What are the three common organization patterns used for problem solving speeches?

Figure 7.3.2: Agência Brasília - COVID-19 Vaccines - CC-BY-2.0

Spatial

The spatial speech pattern organizes information according to how things fit together in physical space. This pattern is best used when your main points are oriented to different locations that can exist independently. The basic reason to choose this format is to show that the main points have clear locations. We’ll look at two examples here, one involving physical geography and one involving a different spatial order.

Take a look at Figure 7.3.3 below, an ofrenda [alter] for Dia de los Muertos - a day in November that is dedicated to memorializing family members that have died. We might identify the main parts of the alter as food items, pictures, candles, and flowers. If we were to arrange those main points in a spatial organizational pattern, we would begin with the picture as the first main point; it is at the top of the ofrenda. Moving down the picture, we see candles, so that would be the second main point. The third main point would be the food items, and the last main point would be the flowers, as they are at the bottom of the ofrenda. Essentially, we plan to discuss the ofrenda spatially because we will discuss those main points in the way they are spaced out on the alter.

Figure 7.3.3: Eneas de Troya - Altar de dia de muertos - CC-BY-2.0