Sample Informative Speech Outline

NOTE: Do NOT copy the format of this outline

exactly. Much of it is incorrect. At the end of the
outline, the positive and negative features of this
outline are discussed.

Sally Student
SPC1016

The American Cancer Society
Introduction
It is expected to kill at least 555,000 Americans this year alone, more than 1,500 people
a day. It is the 2
nd
leading cause of death in the United States. What is this mysterious
killer? Cancer. More than 1,284,900 people are currently living with this disease, 92,200
of them in Florida alone. Since 1913, one organization has been leading the effort in
cancer treatment, prevention, and education of the public. This organization is the
American Cancer Society. When this assignment was given, I immediately wanted to do
the Service Learning Option, but I had a particular organization that I wanted to
volunteer with. The American Cancer Society has special significance to me because I
myself am a cancer survivor. Today I am going to talk a little about the Societys history
and their accomplishments, what the society does to help cancer survivors and the fight
against cancer, and my own personal experiences, as well as the experiences of others.
Body
I. Now that I have your attention, let me start by giving you some background
information about the American Cancer Society. All of this information was
obtained from the ACS website, www.cancer.org.
A. The Society was founded in 1913 by prominent physicians and business
leaders in New York City to help abolish cancer through education,
prevention, research, advocacy, and service.
B. Their first major accomplishment was bringing cancer into the public eye
to eliminate the fear and denial that was usually associated with the
disease.
C. Today the American Cancer Society has a National Society, several
chartered divisions, and over 3,400 local chapters throughout the United
States with more than 2 million volunteers nationwide.
D. The Society has donated more than $2.4 billion to cancer research,
sponsored 32 Nobel Prize winners, helped pass the National Cancer Act
which increased funding for cancer research from millions to billions
annually and so many other things that it would take hours to name them
all.
II. And since we dont have hours, let me move on to how the Society helps cancer
patients, survivors, care-givers, and family & friends of patients deal with this
disease. All the information in this section was obtained from the ACS website
and through my personal experiences.
A. They provide information for those recently diagnosed to help them better
understand what is happening to them.
B. They have many support groups for specific kinds of cancer so patients
can meet people who truly understand their problems. They also have
support groups for family members and survivors.
C. They sponsor childrens camps for kids undergoing treatment, giving them
a chance to be around other children like themselves without feeling out of
place or singled out because of their condition.
D. The Society also operates several Hope Lodges, which are similar to the
Ronald McDonald Houses. They provide a place for families of the
patients to stay while their loved ones are undergoing treatment. These
families stay at the Lodge free of charge.
E. They work with social workers at hospitals to help connect patients with
survivors of their same kind of cancer to help answer any questions they
have, reassure them, and most importantly, give them hope for their own
recovery.
F. They also provide wigs to women who have lost their hair due to
chemotherapy treatment. I used this service and discovered that, although
a wonderful idea, the selection consisted of gray and white wigs of
different styles and lengths. I wasnt entirely opposed to a changing my
hair color, but I wasnt quite ready to go gray.
III. Which brings me to my final topic, my own experiences. Since it is not the main
focus of this project, I wont go into great detail, but since it is the reason why this
organization has a special significance to me, I felt that I should at least talk a
little about it.
A. When I was 16 years old I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic
leukemia. This is one of the more treatable forms of the disease. I went
through chemotherapy treatments for several months and began to get
better. I lost all of my hair, which was about the same length as it is now.
At the time, I think that was what bothered me the most, not the fact that I
had to be in the hospital for long periods of time, or that there was a
chance I could die what got me was the fact that I was going to be a 16
year old bald girl. After many rounds of chemo, I went into remission for
about three months and then relapsed. At this point I had two options,
more chemo (which gets less effective each round) or a bone marrow
transplant. I chose the transplant. My sister was my donor and it was done
at Shands hospital in Gainesville. I was in the hospital in a sterile unit for 2
months and spent another 2 months in Gainesville receiving outpatient
treatment at the hospital. I have been in remission now for over 4 years.
B. As a survivor, I have an opportunity to help the Society in many different
ways. I can provide support for those who have been recently diagnosed
or are currently undergoing treatment. I can help raise awareness by
telling my story, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to do this
project. I can also help the same ways that any other volunteer can. I will
be participating in the Relay for Life wrap-up event that will take place at
PJC on July 18
th
. The Relay for Life is an annual event that is sponsored
by the ACS to help raise funds for the Society and its many branches of
research and services.
C. Some of these services I have already mentioned, such as providing wigs
free of charge. Some of these services can have a huge impact on
peoples lives. Through the Cancer Survivors Network Online, I found two
women who have benefited from these services.
1. One woman named Tammy Davis, who was diagnosed with breast
cancer, attended a class called Look Good, Feel Better that gives
women makeovers, free make-up, wigs, and hair pieces to help
them regain their confidence and feel more like regular women.
This class allowed her to feel glamorous at a time when she hardly
even felt like a human being.
2. Another young women named Taylor Black was senior in high
school when she was diagnosed with a rare brain disease that
caused a large tumor to form. She successfully survived a surgery
that removed 99% of the tumor and is now attending the Central
Florida University in Orlando on a scholarship from the American
Cancer Society
Conclusion
From scholarships to support groups, the American Cancer Society does more to help
the fight against cancer than any other organization. From the time of its creation in
1913, the Society has brought the disease into the open and contributed billions of
dollars to research efforts. They helped thousands of people with their support groups,
services, camps, and Hope Lodges, myself included. I feel that volunteering with this
organization has been an enriching and fulfilling experience for me and would
recommend it to anyone. After all, if it werent for the research efforts that the American
Cancer Society donates so generously to, I might not be here today.
References
American Cancer Society Homepage. (June 26, 2002). ACS History, Milestones, 2002
Fact Sheet. [17 pages].Retrieved June 26, 2002 on the World Wide Web:
http://www.cancer.org.
Jobe, Erika. (June 2002). Personal Experiences with Leukemia and American Cancer
Society. [Interveiw]. Pensacola, FL.
The Cancer Survivors Network Online. (June 26, 2002). Talk Shows and Stories. [7
pages]. Retrieved June 26, 2002 on the World Wide Web: http://www.acscsn.org.


Problems:
You should have a title page this means you should not simply type your name
at the top of the first page.
You should only use one sentence per point. Your introduction should be broken
down into main points and sub-points if you are going to include as much
information as this student includes. This outline would not allow for an
extemporaneous presentation and would, thus, cause you to lose points.
You should include transitions in your outline.
You should make sure that you cite your sources in your outline correctly.
This is basically an essay turned in to an outline. It is not an appropriate format
for a speech outline because you will be disappointed if you dont say the words
in the exact same manner that you wrote them.

Plusses:
This outline is well organized.
It provides relevant and interesting information.
It uses excellent forms of support.

On the next two pages, you will see a revised outline that meets the grading criteria for
this course.



The American Cancer Society







by
Sally Student






SPC1016, Section 33
Ms. Baldwin
July 15, 2002


The American Cancer Society
Introduction
I. It is expected to kill at least 555,000 Americans this year alone, more than 1,500
people a day.
II. It is the 2
nd
leading cause of death in the United States.
III. What is this mysterious killer?
A. Cancer.
B. More than 1,284,900 people are currently living with this disease, 92,200
of them in Florida alone. (CITE YOUR SOURCE HERE)
IV. Since 1913, one organization has been leading the effort in cancer treatment,
prevention, and education of the public.
A. This organization is the American Cancer Society.
B. When this assignment was given, I immediately wanted to do the Service
Learning Option, but I had a particular organization that I wanted to
volunteer with.
1. The American Cancer Society has special significance to me
because I myself am a cancer survivor.
C. Today I am going to talk a little about the Societys history and their
accomplishments, what the society does to help cancer survivors and the
fight against cancer, and my own personal experiences, as well as the
experiences of others.
Body
(Transition: Now that I have your attention. . .)
I. Let me start by giving you some background information about the American
Cancer Society. (All of this information was obtained from the ACS website,
www.cancer.org)
A. The Society was founded in 1913 by prominent physicians and business
leaders in New York City to help abolish cancer through education,
prevention, research, advocacy, and service.
1. Their first major accomplishment was bringing cancer into the
public eye to eliminate the fear and denial that was usually
associated with the disease.
B. Today the American Cancer Society has a National Society, several
chartered divisions, and over 3,400 local chapters throughout the United
States with more than 2 million volunteers nationwide.
3. The Society has many accomplishments.
4. They have donated more than $2.4 billion to cancer research. They
have sponsored 32 Nobel Prize winners.
5. They have helped pass the National Cancer Act which increased
funding for cancer research from millions to billions annually.
6. They have done many other things that it would take hours to name
them all.
(Transition: And since we dont have hours. . .)
IV. Let me move on to how the Society helps cancer patients, survivors, care-givers,
and family & friends of patients deal with this disease. (All the information in this
section was obtained from the ACS website and through my personal
experiences.)
A. They provide information for those recently diagnosed to help them better
understand what is happening to them.
B. They have many support groups for specific kinds of cancer so patients
can meet people who truly understand their problems.
1. They also have support groups for family members and survivors.
C. They sponsor childrens camps for kids undergoing treatment.
1. This gives the children a chance to be around other children like
themselves without feeling out of place or singled out because of
their condition.
D. The Society also operates several Hope Lodges, which are similar to the
Ronald McDonald Houses.
1. They provide a place for families of the patients to stay while their
loved ones are undergoing treatment.
2. Families stay at the Lodge free of charge.
E. They work with social workers at hospitals to help connect patients with
survivors of their same kind of cancer.
1. The survivors help answer any questions they have.
2. The survivors help reassure them.
3. Most importantly, survivors give them hope for their own recovery.
F. The ACS also provide wigs to women who have lost their hair due to
chemotherapy treatment.
1. I used this service and discovered that, although a wonderful idea,
the selection consisted of gray and white wigs of different styles
and lengths.
2. I wasnt entirely opposed to a changing my hair color, but I wasnt
quite ready to go gray.
(Transition: This brings me to my final topic. . .)
V. My own experiences.
A. Since it is not the main focus of this project, I wont go into great detail, but
since it is the reason why this organization has a special significance to
me, I felt that I should at least talk a little about it.
B. When I was 16 years old I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic
leukemia.
1. This is one of the more treatable forms of the disease.
2. I went through chemotherapy treatments for several months and
began to get better.
a. I lost all of my hair, which was about the same length as it is
now.
b. At the time, I think that was what bothered me the most, not
the fact that I had to be in the hospital for long periods of
time, or that there was a chance I could die what got me
was the fact that I was going to be a 16 year old bald girl.
c. After many rounds of chemo, I went into remission for about
three months and then relapsed.
3. At this point I had two options, more chemo (which gets less
effective each round) or a bone marrow transplant.
a. I chose the transplant.
b. My sister was my donor and it was done at Shands hospital
in Gainesville.
c. I was in the hospital in a sterile unit for 2 months and spent
another 2 months in Gainesville receiving outpatient
treatment at the hospital.
d. I have been in remission now for over 4 years.
C. As a survivor, I have an opportunity to help the Society in many different
ways.
1. I can provide support for those who have been recently diagnosed
or are currently undergoing treatment.
2. I can help raise awareness by telling my story, which is one of the
reasons why I wanted to do this project.
3. I can also help the same ways that any other volunteer can.
4. I will be participating in the Relay for Life wrap-up event that will
take place at PJC on July 18
th
.
a. The Relay for Life is an annual event that is sponsored by
the ACS to help raise funds for the Society and its many
branches of research and services.
D. Some of these services I have already mentioned, such as providing wigs
free of charge.
1. Some of these services can have a huge impact on peoples lives.
2. Through the Cancer Survivors Network Online, I found two women
who have benefited from these services.
a. One woman named Tammy Davis, who was diagnosed with
breast cancer, attended a class called Look Good, Feel
Better.
i. The classes give women makeovers, free make-up,
wigs, and hair pieces to help them regain their
confidence and feel more like regular women.
ii. This class allowed her to feel glamorous at a time
when she hardly even felt like a human being.
b. Another young women named Taylor Black was senior in
high school when she was diagnosed with a rare brain
disease that caused a large tumor to form.
i. She successfully survived a surgery that removed
99% of the tumor
ii. She is now attending the Central Florida University in
Orlando on a scholarship from the American Cancer
Society.
Conclusion
I. From scholarships to support groups, the American Cancer Society does more to
help the fight against cancer than any other organization.
A. From the time of its creation in 1913, the Society has brought the disease
into the open and contributed billions of dollars to research efforts.
B. They helped thousands of people with their support groups, services,
camps, and Hope Lodges, myself included.
C. I feel that volunteering with this organization has been an enriching and
fulfilling experience for me and would recommend it to anyone.
D. After all, if it werent for the research efforts that the American Cancer
Society donates so generously to, I might not be here today.
References
American Cancer Society Homepage. (June 26, 2002). ACS History, Milestones, 2002
Fact Sheet. [17 pages].Retrieved June 26, 2002 on the World Wide Web:
http://www.cancer.org.
Jobe, Erika. (June 2002). Personal experiences with leukemia and American Cancer
Society. [Interveiw]. Pensacola, FL.
The Cancer Survivors Network Online. (June 26, 2002). Talk shows and stories. [7
pages]. Retrieved June 26, 2002 on the World Wide Web: http://www.acscsn.org.