Step 2: Chunk structure
The second page of the template gives you a one-page summary of your entire speech or presentation in brief, narrow pieces called chunks. This allows you to separate the worldâs overwhelming details into categories, sections, paragraphs, segments, etc., and think more clearly.
The foundation of your one-page chunk structure is as follows:
1. Presentation title
Create a simple yet captivating title to capture attention and set expectations.
2. Two to four chunks
Make your speech easily digestible by segmenting it into chunks. Depending on what the situation calls for, you can choose two to four chunks or main ideas. You could choose as many segments as you like, but if you include more than four, your talk will start to seem complicated. When announcing the overview of your speech, every audience will be pleased to hear that your talk requires only two, three, or four main ideas to follow.
Inside each main idea or chunk, be sure to include:
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A chunk heading: This heading simply states the issue to be discussed.
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Details: List the examples, evidence, stories, charts or whatever details that help bring a key point to life beneath the chunk headings.
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The key point: People forget most of what they hear, which is why you should state the key point at the end of each chunk. Even if your listeners wonât remember all the details, you hope they will remember the main point for each particular chunk.
For the conclusion, simply transfer over your message statement from the first page. Although you may want to re-test the message statement (from the first page) to see how it flows with the new details youâve added to your speech outline, youâve already written your big finish.
Pro tip: Now that you have a completed chunk structure, you can practice your speech from start to finish in less than a minute. Because you have a one-page map of all your important points for this talk in the chunk structure, you can test your message and structureââthe yellow shapes (the title, optional introduction, chunk headings, key points, and message statement)ââout loud. Most of the time, you wonât need to learn every word of your speech by heart. You just need to make sure youâre clear on the message and structure.
Benefits of the Vivid Speech Outline
The Vivid Speech Outline creates an environment for natural confidence and impact. By creating a persuasive speech outline, you can:
- Save time and effort by identifying your message and key points as the first step in the writing process.
- Be more efficient and minimize the mental load by splitting up the outlining and structuring of your speech.
- Reduce uncertainty and anxiety early in your preparation by considering the tough questions your audience might ask, sticking to the process, and testing the flow your talk.
Use the Vivid Speech Outline to take advantage of these benefits and get a competitive edge.
Using Lucidchartâs Vivid Speech Outline template to create your own presentation
Lucidchartâs template shows you how to write a speech outline that eloquently communicates your innovative message and engages your audience.
Use the Vivid Speech Outline custom shapes to quickly build your message statement and chunk structure pages. Simply drag and drop the custom shapes from the shape repository (or any shape in the toolbox) on the canvas, and fill in the details, chunk headings, or message statement. As you line up your points and supporting details, youâre more likely to notice if some of your ideas donât quite fit. To make a change, drag and rearrange the shapes any way you want without losing any of the work youâve already done. As mentioned above, key shapes for the Vivid Speech Outline are also colored to make it easier for you to practice your main ideas.
Lucidchartâs integration with Google Slides makes it easy to export your chunk structure to a slideshow presentation. Preview, edit, and rearrange the already created slides by clicking on the âSlidesâ icon in the dock to the right of the canvas, and then, with one click, send your finalized chunk structure to Google Slides. You can also select the âPresentâ option for a quick slide presentation within Lucidchart.
Creating your speech outline in Lucidchart means you also have access to all its sharing and collaboration features. Whether you want to have someone review your speech or you need to work on a presentation as a team, you can email access links to others, invite them to view, comment on, or edit the document, or chat with those with whom youâve shared the document. Once given access to your document, your whole team can work on it and see each otherâs changes in real time.
The beauty of this speech outline is in its simplicity and flexibility. With the help of Lucidchart, you can quickly structure a persuasive speech outline that works for any situation.
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