Success in public speaking isn’t just about what you say – it’s about how you organize your message. A well-structured speech can transform complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives that resonate with audiences and drive action. Yet for many speakers, the challenge lies not in the content itself, but in organizing their thoughts and ideas into a coherent, impactful structure.
Many professionals approach speech writing by starting with their introduction, moving through their main points, and wrapping up with a conclusion. While this traditional approach seems logical, it often leads to presentations that meander, lose audience attention, or fail to achieve their intended goals. The reason? Speakers focus on what they want to say rather than what their audience needs to hear.
Suasive takes a different approach to speech outlines. Instead of beginning with the introduction, we start by developing the core message and main points that will move the audience from where they are (Point A) to where we want them to be (Point B). This audience-centric method ensures that every element of the speech serves a clear purpose in achieving the speaker’s objectives.
In this article, we’ll explore how to create effective speech outlines that engage audiences and drive results. We’ll examine the traditional approach to outlining, reveal why it often falls short, and show you a more effective way to structure your presentations. Whether you’re preparing for a high-stakes business presentation or an important keynote address, these techniques will help you craft speeches that make an impact.
What Is the Format for Writing a Speech?
What Is the Outline of a Speech?
What Is One Important Rule of Outlining?
How to Start a Speech
What Is the Introduction in an Outline?
How to Write a Presentation Outline?
What Is the Main Point in a Speech?
How to Structure a Speech
Does an Outline Have a Conclusion?
Conclusion
Outlining: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion

When most people sit down to outline a speech, they follow a structure that’s been taught for generations: start with an introduction, develop the body, and end with a conclusion. This traditional approach suggests these three elements carry equal weight in the preparation process and that speakers should develop them in sequential order. It’s a formula that feels comfortable and logical – after all, this is how we’ve been taught to write since grade school.
However, this conventional structure has significant limitations. By beginning with the introduction before fully developing the core content, speakers often create openings that don’t effectively set up their key messages. They may craft beautiful introductions that grab attention but ultimately lead nowhere, or worse, head in a direction that doesn’t align with their main points.
Starting with the introduction is particularly problematic because it puts the cart before the horse. How can you effectively introduce ideas that you haven’t yet fully developed? How can you preview main points that aren’t clearly defined? This approach often results in speakers having to significantly revise or completely rewrite their introductions once they’ve figured out what they really want to say in the body of their speech.
At Suasive, we take a different approach. Rather than viewing these three elements as equal parts to be developed in order, we emphasize the body as the centerpiece of the speech. The body, consisting of your main points organized in a logical flow structure, is where the real work of persuasion happens. Only after you’ve developed and organized these main points can you create an introduction that effectively sets them up and a conclusion that powerfully drives them home.
Think of your speech like a building: the body is your foundation and framework, while the introduction and conclusion are the entrance and exit. You wouldn’t design the entrance to a building before determining its core structure and purpose. Similarly, you shouldn’t write your speech introduction before developing your main content. By focusing first on creating and organizing your core message, you ensure that every part of your speech works together to achieve your objectives.

What Is the Format for Writing
a Speech?
The most effective speeches follow a clear format that prioritizes audience understanding and engagement while driving toward specific objectives. Rather than jumping straight into writing, this format begins with careful consideration of two critical elements: what you want to achieve and what your audience needs to hear.
At the heart of this format is what Suasive calls “Point B” – the specific action or change you want your audience to embrace by the end of your speech. Point B acts as your north star, guiding every decision about content and structure. Whether you’re asking for project approval, seeking investment, or advocating for change, clearly defining Point B ensures your speech stays focused and purposeful.
However, knowing what you want to achieve (Point B) is only half the equation. You must also understand where your audience starts – their “Point A.” What do they already know about your topic? What are their current beliefs, concerns, and priorities? The gap between Point A and Point B determines how you’ll structure your content to guide them on this journey.
The basic structural elements of your speech should include:
- A compelling opening that captures attention and establishes relevance
- A clear preview of your main points that shows your audience where you’re headed
- Well-organized main points (what Suasive calls “Columns”) that build your case
- Transitions that guide your audience through your logic
- A powerful closing that reinforces your message and drives action
These elements are bound together by what Suasive calls a “WIIFY” (What’s In It For You) – the
benefits your audience will receive by making the journey from Point A to Point B. Every part of your speech should reinforce these benefits, showing your audience why they should care about and act
on your message.
When formatted this way, your speech becomes more than just a collection of points – it becomes a strategic tool for achieving your objectives while meeting your audience’s needs. This audience-centric approach ensures that your message not only reaches your listeners but resonates with them in a way that inspires action.

What is the outline of a speech?
While traditional outlines treat all parts of a speech equally, a more effective outline recognizes that different components serve distinct purposes and carry different weights. At Suasive, we use what we call the “StoryForm” – a comprehensive framework that organizes your speech into four key components: Opening Sequence, Preview, Columns with a Flow Structure, and Closing Sequence.
The Opening Sequence consists of three elements:
- The Opening Gambit: A creative hook that captures audience attention
- The Unique Selling Proposition (USP): A clear statement of what you’re offering or proposing
- Point B: Your specific call to action or desired outcome
The Preview follows your Opening Sequence, serving as a roadmap for your audience. Unlike lengthy, detailed agendas that overwhelm listeners, an effective preview is a single, well-crafted sentence that introduces your Columns and shows how they flow together. This gives your audience a clear sense of direction without overwhelming them with details.
Columns – your main points – form the core of your speech. These are the fundamental ideas that support your message, typically ranging from two to six key points. Whether you’re making a claim or presenting evidence, each column should be a high-level concept that grounds your discussion and serves as an anchor for related supporting ideas. The Closing Sequence mirrors your opening but with a focus on reinforcement and action. It includes:
- A brief recap of your main points
- A return to your core message
- A final emphasis on Point B
Here’s how these components work together:
- Your Opening Sequence establishes relevance and purpose
- The Preview maps out the journey
- Your Columns deliver your core message in a logical progression
- The Closing Sequence reinforces your message and drives action
This structure ensures that every part of your speech serves a specific purpose in moving your audience toward your desired outcome. The proportions are intentionally uneven – your Columns (main points) should comprise the bulk of your content, while your Opening Sequence, Preview, and Closing Sequence work to support and reinforce these key ideas.

What is one important rule
of outlining?
The single most important rule of outlining a speech might surprise you – it’s not about organizing your thoughts, but rather about organizing them through the eyes of the audience. This fundamental principle often represents a significant shift in thinking for many speakers who instinctively outline their speech based on what they want to say rather than what their audience needs to hear.
At Suasive, we consistently see this transformation in action. Recently, during a training session with experienced executives, one participant had a powerful realization: “I have to stop making a pitch,” he admitted. “For the last 20 years, I’ve been telling my company’s story, but I never realized that’s not what closes the deal. I need to tell my story through the eyes of my audience.”
This shift requires understanding two critical concepts:
First, you must clearly identify Point A – where your audience starts before you begin speaking. What do they already know? What are their current perspectives, concerns, and priorities? This becomes your starting point. Then, you need to define Point B – where you want them to be by the end of your speech. The gap between these points determines how you structure your content.
The bridge between Points A and B is built with “WIIFYs” (What’s In It For You). These are the specific benefits your audience will receive by making this journey with you. Every main point in your outline should connect to either
- Your Point B (what you want them to do)
- Their WIIFYs (why they should do it)
Here’s how this looks in practice:
- Instead of outlining product features, outline customer benefits
- Rather than focusing on your achievements, focus on how your experience solves
their problems - Instead of explaining what you want to do, explain how it addresses their needs
For example, if you’re proposing a new project, don’t structure your outline around the technical details of implementation. Instead, organize it around the problems it solves for stakeholders, the opportunities it creates for the business, and the specific benefits it delivers to your audience.
This audience-centric approach fundamentally changes how you select and organize your content. Every point must earn its place in your outline by answering the question: “Why does my audience care about this?” If you can’t connect a point to your audience’s interests or needs, it probably doesn’t belong in your speech.
Remember, your audience isn’t just passively receiving information – they’re actively deciding whether to buy into your message. By structuring your outline through their eyes, you create a presentation that resonates with their needs and motivates them to act.
BE AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORSuasive Presentation Coaching
Our ProgramsHow to start a speech?
The way you open your speech sets the tone for everything that follows. Rather than beginning with a standard “Good morning” or diving straight into your topic, Suasive recommends starting with what we call an “Opening Gambit” – a creative opening that immediately captures your audience’s attention and establishes the need for your message.
There are seven distinct types of Opening Gambits, each serving a specific purpose:
- Rhetorical Question
A thought-provoking question that engages your audience immediately. For example, when Intuit’s founding CEO Scott Cook presented at an investment conference, he opened with: “How many of you balance your checkbooks?” After seeing hands rise, he followed with: “Now, how many of you like doing it?” As hands dropped, he had perfectly set up the need for his company’s solution. - Factoid
A striking statistic or fact that captures attention and relates to your message. Instead of asking “How many iPhones are sold each year?” state directly: “185 million iPhones are sold every year.” This approach maintains control while delivering impact. - Retrospective/Prospective
Move your audience backward or forward in time to provide perspective. This technique works particularly well when contrasting “then vs. now” or “now vs. future.” Technology companies often use this to show how their innovations disrupt traditional methods – like comparing library searches before and after the internet. - Anecdote
A brief human interest story that creates immediate connection and empathy. While personal stories are popular, ensure your anecdote directly relates to your message rather than serving merely as an attention-getter. - Quotation
A relevant quote from a credible source that supports your message. The most effective quotes are those that credential you, your idea, or your company – not just famous sayings that everyone has heard before. - Aphorism
A well-known saying or maxim that resonates with your audience. These familiar phrases immediately create connection and understanding, setting up your message. - Analogy
A comparison that helps explain complex concepts in familiar terms. For example, early internet companies often compared the web to highways, with main roads representing carriers and interchanges representing routing equipment.
After your Opening Gambit, transition to your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) – a concise summary of what you’re offering or proposing. This is followed by your Point B, clearly stating what you want your audience to do. Together, these three elements – Gambit, USP, and Point B – form your complete Opening Sequence.

What is the introduction in
an outline?
While many speakers load their introductions with lengthy agendas, Suasive takes a more focused approach. The introduction in your outline should serve as a clear, concise roadmap that guides your audience through your presentation using what we call a Preview.
This Preview sentence accomplishes something powerful: it introduces your main points (Columns) while demonstrating how they flow together logically. Rather than presenting a bullet-point list of topics, you’re showing your audience the journey they’re about to take.
Here’s an example of an effective Preview: “Today we’ll examine the media drivers that put the market in motion, why our installed base is ready for change, how the original production unit can leverage this opportunity, and our action plan to create this unit and produce the first series.”
Notice how this single sentence:
- Introduces four main points (Columns)
- Shows their logical progression
- Gives the audience a clear sense of direction
- Maintains engagement without overwhelming detail
Common mistakes to avoid in your Preview include:
- Presenting an exhaustive agenda with many bullet points
- Including too many sub-points and details
- Failing to show the connection between main points
- Making the Preview so long that audience loses track
- Starting with details before establishing the big picture
The most frequent error speakers make is treating their Preview like a detailed table of contents. This overwhelms audiences and often leads to confusion rather than clarity. Remember, your introduction should provide just enough information to orient your audience without bogging them down in details.
Your Preview should also reflect the Flow Structure you’ve chosen for your main points. Whether you’re using a problem-solution approach, chronological sequence, or opportunity-leverage format, your Preview should telegraph this organization to your audience.
COMMUNICATION
WITH PURPOSE
How to write a presentation outline?
The key to creating an effective presentation outline lies in first developing your main points rather than jumping straight into your introduction. At Suasive, we use a systematic approach that begins with brainstorming and organizing ideas before structuring them into a coherent presentation.
Start with the FrameForm – a technique that helps you conceptualize your presentation before diving into content. On one side, write your Point B (what you want your audience to do). On the other side, identify your audience and the benefits they’ll receive (WIIFYs). This frame provides the parameters for everything that follows.
Next, do a Data Dump by brainstorming every random idea your story could include. Your ideas should be one or two words maximum. Don’t worry about perfection at this stage – focus on getting your
core ideas down.
Next comes Clustering – a step that transforms your brainstormed ideas into organized groups:
- Select 2-6 main ideas that will become your Columns
- Group related ideas around each Column like spokes on a wheel
- Ensure each cluster supports either your Point B, WIIFYs, or both. Remove or reorganize items that don’t clearly fit
Think of these Clusters as parent-child relationships:
- Parents are your main points (Columns)
- Children are the supporting ideas and evidence
- Every child should clearly connect to its parent
- Parents should be distinct enough to stand alone while working together
Once you have your Clusters, organize them into a logical Flow Structure. Consider:
- Problem-Solution: Present challenges followed by how you’ll address them
- Chronological: Past, present, future progression
- Opportunity-Leverage: Show potential and how to capitalize on it
- Form-Function: Describe what something is, then how it works
The goal is to create a sequence that’s:
- Easy for you to tell
- Easy for your audience to follow
- Logical in its progression
- Supportive of your Point B
Only after you’ve established these main points and their organization should you develop your Opening Sequence, Preview, and Conclusion. This ensures that every part of your presentation supports and reinforces your core message.

What is a main point in a speech?
Main points in a speech aren’t just topics – they’re the core ideas that drive your message home. At Suasive, we define main points, or Columns, as the highest-level concepts that form the foundation of your presentation.
Four essential guidelines help identify effective Columns:
- Choose High-level Ideas:
Your Columns should be the ideas that naturally bubble to the top during your brainstorming process. - Support Point B or WIIFYs:
Every Column must directly connect to either:
a. What you want (Point B)
b. What your audience gets (WIIFYs)
If a Column doesn’t serve one of these purposes, it probably shouldn’t be a main point. - Act as Nucleus Ideas:
Each Column should serve as an umbrella for related, supporting points. Like a parent with children, your Column provides structure and context for all the details, examples, and evidence that follow. - Anchor Related Ideas:
Your Columns are so vital that your audience wouldn’t understand your story without them. Like signposts on a journey, these points guide your audience from Point A to Point B.

How to structure a speech?
Once you’ve identified your Columns, the next step is arranging them in a logical sequence that guides your audience through your message. This is where Flow Structures come into play – they provide the framework that transforms individual points into a compelling narrative.
Listed below are three example Flow Structures that work effectively across various
presentation scenarios:
- Problem-Solution:
This approach is particularly powerful when you need to drive change or propose
new initiatives:- First, clearly articulate the challenge or pain point
- Build tension by exploring the implications of not addressing it
- Present your solution as the logical answer
- Show how your solution specifically addresses each aspect of the problem
- Conclude with clear action steps
- Chronological:
This format works well for topics involving processes, developments, or evolutionary change:- Yesterday: Where we were
- Today: Current situation
- Tomorrow: Future vision or direction
This structure is particularly effective when
- Explaining organizational changes
- Describing product evolution
- Outlining development processes
- Showing market progression
- Presenting a story with a timeline
- Opportunity-Leverage:
This structure helps present new initiatives or strategic directions:- Present the opportunity in the market or environment
- Show why now is the time to act
- Demonstrate your unique position to capitalize on it
- Detail how you’ll leverage the opportunity
- Outline specific action steps
Each of these structures serves a different purpose, but they all share common characteristics:
- Clear logical progression
- Natural flow from one point to the next
- Strong connection between ideas
- Movement toward your Point B
The key is choosing the structure that best serves your message and audience.
Consider:- What does your audience need to understand first?
- How does each point build on previous points?
- What sequence will be most persuasive?
- Which structure best supports your Point B?
Flow Structure isn’t just about organizing information – it’s about creating a journey that leads your audience naturally and convincingly to your desired conclusion. The right structure makes your message not only clearer but also more compelling and actionable.
Don’t force your content into a structure that doesn’t fit. Instead, let the nature of your message and the needs of your audience guide your choice of flow structure. When done correctly, your structure should feel so natural that your audience follows your logic without even noticing the framework that guides them.

Does an outline have a conclusion?
Yes, a well-crafted outline absolutely includes a conclusion, but not just any ending will do. The conclusion in your outline should be a carefully structured Closing Sequence that mirrors your opening while powerfully reinforcing your message and driving home your Point B.
The Closing Sequence consists of three essential components:
- Bookend Gambit:
This mirrors the creativity of your Opening Gambit but in a more concise form. It signals to your audience that you’re bringing your message full circle while maintaining their engagement through the final moments. - Recap:
Summarize your Columns, showing how they built your case. This isn’t a detailed review but rather a strategic reminder of your key messages and their connection to your objective. - Point B:
End with a clear, compelling restatement of your call to action – what you want your audience to do, believe, or support.
The key to an effective Closing Sequence is ensuring it follows through on the promises made in your opening. If you began by identifying a problem, your conclusion should reinforce how your solution addresses it. If you opened with an opportunity, your conclusion should emphasize how your proposal capitalizes on it.
Common mistakes to avoid in your Closing Sequence:
- Introducing new information
- Getting lost in details
- Weakening your call to action
- Ending abruptly or apologetically
- Failing to connect back to your opening
Your Closing Sequence should feel both inevitable and powerful – the natural culmination of everything that came before. When structured properly, it gives your audience both the motivation and the means to act on your message, leaving them with a clear understanding of what you want them to do and why they should do it.

Conclusion
Creating an effective basic speech outline requires more than following a traditional format – it demands a strategic approach that puts your audience’s needs at the center of your message. Suasive’s method transforms the standard introduction-body-conclusion formula into a powerful framework for driving action and achieving results.
The key lies in starting with your main points rather than your introduction, organizing them into a logical flow structure that guides your audience from Point A to Point B. By viewing your outline through your audience’s eyes and focusing on their benefits (WIIFYs), you create presentations that don’t just inform but inspire action.
Remember that every element of your outline should serve a clear purpose: your Opening Sequence captures attention and establishes relevance, your Preview provides direction, your Columns build your case, and your Closing Sequence drives home your message. When these components work together effectively, you create a presentation that resonates with your audience and achieves your objectives.
Whether you’re pitching to investors, presenting to executives, or speaking at a conference, following these principles will help you craft speeches that make an impact and move your audience to action. The result? Presentations that aren’t just heard, but remembered and acted upon.
Suasive, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based communication consulting company that offers public speaking and storytelling workshops for organizations and individuals.
To date, we’ve coached over 600 IPOs and helped individuals in some of the world’s largest companies including Netflix, eBay, Sonos, Lyft, and Freshworks.