Many speakers prepare and give their presentations verbatim, or word-for-word. This is one of the least effective ways to prepare and present material orally. Using an outline is far more efficient and effective. Why? Consider just a few of the reasons why this is so:
A Logical Manner!
Using an outline forces a speaker to organize his material in a logical manner. As the outline is being prepared, it's easy to decide on the proper sequencing of ideas. Just a glance at the outline reveals whether a point is out of sequence or not.
A logical presentation is easier for the audience to follow, accept and recall later. Why? Because it makes sense!
It Saves Time!
It takes less time to outline material and prepare it for presentation. Once outlined, changes and revisions are easily accommodated. A manuscript, or word-for-word presentation, requires much more work to incorporate changes, since material surrounding the revision must also be tweaked to make that passage flow smoothly.
It also takes much less time to review an outlined presentation than to read over or rehearse one which has been written out word for word. The speaker has only to quickly read through the outline to review his presentation. This reduces the time required to become thoroughly familiar with it.
Keeps It Fresh and Spontaneous!
An outline helps the speaker to shift his focus from a misguided concentration on specific words to be used, to the specific ideas he wants to cover. This helps to keep his presentation fresh and spontaneous, since each time he gives it, he will choose slightly different words to express his ideas. He therefore avoids giving a speech which sounds "canned."
Better Audience Contact!
Using an outline when presenting allows for better audience contact. The speaker is not tied to his notes. He can actually look at various members of his audience as he speaks to them, and note their reactions to his words. He can elaborate, rephrase or explain as he feels is necessary for his audience to get the point.
As a result, his delivery is more conversational. This, in turn, helps him to hold the attention of his audience, since they feel that he's simply conversing with them, and not giving a lecture.
You'll Never Go Back!
Much more could be said, but the most telling argument is this: Once a speaker gets comfortable using an outline to make a presentation, he'll never go back to using a manuscript!
