Page 246 - Essentials of Human Communication

Step 5: Develop Your Main Points 225

select POints that are MOst relevant
You might drop number 5 on the assumption that your audience will be interested in
more practical outcomes. And, you might eliminate number 9 on the assumption that Explore the Concept
“Testing for Relevance of
your audience is not looking for college to help them make friends; they probably already Supporting Ideas” at
have friends and families that occupy most of their time. Further, you might conclude that MyCommunicationLab
this audience cares a lot about personal effectiveness, so you might make this your second
major proposition:
A college education will help you increase your personal effectiveness.
Much as you developed the subordinate points in your first proposition by defining what
you meant by “a good job,” you would define what you mean by “personal effectiveness”:

II. A college education will help you increase your personal effectiveness.
A. A college education will help you increase your ability to communicate.
B. A college education will help you acquire learning skills.
C. A college education will help you acquire coping skills.
You would then follow the same procedure used to generate these subordinate points (A, B,
and C) to develop the subheadings. For example, you might divide A into two major subheads:
A. A college education will improve your ability to communicate.
1. A college education teaches writing skills.
2. A college education teaches speech skills.
Remember, your aim is not to cover every aspect of a topic but to emphasize selected
parts. Further, you want to have enough time to amplify and support the points you present.
With too many propositions, this becomes impossible. Also, you don’t want to present too
much information, because your audience simply will not be able to remember it. Ideally you
should use two, three, or four main points.

Phrase PrOPOsitiOns in Parallel stYle
To make it easier for listeners to follow and remember your speech, use parallel grammatical
structures in wording your major propositions:
Not this:
I. Social media functions
A. Social media entertain.
B. The social media function to inform.
C. Making friends and establishing relationships are major functions.
This:
I. Social media functions
A. Social media entertain.
B. Social media inform.
C. Social media help establish relationships.

develOP Main POints seParatelY and distinctlY
Don’t overlap your main points. Overlapping is likely to create confusion rather than clarity.
Not This:
I. Color and style are important in clothing selection.
This:
I. Color is important in clothing selection.
II. Style is important in clothing selection.