Formal Outline Template
GUIDE TO FORMAL OUTLINING
I. The outline should be in sentence form. A. That means that each section of the outline must be a complete sentence
B. Each part may only have one sentence in it. II. Each Roman numeral should be a main section of the speech. A. Capital letters are main points of the thesis. 1. Numbers are sub-points under the capital letters. 2. Little letters are sub-points under the numbers. B. Sub-points need to correspond with the idea it is under. 1. This means that capital letters refer to the idea in roman numerals. 2. This means that numbers refer to the idea in the capital letter. III. All sub-points should be indented the same. A. This means that all of the capital letters are indented the same. B. All numbers are indented the same. IV. No sub-point stands alone. A. Every A must have a B. B. Every 1 must have a 2. C. You don’t need to have a C or a 3, but you can. D. There are no exceptions to this rule. Your speech outline should look something like the one in the sample. Your outline will also include the full sentence details of your speech, including source citations. The number of sub-points will differ in each speech and for each main idea.
FORMAL SENTENCE OUTLINE FORMAT
Student’s Name: Date:
Topic: General Purpose: Specific Purpose:
Key statement that describes the topic of your speech To inform OR To persuade Your specific purpose identifies the information you want to communicate (in an informative speech) or the attitude or behavior you want to change (in a persuasive speech). The central idea of your speech (should predict, control and obligate).
Thesis:
I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: Something that grabs the attention of the audience. Examples of this: startling statistics, stories, rhetorical questions, quotations, scenarios, etc. This point should be more than one sentence long. Why should the audience listen to your speech, make it personal to each of them. Exact same statement as above.
B.
I. The outline should be in sentence form. A. That means that each section of the outline must be a complete sentence
B. Each part may only have one sentence in it. II. Each Roman numeral should be a main section of the speech. A. Capital letters are main points of the thesis. 1. Numbers are sub-points under the capital letters. 2. Little letters are sub-points under the numbers. B. Sub-points need to correspond with the idea it is under. 1. This means that capital letters refer to the idea in roman numerals. 2. This means that numbers refer to the idea in the capital letter. III. All sub-points should be indented the same. A. This means that all of the capital letters are indented the same. B. All numbers are indented the same. IV. No sub-point stands alone. A. Every A must have a B. B. Every 1 must have a 2. C. You don’t need to have a C or a 3, but you can. D. There are no exceptions to this rule. Your speech outline should look something like the one in the sample. Your outline will also include the full sentence details of your speech, including source citations. The number of sub-points will differ in each speech and for each main idea.
FORMAL SENTENCE OUTLINE FORMAT
Student’s Name: Date:
Topic: General Purpose: Specific Purpose:
Key statement that describes the topic of your speech To inform OR To persuade Your specific purpose identifies the information you want to communicate (in an informative speech) or the attitude or behavior you want to change (in a persuasive speech). The central idea of your speech (should predict, control and obligate).
Thesis:
I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: Something that grabs the attention of the audience. Examples of this: startling statistics, stories, rhetorical questions, quotations, scenarios, etc. This point should be more than one sentence long. Why should the audience listen to your speech, make it personal to each of them. Exact same statement as above.
B.
References: APA format; all references need to be sited in APA format. Electronic sources must be .edu, .gov, or .org in order to be acceptable. Be sure to make sure that the references are in Alphabetical order. Double-Spaced; all references should be double-spaced and indented. Five source minimum: You must have at least five sources cited in your outline and listed on your reference page. Make sure to provide all necessary information in the references.