provides the main idea you intend to get across during the course of your speech. For example, if you intended to tell a humorous narrative about Tom and his bad luck, your central idea might be expressed in this manner: "My friend, Tom, has the worst luck of anyone I know." Of course, during the course of the speech, you would have to prove this judgment to the audience by relating events and providing details that demonstrated the extent of Tom's terrible luck.

3. Label the three main parts of the outline: Introduction, Body and Conclusion. Either center these labels on the page or align them at the left margin. (If you are a student and writing the outline for a class, ask your instructor which format is preferable.)

4. Create the headings for the main points, sub-points and sub-sub-points. Use Roman numerals to identify the main points, capital letters to identify the sub-points and numbers to identify the sub-sub-points. You might also have sub-sub-sub-points, and lower-case letters are used to identify these.

   This framework helps you create relationships between ideas. For example, your first main point could simply be a statement about Tom's bad luck, the first sub-point an incident that proves this statement and the first sub-sub-point the results of this incident. However, according to Stephen E. Lucas, author of "The Art of Public Speaking," it's important to remember that "all points at the same level should immediately support the point that is just above it and one notch to the left in your outline." Below is an example that demonstrates this relationship between points:

   I. President (Main Point)
   A. Vice President (Sub-point)
   1. Manager (Sub-sub-point)
   a. Assistant Manager (Sub-sub-sub-point)

5. Write the introduction, body and conclusion. You are now going to fill in the blanks, using the framework of the outline as a guide. The introduction is how you intend to begin your narrative speech. In other words, what do you intend to say? How will you get the audience's attention? The body is everything you intend not only to say but also to do during the course of the speech. Do you intend to use visual aids? If so, exactly when do you intend to use them, and what is their specific purpose? Finally, the conclusion is how you intend to end the speech? What do you intend to say? What do you intend to do? Will you perhaps share one last short anecdote? Will you tell a joke? Will you leave the audience with some food-for-thought? Remember, the outline is the blueprint for your speech, and if you "draw" it with enough attention to detail, you will greatly increase the chances of your delivering an effective narrative speech.

Tips & Warnings

• Express main points and sub-points in complete sentences. Sub-sub-sub-points, however, are usually not expressed in complete sentences but phrases, for example, "Tom's injured back." Then again, some instructors require complete sentences for all points, so students should ask for guidance.

References

• "The Art of Public Speaking"; Stephen E. Lucas; 1998