How Much Time?

Time allotment brings up another point - what is to be left out.

Perhaps a subject that you should cover cannot be handled in the time available for it.

This forces a decision on whether or not to give the subject the once-over-lightly treatment or to leave it out altogether.

Such an outline helps you remember your speech. In the part on variety, let's say there are four points to make.

Now it is fairly easy to remember four points and the order in which they come. Thus, if I am thrown off the main track, I can come back much easier. I had four points in the beginning. When I went astray I had covered three.

Point four is - thus I get back on the track.

One fellow I know builds his little squares into a bridge. "If I get off the track," he says, "I can always come back to my bridge." That is useful in any speech you make.

Many times a snatch of conversation before you get up to talk, a question, or some audience reaction will send you off on a diversion not written into your speech.

The outline should help you get back on the bridge at about where you went off.

Continued...From "How to Write a Speech"
By: EDWARD J. HEGARTY

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