Use of an Outline

THE prospect of giving a talk from an outline makes many people nervous. They feel more secure if everything they are going to say is down on paper or memorized.

Yet, in reality, every day we all communicate without a manuscript. We do it in conversation with family and friends. We do it when sharing in the field ministry. And we do it when offering heartfelt prayers, whether in private or on behalf of a group.

When you deliver a talk, does it make a difference whether you use a manuscript or an outline? While signing from a prepared script can help to ensure accuracy and the use of choice wording, it has its limitations in reaching hearts. When you sign more than a few sentences from notes, you will usually adopt a pace and a pattern of inflection that differ from your spontaneous conversational style. If your attention is focused more on your papers than on your audience, many may not listen as intently as they would if they felt that you were really thinking about them and adapting your material to their circumstances. For a truly motivating talk, extemporaneous delivery is the best.

The midweek meeting is designed to help us in everyday life. When we meet friends, we do not pull out a piece of paper and read our thoughts to them in order to ensure the best wording. In field service, we do not take along a manuscript out of fear that we might forget some points that we want to share with people. When demonstrating in a talk or a demonstration how to witness under such circumstances, practice signing in a manner that is as natural as possible. With good preparation, you will find that an outline, either mental or written, is usually sufficient to remind you of the main thoughts that you want to discuss. But how can you develop the confidence needed to work from one?

Organize Your Thoughts. In order to use an outline when speaking, you need to organize your thoughts. This does not mean selecting the signs that you plan to use. It simply means thinking before you sign.

In daily life, an impetuous person may find himself blurting out things that he later wishes he had not said. Another person may wander from one idea to another. Both of these tendencies can be dealt with effectively by pausing to formulate a simple mental outline before beginning to speak. First fix your objective in mind, next select the steps that you need to take in order to achieve it, and then start to talk.

Are you preparing for field service? Take time not only to pack your witnessing case but also to organize your thoughts. If you decide to use one of the suggested presentations from Our Christian Life and Ministry—Meeting Workbook, watch it several times to get the main ideas clearly in mind. Sign the gist of it in one or two brief sentences. Adapt it to your own personality and to conditions in your territory. You will find it helpful to have a mental outline. What might that include? (1) As an introduction, you might mention something that is of concern to many people in your community. Invite the other person to comment. (2) Have in mind something specific that you could share on the subject, including one or two scriptures that show what God has promised to do to bring relief. If given the opportunity, emphasize that Jehovah will do this by means of his Kingdom, his heavenly government. (3) Encourage the person to take some action on what you have discussed. You might offer literature and/or a Bible study and make definite arrangements to continue the discussion.

The only outline you will probably need for such a presentation is a mental one. If you want to consult a written outline before your first call, the outline will probably contain no more than a few words to use for your introduction, a notation of one or two scriptures, and a brief note of what you want to include in your conclusion. Preparation and use of such an outline prevent us from rambling, helping us to leave a clear message that is easy to remember.

If some question or objection comes up often in your territory, you may find it helpful to do research on the matter. Usually, all you need are two or three basic points along with scriptures that provide the basis for them. An Introduction to God’s Word or ideas from Our Kingdom Ministry or the Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook may provide exactly the outline you need. You may find a good quotation from another source that you want to include. Make up a brief written outline, attach a photocopy of the quotation, and keep these with your equipment for field service. When a householder brings up the question or objection, let him know that you welcome the opportunity to give a reason for what you believe. (1 Pet. 3:15) Use the outline as a basis for your reply.

When you are going to represent your family or the congregation in prayer, it is also beneficial to organize your thoughts. According to Luke 11:2-4, Jesus gave his disciples a simple outline for meaningful prayer. At the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, Solomon prayed at length. He obviously thought about the subject in advance. He focused attention first on Jehovah and His promise to David; then on the temple; and then, one at a time, on specific situations and groups of people. (1 Ki. 8:22-53) We can benefit from these examples.

Keep Your Talk Outline Simple. Is your outline meant for use when giving a discourse? How much should it include?

Remember that an outline is meant to help you recall ideas. You may feel that it would be beneficial to write out a few sentences for use as an introduction. But after that, focus on ideas, not signs. Whether you put those ideas down in the form of words or drawings, keep them simple and brief. The few main points that you plan to develop should stand out clearly in your outline. This can be achieved by writing them in capital letters, underscoring the points, or marking them in color. Under each main point, list the ideas that you want to use when developing it. Cite the scriptures that you plan to read. It is usually best to show the scriptures. Make note of illustrations that you want to use. You may also have some significant secular quotation that is appropriate. Make your notes extensive enough to have specific facts to present. The outline will be easier to use if it is neat.

The next study in this publication, entitled “Logical Development of Material,” gives suggestions on how to organize your information. You may also want to consider organizing your thoughts by creating an idea map, which may consist of drawing the points using a kind of visual structure so that you can easily organize your own thoughts. This, in turn, will help you know what is coming next. Some examples of idea maps are shown in the following paragraphs.

This is an example of an idea map structured in topical arrangement. The talk might be about Jehovah’s qualities, as indicated in the middle bubble. Then each quality indicated in the outer bubbles can be discussed.

This is an example of an idea map created using a chronological structure, depicting events in the order in which they occurred.

This is an example of an idea map created using a contrastive structure. It could be used to discuss Bible prophecies on one side and their fulfillment on the other.

It might show the pros of obeying Jehovah as opposed to the cons of disobeying him. It could indicate a problem on one side and the solution on the other. Or it might demonstrate cause and effect.

Some use outlines that are very basic. An outline may consist of a few key words, notation of scriptures that the speaker will quote from memory, and drawings or pictures that help him recall ideas. With these simple notes, a speaker is able to present his material in a logical order and a conversational manner. That is the objective of this lesson.

How to Use the Outline. Your goal at this point, however, is not simply to prepare your discourse in outline form. It is to use the outline effectively.

The first step in using your outline is preparation for delivery. Look at the theme, note each main point, and state to yourself the connection that each of those main points has to the theme. Make note of how much time can be devoted to each main point. Now go back and study the first main point. Review the arguments, scriptures, illustrations, and examples that you plan to use to develop that point. Go over the material several times until that section of your talk is clear in mind. Do the same with each of the other main points. Consider what you could omit, if necessary, in order to finish on time. Then review the entire talk. ocus on the ideas, not the signs. Do not memorize the talk.

When you deliver the discourse, you should be able to maintain good visual contact with your audience. After showing a scripture, you should usually be able to reason on it without going back to check your notes. Similarly, if you use an illustration, tell it as you would to friends instead of signing it from your notes. As you sign, do not look at your notes to pick up each sentence. Speak from the heart, and you will reach the hearts of those who listen to you.

When you master the art of signing from an outline, you will have taken a very important forward step in becoming an effective public speaker.