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EXAMPLE OF INFORMATIVE SPEECH OUTLINE
Sarah Putnam Informative Outline
Topic: The Titanic
General Purpose: To Inform
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about one of the most famous tragedies in history, the Titanic.
Thesis: From the disaster to the movie, the sinking of the Titanic remains one of the most famous tragedies in history.
I. Introduction
A. Attention Getter: An American writer named Morgan Robertson once wrote a book called The Wreck of the Titan. The book was about an “unsinkable” ship called the Titan that set sail from England to New York with many rich and famous passengers on board. On its journey, the Titan hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sunk. Many lives were lost because there were not enough lifeboats. So, what is so strange about this? Well, The Wreck of the Titan was written 14 years before the Titanic sank.
B. Reason to Listen: The sinking of the Titanic was one of the largest non-war related disasters in history, and it is important to be knowledgeable about the past.
C. Thesis Statement: From the disaster to the movie, the sinking of the Titanic remains one of the most famous tragedies in history.
D. Credibility Statement:
- I have been fascinated by the history of the Titanic for as long as I can remember.
- I have read and studied my collection of books about the Titanic many times, and have done research on the Internet.
E. Preview of Main Points:
- First, I will discuss the Titanic itself.
- Second, I will discuss the sinking of the ship.
- Finally, I will discuss the movie that was made about the Titanic.
II. From the disaster to the movie, the sinking of the Titanic remains one of the most famous tragedies in history.
A. The Titanic was thought to be the largest, safest, most luxurious ship ever built.
- At the time of her launch, she was the biggest existing ship and the largest moveable object ever built.
a. According to Geoff Tibbals, in his 1997 book The Titanic: The extraordinary story of the “unsinkable” ship , the Titanic was 882 feet long and weighed about 46,000 tons.
b. This was 100 feet longer and 15,000 tons heavier than the world’s current largest ships.
c. Thresh stated in Titanic: The truth behind the disaster , published in 1992 that the Titanic accommodated around 2,345 passengers and 860 crew-members.
- The beautiful accommodations of the Titanic were decorated and furnished with only the finest items.
a. According to a quotation from Shipbuilders magazine that is included in Peter Thresh’s 1992 book Titanic , “Everything has been done in regard to the furniture and fittings to make the first class accommodation more than equal to that provided in the finest hotels on shore” (p. 18).
b. Fine parlor suites located on the ship consisted of a sitting room, two bedrooms, two wardrobe rooms, a private bath, and a lavatory.
c. The first class dining room was the largest on any liner; it could serve 500 passengers at one sitting.
d. Other first class accommodations included a squash court, swimming pool, library, barber’s shop, Turkish baths, and a photographer’s dark room.
- The Titanic was widely believed to be the safest ship ever built.
d. Tibbals (1997) wrote that distress rockets were fired and distress signals were sent out, but there were no ships close enough to arrive in time.
- As the ship went down, some were rescued but the majority of passengers had no place to go.
a. Thresh (1992) stated that there were only 20 lifeboats on the ship.
b. This was only enough for about half of the 2,200 people that were on board.
c. The lifeboats were filled quickly with women and children loaded first.
- The ship eventually disappeared from sight.
a. Tibbals (1997) explains that at 2:20 am on Monday, the ship broke in half and slowly slipped under the water.
b. At 4:10 am, the Carpathia answered Titanic’s distress call and arrived to rescue those floating in the lifeboats.
c. Lynch (1992) reported that in the end, 1,522 lives were lost.
Transition: Now that we have learned about the history of the Titanic, I will discuss the movie that was made about it.
C. A movie depicting the Titanic and a group of fictional characters was made.
- The movie was written, produced, and directed by James Cameron.
a. According to Marsh in James Cameron’s Titanic from 1997, Cameron set out to write a film that would bring the event of the Titanic to life.
b. Cameron conducted six months of research to compile a highly detailed time line so that the film would be realistic.
c. Cameron spent more time on the Titanic than the ships’ original passengers because he made 12 trips to the wreck site that lasted between ten and twelve hours each.
- Making Titanic was extremely expensive and involved much hard work.
a. According to a 1998 article from the Historical Journal of Films,
Radio, and Television , Kramer stated that the film had a 250 million dollar budget.
b. A full-sized replica of the ship was constructed in Baja California, Mexico in a 17 million gallon oceanfront tank.
c. Cameron assembled an expedition to dive to the wreck on the ocean floor to film footage that was later used in the opening scenes of the movie.
d. Marsh (1997) further explained that the smallest details were attended to, including imprinting the thousands of pieces china, crystal, and silver cutlery used in the dining room scenes with White Star’s emblem and pattern.
- The movie was extremely successful.
a. Kramer (1998) reported that Titanic made approximately 600 million dollars in the United States, making it the #1 movie of all time.
b. It made approximately 1.8 billion dollars world-wide and is also the #1 movie of all time world-wide.
c. Titanic was nominated for a record eight Golden Globe Awards only a few weeks after its release, and won four.
d. It was also nominated for a record fourteen Academy Awards, and it won eleven.
III. Conclusion
A. Review of Main Points:
- Today I first discussed the Titanic itself.
- Second, I discussed the sinking of the ship.
- Finally, I discussed the movie that was made about the Titanic.
B. Restate Thesis: From the disaster to the movie, the sinking of the Titanic remains one of the most famous tragedies in history.
C. Closure: In conclusion, remember The Wreck of the Titan , the story written fourteen years before the Titanic sank. It now seems as if it was an eerie prophecy, or a case of life
References
Ballard, R. (1988). Exploring the Titanic. Toronto, Ontario: Madison Press Books.
Kramer, P. (1998). Women first: ‘Titanic’ (1997), action adventure films and Hollywood’s
female audience. Historical Journal of Films, Radio, and Television, 18 , 599-618.
Lord, W. (1955). A night to remember. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Lynch, D. (1992). Titanic: An illustrated history. New York, New York: Hyperion.
Marsh, E. (1997). James Cameron’s Titanic. New York, New York: Harper Perennial.
Thresh, P. (1992). Titanic: The truth behind the disaster. New York, New York: Crescent
Books.
Tibbals, G. (1997). The Titanic: The extraordinary story of the “unsinkable” ship.
Pleasantville, New York: Reader’s Digest.
EXAMPLE OF PERSUASIVE SPEECH OUTLINE
Sarah Gregor Persuasive Outline
Topic: Hearing Loss
Audience: #73. You are speaking to members of local 795 of the United Auto Workers, composed of 50 men and 70 women. The workers work for the Steering and Axle plant located in Livonia, MI. The economic status of the workers is middle-class, with a salary range of $30,000 to $50,000. The group was formed to discuss any issue that involves job security and work ethics. The educational level ranges from one year in college, to college graduate.
General Purpose: To persuade
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that hearing is very valuable and if some precautions are not taken then it may be lost forever.
Thesis: Even though noise-induced hearing loss can be easily prevented, it is the number one cause of deafness for people of all ages.
I. Introduction
A. Attention Getter: Huh? What? What is that you say? I didn’t quite hear you. Can you repeat that? These are phrases or expressions that you expect to hear from your grandparents, but if you are not careful you too might be uttering these words.
B. Reason to Listen: Noise-induced hearing loss can affect all people, and it is important to know the steps you can take to prevent it.
C. Thesis Statement: Even though noise-induced hearing loss can be easily prevented, it is the number one cause of deafness for people of all ages.
D. Credibility Statement:
- I have done research in the library on the topic of hearing loss.
- I have dedicated my college studies to the field of audiology.
E. Preview of Main Points:
B. Noise-induced hearing loss can be best understood in terms of the decibel scale.
- The decibel scale is a measurement of intensity.
a. In their book Speech Science Primer from 1994, Borden, Harris, & Raphael explained that intensity is defined by how loud a sound is.
b. The increments on the scale are in logarithmic steps with a range from 0-130.
c. Kalb stated in Newsweek from 1997 that any sound that measures over 85 decibels is dangerous to hearing.
- The decibel scale shows the intensity of some common sounds.
a. Kalb (1997) reported that a rock concert measures 120 db, with 130 db being classified as painful.
b. Something so common as a lawn-mower measures 90 db.
Transition: Understanding how sounds measure on the decibel scale will now help you decide which method of protection you will need to take to defend yourself against noise-induced hearing loss.
C. Noise-induced hearing loss can be eliminated by self-prevention.
- Try to reduce noise in the public area.
a. Bahadori and Bohne (1993) recognized that reducing noise is very difficult for the general public as a whole.
b. They suggested that each individual should try to be considerate to the public.
- Wear ear plugs if the sound is unavoidable.
a. Ear plugs are very inexpensive.
b. Bahadori and Bohne (1993) stated acknowledged that ear plugs can decrease the decibel measurement by 25 db.
c. Furthermore, according to Denniston in a 2000 article from Industrial Distribution , using ear plugs may also reduce irritability, fatigue, and stress on jobs with frequent exposure to noise.
- It is important to educate yourself.
a. Know the warning signs of noise-induced hearing loss.
b. Be aware of how different sounds measure on the decibel scale.
III. Conclusion
A. Review of Main Points:
- Today I first described the two major ways noise-induced hearing loss occurs.
- Second, I showed you how the decibel scale works.
- Finally, I gave you some advice on how to protect yourself from noise-induced hearing loss.
B. Restate Thesis: Even though noise-induced hearing loss can be easily prevented, it is the number one cause of deafness for people of all ages.
C. Closure: The next time you are jammin’ out at a concert, please remember to take along your ear plugs because you would not want it to be your last!
