Organize Logically
Organize Logically
In addition to the organizational patterns discussed in the “Organizing” Module, there are at least four additional ways to draw your information into easy-to-understand patterns. According to Gestalt psychology, information is more easily understood if it conforms to certain principles. The principle of Similarity states that things which share characteristics like, color, size, shape, age or location will seem to belong together. Note in Figure A that the eye wants to group the circles by their size, rather than seeing them as grouped in lines pointing from the center. The Proximity refers to an audience’s tendency to see things that are close together as belonging together. When viewing Figure B, we would likely assume that the child, woman, and man were a family. The Symmetry principle suggests that well proportioned and balanced objects are more pleasing to perceive than those objects that do not have parts that correspond in size, shape, or position. Almost all Celtic knots (Figure C) and wall paper designs exhibit this principle. Finally, Closure suggests that people complete figures even when information is missing. In Figure D, although the drawing only consists of a few lines, our minds easily recognize the lion in the picture.
| Figure A | Figure B | Figure C | Figure D |
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In addition to the use of psychological principles to help organize your ideas, you should make sure the overall logic of the speech is well thought out. If you were giving speech best suited to chronological order, but presented the steps out of order, it would be very difficult to follow. Those of you who have seen the movie Memento (which presented the sequence of events backwards), may have noticed how difficult it was to explain the plot to others. Peggy Noonan (23) pp 64 argues:
The most moving thing in a speech is always the logic. It’s never the flowery words and flourishes, it’s not sentimental exhortations, it’s never the faux poetry we’re all subjected to these days. It’s the logic; it’s the thinking behind your case. A good case well argued and well said is inherently moving. It shows respect for the brains of the listeners. There is an implicit compliment in it. It shows that you are a serious person and that you are talking to other serious persons.
When planning your speech, ask questions like: What information needs to come first? What organizational pattern best suits the topic? What information must be shared or omitted to aid in audience understanding? What points or sub-points should be grouped together to aid listeners’ understanding?
