Sample 1B: Speech to Inform

Name: John Raines

Audience Analysis

Answer in complete sentences and use examples from your audience analysis questions.

1. How much does your audience already know about your topic and how will you design your speech regarding their level of knowledge? Everyone is familiar with fear in general, so I’ll try to focus on aspects of it that are specific to my topic.
2. How much interest did the audience have in your topic? How will you make the topic interesting to them? The audience was curious about the direction this speech would take, so I’ll try to build on that and give them specific, solid examples that they can integrate into their lives.
3. What is your audience’s attitude regarding your topic? How will you address that attitude in your speech? The attitude was mostly positive, so I’ll try to use that to my advantage.
4. How will the audience demographics (not what you learned on your Audience Analysis) impact the development of your speech? The majority of the audience is 18–20 years old, so I’ll try to word my information in such a way that it is received as constructive advice from a fellow student with a little more life experience. Gender shouldn’t be an issue.

Title: A Fearless Life

General Purpose: To inform

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the nature of fear

Introduction

1. Grab Attention: Frequent urination, dry mouth, excessive sweating…these are but a few of the many symptoms of phobic anxiety.
2. Relate to Audience: Many of you are standing at the thresholds of your adult lives, with an excitement about the unknown.
3. Relate to Self (Establish Credibility): I have always been a bit of a risk taker, looking fear square in the eye, and it hasn’t always been easy.
4. Central Idea: But, to live without risk, is to risk not living.
5. Specific Purpose: Today, I want to inform you about the nature of fear.
6. Preview Main Points: I will cover…
   1. What fear is
   2. What fear does
   3. How to master your fears

Transition to #I: “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.” (Mark Twain) So let’s begin by talking about what fear is.

Speech Body

1. Fear is a complicated emotion.
   1. Fear is a perspective. (PsychCentral.com)
   2. It’s a response to the unknown and uncontrolled.
   3. Fear is a controlling emotion. (MedicineNet.com)

Transition to #II: Now, let’s look at how this plays out in our lives.

2. Fear controls our actions.
   1. Fear greatly reduces our options. (Encarta)
   2. Fear limits experience to the safe and the known.
   3. Ultimately, fear makes life dull and routine.

Transition to #III: There is no reason we have to live that way. We can master our fear.

3. Mastering our fears can be a way of life.
   1. First you must see fear for what it is.
   2. And by seeing it, develop a hatred for its controlling nature.
   3. Then love it, for the passion and excitement it brings to life.

Signal End: So before I close, let me recap.

Conclusion

1. Restate Central Idea: Remember, that to live without risk, is to risk not living.
2. Recap Main Points: Today, we talked about what fear is, what it does, and how you can master it.
3. Clincher: Now you have the tools to understand how fear might be affecting you. In the words of Philip Adams, “It seems to me that people have vast potential. Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks. Yet most people don’t. They sit in front of the telly and treat life as if it goes on forever.” (Philip Adams)

Works Cited

“Generalized Anxiety Disorder.” MedicineNet.com. 2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2019.

“Phobia.” Encarta Encyclopedia.com. 2008. Web. 11 Mar. 2019.

“Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms.” PsychCentral.com. 2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2019.