NFGS_ch9.2_lecppt.pptx

1. Chapter 9.2
How to Outline a Presentation
Copyright © 2022 W. W. Norton & Company

2. Introduction
• An outline can help you brainstorm ideas, choose materials to
support those ideas, determine your key points, and arrange
everything in a strategic order
• Outlining allows you to modify the content and organization of a
presentation with ease
• An outline also provides a road map to keep you on topic
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3. The Basics of Outlining
• The following are three basic outlining rules :
• Use numbers, letters, and indentations
• Divide your subpoints logically
• Keep the outline consistent
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4. Need to Know
• A good survey should tell you something you don’t already know
about your audience
• A good survey should also give you information you can use
POOR QUESTION: Do you exercise regularly? _____ yes ____ no
GOOD QUESTION: How often do you do exercise for more than
20 uninterrupted minutes?
____ Rarely or never
____ Once or twice a month
____ Once or more a week
____ Daily (when possible)
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5. Use Numbers, Letters, and Indentations
• All parts of an outline should be systematically numbered,
lettered, and indented to signal the hierarchy of ideas
• Use roman numerals (I, II, III, and so on) to signify the largest
major divisions at the top of the hierarchy, including the
introduction and conclusion
• Use indented capital letters (A, B, C, and so on) to subdivide
the sections into small section, designating the key points
• Use further indented arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, and so on) to
identify claims and supporting material for each key point
• Use even further indented use lowercase letters (a, b, c, and so
on) for the warrant or backing of an argument
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6. Divide Your Subpoints Logically
Each section of your outline should include at least two
subsections indented underneath—or none at all
WRONG: I.
A.
II.
RIGHT: I.
A.
B.
II.
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7. Types of Outlines
• There are three types of outlines that speakers use to organize
their presentations during different phases of the preparation
process:
• Preliminary outlines
• Speaking notes outlines
• Full-sentence outlines
• Every outline will be different based on the topic, the rhetorical
situation, and the type of organizational pattern you choose
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8. The Preliminary Outline
• A preliminary outline puts the major sections of your
presentation into a clear and logical order, allowing you to fill in
the ideas and information you intend to use
• A preliminary outline can be used to organize any presentation
• The process of preliminary outlining begins in earnest only after
you have formulated an initial purpose, analyzed your audience,
begun researching your topic, and collected appropriate
supporting material
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9. Preliminary Outline: Anger
I. Introduction
A. Attention getter: Defi ning anger
B. Central idea: Understanding and dealing with anger
C. Preview of key points: Understanding anger myths,
expressing anger, responding to anger
II. Body of presentation
A. Key point 1: Understanding anger myths
1. Supporting material: Believing that anger is good
2. Supporting material: Believing that anger is caused by
others
B. Key point 2: Expressing anger
1. Supporting material: Acknowledging your anger
2. Supporting material: Avoiding personal attacks
C. Key point 3: Responding to anger from others
1. Supporting material: Identifying the source of anger
2. Supporting material: Seeking resolution
III. Conclusion
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10. The Speaking Notes Outline
• A speaking notes outline supports an extemporaneous delivery
style and produces a clear, more detailed organizational structure
• It expands the preliminary outline by adding more content
• The presentation should be organized and function as an effective
set of speaking notes
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11. Speaking Notes Outline: Why and How to Deal with Anger (1 of 3)
I. Introduction
Ask the audience: “Have you ever been angry?” Everyone feels anger at
some time. It’s a natural, human reaction.
A. Attention getter: What is anger? “Emotional response to unmet
expectations.”
Examples: Expecting friends to tell the truth and discovering they’ve
been dishonest; expecting but not receiving praise for good work;
expecting an A on an exam but getting a C. [Ask for additional audience
examples.]
B. Central idea: Understanding the causes and consequences of anger
can help you avoid, manage, and respond appropriately to anger
and threatening situations.
Quote Aristotle: “Anybody can become angry—that is easy; but at the
right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way—that is not
within everybody’s power and is not easy.”
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12. Speaking Notes Outline: Why and How to Deal with Anger (2 of 3)
C. Preview: Dispelling anger myths, expressing anger,
responding to anger from others
II. Body of presentation
A. Key point 1: Understanding anger myths [Eifert et al.]
1. Myth: Anger can be helpful. Fact: Other than warning you
of danger, it can make things worse—including your
health.
2. Myth: Anger is caused by others. Fact: How you react to
an unmet expectation is your choice, which is not
dependent on what other people do.
[Example: A rumor that a trusted colleague spreads about
you]
B. Key point 2: Expressing anger
1. Explain why you are angry without yelling.
2. Don’t attack the other person.
3. Describe how you feel by using “I” statements.
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13. Speaking Notes Outline: Why and How to Deal with Anger (3 of 3)
C. Key point 3: Responding to anger from others
1. Acknowledge the other person’s anger: “I understand how
angry you are.”
2. Identify the source and intensity of anger: “I don’t think I
said I’d write the report.”
3. Seek a collaborative resolution approach: “Let’s work it out
together.”
III. Conclusion
A. Summarize key points: Understanding anger myths, expressing
anger, and responding to anger
B. Quote from Carol Tavris, a highly respected social psychologist:
Anger “requires an awareness of choice and an embrace of
reason. It is knowing when to become angry—‘this is wrong,
this I will protest’—and when to make peace; when to take
action, and when to keep silent; knowing the likely causes of
one’s anger and not berating the blameless.”
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14. The Full-Sentence Outline
• A full-sentence outline is a comprehensive framework that
follows established outlining conventions concerning content and
format
• It may resemble a complete manuscript of your presentation
• Using a full-sentence outline can share the disadvantages of
manuscript delivery
• It can be useful when you plan to read long quotations, explain
complex ideas, or share a list of examples or statistics
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15. Full-Sentence Outline: Why and How to Deal with Anger (1 of 8)
I. Introduction
A. Attention getter: “Have you ever been angry or enraged?” All of us
have. Everyone feels anger at some time—it’s a natural, but often
distressing, human reaction.
B. Central idea: In order to deal with the causes and consequences of
anger, begin by fact-checking your beliefs about anger, adopting
constructive ways to express your anger, and learning how to respond
respectfully and civilly to anger expressed by someone else. Before I
recommend methods for dealing with anger, let’s begin by
understanding what anger is.
C. Definition of anger: Anger is “an emotional response to unmet
expectations.” Here are some examples: expecting friends to tell the
truth but discovering they’ve told a falsehood; expecting but not
receiving praise for good work; expecting an A on an exam but getting
a C; receiving unfair treatment or criticism. [Ask the audience for
additional examples that exemplify the definition.]
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16. Full-Sentence Outline: Why and How to Deal with Anger (2 of 8)
Transition: With this definition in mind, I hope you’ll understand
why what seems to be a simple definition can help you comprehend
the nature, causes, and consequences of expressing and responding
to anger responsibly.
II. Body of presentation
A. Key point 1: Many of us believe several myths about anger that
prevent us from effectively dealing with our own and someone else’s
anger. [Eifert et al.] Consider the follow claims:
1. True or false? Anger can be helpful because it lets you vent
your feelings, particularly if you feel threatened. The answer
is true and false. True: In some cases, anger can be a warning
of imminent danger. But false: Anger is rarely helpful. It can
escalate and make things worse. And it is certainly bad for
your health, particularly your heart. If you’re quick to anger,
you may regret it later.
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17. Full-Sentence Outline: Why and How to Deal with Anger (3 of 8)
2. True or false? Anger is caused when something bad happens
unexpectedly or when someone says or does something that
upsets or hurts you. False: It’s easy and quite common to blame
events and other people for your anger. However, you are the
source of anger. If you blame others, you don’t have to change
how you behave—and you stay angry. [Example: Reacting
angrily to an unreasonable request from your boss.]
3. True or false? Venting your anger lets you blow off steam.
False: People who explode in anger usually become angrier. And
those who must endure their anger are more likely to become
angry.
Transition: In addition to understanding the nature of anger, it’s
just as important to express anger appropriately and in a way that
avoids making things worse.
B. Key point 2: Learn how to manage your anger appropriately and
effectively.
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18. Full-Sentence Outline: Why and How to Deal with Anger (4 of 8)
Identifying the causes and consequences of anger can help you
respond appropriately to anger and threatening situations. To
paraphrase Aristotle: Anybody can become angry —that is
easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right
degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in
the right way—that is not within everybody’s power and is not
easy. [Aristotle]
Here are three ways of following Aristotle’s wise advice
[Wilmot and Hocker]:
1. State that you are angry. Don’t shout. Control your
nonverbal behavior, such as frowning or sneering,
clenching a fist, or moving too close to the other
person. Calmly state why you are angry. [Tell the story
about working with Ruth on a project.]
2. Explain why you are angry. “I promised the group
we’d complete this report by Tuesday, but I still don’t
have your section.”
3. Avoid personal attacks. Don’t resort to name-calling.
Describe the problem as objectively as you can rather
than ranting and raging at someone.
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19. Full-Sentence Outline: Why and How to Deal with Anger (5 of 8)
4. Use “I” statements instead of “you” statements. Describe
your personal feelings rather than the bad things the other
person did to you. Say, “I expected you to . . .” instead of
“Because you screwed up, everything’s a mess.”
Transition: Learning to express your anger appropriately is only
half the equation for dealing with anger. In addition to managing
your own anger, try to temper your response when someone is
angry with you.
C. Key point 3: Learn how to respond constructively to someone
else’s anger. [Wilmot and Hocker]
1. Acknowledge why the other person is angry. “I understand
how angry you are. Given that the report is due next week, I
think I’d be just as upset if I were you.”
2. Identify the issue or source of the anger. “I don’t think I
said I’d write the report. As I remember, I said I’d give you my
notes from the meeting.”
3. Seek a collaborative approach to resolution. “We’ve had a
good working relationship. Perhaps we can sit down and
work out how solve the problem.” 19

20. Full-Sentence Outline: Why and How to Deal with Anger (6 of 8)
III. Conclusion
A. Summarize key points. Before letting anger take control of you and
others, remember that erroneous beliefs may prevent you from
dealing with it effectively. Then think about the situation and answer
two questions: How can I express my anger in a way that may resolve
the problem? And how should I react to someone else’s anger in a
way that won’t make matters worse?
B. Conclude. Take responsibility for your feelings and behavior when
you face an unmet expectation or disappointment that’s triggering.
I’ll leave you with another quotation worth remembering. Carol
Tavris, author of Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion, wrote: Anger
“requires an awareness of choice and an embrace of reason. It is
knowing when to become angry—‘this is wrong, this I will protest’—
and when to make peace; when to take action, and when to keep
silent; knowing the likely causes of one’s anger without berating the
blameless.”
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21. Full-Sentence Outline: Why and How to Deal with Anger (7 of 8)
Bibliography
Aristotle, Nicomanchean Ethics, translated by W. D. Ross; revised by J. O. Urmson.
In The Complete Works of Aristotle: The Revised Oxford Translation, edited by
Jonathan Barnes, Bollingen Series, 2:1751. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University
Press, 1984. Bekker number (keyed to the original Greek) is in Book II,
1109a.26. Note: The paraphrase of Aristotle quotation is a simplified version
of his writing, but this other version is most frequently quoted in most
quotation books and websites. What follows is part of the translation in
Barnes: “Anyone can get angry—that is easy . . . ; but to do this to the right
person, to the right extent, at the right time, with the right aim, and in the right
way, that is not for everyone, nor is it easy.”
Cahn, Dudley D., and Ruth Anna Abigail. Managing Conflict through
Communication. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014, 187–98.
Canary, Daniel J., and Sandra Lakey. Strategic Conflict. New York: Routledge, 2013,
56–59.
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22. Full-Sentence Outline: Why and How to Deal with Anger (8 of 8)
Eifert, Georg H., Matthew McKay, and John P. Forsyth. ACT on Life Not on
Anger: The New Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Guide to Problem
Anger. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger, 2006, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21.
Svitil, Kathy A. Calming the Anger Storm. New York: Alpha, 2005, 14–15.
Tavris, Carol. Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion. New York: Simon &
Schuster, 1982, 253.
Wilmot, William W., and Joyce L. Hocker. Interpersonal Conflict. 6th ed.
Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2001, 251–53.
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23. Additional Tips for Outlining
• The following four additional outlining guidelines can help you
prepare and deliver a well-organized presentation:
• Write a headline
• Insert time markers
• Use manuscript cues
• Add a bibliography or references
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24. Credits
This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 9.2.
For more resources, please visit The Norton Field Guide to Speaking:
http://digital.wwnorton.com/nfgspeaking.
Copyright © 2022 W. W. Norton & Company