Communication/ speech

Specific purpose: to persuade my audience that meditation should be our daily routine.
Central idea: Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit overall health and emotional well being.

persuade the class to rethink or change their position on a particular issue. Using the
organizational methods that we have discussed,
you will clearly state and support your claim.
Please make sure to answer the following questions in the
introduction of your speech. What are you persuading us to believe?
What do you want us to do or think as result of your speech?
Please choose one of the patterns of organization shown in the videos.
REQUIREMENTS:
1.
The outline must follow the guidelines based on textbook and lecture and must contain a
work cited in MLA or APA format.*

2. Your outline must contain research. Five sources are required.
You must include a minimum of two sources from Pierce’s electronic database (for example, Academic onefile; opposing viewpoints).
Furthermore, please mention all sources in your outline.

Remember some background information might be necessary, but
your outline will primarily consist of arguments, support, and possibly
a solution.

Example :
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that the age for full driving privileges
should be raised to 18.
Central Idea: We should raise the age for full driving privileges to 18 because there are
too many motor vehicle accidents and deaths, the brains of teenagers are not fully
developed and a national policy will save the lives of many people.
Introduction:
On a chilly November night two years ago, a Ford Explorer was charging
down a California highway. The 16-year-old driver and three of his friends were
returning from a concert in Los Angeles. These young people were good students, gifted
athletes, talented artists and musicians. And none were drunk or impaired by drugs. They
were, however, driving too fast, and the driver lost control of the car. The car went into a
ditch and hit a tree. The driver and one passenger were killed. The other two passengers
escaped with severe injuries. One of these passengers was my nephew.
Today he is finishing high school in a wheelchair, a wheelchair he will occupy
for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, tragic auto accidents involving teenage drivers are
much too common in all parts of the United States. After researching the subject for my
speech, I have come to the same conclusion as the experts—that the best way to prevent
such accidents is to raise the age for full driving privileges to 18 or older.
I know from my audience-analysis questionnaire that most of you oppose such a
plan. But I also know from my questionnaires that most of you recognize that 16- and 17-
year-old drivers are less skilled and less responsible than older drivers. So I ask you to
listen with an open mind while we discuss some of the problems associated with teenage
driving, the major causes of the problems, and a plan that will go a long way toward
solving the problems.
I. There are too many motor vehicle accidents, deaths, and injuries involving teenage
drivers.
A. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while
teenagers make up 7 percent of the nation’s licensed drivers
1. Fourteen percent of all motor vehicle fatalities.
B. The NHTSA reports that last year 3,657 drivers age 16-to-20 were killed in
automobile accidents.
1. These same accidents took the lives of 2,384 teenage passengers and
2,625 people aged 21 or older.
2. The total number of people killed last year in automobile accidents
involving teenage drivers was 8,666.
C. Evidence also shows that the younger the driver, the greater the risk.
1. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 16-year-olds
have “the highest percentage of crashes involving speeding, the highest
percentage of single-vehicle crashes, and the highest percentage of crashes
involving driver error.”
2. USA Today reports, 16-year-olds are three times more likely to be
involved in fatal crashes than are older drivers.
Transition:Now that we’ve seen the extent of the problem, we can explore its causes.
II. There are many causes of the problem.
A. New drivers just haven’t had enough time on the road to develop their driving
skills.
1. There will always be inexperienced drivers–even if the driving age is
raised to 21 or even to 25.
B. A second cause is revealed by brain research.
1. Findings from the National Institute of Mental Health show that the
brain of an average 16-year-old has not developed to the point where he or
she is able to effectively judge the risk of a given situation.
2. Dr. Jay Giedd, who led the research team that conducted the study,
states: “When a smart, talented, and very mature teen does something that
a parent might call ‘stupid,’ it’s this underdeveloped part of the brain that
has most likely failed.”
3. Steven Lowenstein, a medical professor at the University of Colorado,
has just finished a five-year study comparing the traffic records of 16-
year-old drivers to drivers aged 25 to 49.
a. He states, “Deliberate risk-taking and dangerous and aggressive
driving behaviors predominated” among the 16-year-olds.
C. A third cause of motor vehicle fatalities among teenage drivers is night driving.
1. According to the Washington Post, when 16-year-olds get
behind the wheel of a car after dark, the likelihood of having an
accident increases several times over.
2. Nighttime driving is less safe for everyone, but it becomes
particularly dangerous when combined with a young driver’s
inexperience and reduced ability to gauge risk.
D. Finally, there is the presence of teenage passengers in the car.
1. We all know what it’s like to drive with our friends—the stereo is up
loud, cell phones are ringing, everybody’s laughing and having a good
time.
2. The problem is that all these factors create distractions, distractions that
too often result in accidents, injury, and death.
3. Allan Williams, chief scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety, reports that one teenage passenger doubles the risk of a fatal crash.
a. With two or more passengers, the risk is five times
greater.
b. Remember my nephew’s accident ?I mentioned at the
start of my speech? There were three passengers in the car.
Transition:
So the extent of the problem is clear. So, too, are its causes. What steps can
we take to help bring about a solution?
III. First, we need a national policy that no one can receive a learner’s permit until age
16, and no one can receive full driving privileges until age 18.
A. This will allow 16-year-olds time to gain driving experience before having an
unrestricted license and to reach a stage of brain development where they are
better able to handle the risk and responsibility of driving.
B. We need to restrict nighttime driving so as to keep younger drivers off the road
when conditions are riskiest.
1. Some states have tried to address this problem by banning teenagers
from driving after midnight or 1 a.m., but as the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety reports, these laws don’t go far enough.
2. According to the Institute, we need a 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m. limit until
drivers reach the age of 18.
C. We need to restrict the number of teenage passengers in cars driven by younger
drivers.
1. In fact, says Kevin Quinlan from the National Transportation Safety
Board, “passenger restriction is the first and foremost measure you can
take” to reduce teenage driving fatalities.
2. According to Quinlan, the optimal policy would be to bar drivers age 17
or younger from having any passengers in the car unless the riders are
adults or family members.
3. Drivers from the age of 17 to 18 should not be allowed to carry more
than one teenage passenger.
Conclusion:
Now I know all of this might sound harsh and perhaps inconvenient, but the
evidence is clear that it would save a significant number of lives. “If you want to discuss
harsh,” said one father whose 17-year-old son died in an accident three years ago, “I can
talk to you about harsh. It’s being awakened at 2:30 in the morning by the State Patrol
telling you that your son has just been killed.”
Everyone in this room has lived to college age. But this year alone, thousands of teenage
drivers will not live that long. And they won’t live that long due to factors that we can
prevent. There’s no way to solve all the problems we encounter on the road, but we can
do something to help save the lives of younger drivers and make the road safer for all of
us. As I said earlier, this might sound harsh or inconvenient, but I know my nephew
would gladly trade both for the chance to walk again.
Adapted from The Art of Public Speaking, Putting the Brakes on Teenage Driving

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