Informative speech outline

An informative speech teaches the audience something: how a process works, what happened at an event, or what a concept means. Unlike a persuasive speech, you are not asking anyone to change their mind. You are trying to leave them understanding your topic better than when you started.

The outline is where that happens. It forces you to choose a few main points, put them in a sensible order and check that every fact has a source. Once it is done, the speaking notes, your note cards, almost write themselves.

The standard informative speech outline format

Most teachers and public speaking courses use the same three-part format. The labels vary slightly, but the parts are the same.

1. Introduction An attention getter (a question, a surprising fact, a short story), your thesis (one sentence saying what the audience will learn), a credibility statement (why you are a good person to explain this) and a preview of your main points.
2. Body Usually three main points. Each one has two or three sub-points, with examples, evidence or explanations and the source for any fact. A transition links each point to the next.
3. Conclusion A summary of the main points, a restatement of the thesis in fresh words and a closing line that leaves the audience with something to remember.

Organise the body in a pattern that suits the topic: in time order for history or a process, by parts for an object or place, by cause and effect for an event, or by topic when the points are simply different aspects of the subject.

Informative speech outline template

Copy this structure and fill in each line.

The informative speech template sets out the same parts as cards in the editor, ready to fill in.

Informative speech outline example

Here is a complete outline for a five-minute speech. The facts are general and widely published; in a real speech you would name the source for each one.

From full-sentence outline to cue cards

Many classes ask for two versions. The preparation outline is written in full sentences with references, so your teacher can see your research and structure. The speaking outline is what you actually use at the front of the room: keywords, short phrases, the exact wording of your opening and closing lines, and any figure you must get right.

• One card per part. Introduction, each main point, and the conclusion each get their own card.
• Write transitions in full. They are the lines speakers most often forget.
• Mark sources with a short tag such as "(NASA)" so you remember to say them.
• Number every card in case you drop them.

Paste your speaking outline into the editor and it splits it into cards for you. Our guide to writing cue cards has more on layout and how much to put on each card.

Timing by speech length

At an average speaking pace of about 130 words per minute, this is roughly how much you can say and how to split the time.

For more detail on word counts, see how many words is a 5 minute speech, or paste your draft into the speech timer calculator.

Citing sources out loud

Your written outline carries full references, but the audience cannot see them. Mention the source in a natural way just before the fact: "According to the European Space Agency…" or "In a report published last year, [organisation] found…". Give the organisation or author, and the year when it matters. Two or three spoken citations in a five-minute speech is usually enough to show your research without slowing you down.

Common mistakes

• A topic that is too big. "Space" is a subject; "why the space station doesn't fall" is a speech.
• Persuading by accident. Phrases like "we should" or "you must" belong in a persuasive speech.
• Too many main points. Five points in five minutes leaves no time to explain any of them.
• No transitions. Without them, the audience cannot tell when one point ends and the next begins.
• Writing the whole speech on the cards. Keep the full text in the preparation outline and only prompts on the cards.
• Not rehearsing aloud. Time at least two full run-throughs before the day.