ELC590

SAMPLE PREPARATION OUTLINE

PERSUASIVE SPEECH

Student’s Name : ______________________________________

Matric Number : ______________________________________
Faculty / Group : ______________________________________
Lecturer’s Name : ______________________________________

Speech title :________________________________________________

Organizational Pattern : Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
Visual Aid : Power point slides
General Purpose : To persuade
Specific Purpose : To persuade my audience to use their cell phones in a way
that will protect their health.
Central Idea : Cell phones pose serious health risks and therefore, we must
Change the way we use them or face the medical repercussions.

Introduction

(Monroe’s Motivated Sequence  Attention)

I. Your cell phone is your constant companion.
II. You use it everywhere you go, day and night.
A. According to my class survey, everyone in this room has a cell phone, and all
of us use it dozens of times every day.
III. But what if your constant companion is dangerous?
IV. What if it is hazardous to your health?
A. Evidence is piling up that long-term use of cell phones can lead to tissue
damage, tumors and even brain cancer.
B. Given that there are 4 billion people worldwide using cell phones, we’re looking
at a problem of potentially staggering magnitude.
1. According to Devra Davis, epidemiologist and author of the
2010 book Disconnect: The Truth about Cell Phone Radiation,
we may be watching “an epidemic in slow motion”.
V. I never thought much about the possible perils of cell phones until I saw a CBS
news report earlier this year.
VI. After doing extensive research for this speech, it made me realize that cell phones
do in fact pose a danger to our health.
VII. Today, I hope to persuade each of you to use your cell phone in a manner that will
protect your health.
VIII. Because cell phones pose a health risk, we must change the way we use them or
face the medical repercussions.

(Transition: Let’s look more closely at the health risks posed by cell phones.)

Adapted from Lucas, S. (2012). The Art of Public Speaking. (12th ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill

Updated: 3 September 2018

 Body

(Monroe’s Motivated Sequence  Need)

I. Although cell phones are safe in the short run, they pose serious long-term health
risks.
A. Using a cell phone exposes you to radiation that builds up over time.
1. The amount is miniscule in comparison to that given off by X-
ray machines.
a. However, Ronald Herberman of the University of
Pittsburg Cancer Institute explains that the problem with
cell phone radiation is not how much is emitted at a
single time, but how much we are exposed to with
repeated use.

B. More and more scientists are warning about the long-term dangers of cell
phone use.
1. In one study the World Health Organization tracked 10,000 cell
phone users over the course of 10 years.
a. The data in this study indicated that subjects who used
a cell phone for 10 or more years doubled the risk of
developing brain tumors.
2. Another study from the Journal of Occupational and
Environment Medicine surveyed all the previous research on
cell phone use.
a. It found a “consistent pattern of increased risk” for
developing brain tumors among people who used cell
phones for more than 10 years.
i. One example is Alan Marks, a 58-year-old real
estate developer and father of three who talked
on his phone an hour a day for 23 years. Two
years ago, doctors found a golf-ball-sized tumor
in his brain.

C. Even cell phone manufacturers warn against keeping phones too close to the
body.
1. Apple, for example recommends keeping the iPhone five-
eighths of an inch away from your body.
2. Makers of the BlackBerry recommend that you keep their phone
a full inch away.

(Transition: So what’s the solution?)

(Monroe’s Motivated Sequence  Satisfaction)

II. You can guard against these risks by making simple changes in the way you use
your cell phone.
A. Do not press your cell phone against your head while talking.
1. You should hold the phone one-half an inch to one full inch away
from your ear.
B. Get in the habit of using ear phones or your phone’s internal speaker.

(Transition: Your health can be protected if you make these adjustments to the way you use
your cell phones.)

Adapted from Lucas, S. (2012). The Art of Public Speaking. (12th ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill

Updated: 3 September 2018

 (Monroe’s Motivated Sequence  Visualisation)
III. There will be serious medical repercussions if you do not change the way you use
your cell phones.
A. Holding the phone close to your head will increase the chances of you
developing brain tumors.
1. Changing the way you talk on your cell phone may be slightly
inconvenient at first but will soon become second nature.
2. You will avoid the fate of people who have developed cancer
and other conditions from prolonged cell phone use.
i. If Alan Marks had known the dangers of
prolonged cell phone use, he would have done
things a lot differently.

Conclusion

(Monroe’s Motivated Sequence  Action)

I. In conclusion, cell phones pose health risks and we must change the way we use
them or face the medical repercussions.
II. So get in the habit of keeping your cell phone away from your head when talking,
and encourage your friends and family to do the same.
III.Start today with your next phone call.
IV. We can avoid the slow-motion epidemic that doctors and scientists are warning us
about if we just remember to keep cell phones away from our heads.

References

Davis, D. (2010). Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry
Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family. Boston : Dutton

Hardell, L., Carlberg, M., Sordeqvist, M., Mild, K. J. and Morgan, L. L. (2007). Long-term
Use of Cellular Phones and Brain Tumors: Increased Risk Associated With Use for 10
Years. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Retrieved from
http://oem.bmj.com/content/64/9/626

Herbermen, R. B. (2008, September 25). Turmors and Cell Phone Use : What the
Science Says. Presented at Oversight and Government Reform Committee, US House
of Representatives. Retrieved from
http://cellphones.procon.org/sourcefiles/Herberman_Testimony.pdf

Parzonik, A. (2010, August 5), Cancer Calling?: East Bay Couple on a Mission to Warn of
Cell Phone Risks. JWeekly.com. Retrieved from
http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/58831/cancer-calling-east-bay-couple-on-a-mission-
to-warn-of-cell-phone-risks/

World Health Organization (2014) Electromagnetic Fields and Public Health: Mobile
Phones. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en/

Adapted from Lucas, S. (2012). The Art of Public Speaking. (12th ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill

Updated: 3 September 2018