Explanatory Speech Template Outline

I. Introduction (Approximately 1min.)

A. Attention Getter: Imagine a world where swiping cards are no longer a thing. A

world where simply tapping your phone or credit cards is only needed for

transactions. A world where sharing contact information can happen with just a

tap.

B. Background and Audience Relevance: NFC or, near-field communication is

one of the up and coming technologies today. It is used for mobile payments such

as Apple Pay or Google Pay. In other areas, simply bringing your phone to a

terminal at the metro station will allow access instead of swiping a ticket or card.

It is all due to NFC that we are able to make life simpler and efficient. Now as

technology gets stronger, NFC will be seen more in our daily lives. Even now, in

other countries such as Japan and China, NFC transactions have been adopted.

C. Speaker Credibility: I am currently a user of NFC technology and through the

usages I have had, I would like to learn more about what is going on behind the

scenes.

D. Thesis: As technology grows, so will NFC. I believe it is best for us to understand

at least what NFC is and how it could affect us.

E. Preview of Main Points: Today I will begin by explaining the technology behind

NFC. Then, I will move onto how it is used today and the potential it has for the

future. Lastly, I will go over alternate forms of wireless communication and

address the problems with each of them.

Transition to first main point: So first, let’s discuss about what exactly NFC is.
II. Body (Approximately 3 ½-5 ½ mins.)

A. Main Point 1: NFC as said before, is short for near field communication. So, in

order to get a better idea of the concept, we must first understand the history

behind it, and then we will see the software side of NFC.

1. Sub point 1 (History): NFC was not the first technology to involve

wireless communication. It really began with wireless scanners like

barcode scanners. From barcode scanners came the RFID technology and

magnetic stripe cards. RFID implemented radio waves which was the

mode of exchanging data from a device to a reader. For magnetic stripe

cards such as debit or credit cards, data is loaded into a storage defined

within the stripe containing magnetic particles. Soon after the magnetic

devices came the smart card, which contains no power source and

communicates through physical contact. Now, from all these previous

technologies, came NFC and is really similar to RFID, however, the range

that it occurs at is short; coming to a few centimetres. Now how exactly

does it work?

2. Sub point 2 (Software): NFC requires the use of 2 devices which support

it. Inside the devices are small chips that only work when in close

proximity; nearly touching! The chips are powered by magnetic fields

which are generated when electrons flow through a conductor. If the wire

conductors are coiled and slightly powered, then moving a powered coiled

to an unpowered coil will generate power in the unpowered coil. Knowing

this, lets go over an NFC transaction that could occur in your phone.
 Recently, majority of mobile devices contain an NFC chip inside of it.

When the need for NFC beings, electricity from the device flows to the

NFC chip and it generates a weak magnetic field. Now you have an active

NFC device which can give power to passive devices (have no power

source). The active device, or, your phone, will generate electricity

through the magnetic field in the receiver and a radio field is created. The

NFC chip in your phone is active and can detect these radio waves to get

information.

Transition (summary, signpost, preview): Now that we have discussed what NFC is and

how it works, let’s move onto our next point, which is on how NFC is being used.

B. Main Point 2: In order to fully understand the uses of NFC, we must first discuss

about how it is used today, then we will focus on the potential it has in the future.

1. Sub point 1 (Current Uses): Right now, the amount of usages for NFC is

broad. You could use it as a replacement for customer loyalty cards such

as at a coffee shop. Instead of having to carry around another card, simply

having a digital copy within a wallet application such as Google Wallet is

enough. Using NFC, it will transmit the customers information which will

act as if they actually had the card. Another way of using NFC technology

can even be with electronic doors. In CES 2012, Yale Lock had

demonstrated the use of NFC in order to lock and unlock doors.

Additionally, marketing can take advantage of NFC by allowing

customers use NFC to transmit product information or health records.

 Even simple tasks such as sending data such as contact information

between devices can happen with just a tap.

2. Sub point 2 (Future Uses): The potential for NFC is growing throughout

the country. As of now, European countries have fully adopted the

technology and allows NFC payments throughout almost every single

store! Throughout the next couple of years, even bank cards will

implement this technology. Imagine, instead of swiping or inserting a

card, just tapping your credit card will make the payment. Or in airports,

checking in to your flight could be made quicker by tapping your device

which contains the flight information. The potential of NFC is endless and

its amazing to see what will happen in the future.

Transition (summary, signpost, preview): After defining the usages of NFC, we are now

going to discuss alternative modes of communication aside from NFC.

C. Main Point 3: NFC is one of many methods of wireless communication. So, if

we want to know the benefits of it, we must first briefly go over other

communication methods, and lastly, we will review the pros and cons of each one.

1. Sub point 1 (Wireless Methods): To begin with alternative wireless

communication methods, we will have to see what is available. First, there

are optical tags such as QR codes. One other method of wireless

communication is RFID which, as discussed before, is similar to NFC.

They both allow a reader device to obtain information either through

storing information or having a unique id to be read.

 2. Sub point 2 (Pros and Cons): Now, let’s discuss about the pros and cons

of QR codes. QR codes have the benefit of easily being printable and

displayed virtually through the web. Even virtually, the code still keeps

the special identification. However, the downside to unique identifiers is

that legibility must remain intact. Issues such as orientation, dirt, or even

lighting could cause issues, making it difficult to capture the proper

information. Now as for RFID, Radio Frequency Identification, it has no

need for a unique appearance. In fact, there is no need to even see it, it

could be hidden behind materials and are immune to conditions which

would make it difficult to read like what would happen to QR codes. The

only problem with this is that RFID tags could be costly on a large scale. It

costs about 10 cents to $1 per tag; over the span of millions of tags, it will

add up. Additionally, RFID tends to have a larger proximity and is prone

to security issues. Now with NFC the range is incredibly small and the

implementation is usually part of a bigger system such as mobile phones,

the power needed is already supplied. The readers are also self-powered

from the mobile device and has no needed for an electrical supply.

Transition and signal closing: Now that we know alternative modes of wireless

communication and the benefits of each, lets finish up everything about NFC.
III. Conclusion (Approximately 30 seconds-1 minute)

A. Restate Thesis: As NFC becomes a bigger part of our lives, it is best to

understand how it works and what is actually going on.

B. Review Main Points: First, we had discussed the science and technology behind

NFC, and secondly, we explored the many usages it may have for the future and

currently. Lastly, we checked out alternative wireless communications and sought

out which is best.

C. Memorable Closer: NFC is already part of our daily lives. It has been adopted

into almost all mobile devices and is the reason behind mobile payments and tap-

and-go places. So, the next time you are on the go and need to quickly make a

transaction, instead of pulling out your card and swiping, you can simply tap your

phone and save time.

 References

B.Kim, personal interview, June 29, 2019.

Coskun, V., Ok, K., & Ozdenizci, B. (2012). Near field communication from theory to practice.

Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Strickland, J. (2012, February). How Near Field Communication Works. Retrieved from

https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/near-field-communication.htm

Want, R. (2011). Near field communication. IEEE Pervasive Computing, 10(3), 4-7.

https://doi.org/10.1109/MPRV.2011.55

Wortham J. (2011, February 15). Near-Field Communication: Beyond Mobile Transactions. The

New York Times, retrieved from https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/near-field-

communication-beyond-mobile-transactions/