the preparation outline for your persuasive speech
Read the Persuasive Speech Materials
In this document, you will find everything you need to prepare and submit your Persuasive Speech:
Persuasive Speech Instructions back to top
For your persuasive speech, choose a hobby (either one that you have or one that you would like to have) and persuade us to to try something related to that hobby.
Grading: This speech will be graded on content and performance according to the criteria listed on the rubric.
Time: Your speech must be between 4 and 6 minutes. Speeches that fall outside of the required time window will be penalized such that those that are 1 to 30 seconds under/over will be penalized 5 points, those that are 31-60 seconds under/over will be penalized 10 points, and so on. Speeches that exceed the maximum time limit by more than 2 minutes and 30 seconds will not be graded after that time.
Topic: You must persuade us to try something related to a hobby that you have or would like to have. You may not choose a topic about a stock controversy such as abortion, alcohol consumption, blood or organ donation, capital punishment, constitutional rights, criminal justice, drug legalization, tobacco use, vehicle safety, voting, etc.
Notes: You may use key words on one sheet of paper (or on several note cards) to aid your delivery.
Delivery: You should deliver your speech extemporaneously, meaning that you should prepare your speech with an outline and practice in advance until you feel comfortable with the material. When delivering your speech, you should use only brief notes (key words) and choose your exact wording as you speak.
Content: Your speech should include (1) an introduction with (a) a creative attention getting device, (b) a clear central idea, (c) a relevance statement, (d) a credibility statement, (e) a preview of your main points, and (f) a smooth transition into the body of your speech; (2) a body that includes 2-3 coordinated, logical, and substantive main points that (a) support your central idea, (b) are organized effectively, and (c) are separated by effective transitions; and (3) a strong conclusion that includes (a) a clear signal of the end, (b) a restatement of the central idea, (c) a review of the main points, and (d) a return to the introductory device.
Sources: You must find and cite at least 4 sources that support the content of your speech. All sources should be factual, reliable, objective, and recent. At least two sources must be obtained through the university library or its online databases. Sources must be cited within your speech (both vocally as you deliver your speech and parenthetically within the text of your preparation outline). Vocal citations should include all of the following information (when available): author, article name, publication date, publication name. Source must also be cited in a references list at the end of your outline. These sources should be cited in APA (American Psychological Association) format.
Visual Aid: You must prepare and deliver at least 1 visual aid that contributes to your audience’s understanding of your topic. Your visual aid should be an object, model, drawing, photograph, map, graph, or chart. Your visual aid may not be yourself or another person.
Outline: You must prepare and submit a preparation outline to accompany your speech. Read more about the preparation outline and see examples of good preparation outlines submitted by previous students here.
Persuasive Speech Preparation Outline Instructions back to top
You must prepare and submit a preparation outline to accompany your speech. The preparation outline is a complete sentence outline that is a fully developed representation of your speech. An adequate preparation outline is one that, when read, could effectively substitute for the speech itself. Because you must deliver the speech extemporaneously, however, your preparation outline will represent only one potential version of your speech. Your preparation outline should follow the following format (create more main points if necessary using the provided pattern):
Specific purpose:
Organizational pattern:
Introduction
Creative attention-getting device:
Central idea:
Relevance statement:
Credibility statement:
Preview of main points:
Transition:
Body
Main point 1
Transition:
Main point 2
Transition:
Conclusion
Statement signaling the conclusion:
Restatement of central idea:
Summary of main points:
Return to introductory device:
Persuasive Speech Preparation Outline Examples back to top
Example 1
Introduction
Creative Attention-Getting device: Walking is something that we college students do a lot of. Think about if you get the support you need from the shoes that you do most of your walking in.
Central Idea: Chaco’s provide your feet with a significant amount of support and is a great shoe all in all.
Relevance Statement: No one thinks about the fact that your feet need effective support.
Credibility Statement: I wear my Chaco’s almost every single day. I wear them to class, hiking, and even swimming. I wear them in almost every situation. Even when my feet get cold, I just slip socks on and wear my Chaco’s.
Transition: If you are looking for a shoe that can be used in many situations and is good for your overall foot health, Chaco’s are definitely the shoe for you.
Body
Main Point 1:
According to the Wolverine Worldwide website, which is the company that makes Chaco’s. Chaco’s orientated “in the water as a river guide’s seasonal shoe, Chaco has always been fit for adventure. Today, Chaco is emerging from the water to offer a year-round program of shoes that follow the “healthy feet, healthy body” mantra, inspiring a pure connection to the product and the earth where we avidly adventure.” I wear my Chaco’s in a variety of different situations, like shopping, hiking or just walking to class. According to Manufacturing.net “Chaco specializes in making sandals designed for water and outdoor use”, but the shoe does not have to only be worn while doing vigorous activities. They are perfect for every situation. I have even wore mine with a formal dress to my graduation party, there is no place that you cannot wear Chaco’s.
Transition: Not only can you wear Chaco’s in any situation, but they provide efficient foot support. One of the great things about Chaco’s is the arch that the sandals have.
Main Point 2:
Dr. David S. Levine, foot and ankle surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York says that “Wearing flip-flops, flats and other shoes that don’t provide arch support may contribute to your toe troubles. In the case of flip-flops, not only do the thin rubber soles give your feet zero arch support, your ankle is free to move about. This leads to twisted ankles…” Chaco’s straps help eliminate the possibility of twisted ankles. WebMD says “if you have foot pain and need an alternative to flip-flops and their flimsy support, the APMA’s web site recommends sandals from companies, such as Wolky, Chaco, Dansko and Rockport”. I have worn my Chaco’s hours on hours and not once have a I had foot pains while walking; however, if I wear my tennis shoes or any other shoe while being on my feet for a long period of time, I have aching foot pains.
Conclusion:
Statement signaling the conclusion: In conclusion, today, I have told you about the benefits of owning a pair of Chaco’s.
Restatement of the central idea: All around Chaco’s are great shoes all in all.
Summary of the main ideas: Chaco’s are appropriate for many different situations and they provide great support for your feet.
Return to the introductory device: We are always walking and our feet need effective foot support, and Chaco footwear provides that 100%.
References:
Wolverine Worldwide. Retrieved November 11, 2015. From http://www.wolverineworldwide.com/our-brands/chaco…
Kam, Katherine. (2007). Flip-Flops Fun but Beware of Foot Pain. Retrieved November 11, 2015. From http://www.webmd.com/beauty/style/flip-flops-fun-b…
Castello, Michelle. (2012, July 19). Lack of arch support in flip-flops may lead to foot problems, experts say. Retrieved November 11, 2015. From http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lack-of-arch-support-i…
Manufacturing.net. (2009). Wolverine World Wide Acquires Chaco Footwear. Retrieved November 12, 2015. From http://www.manufacturing.net/news/2009/01/wolverin…
Example 2
Introduction
Creative attention-getting device: You may have seen costumes in a Halloween store before or even worn one out for the 31st but image a hobby where you get to dress up for more than just a holiday.
Central idea: The word cosplay means ‘costume play’ and today I’m here to persuade you to try it.
Relevance statement: We’ve all put on a costume in our life. Halloween was just last week and many of us wore on outfit out on that day.
Credibility statement: I have cosplayed for 4 years now and have researched this topic. I believe that this is a great thing for anyone to participate in.
Preview of main points: Cosplay is more than a hobby a way to express yourself and it’s a great community.
Transition: So what is cosplay and why would anyone want to do it?
Body
Main point I
According to an article on cosplayhouse.com, an online store that sells costumes, cosplay “is a type of performance art whose participants outfit themselves, with often-elaborate costumes and accessories, as a specific character…and inventing likely behavior inspired by their chosen sources” So think of finally getting to be those super heroes you watched on tv as a kid or the fairy you read about in a book or the action hero you played as in a game. People get really creative with their costumes having a wide verity of simple to complex outfits they will wear. This is an expression for many of themselves and a way to engage their creativity.
Transition: So can anyone cosplay?
Main point II
Buzzfeed posted an article asking several people of different ages, races, and nationalities to talk about why they love cosplay. One of the people they interview summed up what makes this hobby so great by saying, “My favorite thing about Cosplaying is the community. How it doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, what you look like, what you do, how long it’s been since you’ve gone to a convention or event we’re all family. The support and love that the Cosplay community has for one another is something I’ve never experienced before in my entire life. You walk into a room and even people you don’t know treat you like they’ve known you your entire life. It really is magical.”
Transition: Cosplaying has been a life changing thing for me and for many other people.
Conclusion
Statement signaling the conclusion: In conclusion, Cosplay is about more than putting on a costume.
Restatement of central idea: Cosplaying is for any age, race, or gender.
Summary of main points: The community that cosplay offers is a supportive and open one that you can be yourself or anther character in.
Return to introductory device: So I hope you will consider putting on a costume for more than just one day out of the year and maybe try a going to a cosplay convention.
References
COSPLAY HOUSE. (n.d). Retrieved November 6, 2015, from http://www.cosplayhouse.com/what-is-cosplay.html
Marcopoto, T. (2014, August 5). Cosplay insanity continues at latest ChinaJoy Retrieved November 6, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/04/travel/2014-chinajoy…
Stevens, M. (2014). Professionals by day, superheroes by night Retrieved November 6, 2015, from http://www.cnbc.com/2014/10/23/the-world-of-cospla…
Broderick, R. (2015, April 15). 18 Before-And-After Photos That Prove Anyone Can Be A Cosplay Superstar Retrieved November 6, 2015,from http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/everyday-sup…
Purple Duckie Cosplay. (2014, August 10). What is cosplay?. Retrieved November 6, 2015, from http://cosplaytutorial.com/guides/cosplay_whatis.p…
Example 3
Introduction:
Creative attention getting device: LEGOS. Yes, I will be talking about them again. And I’m sure you’re all thrilled, but the fact of the matter is all children play. Children are like sponges, they absorb whatever is around them, and it’s their parents’ responsibility to be their filter for wholesome things as they get old enough to have one of their own. A child’s growth can be easily influenced in their way of play.
Central idea: Because all children play, we as future parents can provide our own children with toys that will help them learn, and legos should be among them for several reasons.
Relevance statement: Now, before you freak out, it’s common knowledge that the majority of people in this room will get married and start a family one day. Thus, we need to be aware of what will affect our future children, and be ready to prepare them with the proper tools for growth and learning.
Credibility: As a LEGO alumni, if you will, I have much experience building legos as a child, and can vouch for their long term effects of helping me expand my creativity. On another note, I have done extensive research on what effects children’s learning habits, and can tell you how important it is for kids to have a constructive outlet.
Preview of main points: Legos benefit children mainly in two ways: developing creativity and STEM skills. If you don’t know what STEM skills are, STEM is an abbreviation for science, technology, engineering, and math.
Transition: I’ll begin by explaining the creative side first.
Body
1st Main point: Lego bricks develope creativity for children in a variety of different ways.
From the blog “Learning Creativity and About Creativity from Lego” published in 2011, Abhijit Kadle says, “Lego encourages creativity by enabling an envirionment that allows for infinite combination, exploration within boundary constraints of a system (the Lego system in this case), and supports transformation – allows for the creation of entirely new models with little in common with the building instructions that come with the sets. This […] rather than a toy is great for play and learning.” Therefore, just because a set comes with instructions, doesn’t mean the kids have to follow them. They are encouraged to build something of their own.
Cheryl J., another blogger, explained in her post in 2013 entitled “Lego Building Sets”, that the reason why the LEGO Company has sustained its popularity is because they provide toys that are not “ready-made”, meaning legos challange a child’s creativity better than other toys, because the child has to learn to make the toy itself, and that’s part of what makes the blocks so fun.
Transition: Just imagine your child learning and having fun at the same time. Now we’ll talk more about what exactly they could learn
2nd Main point:
Legos could allow your children to learn STEM skills and improve their comprehension of concepts. Again, STEM simply means science, technology, engineering, and math skills.
On an online article entitled “Can Lego Bricks and Other Construction Toys Boost Your Child’s STEM Skills?” written in 2013, Tiffany Tsend, an engineer at MIT Media Lab, gives her testimony about where legos got her today as an engineer. She says, “Legos are a good introduction to communicating ideas with phyical objects[…] Putting things together and taking them apart got me interested in how things work, and by the time I was an undergraduate, I knew I wanted to be an engineer.” In the same article, the author, Gwen Dewar, explains that kids improve their math skills, spatial reasoning, and fine motor skills after they play with LEGOs.
On another note, a study was done in 2012 by Keeshan Williams and a few of his collegues about how LEGOs influence kids in grades K-12, specifically their math and science comprehension. This study showed their comprehension levels before and after using LEGOs to help them apply the concepts they were learning in school. *show visial aid bar graphs*
Transition: Consequently, legos are consistant at improving the young minds of tomorrow.
Conslusion:
Signal: In conclusion, Legos are a great academic tool for kids of all ages and are fun to work with.
Restatement of central idea: By now, I would hope you would better understand why Legos would be such a good investment for your kids in the future.
Review of main points: Due to their strong enhancement of creativity and learning, there’s a good chance you will see your child flourish in school if they play with legos.
Return to central device: If your child is struggling in school, the options to learn and have fun are available with these building blocks. Help your future children absorb wholesome things.
End strong: So it’s up to you what your kids will absorb. Mine will play with Legos.
References:
Dewar, G. (2013). Can Lego bricks and other construction toys boost your child’s STEM skills?. Parenting Science. Retrieved from www.parentingscience.com/Lego-bricks-construction-…
J. C. (2013, November 21). Lego Builging Sets~Children Developmental Motor Skills~Toys. [Web log post] Games, Toys, and Hobbies. Retrieved from hubpages.com/games-hobbies/Lego-Children-Developmental-Motor-Skills-Toys
Kadle, A. (2011, April 21). Learning Creativity and About Creativity from Lego. [Web log post] Game Based Learning. Retrieved from www.upsidelearning.com/blog/index.php/2011/04/21/l…
Williams, Igel, Poveda, Kapila, & Iskander. (2012). Enriching K-12 Science and Mathematics Education Using LEGOs. American Society for Engineering Education, 3(2), 16-18.
Example 4
Introduction
Creative Attention-Getting Device: Worldwide, there are over 400 dog breeds each with their own personalities and traits.
Central Idea: Unfortunately, some individual dogs’ actions can lead to negative publicity and eventually regulations that ban the dog’s breed known as Breed Specific Legislation, or BSL.
Relevance Statement: There are many people who are dog lovers or humane that are unaware of these regulations and how they target dog breeds.
Credibility Statement: I worked at a pet groomer’s place and interacted with many dog breeds in that time. There, I gained experience with many of the dog breeds targeted by BSL.
Preview of Main Points: Today, I will discuss the flaws of BSL including: it’s costly, it’s ineffective, and how it only causes more harm.
Transition: First, I would like to begin with how BSL is costly.
Body
Main Point 1: BSL is too costly to be effective.
The city of Mobile considered these regulations a few years ago when a young girl was unfortunately attacked by a pit bull type dog. One of the main reasons the city did not go through with them was because of how costly it was. On stopbsl.org, it was reported that in the 2001-2002 year that BSL cost a county in Maryland $68,000 to confiscate and euthanize one pit bull. Due to that, expenditures totalled $560,000 and over half a million was spent by the county to enforce the ordinance.
Transition: In addition to it being costly, BSL bans have proven to be completely ineffective worldwide.
Main Point 2: Globally, BSL has proven to be ineffective.
Several cities and countries around the world have implemented BSL regulations. The most famous city to implement the ban is the U.S. city of Denver, CO while the most notable country to implement BSL is the Netherlands. Denver inforced these statutes in 1989 which remain in place to this day following many reports of pit bull related attacks. The Netherlands, on the other hand, repealed their 15 year ban on pit bulls in 2008. This repeal was due to the fact that the number of dog bites actually continued to rise. Now, the goals of BSL is obviously to decrease bites and attacks. Clearly, it didn’t in the Netherlands and dog bites have been reported to have remained the same in Denver, despite the ban.
Transition: Lastly, these regulations only seem to cause more harm to a community rather than good.
Main Point 3: BSL only causes more harm to the community.
BSL on the surface doesn’t seem like they would be the cause of a great deal of harm to people. However, that’s exactly what it has done. In Denver, thousands of pit bulls, including ones that were family pets and did no wrong were confiscated from their owners and killed because of their “breed.” According to Animals Today, these regulations seem to be more harmful when you consier that dog attacks aren’t as common as we think (i.e. 12 related deaths in 24 years in Australia). It does not help that there are many breeds that look so much alike that they could be mistaken for a pit bull when they aren’t.
Transition: I have explained to you all now why BSL bans are wrong and to an extent outdated.
Conclusion
Statement Signaling the Conclusion: In conclusion, it would be incredibly irresponsible for a city/country to enforce this ordinance.
Restatement of Central Idea: There are many reasons why we should not stand for our hometowns, the city of Mobile, state, or country enforcing such bans.
Summary of Main Points: Considering the large costs, ineffectiveness, and the overall harm BSL causes, we should not allow such irresponsibility to be enforced.
Return to Introductory Device: My research on the subject here should make it clear that these bans are overall unneccessary for all of us.
References:
“Breed-Specific Legislation.” ASPCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
“Failure to Improve Safety.” Stop BSL.” N.p., 26 Aug. 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
“Expense.” Stop BSL. N.p., 26 Aug. 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2015″Breeds and Bites Education Essential.” Umobile.edu. Animals Today, 2002. Web. 12 Nov. 2015
Farbotta, David. “Pit Bulls Bear Brunt of Breed Bans.” Umobile.edu. DVM: The Newsmagazine of Veterinary Medicine. Jan. 2005. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Persuasive Speech Rubric back to top
PENALTIES (1-25 percentage points are deducted for each based on severity)
___ Speech did not meet the overall requirements of the assignment
___ Speech was not delivered extemporaneously
___ Speech did not meet the time requirements (-5% for every 30 seconds over or under)
___ Other (noted in comments)
SPEECH CONTENT
Introduction (20%)
___ Creatively gained attention
___ Clear central idea
___ Clear relevance statement
___ Clear credibility statement
___ Preview of main points
___ Smooth transition to body
Body (20%)
___ Main point(s) clearly stated
___ Main point(s) effectively organized
___ Main point(s) well supported
___ At least 4 sources effectively cited
___ Language concise and appropriate
___ Smooth transitions throughout body
Conclusion (20%)
___ Clearly signaled conclusion
___ Central idea restated
___ Summary of main points
___ Return to introductory device
___ Strong ending statement
Presentation Aid (15%)
___ Visible during appropriate times
___ Clearly explained
___ Effective and appropriate
___ Focused eye contact on audience
DELIVERY
Physical Delivery (10%)
___ Maintained adequate eye contact
___ Maintained proper posture
___ Used appropriate gestures
___ Appropriate use of speaking notes
Vocal Delivery (15%)
___ Verbal fillers absent
___ Appropriate speaking volume
___ Appropriate rate of speech
___ Appropriate expressiveness
___ Proper articulation and pronunciation
OUTLINE (15%)
___ Follows proper template
___ Written in full sentences
___ Includes adequate detail
___ Includes adequate in-text citations
___ Includes adequate references list
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