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Using Common Organizing Patterns
From: Stand up, Speak out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking (Creative
Commons license).
https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/chapter/10-2-using-common-organizing-patterns/
Learning Objectives
1. Differentiate among the common speech organizational patterns: categorical/topical,
comparison/contrast, spatial, chronological, biographical, causal, problem-cause-solution,
and psychological.
2. Understand how to choose the best organizational pattern, or combination of patterns, for
a specific speech.
Twentyfour Students – Organization makes you flow – CC BY-SA 2.0.
Previously in this chapter we discussed how to make your main points flow logically. This
section is going to provide you with a number of organization patterns to help you create a
logically organized speech. The first organization pattern we’ll discuss is categorical/topical.
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Categorical/Topical
By far the most common pattern for organizing a speech is by categories or topics. The
categories function as a way to help the speaker organize the message in a consistent fashion.
The goal of a categorical/topical speech pattern is to create categories (or chunks) of information
that go together to help support your original specific purpose. Let’s look at an example.
Specific To persuade a group of high school juniors to apply to attend Generic
Purpose University
I. Life in the dorms
Main Points II. Life in the classroom
III. Life on campus
In this case, we have a speaker trying to persuade a group of high school juniors to apply to
attend Generic University. To persuade this group, the speaker has divided the information into
three basic categories: what it’s like to live in the dorms, what classes are like, and what life is
like on campus. Almost anyone could take this basic speech and specifically tailor the speech to
fit her or his own university or college. The main points in this example could be rearranged and
the organizational pattern would still be effective because there is no inherent logic to the
sequence of points. Let’s look at a second example.
Specific To inform a group of college students about the uses and misuses of Internet
Purpose dating
I. Define and describe Internet dating.
Main Points II. Explain some strategies to enhance your Internet dating experience.
III. List some warning signs to look for in potential online dates.
In this speech, the speaker is talking about how to find others online and date them. Specifically,
the speaker starts by explaining what Internet dating is; then the speaker talks about how to make
Internet dating better for her or his audience members; and finally, the speaker ends by
discussing some negative aspects of Internet dating. Again, notice that the information is
chunked into three categories or topics and that the second and third could be reversed and still
provide a logical structure for your speech
Comparison/Contrast
Another method for organizing main points is the comparison/contrast speech pattern. While this
pattern clearly lends itself easily to two main points, you can also create a third point by giving
basic information about what is being compared and what is being contrasted. Let’s look at two
examples; the first one will be a two-point example and the second a three-point example.
Specific To inform a group of physicians about Drug X, a newer drug with similar
Purpose applications to Drug Y
Main Points I. Show how Drug X and Drug Y are similar.
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II. Show how Drug X and Drug Y differ.
Specific To inform a group of physicians about Drug X, a newer drug with similar
Purpose applications to Drug Y
I. Explain the basic purpose and use of both Drug X and Drug Y.
Main Points II. Show how Drug X and Drug Y are similar.
III. Show how Drug X and Drug Y differ.
If you were using the comparison/contrast pattern for persuasive purposes, in the preceding
examples, you’d want to make sure that when you show how Drug X and Drug Y differ, you
clearly state why Drug X is clearly the better choice for physicians to adopt. In essence, you’d
want to make sure that when you compare the two drugs, you show that Drug X has all the
benefits of Drug Y, but when you contrast the two drugs, you show how Drug X is superior to
Drug Y in some way.
Spatial
The spatial speech pattern organizes information according to how things fit together in physical
space. This pattern is best used when your main points are oriented to different locations that can
exist independently. The basic reason to choose this format is to show that the main points have
clear locations. We’ll look at two examples here, one involving physical geography and one
involving a different spatial order.
Specific To inform a group of history students about the states that seceded from the
Purpose United States during the Civil War
I. Locate and describe the Confederate states just below the Mason-Dixon Line
(Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee).
II. Locate and describe the Confederate states in the deep South (South Carolina,
Main Points
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida).
III. Locate and describe the western Confederate states (Louisiana, Arkansas, and
Texas).
If you look at a basic map of the United States, you’ll notice that these groupings of states were
created because of their geographic location to one another. In essence, the states create three
spatial territories to explain.
Now let’s look at a spatial speech unrelated to geography.
Specific To explain to a group of college biology students how the urinary system
Purpose works
I. Locate and describe the kidneys and ureters.
Main Points II. Locate and describe the bladder.
III. Locate and describe the sphincter and urethra.
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In this example, we still have three basic spatial areas. If you look at a model of the urinary
system, the first step is the kidney, which then takes waste through the ureters to the bladder,
which then relies on the sphincter muscle to excrete waste through the urethra. All we’ve done in
this example is create a spatial speech order for discussing how waste is removed from the
human body through the urinary system. It is spatial because the organization pattern is
determined by the physical location of each body part in relation to the others discussed.
Chronological
The chronological speech pattern places the main idea in the time order in which items appear—
whether backward or forward. Here’s a simple example.
Specific
To inform my audience about the books written by Winston Churchill
Purpose
I. Examine the style and content of Winston Churchill’s writings prior to World
War II.
II. Examine the style and content of Winston Churchill’s writings during World
Main Points
War II.
III. Examine the style and content of Winston Churchill’s writings after World
War II.
In this example, we’re looking at the writings of Winston Churchill in relation to World War II
(before, during, and after). By placing his writings into these three categories, we develop a
system for understanding this material based on Churchill’s own life. Note that you could also
use reverse chronological order and start with Churchill’s writings after World War II,
progressing backward to his earliest writings.
Biographical
As you might guess, the biographical speech pattern is generally used when a speaker wants to
describe a person’s life—either a speaker’s own life, the life of someone they know personally,
or the life of a famous person. By the nature of this speech organizational pattern, these speeches
tend to be informative or entertaining; they are usually not persuasive. Let’s look at an example.
Specific
To inform my audience about the early life of Marilyn Manson
Purpose
I. Describe Brian Hugh Warner’s early life and the beginning of his feud with
Christianity.
Main Points
II. Describe Warner’s stint as a music journalist in Florida.
III. Describe Warner’s decision to create Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids.
In this example, we see how Brian Warner, through three major periods of his life, ultimately
became the musician known as Marilyn Manson.
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In this example, these three stages are presented in chronological order, but the biographical
pattern does not have to be chronological. For example, it could compare and contrast different
periods of the subject’s life, or it could focus topically on the subject’s different
accomplishments.
Causal
The causal speech pattern is used to explain cause-and-effect relationships. When you use a
causal speech pattern, your speech will have two basic main points: cause and effect. In the first
main point, typically you will talk about the causes of a phenomenon, and in the second main
point you will then show how the causes lead to either a specific effect or a small set of effects.
Let’s look at an example.
Specific To inform my audience about the problems associated with drinking among
Purpose members of Native American tribal groups
I. Explain the history and prevalence of drinking alcohol among Native
Americans.
Main Points
II. Explain the effects that abuse of alcohol has on Native Americans and how this
differs from the experience of other populations.
In this case, the first main point is about the history and prevalence of drinking alcohol among
Native Americans (the cause). The second point then examines the effects of Native American
alcohol consumption and how it differs from other population groups.
However, a causal organizational pattern can also begin with an effect and then explore one or
more causes. In the following example, the effect is the number of arrests for domestic violence.
Specific
To inform local voters about the problem of domestic violence in our city
Purpose
I. Explain that there are significantly more arrests for domestic violence in our city
than in cities of comparable size in our state.
Main Points
II. List possible causes for the difference, which may be unrelated to the actual
amount of domestic violence.
In this example, the possible causes for the difference might include stricter law enforcement,
greater likelihood of neighbors reporting an incident, and police training that emphasizes arrests
as opposed to other outcomes. Examining these possible causes may suggest that despite the
arrest statistic, the actual number of domestic violence incidents in your city may not be greater
than in other cities of similar size.
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Problem-Cause-Solution
Another format for organizing distinct main points in a clear manner is the problem-cause-
solution speech pattern. In this format you describe a problem, identify what you believe is
causing the problem, and then recommend a solution to correct the problem.
Specific To persuade a civic group to support a citywide curfew for individuals under the
Purpose age of eighteen
I. Demonstrate that vandalism and violence among youth is having a negative
effect on our community.
II. Show how vandalism and violence among youth go up after 10:00 p.m. in our
Main Points
community.
III. Explain how instituting a mandatory curfew at 10:00 p.m. would reduce
vandalism and violence within our community.
In this speech, the speaker wants to persuade people to pass a new curfew for people under
eighteen. To help persuade the civic group members, the speaker first shows that vandalism and
violence are problems in the community. Once the speaker has shown the problem, the speaker
then explains to the audience that the cause of this problem is youth outside after 10:00 p.m.
Lastly, the speaker provides the mandatory 10:00 p.m. curfew as a solution to the vandalism and
violence problem within the community. The problem-cause-solution format for speeches
generally lends itself to persuasive topics because the speaker is asking an audience to believe in
and adopt a specific solution.
Psychological
A further way to organize your main ideas within a speech is through a psychological speech
pattern in which “a” leads to “b” and “b” leads to “c.” This speech format is designed to follow a
logical argument, so this format lends itself to persuasive speeches very easily. Let’s look at an
example.
Specific Purpose To persuade a group of nurses to use humor in healing the person
I. How laughing affects the body
Main Points II. How the bodily effects can help healing
III. Strategies for using humor in healing
In this speech, the speaker starts by discussing how humor affects the body. If a patient is
exposed to humor (a), then the patient’s body actually physiologically responds in ways that help
healing (b—e.g., reduces stress, decreases blood pressure, bolsters one’s immune system, etc.).
Because of these benefits, nurses should engage in humor use that helps with healing (c).
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Selecting an Organizational Pattern
Each of the preceding organizational patterns is potentially useful for organizing the main points
of your speech. However, not all organizational patterns work for all speeches. For example, as
we mentioned earlier, the biographical pattern is useful when you are telling the story of
someone’s life. Some other patterns, particularly comparison/contrast, problem-cause-solution,
and psychological, are well suited for persuasive speaking. Your challenge is to choose the best
pattern for the particular speech you are giving.
You will want to be aware that it is also possible to combine two or more organizational patterns
to meet the goals of a specific speech. For example, you might wish to discuss a problem and
then compare/contrast several different possible solutions for the audience. Such a speech would
thus be combining elements of the comparison/contrast and problem-cause-solution patterns.
When considering which organizational pattern to use, you need to keep in mind your specific
purpose as well as your audience and the actual speech material itself to decide which pattern
you think will work best.
Key Takeaway
• Speakers can use a variety of different organizational patterns, including
categorical/topical, comparison/contrast, spatial, chronological, biographical, causal,
problem-cause-solution, and psychological. Ultimately, speakers must really think about
which organizational pattern best suits a specific speech topic.
