Developing and Organizing Your Ideas

Your presentation will include an introduction, a thesis statement, a preview statement, the body of the presentation (which will include several main points, each with a few sub-points and connected with transitions), a summary and a conclusion.  This section will show you how to develop each of these parts, organize them in a formal outline, and develop the supporting materials you will need.

The Introduction

The introduction is brief, compared to the rest of the presentation, but must accomplish four important tasks:

1. 1. Get your audience’s attention by creating common ground
   2. Establish your credibility
   3. Prepare the audience for the topic
   4. Lead smoothly into the thesis statement

1. First, your introduction must get your audience’s attention by creating common ground. Even though an audience is prepared to listen as soon as you get up to speak, their attention is likely to be on personal concerns and interests until you begin.  When you start the presentation in a way that they can relate to and that will help them focus their attention on you, you will capture and hold their attention.  You must show how your topic relates to everyone in the audience, not to just one interest group, age group, or gender group.
2. Along with establishing common ground, you need to establish your credibility. Credibility is the quality of being trusted, reliable and believable.  You need to convey to the audience that the information you are presenting is reliable and that you, as a speaker, can be trusted to present accurate information.  In some cases, you will use direct credibility, which is a statement in the introduction that relates your direct experience with the topic such as “As a semi-professional catcher for the last five years…”, “Having studied the Forgiveness Project in my Restorative Justice course…” or “I participated in a volunteer building project last summer…”.  This does not mean you need to present yourself as an expert or pretend to know more than you do.  Your direct experience, however limited, will carry more weight with an audience than you might think.Credibility can also be conveyed indirectly.  Your audience will perceive you as credible when you are prepared, when you speak with poise and genuine interest in your topic, when you use examples and language that the audience can relate to, and when you demonstrate awareness of all in the audience.
3. Your introduction must prepare the audience for the topic. Introduce the subject area before getting to your thesis statement.  As you read through the examples that follow, make note of the last line of each introduction: this is the statement that lets the audience know the general topic area before getting to the specific focus of the presentation, which will be stated next in the thesis.
4. Finally, your introduction should lead smoothly into the thesis statement. The introduction should be structured in such a way that the thesis statement follows naturally from the information presented.

Keeping these four tasks in mind, read through the various examples of actual students’ presentation introductions that follow.  (The examples are introductions only; they do not include the thesis or the preview.)  The examples illustrate not only the above four tasks of an introduction, they also show at least eight different ways you can create an introduction that will get your audience’s attention and create common ground.

a) Develop curiosity: One way to get your audience’s attention is to build curiosity about your topic. This is how one student used the curiosity approach:

What would you say if I told you that I had discovered the fountain of youth? Would you be interested? Well, I’ve found something that can help you calm your nerves, improve your skin, aid your digestion, increase your energy, and to top it all off, it’s absolutely free! Still interested? Then I won’t keep you waiting any longer.  This wonderful, free “fountain of youth” can be found in your own home: it’s water.

Notice how the first sentence gets the audience’s attention, the third sentence establishes the speaker’s credibility, and the last sentence prepares the audience for the topic and leads into the thesis statement (which is not given in this part).

b) Hypothetical example: Ask the audience to imagine themselves in a particular place or situation. This is an effective way to involve your audience by having them create a picture in their minds.  Here are two examples where students opened with an effective hypothetical example:

In this example, the first six sentences get the audience’s attention, the next two sentences establish the speaker’s credibility, and the last sentence prepares the audience for the topic and leads into the thesis statement.

c) Rhetorical question: When you open your presentation with a question, but you are not expecting a direct answer, you have asked a rhetorical question. This is a simple way to get your audience’s attention because when a question is asked, there is an automatic mental reaction of trying to answer it.  This way, you get all of your audience thinking in the same direction.  Two students used rhetorical questions as follows:

In this and the following examples, see if you can identify which sentence or sentences do each of the four necessary tasks of the introduction:  get the audience’s attention, establish the speaker’s credibility, prepare the audience for the topic, and lead smoothly into the thesis statement.

d) Startling fact or statistic: You may have a specific statistic or fact about your topic that is significant enough to get your audience’s attention right away. The following two examples show effective use of statistics as an attention-getter:

e) Personal experience: Opening your presentation by recounting an actual personal experience can be a powerful way to quickly connect with the audience as seen in the following two examples:

f) Quotation: A quotation, the exact words of someone else, can be used as you would use a fact or statistic, as in these two examples:

g) Illustration or anecdotal example: Sometimes, a more detailed anecdote or example is what will best serve your purpose as in the example below. (One caution: make sure the detailed example you select is as concise as possible so that it does not make the audience wait too long for the central point, or thesis, that follows immediately after the introduction.)

h) Performance or dramatic action: Careful planning and thought must go into using this non-verbal method for getting the audience’s attention. The action used must be well rehearsed, brief, and clearly appropriate for the topic.  Here are three examples:

• One student, who gave her presentation on scoring in gymnastics competitions in the Olympics, began by doing a series of simple gymnastic moves. She then asked the audience, “What score do you think I deserved? All 10s? If you were a trained Olympics judge, you would have noticed the minute errors in technique that I displayed that would determine my score.”
• Another student did a short ballet performance before she explained the storytelling aspect of classical ballet. When she finished her movements, she stated to the audience “The moves you just saw are from the ballet version of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and are designed to help tell the story of this fairytale princess.”
• Dressed in baseball catcher attire, a student crouched down and gave several hand signals to lead into his presentation on the duties of the catcher during a baseball game. He then stood and said to the audience, “Believe it or not, I just let the pitcher know what pitch to throw to the particular batter who is at the plate. While my hand gestures may not have much meaning for you – yet – they are part of the nonverbal language that a catcher and pitcher use with one another during a baseball game.”

The Thesis Statement

The thesis statement has the same function in a presentation as in a written essay.  It provides the central idea about the topic you have chosen.  It lets the audience know what the presentation will be about and tells them what knowledge they can expect to have as a result of your presentation.

Writing a focused thesis statement makes writing the rest of your presentation easier.  It will help you make better decisions about what information to include and what to leave out, and about how to effectively organize the information.  Also, by writing a clear, concise thesis statement, the audience is more likely to understand it immediately when they hear it.  Remember, a presentation happens simultaneously with the audience; unlike a written essay, the audience cannot go back over the information if they miss it the first time around.

One way to approach writing a thesis statement is by seeing how it follows from your general topic.  Here are three examples:

Make sure the thesis is a single, clear, specific statement.  It should not be a question or a title as shown in the following examples:

Notice that none of the examples use phrases such as “Today I am going to talk about,” “My presentation is about,” or “I am going to tell you about.” These are dry, overused phrases which sound stiff and boring, and which focus on the speaker, not on the audience.  The sample thesis statements above illustrate more effective word choices, and as noted earlier in the definition of a thesis statement, they focus on what the audience will gain from the presentation.

The Preview Statement

The preview statement immediately follows the thesis statement in your presentation.  It tells the audience, in a single sentence, exactly how you plan to accomplish your goal by providing the main points of your presentation in the order they will occur.

The preview statement is important for your audience and for you.  It gives your audience a framework upon which they can place the details of your presentation as they hear them, and thus helps prepare them to listen well.  And, as a reminder to you of what you are going to say and when, it will help you stay focused and organized as you speak, and help you stay calm and confident.

Here, in bold, are preview statements that go with the thesis statements in the previous section:

• Once you are familiar with the differences between the two types of Bipolar Disorder, you will have a better understanding of what I and others with this Disorder are faced with. To create this familiarity, we will look at the definition of Bipolar Disorder, the differences between the two types of the Disorder, and the harmful effects of this mental health issue.
• It is important to understand what racial profiling is and how it affects not only specific groups but also the communities in which we live. We will look first at what racial profiling is and what it is not, how racial profiling came about, and under what circumstances racial profiling occurs.  
• When you know more about the Forgiveness Project, you will see how it helps people work through and move forward from personal trauma. By telling their stories, understanding their unique timeline, and hearing the experiences of others, victims of trauma can find personal healing.

You will likely revise your thesis and preview statements several times before you settle on the final wording to use in your presentation.  Even though it seems the central idea is stated clearly in the first draft, you may find that your ideas get clearer or more focused as you work on developing the main and supporting ideas, so revising the thesis and preview several times in the development process is common.

The Body: Main Points, Sub-Points, and Transitions

 As in a written essay, the body of the presentation is made up of main points and sub-points that are connected by transitions.

Main Points

The main points of the presentation support and develop the thesis.  Your preview statement identifies what the main points will be and the order they in which will occur.

Arrangement and Wording

The way you arrange the main points and the wording you use are crucial to helping your audience understand and follow the information.  (Reminder: do not write out your presentation word-for-word.  You will create far more problems than advantages for yourself if you write out your presentation.) The information below explains how to prepare the main points and sub-points in a way that will help you remember them.  You will use the main points and sub-points when you prepare the formal outline (see page 28) and also on your note cards (page 30).

1. Write each main point as a complete sentence on the outline and say it as a complete sentence when you deliver your presentation.
2. Write each main point in a way that develops key words in the thesis and preview statement.

For example, if your thesis states that the audience will examine “characteristics of binge drinking” your main points will identify and explain those characteristics; if your thesis tells the audience that they will learn some of the benefits of volunteering, each main point will be one of those benefits.  In example 1 above, the main points for Bipolar Disorder are identified in the preview: what it is, explanation of the two types, and the effects of each type – thus, these are the three main ideas that need to be written as a complete sentence as points A, B, and C.

3. Keep the wording of the main points concise and specific.

Your audience needs to hear each main point easily and clearly.  State only the main point and let the details follow.  For instance, say: “Binge drinking is distinctive from casual or social drinking” Avoid complex, lengthy topic sentences such as “Binge drinking is distinct from casual drinking because of how often it occurs and from social drinking because it happens more often than social occasions.” Remember, the ideas must be stated in such a way that the audience can easily identify them when they are stated; there is no repeat.

4. For most 5 – 10-minute presentations, use a minimum of two main points and a     maximum of four.

If you have less than two main points, you probably have overlooked important information, or you are trying to put too much information in a single point, or you may have chosen a topic that is too simple.

If you have more than four main points, you may have broken the topic into too many small parts, or perhaps you tried to cover too much material.  Check your points again to see if one or two of them can be combined, or whether a point or two can be eliminated.

Determining the Organizational Structure

The organizational structure for most informative presentations will likely be one of the following:

• Spatial order: This method organizes your main points in relation to one another in space. You might use this method if you want to explain how the parts of a machine work in relation to one another, to describe the different parts of the heart, or to show where to plant particular flowers in a garden.
• Chronological order: This method shows the relationship of your main points in time: what happens first, next, and so on. Chronological order is useful if you are explaining the stages of a disorder such as dementia, or the historical development of a current situation.
• Topical order: Use this method if the main points of your presentation have similar importance. Topical order would be appropriate for a presentation explaining binge drinking, the Forgiveness Project, or the physical and mental benefits of laughter.  You can arrange the points from most interesting to least interesting or vice versa, most common to most unusual or vice versa, or simply in a way that seems logical to you and effective for your audience.

Developing Sub-Points

Sub-points flesh out the skeleton of the presentation.  Here, you decide what details you need to emphasize in order to clearly explain each main point to your audience.  The sub-points should be written as key words or short phrases rather than complete sentences as you did with the main points.  Use two to four sub-points for each main point.

On the next page, you can see what the outline of the presentation on Bipolar Disorder looks like so far, with sentences for the introduction, thesis, preview and main points, and key words and phrases for the sub-points.  The major sections of the presentation are identified by Roman numerals (I. II. III. IV. V.), the main points are identified with capital letters (A. B. C.) and sub-points of the body are numbered (1. 2. 3.)  Indenting as shown in the example, also helps to show the organization of the presentation. (The other elements of the outline – the transitions, summary and conclusion – are not yet included.)

1. IAt 13 years old, I was diagnosed as manic depressive, now known as Bipolar Disorder. For the next 15 years, I lived in confusion, not feeling that I had the proper knowledge of my mental condition.  Everything I was told about Bipolar Disorder seemed a half-truth.  I felt I had some of the symptoms but not all of them.  Finally, two years ago, I started seeing a new doctor who told me there are two types of Bipolar Disorder…and I discovered I was Type II.
2. Once you are familiar with the differences between the two types of Bipolar Disorder, you will have a better understanding of what I and others with this Disorder are faced with.
3. To create this familiarity, we will look at a definition of Bipolar Disorder, the differences between the two types of the Disorder, and the harmful effects of this mental health issue.
   1. A better understanding of Bipolar Disorder starts with its definition.
      • definition
      • symptoms of mania
      • symptoms of depression (NIMH)
   2. There are key differences between the two types of the disorder.
      • depressive episodes
      • lower cap on mania
      • less “well time”
   3. Having severe episodes of depression can sometimes lead to serious

• • •   quote from Dr.  Insel
    •   rate of effects of both types
    •   importance

 Transitions

Transitions perform the same function in a presentation as they do in an essay.  Transitions help your ideas flow smoothly from one to the next, by

• helping the audience see the relationship between ideas.
• helping the audience follow the development of your ideas.
• helping you stay organized and avoid going off on tangents.

In a presentation, transitions are particularly important as they help both the audience and you, the speaker.  Transitions help the audience maintain the plan for listening set up by the preview statement.  Unlike someone reading an essay, a listener cannot go back over a piece of information if it is missed.  Therefore, the transitions help the audience retain the information they have just heard and prepare them to listen to the next pieces of information.  In addition, transitions also help you as the speaker stay calm and focused.  The transition is a reminder of what you need to say next; thus, you only have to remember a small part of the presentation at any given time, since you will clearly know the next point as identified by your transition statement.

You will use two kinds of transitions:  transition words or phrases, and transition sentences:

1. Transition words or phrases provide a smooth flow between the sub-points within each main idea. While you do not need to write these on the outline, they are important to know as you consider your sub points.  You will also use these words during the delivery of the presentation. Here are some examples of transition words:

spatial: next to, on top of, below, to the right, to the left, between

chronological: first, after that, next, then, once this has been completed

topical: in addition, furthermore, another

2. Transition sentences are used to link main points and should be written on the outline. A transition sentence should come at the end of one main point and before the next one begins.  It should be a single complete sentence that lets the audience know that one point is completed and the next one is being introduced.  A transition sentence also shows the relationship between the two points. By writing the transition sentence on the outline, and then on your note cards, you are more likely to remember to say it during the presentation.

Transition sentences are only needed between main points.  The first transition sentence comes after the first main point and before the beginning of the second main point, another will come after the second point and before the third, and when needed, another will come after the third and before the fourth main point.  You do not need a transition between the preview statement and the first main point, nor do you need a transition between the last main point and the summary.

Transition sentences must do three things:

• rename the point just finished
• forecast the point to come next
• show the relationship between the two

Continuing with the sample outline on Bipolar Disorder, notice how each of the two transition sentences (in bold) does these three things.

1. At 13 years old, I was diagnosed as manic depressive, now known as Bipolar Disorder. For the next 15 years, I lived in confusion, not feeling that I had the proper knowledge of my mental condition.  Everything I was told about Bipolar Disorder seemed a half-truth.  I felt I had some of the symptoms but not all of them.  Finally, two years ago, I started seeing a new doctor who told me there are two types of Bipolar Disorder…and I discovered I was Type II.
2. By learning the differences between the two types of Bipolar Disorder, you will have a better understanding of what a person with this Disorder is faced with.
3. To do this, we will look at a definition of Bipolar Disorder, the differences between the two types of the Disorder, and the harmful effects of this mental health issue.

A) A better understanding of Bipolar Disorder starts with its definition.

• • definition
  • symptoms of mania
  • symptoms of depression (NIMH)

While the definition explains Bipolar Disorder in general, further distinctions must be made.

B) There are key differences between the two types of the disorder.

• • depressive episodes
  • lower cap on mania
  • less “well time”

Now that we know the differences between the two types, we can better understand the different consequences to watch for.

C) Having severe episodes of depression can sometimes lead to serious consequences.

• • Quote from Dr. Insel
  • rate of effects of both types
  • importance

The Summary and Conclusion

If you have followed the steps for preparing the introduction, thesis, preview, main points, sub-points and transitions of your presentation, writing the summary and conclusion will be quite easy.

The summary of your presentation comes after you finish your last point and before you state your conclusion.  In the summary, you simply restate your main points in fresh language and in the same order as in the presentation.  In this way, the summary is similar to the preview statement.  However, the summary can be stated in two or three sentences, not just one, since the audience now has more information.

The summary helps the audience recall your main points, and it re­establishes the listening framework given earlier in the presentation by the preview statement.  The summary also lets your audience know that you have finished providing any new information.

The conclusion follows immediately after the summary.  In the conclusion, you let your audience know that you have done what you set out to do in the thesis statement, and you help them see how the information relates to their lives.

The conclusion should wrap up the presentation and provide a sense of closure or completion.  As with the summary, avoid adding any new information here or sneaking in a point you might have forgotten to mention earlier.  Keep the conclusion brief and to the point and connect it to the audience.  You may find that referring to an idea from your introduction will make an effective conclusion.

Here are two examples of summary and conclusion combinations for the presentations on Bipolar Disorder and for The Forgiveness Project.  Compare these with the sample thesis and preview statements shown earlier.

Summary: Bipolar Disorder can be managed if you have a clear definition of the disease, understand the difference between the two types of Bipolar Disorder, and are aware of the possible consequences.

Conclusion: In addition to the information provided here, you may benefit from reading more about Bipolar Disorder.  Who knows: you may be the one to help a friend or yourself get help, so you will not go through the years of confusion that I experienced.

Notice how the first sentence in the conclusion refers back to the thesis, and the next connects directly to the audience.

Summary: The Forgiveness Project, a secular organization, has helped hundreds of people regain their lives by providing a place to tell their stories, to understand that what they are experiencing has its own timeline, and to learn from the experiences of others.

Conclusion: Personal trauma can affect people emotionally, mentally and sometimes even economically.  It can also affect people around them.  People working through the trauma can feel overwhelmed and unable to move forward from the experience.  However, with organizations like the Forgiveness Project, there is healing and hope for those like Kate Hutchison and others – perhaps one of you – seeking a constructive way through pain.

In this example, the last sentence in the conclusion refers back to the thesis and also connects directly to the audience.

The Formal Outline

By this point, you have developed the various parts of a formal presentation outline.  Before rehearsing your presentation, you need to write the formal outline.  Then, using this outline, you will write note cards to use as guides when you give your presentation.

Remember, you will not be reading your presentation.  By developing your presentation in this way, you will become so familiar with it that you will remember the information with just the few prompts written on note cards.

On page 28 you will find the template or model for the formal outline. The formal, final, outline should be typed, proofread, and formatted correctly with appropriate numbering, spacing and indentations as shown on the template. The completed formal outline for Bipolar Disorder is on page 29; notice how this outline follows each aspect of the outline template.  Several other examples are also given in Appendix B, starting on page 53.

Template for a Formal Outline

(Several sample outlines are included in Appendix B.)

1. Write the entire introduction on the outline. (You will place a shorter version of the introduction on the note cards to use during the presentation.)
2. Write the thesis as a single, declarative statement that tells the audience the main idea of the presentation and what the audience will have, do, or understand as a result of the presentation.
3. Write the preview statement here as a single sentence that identifies the upcoming main points in the order they will occur.

a)Write the first main point as a complete, declarative sentence.

• • • use 2 – 4 sub-points per point
    • use key words or simple phrases
    • for sub-points

Write a single transition sentence that links the previous point to the next point.

b) Write the second main point as a complete, declarative sentence.

• • • use key words
    • or simple phrases
    • for sub-points

Write a single transition sentence that links the previous point to the next point, or an           internal summary that links both prior points to the next point.

c) Write the third main point as a complete, declarative sentence.

• • • use key words
    • or simple phrases
    • for sub-points

4. Write the full summary on the outline. The summary may be 1 – 3 sentences long, and it should restate the main points that were covered in the order they occurred.  The summary should use fresh wording and not be just a cut-and-paste of the main points.  While the summary leads into the conclusion, it should be written and numbered separately.

5. Write the full conclusion on the outline. The conclusion should confirm the main idea of the presentation and link directly to the audience to confirm the speaker accomplished what she or he stated in the thesis.

On the next page is the completed outline for the Bipolar Disorder presentation.  Note how it follows the outline template above.

Sample Outline:  Understanding Bipolar Disorder

1. At 13 years old, I was diagnosed as manic depressive, now known as Bipolar Disorder. For the next 15 years, I lived in confusion, not feeling that I had the proper knowledge of my mental condition.  Everything I was told about Bipolar Disorder seemed a half-truth.  I felt I had some of the symptoms but not all of them.  Finally, two years ago, I started seeing a new doctor who told me there are two types of Bipolar Disorder…and I discovered I was Type II.
2. Once you are familiar with the differences between the two types of Bipolar Disorder, you will have a better understanding of what a person with this Disorder is faced with.
3. To create this familiarity, we will look at a definition of Bipolar Disorder, the differences between the two types of the Disorder, and the harmful effects of this mental health issue.

a) A better understanding of Bipolar Disorder starts with its definition.

• • definition
  • symptoms of mania
  • symptoms of depression (NIMH)

While the definition explains Bipolar Disorder in general, further distinctions must be made.

b) There are key differences between the two types of the disorder.

• • • depressive episodes
    • lower cap on mania
    • less “well time”

Now that we know the differences between the two types, we can better understand the different consequences to watch for.

c) Having severe episodes of depression can sometimes lead to serious consequences.

• • • Quote from Dr. Insel
    • rate of effects of both types
    • importance

4. Bipolar Disorder can be managed if you have a clear definition of the disease, understand the difference between the two types of Bipolar Disorder, and are aware of the possible consequences.

5. In addition to the information provided here, you may benefit from reading more about Bipolar Disorder. Who knows, you may be the one to help a friend or yourself get help and not go through the years of confusion that I experienced.