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EasyPalmCards

Speech outline builder

Choose the kind of speech, jot a few words for each section and set your time limit. You get a card-by-card plan with a time and word budget for every part.

Kind of speech
Hook
My position
Reason 1
Reason 2
Reason 3
Counter-argument
Call to action
Closing line
Main points
3

Not sure? Take the speaking speed test.

390 words

Total budget across 8 cards for 3 min

Your plan, card by card

  1. 1. Hook13 sec · 29 words
    • Who here has eaten a tomato grown at school?
  2. 2. My position13 sec · 29 words
    • Student council should fund a trial garden next term
  3. 3. Reason 137 sec · 80 words
    • Science we can touch
    • Measure soil, track growth, see the water cycle
  4. 4. Reason 237 sec · 80 words
    • Brings the school together
    • Juniors and seniors share the work; families on weekends
  5. 5. Reason 337 sec · 80 words
    • Costs less than one excursion
    • Raised beds, seeds, a water tank; nurseries donate plants
  6. 6. Counter-argument20 sec · 44 words
    • Who looks after it in the holidays?
    • Roster of volunteer families, drip watering
  7. 7. Call to action13 sec · 29 words
    • Vote yes on Friday
  8. 8. Closing line8 sec · 18 words
    • Let us start small and grow something together.

How to use the plan

  1. Write notes, not sentences A few words per box is enough. The outline is for finding the shape of the speech; the wording comes later.
  2. Check the time budget If a point needs more words than its budget allows, cut a point rather than squeezing the others. Three strong points beat five rushed ones.
  3. Draft each card to its word count Open the outline in the editor and expand each card, keeping an eye on the word count shown in its heading.
  4. Rehearse and adjust Time a run-through. If one section overruns, trim that card, not the conclusion.

Which structure to pick

Persuasive suits speeches that ask for something: a vote, a change or an opinion. It includes a counter-argument, because answering the obvious objection is often what wins people over. Informative suits class presentations and reports. Debate follows the claim, reasoning and evidence pattern most school debating uses; see debate cards for more on rebuttal cards. Special occasion is for toasts, tributes and farewells built around a few stories, as in a wedding speech.

Everything you type stays in this browser tab. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere until you choose to open the outline in the editor.

Frequently asked questions

What is a speech outline?

A speech outline is the plan of your talk: the opening, each main point with its supporting example, and the close, written as short notes rather than full sentences. Teachers often ask for one before the speech itself, and it doubles as the content of your cue cards.

How many main points should a speech have?

Three is the usual choice for a 3 to 5 minute speech, because it is enough to make a case and few enough for listeners to remember. Use two for a very short speech and four or five only when you have ten minutes or more.

How is the time for each section worked out?

Each section gets a share of your time limit: the main points get the most, the hook and close the least. The word budget is that time multiplied by the speaking pace you chose. Treat it as a target to write towards, not a rule.

Does this write the speech for me?

No. It gives you a structure and a time plan, and you fill in the ideas. Nothing is generated by AI. If you want help rewording your own notes later, the editor has optional AI actions for Gold members.

Can I turn my outline into cue cards?

Yes. Open in the editor sends each filled section to the editor as its own card, with the time you planned for it in the heading. Edit the wording, then print or rehearse.

Ready to write the cards?

Open your outline in the editor. Each section becomes a card you can expand, format, rehearse and print on A4 or US Letter.

Open the editor