Moultry

Speech #1 An Unquestioned Belief

Topic: For this speech, choose one belief you accepted as a child or a
teenager and discuss how this belief came about in your life at that time. It
should be a belief you explicitly or implicitly accepted before you had
firsthand experience with the subject. At this point, you should not discuss
how you currently feel about the topic or how others feel about it (that will
come later). Just reflect upon where the belief originated, who and/or what
reinforced it, and what impact it had on your worldview.
The choice of topic is up to you, but the following suggestions might
help you choose a relevant and challenging topic: It could be something your
parents, church, teachers, TV shows, etc. directly or indirectly encouraged
you to believe. Some examples are: Smoking is wrong, Fighting is wrong,
Christianity is good, etc. Again, keep your focus on the time period in
which you became aware that you held this belief and the people and/or
things that reinforced this belief. Again, do not discuss at this point how you
currently feel about the topic. Just prove to us that you accepted this belief
without question and identify three. The best speeches show rather than just
tell what happened. Use detailed anecdotes and stories to illustrate your
main points and to make your speech memorable and specific to your own
experiences. And stay in the past tense throughout.
Purpose: The purpose of this 3-4 minute speech is to give you experience
thinking about essential aspects of speaking such as: organization, thesis
statements and main points, and development of ideas. This speech series as
a whole is designed to provoke you to think about controversial beliefs/issues
and how they become more complicated and less absolute as a result of
research, consideration of other possible points of view, and direct
experience.
Organization: Good organization is essential to any well-conceived speech.
It is important that you not try to cover too many points in your speech. Find
a focus and stick to it. Your introduction should begin with an attentiongetting opener, establish a context for your speech, and contain a thesis
statement explaining the topic you will explore in the body of your speech.
You should give an explicit preview of the main points you will discuss in your
speech as well.
Sample Thesis: When I was growing up, I was taught to believe that
divorce was one of the most immoral acts two people could commit.
Sample Preview of Main Points: Though this attitude toward
divorce was everywhere in Davenport, IA where I grew up, I recall most
clearly the voices of Pastor Brown, my parents, and my childhood idol, Carol

Moultry
Bradyall of whom acted in unison to ensure that I would one day form a
special bond that would last until death do us part.
The Body of this speech would discuss how Pastor Brown (main point
one), the speakers parents (main point two), and Carol Brady (main point
three) reinforced this value to the speaker. Be sure to provide smooth
transitions between each main point.
The Conclusion would wrap up the main points, reinforce the message
the speech aimed to deliver to the audience, and leave the audience with a
memorable sense of closure.

Assignment Schedule:
1) Thursday, January 30: Write out three beliefs that you are
considering using for this speech sequence. I will consult with you
during class about your considerations.
2) Monday, February 4 by 10 am: Email me the belief you are going to
take up for Speech 1 and the rest of the speech sequence.
3) Tuesday, February 11: Submit the first draft of your speech outline
to ICON dropbox by 9 am. Class time will be spent consulting with
every student about their outline.
4) Thursday, February 20: Speech 1 due
What to Turn in on February 20: Final outline of your speech, printed.
Make sure that your outline reflects the version of your speech that you will
give that day.

Moultry
Sample Speech One Topics
There are countless excellent topics to choose for your speech. You need to
find one that is well-suited to you and that you will find interesting to use for
all three speeches. Your topic can cover a very serious issue, or it could be a
more minor controversy that nonetheless intrigues you. Dont feel compelled
to choose something that will sound impressive to others, especially if it
doesnt interest you. Find something you feel passionate about and go with
that. The following is a list of topics that might interest you or at least
exemplify the types of topics that are well-suited to Speech One (and that
lend themselves well to Speeches Two and Three).
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
18)
19)
20)
21)
22)
23)

Students who fail in school are not smart.

Atheists are bad people who are going to hell.
Discrimination based on race or ethnicity does not exist anymore.
Classical music is the worst kind of music imaginable.
Republicans/Democrats/Socialists are smart/immoral/evil.
Baby boys should be circumcised.
Pit bulls should all be castrated or killed.
Children should/should not be spanked.
Bisexuals are just confused homosexuals.
ADHD doesnt exist. Its just an excuse for bad behavior.
Depression is a sign of weakness.
Baptism is necessary for salvation.
Premarital sex is immoral.
Sex education should/should not be taught in schools.
Kids should be given gender-specific toys.
Boys dont cry.
Swearing is wrong/bad.
Children should respect their elders.
Hunting is bad/good.
Most modern art is inferior to the great masterpieces of previous
centuries.
Youth sports build character.
Sex offenders should be castrated.
Home schooling is the best/worst form of education.

The following topics are particularly challenging in terms of finding new and
innovative approaches to them. Many students have chosen these in the
past, but few have addressed them in ways that have enlightened their
audiences or made them think of the issue in new ways. If you choose one of
these, be aware that you will need to work extra hard to offer a fresh
perspective on the topic.
1) Drinking is bad.
2) Abortion is wrong.

Moultry
3)
4)
5)
6)

Euthanasia is acceptable/unacceptable.
Guns dont kill people, people do.
College is necessary to be successful.
Follow your dreams.

A NOTE ON TOPIC SELECTION: Do your best to avoid overdone

topics that the audience is likely to have heard many times. Its
always a plus to choose a topic that is unique and/or addressed in an
unpredictable manner. Other topics that most people are already
overly familiar with: abortion, gun control, euthanasia, anything
related to drinking alcohol. Choose a topic that is likely to teach
your classmates something they dont already know and that will
encourage them to expand their horizons.

Moultry
A Guide to Successfully Crafting a Formal Speech
THE INTRODUCTION: The introduction of the speech is intended to gain
the audiences attention and prepare them for the rest of the presentation.
You introduction should immediately capture the interest of your audience
and make them curious about what is to follow. You may wish to open with a
rhetorical question, a relevant anecdote, a memorable quote, a startling
statement or fact that captures their interest, a relevant joke, or some other
innovative way to get the audience to pay attention to your message. Your
introduction should also include your thesis statement (or thesis) and an
explicit preview of the points you will discuss in your speech. A thesis
statement is the speechs central idea. It condenses your message into a
single declarative sentence. It is usually offered as you introduce your speech
so that listeners will understand your intention. For example, for your first
speech, your thesis statement could be, Long before I passed through the
doors of Broadmoor High School, I knew with certainty that all drugs were
bad! A preview is the part of the introduction that identifies the main points
in the body of the speech and presents an overview of the speech to follow. It
may follow the thesis statement or be part of the thesis statement itself. In
effect, the preview presents an oral agenda for the rest of the speech. For
example, for your first speech, the preview could be, Though many worked
in unison to keep me away from drugs, the voices of my parents, my fourth
grade DARE officers, and Nancy Reagan were the most prominent.
THE ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: There are several different ways to
organize your speech. The organizational pattern refers to the way in which
you group your main points. Some speeches call for a chronological or
sequential organizational pattern which organizes your ideas according to
time. This pattern would reflect steps in a process (step 1, step 2, step 3) or
provide a historical perspective (event 1, event 2, event 3). A spatial
organizational pattern deals more with how things are arranged in space. For
example, think of it in terms of a map that organizes your speech. You could
start with what happened in Florida then move to events in Georgia and then
in South Carolina. A categorical organizational pattern is based on the
principal of similarity and is useful for subjects that have natural or
customary divisions. For example, you could focus the speech on three
different factors (mother, a cousin, a particular teacher) that have
contributed to your beliefs. Be careful not to have categories that are too
broad to develop in detail in such a short span of time (e.g., society, school,
family).

THE BODY: The body is the most important part of the speech because it is
here that you develop your main points, which are the main ideas in your

Moultry
message. Limit their number (I suggest no more than 3 in your speeches for
this class; 2 might be sufficient for Speech One) so that you can develop each
one in depth in the time allotted. In the sample preview above, the three main
points would be: my parents, the fourth grade DARE officer, and Nancy
Reagan. Every main point must be bolstered with supporting material
details, examples, narratives, etc.that allows your audience to vividly
envision what youre discussing. What details do you remember about your
parents discussing drugs with you? What did your DARE officer discuss?
What commercials do you remember that featured Nancy Reagan? Each main
point should have its own developed section, and each section of the speech
should be tied together with transitions.

THE TRANSITIONS: Transitions show your listeners how your ideas

connect with each other. They help your listeners focus on the meaning of
what you have already discussed and prepare them for what is still to come.
They serve as signposts that help listeners see the overall pattern of your
message. Transitions also connect your main points and tie the body to its
introduction and conclusion. Some words that may help you shift gears
include: similarly, by contrast, in addition, of equal importance, another type
of, compared with, and on the other hand. There are many ways to shift focal
points. Just make sure that the speech flows smoothly and logically from
point to point.
THE CONCLUSION: The conclusion is very important to any speech. It is
the last part of the speech, which should include a summary statement and
concluding remarks. The summary statement recaps the main points you
made in your speech and functions as a transition between the body and the
concluding remarks. The concluding remarks should stay with your listeners
and signal that your speech has come to an end. You could involve the
audience by addressing them directly with a rhetorical question; you could
end with a story that underscores your central message, or close with a
metaphor or quotation. Your speech could seem much more symmetrical and
satisfying to listeners if your conclusion ties in with your introduction.