Persuasive Speech Assignment Instructions

Purpose: To advocate social change utilizing a non-profit organization or legislation.

Print CORRECT rubric (Monroes or Problem/Cause/Solution)

Points Possible: 110
Time: 5-7 minutes
Sources: Minimum of 8 sources
Outline with MLA works cited page is Required
Visuals are Optional
3x5 notes are allowed

Topics must be socially significant.

There are FIVE topics that are NOT allowed for this speech since they are either over
used and/or lack credible research on one or both sides of the topic. These include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Abortion
Death Penalty
Legalizing Marijuana
Religious Conversion
Same-Sex Marriage

Topic Areas to explore:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Animals
Education
Environment
Health
Human Rights

Option A: Advocate legislation: You must choose a state or national problem that you
believe needs to either a) have a law written to deal with the problem; or b)
reform/remove a current law that you deem problematic

For a list of possible State Bills, please see:

http://www.legislature.ca.gov/the_state_legislature/bill_information/bill_informati
on.html

For a list of possible National Bills, please see: http://www.opencongress.org/ or

https://www.govtrack.us/

You can only use current bills or resolutions that have been presented in
Congressional sessions that have not been passed. Remember that Congress
cannot create laws to contradict Supreme Court decisions and can only write
resolutions for international action that Congress has no jurisdiction over.

Persuasive Speech Assignment Instructions

You must use the Problem/Cause/Solution model

I.
Problem: Establish the problem using qualitative (stories and examples) and
quantitative (numbers and statistics) arguments.
II.
Cause: You must identify both attitudinal (beliefs, attitudes, values) and
structural causes (funding, current laws, organizations, situations like poverty,
war, natural disasters).
III.
Solution: You must identify what your proposed bill/resolution does, how we
specifically can help promote this bill/resolution , and why your bill/resolution
is a good idea (cost benefit analysis).
Option B: Advocate a Non Profit Organization. Topics can be local to international in
scope. Advocate for a real non profit that you believe we should get involved with.

For a list of possible Non Profit Organizations, please

see http://www.guidestar.org/

You must use the Monroes Motivated Sequence model. There are five steps that you
must follow.
I.
Attention
a. This is your attention getter
b. Do not state your thesis
c. Do not Preview
II.
Unfulfilled Needs (Problem)
a. * You must spend at least three minutes on this part of the speech to make
us feel bad
b. Identify Qualitative Problems (examples, stories)
c. Identify Quantitative Problems (statistics, numbers)
III.
Solution
a. Introduce your Non-Profit organization
IV.
Visualization
a. With Solution: What happens if we support your organization? Explain all
of the benefits
b. Without Solution: What happens if we do not support your organization?
Re-iterate how bad the problem is and how it can get worse
V.
Action
a. Specific steps: Identify what specifically your audience can do to support
the organization (donate, volunteer, etc.) Give phone numbers, dates,
addresses, what to expect, etc.
b. Cost benefit analysis: Why is this action beneficial?
c. Clever ending