Lesson 13 min 20 XP
Structuring a Speech
Opening, body, close — frameworks that work for any topic and any audience.
Three Frameworks That Work
A speech without structure is just talking. Here are three proven frameworks, each suited to different purposes.
1. Problem-Solution-Benefit (Persuasive Speeches)
The workhorse of persuasive speaking. Structure:
- Problem: What's wrong? Make the audience feel the pain. Use a specific story, not abstract statistics. 'Maria, a single mother in Detroit, works two full-time jobs and still can't afford insulin for her son.'
- Solution: What should we do? Be specific and concrete. Not 'fix healthcare' but 'cap insulin co-pays at $35/month, as the Inflation Reduction Act already does for Medicare patients — extend it to all Americans.'
- Benefit: What happens when we act? Paint the future. 'Maria works one job, spends evenings with her son, and nobody in America dies because they rationed insulin.'
2. Chronological/Narrative (Informative Speeches)
Tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Works brilliantly for history, biography, or explaining a process.
- Beginning: Set the scene. 'In 1945, fifty nations gathered in San Francisco to sign a charter that would, they hoped, prevent another world war.'
- Middle: The journey, complications, turning points.
- End: The resolution or current state, and what it means.
3. What-So What-Now What (Any Speech)
The most versatile framework. Works in meetings, presentations, and formal speeches.
- What: Here's the situation / finding / idea.
- So What: Here's why it matters to you (the audience).
- Now What: Here's what we should do about it.