Sample Complete Sentence Outline- Informative Speech

India: Land of Diversity (Lucas, 2012)

I. Introduction:
A. Attention Getter: “Namaste” I just greeted you the way I would in India.
B. The same word-“Namaste” is used when saying goodbye.
i. The identical word can have two entirely different meanings.
ii. This is just one example of the diversity of life in India.
C. Thesis: India is a country of great geographical and linguistic diversity.
D. Establish Credibility: As a first-generation Indian American, I have had firsthand
experience with Indian life and culture.
E. Preview: Today, I would like to give you a glimpse of India’s diversity. First, by looking at
its geography and second by exploring its language.

Transitional Statement: (“Let’s start with geography.)

II. Body
A. India is a land of great geographical diversity.
a. According to Professor Keay, a historian specializing in India (2001), You can see
this diversity in the mountains, plains and plateau’s.
b. The northernmost part of India consists of Himalaya Mountains.
i. The highest mountain system is the world, the Himalaya separate India
from China.
ii. The Indian Himalaya’s have many mountains more than 20,000 feet
high.
B. The central part of India consists of the Northern Plains.
a. About 200 miles wide, the Northern Plains stretch across India from the Arabian
Sea on the west to the Bay of Bengal on the east.
b. Within the Northern Plains, there considerable diversity.
i. There is fertile farmland.
ii. There are major cities such as Delhi and Calcutta.
iii. There is the Great Indian Desert.
C. The southern part of India consists of the Deccan plateau.
a. Extending from the edge of the Northern Plains to the southern tip of India, the
Deccan plateau is more than 1,200 miles long.
b. The Declan plateau includes many geographical features.
i. It contains farming and grazing land.
ii. It contains tropical forests.
iii. It contains most of India’s seacoast.
Transitional Statement: (Now that you know something about the geographical diversity of India, let’s
look at its linguistic diversity.)

III. India is a land of great linguistic diversity.

IV. The official language is Hindi.
a. Hindi is spoken by 40 percent of the people.
b. The opening word of my speech- “Namaste” is Hindi.
B. According to a Harvard History professor, John Sullivan, In addition to Hindi, there are
17 regional languages recognized in the Indian constitution (2002).
a. These languages are as distinct from each other as English is from French.
i. Each has its own grammar and pronunciation.
ii. Some have their own alphabet.
b. Many of these languages have literary traditions that are 2,000 years old.
C. India also has more than 1,000 minor languages and dialects.
a. These can change entirely from village to village.
b. This often makes communication very difficult.
D. Most educated Indians also speak English.
a. The use of English comes from 300 years of British rule.
b. English is spoken by 2 percent of the population.
c. It is widely used in colleges and universities.
E. As linguist Kamala Singh has stated, “the diversity of India’s language is “unrivaled by
any other nation,” (2008, pg. 21).

Transitional Statement: (In conclusion….)

V. Conclusion
A. I hope you can see from India’s geography and languages why it is such a diverse and
fascinating country.
B. From the Northern Plains to the Southern Plains to its beautifully rich and diverse
language, India is a great place to visit.
C. Namaste

****** Note!**********
I made up the citations to give you an idea of how
you will explicitly quote in your speech.
This example is only two pages. That doesn’t meant
yours will only be two pages. It will probably be
more than two pages.