How to Write a Demonstration Speech Outline

With a few tips, you'll be a smooth public speaker in no time.

A demonstration speech is a short lecture explaining how you do something. Topics can range from simple (how to make a bed) or complex (how to troubleshoot a computer program). You've probably heard several how-to or demonstration speeches as a student. Now that it's your turn at the head of the class, an outline is a great tool to help you stay on topic and help your audience learn a new skill. These basic tips will help you outline your demonstration speech.

When choosing your topic, pick something you know how to do well.

Pick a topic. Choose something you know how to do well so you can help others understand.

Be creative in your introduction; use visual aids to draw people into your topic.

Start with an introduction when beginning your outline. You'll want to start with something that grabs your audience's attention, suggests the website www.speech-topics-help.com, an online guide to writing speeches. These can include a question posed to the audience, rhetorical or otherwise. For ideas, think about what interests you about your topic and why, and introduce that aspect to your audience.

Organize your thoughts by listing the main points or steps to your speech.

Outline your main points or steps. If you're explaining how to make a bed, explain what to do first, second and third. If you're describing how to scuba dive, describe where you start or what you need to know first.

Adding details to your main points will help you flesh out your speech.

Go through your main points and add details. These are subpoints, and they help explain your steps.

Just like show-and-tell when you were younger, people love visual aids.

List any tools needed at this point. If possible, collect them to bring in for your speech. Visual aids are also great tools to draw people in, reports www.speech-topics-help.com.

Give your audience clear directions about where you'll be going in your speech.

Rework your introduction to include an outline of our speech. Now that you know exactly what you'll be talking about, make sure to add that to your introduction as a guide for your audience about what you'll be talking about. It's important to your audience to preview your speech, according to a writing guide published by Northern Virginia Community College.

At the end of your speech, your audience should be encouraged to try what they learned.

Work on your conclusion. Here it's important to go over your main points once more to remind the audience what they've learned. You'll also want to include something memorable that encourages the audience to follow up on what they've learned by trying it.

  • Practice giving your speech to family or friends to help improve your presentation.

Christina Knott is an award-winning writer and editor who has worked at daily newspapers since 2007. She has been published in the "Jefferson City News Tribune," "Kansas City Star," "Springfield News-Leader" and "Kerrville Daily Times." Christina has two years experience teaching English overseas and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism.

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