What term refers to the main idea of a speech summed up as a single declarative sentence?

PREPARING THE MAIN POINTS FOR A PRESENTATION
DEFINITION: Main points are the major divisions of the body of a presentation.
Each main point introduces one idea, or makes one claim, that helps to advance the central idea (thesis) of the presentation.

LIMIT the number of main topics in the body of the presentation. Develop between two to five main points. Audiences often have trouble following a presentation that tries to cover too many major topics.

PHRASE main points in parallel language if possible. The similarity in wording that parallel phrasing introduces will help your audiences identify the major topics of the presentation.

STATE main points as concisely as possible. Use simple, declarative sentences to introduce each point you wish to make in the presentation.

BALANCE the development given to each main point. Each topic should receive roughly the same amount of time. If some points are developed at great length while others are just briefly noted, the presentation gives the impression that some main points are unimportant.

CONNECT each main point to the thesis of your presentation. The best way to avoid wandering off on a tangent is to ask yourself why this particular point is pertinent to the central idea of the presentation you are giving. Avoid the temptation to explore amusing facts and ideas which, while interesting in an of themselves, have very little to do with the central goal of your presentation.

USE clear transitional statements to indicate movement to a new point. Transitions alert the audience that you are finished with one point and are moving on. Without them, you risk leaving your audience behind as you advance to a new topic.

GUIDELINES FOR USING SUPPORTING MATERIALS IN A PRESENTATION

Definition: The term supporting materials refers to the information a person provides to develop and/or justify a idea that is offered for a listener’s consideration. Supporting materials serve a variety of functions in oral presentations: to clarify the speaker’s point, to emphasize the point, to make the point more interesting, and to furnish a basis that enables others to believe the speaker’s point. Without supporting materials, an oral presentation is little more than a string of assertions (claims without backing).

General Guidelines for Supporting Materials

1. Pertinence: Each piece of support should be clearly relevant to the point it is used to support.

2. Variety: The presentation should not rely excessively on one type of support (such as examples) but should instead use a number of different forms of support.

3. Amount: The presentation should include a sufficient amount of support (enough to make the ideas presented both clear and compelling to the audience).

4. Detail: Each piece of support needs to be developed to the point that audience members can both understand the item of support and can see how the item backs up the point it is used to support.

5. Appropriateness: Each piece of supporting material should meet the demands that the audience and the occasion place on the kind of material that is likely to be received favorably. A “scholarly” audience, for example, will probably place higher demands on the speaker’s sources of information than a “general” audience would. A “graphic” description of a particular topic, while entirely fitting in some occasions, might be out of place in another.

Specific Guidelines for Supporting Materials

Supporting materials are usually offered in recurring forms. Depending upon the form of support provided, you should ask yourself some questions to determine if you are making the best possible use of that kind of material:

For Examples/Narratives:
Is the example/narrative representative?
Is the example/narrative sufficiently vivid?
Is the example/narrative personalized?
If necessary, was the source cited in the speech?

For Statistics:
Is the source of the statistic reliable?
Has the source of the statistics been cited in the speech?
Has the statistic been used correctly?
Have you rounded-off complicated statistics?
Have you interpreted the statistic (explained it in another way)?
Have you done something to emphasize the statistic?
Have you used statistics sparingly?

For Testimony:
Is the source qualified to make the statement you’re quoting?
Is the quotation accurate?
Have you attributed the testimony prior to the quote?
Is the quotation brief?
Have you clearly signaled where the testimony begins and ends?
Are the source’s conclusions reasonably free from bias?

For Comparison/Contrast:
Is comparison justified?
Is the comparison meaningful?
Have you avoided overdoing the comparison?

(Do not confuse with the 4 types of sentence structure.)

There are four types of English sentence, classified by their purpose:

  • declarative sentence (statement)
  • interrogative sentence (question)
  • imperative sentence (command)
  • exclamative sentence (exclamation)

What term refers to the main idea of a speech summed up as a single declarative sentence?

Sentence types are sometimes called clause types.

 formfunctionexample sentence (clause)final punctuation
1 declarative statement: It tells us something John likes Mary. .
2 interrogative question: It asks us something Does Mary like John? ?
3 imperative command: It tells us to do something Stop!
Close the door.
! or .
4 exclamative exclamation: It expresses surprise What a funny story he told us! !

(form = structure / function = job)

1. Declarative Sentence (statement)

Declarative sentences make a statement. They tell us something. They give us information, and they normally end with a full-stop/period.

The usual word order for the declarative sentence is:

  • subject + verb...

Declarative sentences can be positive or negative. Look at these examples:

positivenegative
I like coffee. I do not like coffee.
We watched TV last night. We did not watch TV last night.

Declarative sentences are the most common type of sentence.

2. Interrogative Sentence (question)

Interrogative sentences ask a question. They ask us something. They want information, and they always end with a question mark.

The usual word order for the interrogative sentence is:

  • (wh-word +) auxiliary + subject + verb...

Interrogative sentences can be positive or negative. Look at these examples:

positivenegative
Do you like coffee? Don't you like coffee?
Why did you go? Why didn't you go?

3. Imperative Sentence (command)

Imperative sentences give a command. They tell us to do something, and they end with a full-stop/period (.) or exclamation mark/point (!).

The usual word order for the imperative sentence is:

  • base verb...

Note that there is usually no subject—because the subject is understood, it is YOU.

Imperative sentences can be positive or negative. Look at these examples:

positivenegative
Stop! Do not stop!
Give her coffee. Don't give her coffee.

4. Exclamative Sentence (exclamation)

Exclamative sentences express strong emotion/surprise—an exclamation—and they always end with an exclamation mark/point (!).

The usual word order for the exclamative sentence is:

  • What (+ adjective) + noun + subject + verb
  • How (+ adjective/adverb) + subject + verb

Look at these examples:

  • What a liar he is!
  • What an exciting movie it was!
  • How he lied!
  • How exciting the movie was!
What term refers to the main idea of a speech summed up as a single declarative sentence?

Note the form and function of the above four types. In general, we use the declarative form to make a statement. We use the interrogative form to ask a question. We use the imperative form to issue a command. We use the exclamative form to make an exclamation.

But function and form do not always coincide, especially with a change in intonation. For example, we can use the declarative form to give a command—You will now start the exam. Or we can use the interrogative form to make an exclamation—Wow, can Jo play the piano! We can even ask a question with the declarative form—Bangkok is in Thailand? So it is important to recognize this and not be confused when the function does not always match the form.

Contributor: Josef Essberger

What is the main idea of a speech called?

The central idea (sometimes called the thesis) states in one sentence what the speech is about. You can use your specific-purpose statement to help you write your central idea.

Which term describes a single sentence in the speech itself that refers to the main purpose and topic of the speech?

first step in a powerful conclusion; a thesis statement is a short, declarative sentence that states the pur- pose, intent, or main idea of a speech.

What is the name of the section of a speech that includes a summary of main points and a clincher?

The conclusion provides a review of what you just talked about. Ideally, the conclusion should remind your audience what you talked about and why it matters to them. You can do this by reviewing the main ideas, restating the thesis, and ending the speech in a memorable way with a clincher.

Which of the following speech elements should be stated as declarative sentences?

each main point and supporting point is stated in sentence form as a declarative statement. what are some functions of an introduction? sharing a compelling quotation or story, posing a question, providing unusual information, humor acknowledging the audience, and referring to the occasion.