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CMNS 101 Fundamentals of Communication

Public Speaking Research Guide

Writing an Outline: Transitions

Transitions help move your speech along in a way that the audience can follow easily through vocal cues. You should be using transitions to help your audience by: 

  • Preview statements: before you start a list or logical segment, it helps to preface that to the audience 
    • Example: “There are a three key physical differences between elephant seals and sea lions: flippers, ears, and how they locomote on land…” 
  • Transitional statement: Identifying when you finish a main point and move to a new one  
    • Example: “Now that you know about the physical differences between an elephant seal and a sea lion, we can consider how their habitats vary and learn a bit more about where you can find one in the wild” 
  • Signposting: Reminding the audience of your preview statement from the introduction by letting them know which main point you are moving into  
    • Example: “The third aspect I want to talk about is a few of the conservation efforts in place to preserve these beautiful creatures…”