Speech 04: Persuasive Speech

Benjamin Aust
Submitted to Professor Billington
COMM 1020-027
Speech 4: Persuasive Speech
3/2/2016
Persuasive Speech: Audience Assessment
Specific Goal:
My audience will take action to winterize their home, preventing burst and cracked
water pipes.
Type of Claim: This is a claim of policy.
Ethos: Primary Ethos:
a) Competence: I had a pipe burst this winter
b) Fairness: I will talk about coverage from both insurance and simple tasks to winterize
your home.
Secondary Ethos: I will cite 3 references
Audience Assessment: Most of my audience members will probably have an attitude toward my
proposition that is neutral or undecided
Adaptation to Audience Attitude:
a. Common ground: I will explain the value of flood insurance and winterizing your home to avoid
flooding.
b. Latitude of acceptance: There isnt much to oppose. People think that it wont happen to them so
the necessary steps arent taken to prevent winter disasters.
Baby Steps: Anyone can take part in winterizing their home. Some of the steps are even free so its just a
matter of motivation to get it done.
Pattern of Organization: Motivated Sequence

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Persuasive Speech: Outline
Winterize Your Home
Introduction
I. Hook: I never really thought that winterizing my home was something that I would need to do. Having a
flood in your home from a burst pipe is just one of those things that you dont think will ever
happen to you. Three weeks ago that changed when a cracked sprinkler pipe started to thaw in my
backyard that could have caused major damage.
II. Ethos: Ive experience the situation personally and had to pay because I didnt take the necessary
precautions to winterize my home.
III. Proposition (or Hint at Proposition): In many cases people dont know what needs to be done
before winter to prevent freezing pipes.
IV. Preview: Today Ill go over:
1. Why pipes crack or burst
2. How to protect yourself with insurance
3. Steps you can take to winterize your home
Transition: First lets go over how flooding can start from a cracked or burst pipe.
Body

I.

Why pipes burst or crack

A.
Your plumbing system is designed to handle a certain volume of fluid.
i. According to (DSLreports.com a major website for home improvement and plumbing) the
average plumbing pipe is from inch to inches around. When temperatures outside
drop below freezing this will cause the water in your plumbing to expand and can crack
or burst pipes.
ii. Although there are different materials used in plumbing such as Metal (Copper,
Galvanized Steel, Stainless Steel, and Cast Iron) and Plastic (Polybutylene, Chlorinated
Polyvinyl Chloride, Polyvinyl Chloride, Cross Linked Polyethylene, Acrylonitrie-butadiene-

styrene, High Density Polyethylene) you still run the risk of leaks or cracks when water
expands regardless of the type of piping you have.
Transition: Now that weve gone over why pipes can burst or crack, lets look at how to protect yourself.
II.

How to protect yourself.

A. According to (FloodSmart.gov the official site of the National Flood Insurance Porgram)
Homeowners insurance alone does not cover flood damage.
i. Flood insurance doesnt take effect until 30 days after purchase, so its important to buy
insurance before the flooding happens. Just a few inches of water can cause tens of
thousands in damage to your home.
ii. (Also on FloodSmart.gov) From 2005 to 2014, total flood insurance claims averaged more
than $3.5 billion per year.
B. Hire a handyman to winterize your home and sprinkler system
i. Outside of insurance you can also hire a company to come in and winterize your home
for you. According to (HomeAdvisor.com a leading website to find professionals for home
improvement) the average cost to winterize your home is between $49 - $110.

Transition: Lastly, lets look at some basic steps you can take to prevent pipes from cracking or bursting.
III.

Preventative Tips.
A.
As listed on (RedCross.org a major organization dedicated to providing assistance in times of
disaster) you can take these steps to prevent frozen pipes before it gets cold.
i. Drain water from water supply lines for swimming pools and sprinkler systems.
Removing, draining, and storing hoses used outdoor.
ii. Close inside valves supplying outdoor hoses then open the outside hose to allow water to
drain. Keep the outdoor valve open so that any water can expand without causing the
pipe to break.
B.
While its already cold you can still take preventative steps.
i. Keep bathroom cabinet doors open to allow warm air to circulate around the plumbing.
ii. Let a facet run overnight to prevent freezing
iii. Install insulating pipe sleeves, heat tape, heat cable, or other similar materials on
exposed pipes.

Conclusion:
Let me close by saying, its easy to take the necessary steps to prevent flooding in your home during the
winter. By understanding why a pipe in your house can burst, the financial impact you will face without
insurance, and what precautions are needed to winterize your home, you will be able to avoid the same
situation I was in just three weeks ago. I urge you to winterize your home before our next winter starts
here in Utah.
Works Cited:
Flood Facts | Flood Risk | Flood Insurance | FloodSmart. Flood Facts | Flood Risk | Flood Insurance | Flood
Smart. N.p., 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
https://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/flood_facts.jsp.
Home Improvement What Size Pipe Do You Use? DSL Reports. N.p., 4 Sept. 2007. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19006979-What-size-pipe-do-you-use.
Learn How Much It Costs to Winterize or Activate a Sprinkler System. 2016 Sprinkler Winterization Cost.
N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2016 http://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/lawn-and-garden/maintain-a-sprinklersystem/.
Preventing & Thawing Frozen Pipes | American Red Cross. American Red Cross. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar.
2016 http://www.redcross.org/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/winter-storm/frozenpipes.