SAMPLE PREPARATION OUTLINE (PANIC ATTACKS)

Order

Topical Order

General Purpose

To inform

Specific Purpose

To inform my audience that panic attacks are serious medical

conditions that have affected people all over the world.

Central Idea
(i)

Knowing the symptoms, extent and treatments of panic attacks helps us to

understand them as a serious medical problem that needs immediate attention.

(ii)

In order to know more about panic attacks, we need to diagnose their symptoms,
the extent of this medical condition and find out about the treatment methods to cure
the problem.

(iii)

The most important aspects of panic attacks include knowing the symptoms,
understanding the extent of this medical condition and also finding the treatment
methods available in order to cure the problem.

Introduction
I Attention getter to get the attention of the audience.
Various techniques available : poems, statistics, intriguing statements, narrative like
technique, personal experiences, newspaper excerpts, songs, jingles, rhetorical questions,
visualisation, etc.
II Expert Testimony According to the ..........
Reveals what the experts have said in relation to your topic (sientific insight).
They can be individuals/ companies/associations/ organisations, etc
e.g- Accoding to Dr. Steve Johnson from University of Wisconsin, panic attacks are one of
the common problems affecting almost 70% of the worlds population.
III Personal Testimony Reveals your own personal testimonies/ experiences which
are related to the topic (establishing credibility) and highlights your credible sources /
personal opinion.

e.g Apart from my personal experiences, I have also read extensively about panic attacks
from several educational and credible sources such as medical books, encyclopedias,
journals and magazines.
IV Repeats the Central Idea creatively (using different style/ words)
(Transition)
Body

There should be three main points

Each main point should be written in one logical and complete sentence. It should

reflect one of the central ideas mentioned earlier.

Each main point should be supported by relevant details which further support the claim

made in the main point.

The supporting details should only highlight the salient points. Avoid putting examples and
minor elaborations.

Transition

There should be 3 different transitions in your preparation outline(PO).

One is right after the introduction. Second is after main point one, and third is after
main point two.
Citation

There should be at least around 2/3 citations from different organisations, associations,

individuals, etc throughout the body of your PO.

They are more or less similar to expert testimonies except that expert testimonies appear in

the introduction section of your PO, whereas citations appear in the body of your PO.
Citations should come from different sources. E.g. 3 Citations that come from a similar
source will be counted as having only one citation.

Numbering System

Please make sure a standardised numbering system is used throughout the PO.

Example:
I.
Main point
A.
Sub point
1.
Sub-sub points
a.
Sub- sub sub points
It is not necessary to elaborate your main points until you reach the sub sub sub points.
Remember to only highlight the salient points that will explain your main point clearly well.
Conclusion
I Logical Ending Sentence

A sentence that informs the audience clearly that you are coming to the end of your speech.
Do not combine the ending sentence with the repetition of the 3 central ideas.
II Repeat the three central ideas creatively.
III It is encouraged that you conclude by highlighting any famous expression,
quotation, useful phrases, words of wisdom, etc that are related to your topic.
IV Please end by saying these two wonderful words Thank You.

Bibliography

Please make sure that you cite at least 5 references/articles from 3 different sources.
Your citation should be following the APA formatting system.
You need to arrange your references alphabetically.
General Instruction

Your PO should be typed using font size 12, Times New Roman / size 11, Arial and 1.5

spacing.
Your PO should be around 2-3 pages including the bibliography.