Sample Speech Outline

Sample Speech Outline

AND SOME VALUABLE INFORMATION ON

EVALUATING INTERNET SOURCES

SAMPLE SPEECH OUTLINE

(Another format ... notice the similar elements from outline to outline)

PURPOSE

By the end of my speech, the audience will know how to use the Internet effectively

for research.

INTRODUCTION

Story (personal relevance) about student contemplating Web research on a rainy night.

CENTRAL IDEA

The Internet is an invaluable research tool if students know how to find and evaluate information.

Transition (Includes three main points): Before you enter cyberspace, I want to talk about… (preview of main points):

I. What types of information the Web is good for.

II. How to find information on the Web.

III. How to make sure that the information you find is good information.

BODY

I. The Web is a very convenient and accessible resource that can put the world at our fingertips, but exactly what could you use the Web for?

According to Nancy Fogerty, Research Librarian at the Walter Clinton Jackson library (verbal citation), you can use it:

A. To help you pick a topic.

B. To explore how the topic relates to other ideas.

C. To find information from news sources about current events.

D. To get background information on a subject.

Transition: Now that you know why to use it, how can you get started?

II. I will discuss three main ways to find information and compare the advantages and challenges of each.

A. According to a tutorial on The University of Albany Library Website (verbal citation), there are a number of basic ways to access information on the Internet.

1. Go directly to a site if you have the address.

2. Browse, a method that is haphazard, but entertaining.

3. Explore a subject directory, academic or commercial, which groups sites by subject.

4. Conduct a search using a Web search engine which looks for items that contain key words.

B. No matter how you find your site, according to Robert Harris,...