Organizing Patterns for Speeches

There are five basic organizing patterns for speeches.  Actually, there are more than five, some of which are more specific iterations of a basic pattern.  Some topics logically lend themselves to one of these patterns, while other topics may lend themselves to multiple patterns, depending on your purpose and central idea as a speaker. The basic organizational patterns are:

1. Topical
2. Chronological
3. Step-by-Step
4. Spatial
5. Paired Sequences

Topical

A topical pattern is the most common way to structure speeches, particularly informative speeches, because a topical pattern is relevant to nearly any topic or type of speech. A topical structure involves dividing your central idea into topic categories or sub-topics that surround the main topic. You should devote roughly the same amount of time to each category and each category should be distinct from the others.

For example, a speech about the benefits of listening to music while exercising could follow a topical structure divided between the categories of how music can 1) increase stamina, 2) decrease boredom, and 3) improve coordination. Each sub-topic or main point is distinct, but ties back to the main speech topic.

The advantage of using a topical speech pattern is that it creates an organizational structure that is specific to the speech topic. Some speech topics don’t fit into any other category. They can’t be organized chronologically because dates are not involved. They can’t be organized spatially because geography or space isn’t involved. They don’t have steps to follow. They aren’t presenting a problem or a solution. Make sure to explore other organizational patterns before selecting topical in case your topic fits better elsewhere.

Once you select an overall topical organizational pattern, then determine your categories. Make sure to select categories that are condensed enough for the speech time limit. For example, if you are explaining the five types of hurricanes in a five-minute speech, you may not have time to speak of each one individually and therefore would need to condense some categories together.

Know that once you determine your categories, you need to stick with them and not include information that does not fit into a category. Also, it’s important to clearly transition between categories and connect them to one another in order to create a clear, logical flow of ideas.

For a short speech, it’s usually best to limit yourself to no more than five categories, so make sure to choose the most important ones.

In the following topically organized presentation, 2014 Toastmasters champion Dananjaya Hettiarachchi talks about four elements of body language that help you as a speaker and help your audience engage in what you’re saying.

Here is the video with accurate captions and a transcript: 4 essential body language tips from a world champion public speaker (opens in new window).

Chronological

Some topics are logical, evident topics for speeches organized chronologically. When you’re talking about a historical event or what led up to a scientific discovery, for example, organizing information to take the audience through the time sequence of what happened seems like a logical or natural choice.

A chronologically organized speech pattern organizes its main points following a sequence of events or occurrences according to the time they took place. This structure works particularly well for informative and introductory speeches. For example, an introductory speech about the life events that lead you to attend your college could be organized chronologically starting with your first attempt at college in your teens, your jobs and their progression, and then the job you now aspire to which requires a college degree, all of which led to applying to college. Another example of a chronological speech topic might be a speech about a historical event, such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, the Boxer Rebellion, or the Arab Spring. In all cases, a speech organized chronologically covers the events that occurred in the order in which they happened.

Speeches that use chronological organization don’t all have to be informative.  For example, a persuasive speech about climate change might describe the predicted effects of global warming in chronological order.

The advantages of a chronological speech pattern are that it is very easy to follow and it creates a clean, clear order. The timeline does the organizational work for the speaker and makes it easy to use. The issues are that there may be many events that occurred, such as in a speech topic about women getting the right to vote, that may not fit clearly into the chronology or the speech delivery time limit. So, consider the time allotted in addition to whether a time sequence of events is the most effective way to present the material if you are considering this pattern.

Step-by-Step

A step-by-step organizational pattern presents the steps involved in doing something and is useful for “how-to” or demonstration speeches where you are teaching or showing how to do a task. Step-by-step organization follows the order of the process you’re explaining. For example, the steps involved in baking a cake, a speech demonstrating the dance steps required to do the Macarena, or how to create a PowerPoint presentation would use a step-by-step structure.

The advantage of this pattern is that it breaks the task into small pieces for the audience. It allows them to see each step in the process of doing something so that they may be able to do it themselves. Note, though, that this pattern can be tedious if listeners are already familiar with most steps in the process. With this organizational pattern, it’s particularly important to know how much prior knowledge of the process your audience already has.

Spatial

A spatial pattern organizes each main point in a directional structure, connecting each main point to a whole. This structure is used for informative speeches where the topic is organized by location, geography, or moving through a space (“spatial” is the adjective form of “space”).

For example, a speech about the parts of a resume might move in order from the top section to the bottom section. A speech about the regional cuisine of Germany might move from the Northwest region in a clockwise direction around the country. A speech about a building might start at the front doors and end on the roof. A speech about the pathway of Hurricane Sandy might follow its movement from south to north east.

A spatial pattern is particularly useful if you want your listeners to be able to visualize an entire place or a complex object, since it moves between the part and the whole in a visual way. If you want your audience to visualize the Statue of Liberty, for instance, you might describe it spatially from top to bottom, rather than telling the story of its construction (chronological) or talking about the various things it has come to symbolize (topical).

In the following video, art historians Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker discuss Diego Rivera’s 1934 fresco mural Man, Controller of the Universe in the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City. They use spatial organization (along with other organizations).

A paired sequences organization focuses on pairings that are logical to human thought:

1. Cause-Effect
2. Pro-Con
3. Benefits-Risks
4. Advantages-Disadvantages

For example, a speech about an increase in opioid use might use cause and effect structure, looking at various causes in increased opioid use in a particular location as your first main point and then effects as your second main point. (Please note that a speech that only addresses the causes of a situation – say, poor reading scores in U.S. schools – would be arranged topically.) A speech about requiring uniforms in elementary schools might use a pro-con organizational pattern.  A speech about intermittent fasting might use a benefits-risks organizational pattern. A speech about elderly persons  aging in place in their homes might use an advantages-disadvantages organizational pattern.

The paired sequences organizational pattern works for both persuasive and informative speeches.

Problem-Solution

While a problem-solution structure is technically a paired sequence, it earns its own category because it is such a useful pattern for persuasive speeches. The first main point focuses on the state and extent of a particular problem. The second main point provides a viable solution or solutions. A third option would be to include the cause of the problem resulting in a problem-cause-solution pattern. For example, a speech to persuade your audience to adopt a vegetarian diet might begin with problems associated with a meat-based diet, then identify meat and meat production as the cause of those problems, and finally present a practical solution about how to adopt a vegetarian diet to address those problems.

Problem-solution is a powerful strategy in persuasive speaking.  If you choose this pattern of organization, make sure that your proposed solution is logical to the audience, to keep them engaged.

In the following video, Navi Radjou discusses how innovations made in the global South can teach the whole world an important lesson in creative problem solving. Radjou discusses various problems and clever solutions (such as a clay refrigerator), but also organizes his whole speech in terms of a problem and a solution. The problem is limited resources. The solution, according to Radjou, is jugaad, a Hindi word meaning “frugal innovation,” or learning to do more with less.

You can view the transcript for “Navi Radjou: Creative problem-solving in the face of extreme limits” here (opens in new window).

Introducing your Organizational Pattern

No matter what organizing pattern you choose, use your speech’s introduction to try to make the pattern evident and prime the audience for what to expect. In some cases, it may be logical that your speech’s title and introductory remarks indicate your organizational pattern directly.  For example, “I’ve been asked to talk about the process of implementing the company’s new software and how that will affect reporting procedures.”  But many cases call for more subtlety and ways to generate audience interest. For example, in a problem-solution speech about plastic pollution in the oceans, you might start out with a startling statistic and then ask the audience a question about what they can personally do to help address this situation. Use your introduction to help your audience know what to expect in terms of your organizing pattern, which will help them follow along as you speak. 

The following video summarizes different patterns of organization for speeches.

Here is the video with accurate captions and a transcript: Organizational Patterns (opens in new window).