English 10 Persuasive Speech Outline

Outline / Draft
I. Introduction
A. How I will catch attention:
Stress the importance of my topic as “most important”
B. My main claim:
You should not text while driving. / Today I’d like to offer you some advice that may be the most important lesson you’ll ever learn about driving—although it may have only been covered briefly in a single lesson of your driver’s education course.
Texting while driving is a serious distraction and one that could cost you your life or the lives of others. I know how hard it is to put the phone down and concentrate on the road. Even as an adult, I sometimes struggle with avoiding distractions while I’m driving. But there are plenty of other options and a lot of good reasons to keep your eyes on the road.
II. Reason #1: Distracted driving is deadly driving.
A.  Why my audience will think this is a good reason:
No one wants to die.
B. Evidence I will use to support this reason:
Satistics about just how deadly distracted driving is.
Example of allusion: Justin Bieber
Example of alliteration: “Distracted driving is just as dangerous. It is deadly dangerous.” / First, texting while driving is very dangerous. Now let’s think about this. We all know that drunk driving is a bad idea because it is deadly. That’s why everyone was so outraged with Justin Bieber last month.
But did you know that distracted driving is just as dangerous? It is deadly dangerous. In fact, because texting takes your eyes off the road longer than any other activity that distracts you from driving, it makes all drivers 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident. In 2011, almost a fourth of all auto collisions were caused by someone using a cell phone.
III. Counterclaim:
A. Here is an counterclaim I need to acknowledge:
It only takes a second. I’m a good
enough driver to handle it.
B. How I plan to defuse or offer a rebuttal to this counterclaim:
Statistics about how far you actually
travel. / I know you may think that it only takes a second to type that text and hit send. However, in actuality, the average text takes your eyes away from the road for five seconds. If you’re going 55 mph, then five seconds is the amount of time it takes you to drive the length of a football field.
You may also think that you’re a good enough driver that you can safely send a text message without interfering with your ability to operate your vehicle. Statistics show that teen drivers who text spend approximately 10% of their driving time driving outside of their lane. But it’s hard to know that if you aren’t looking.
IV. Reason #2: Texting and driving is illegal.
A.  Why my audience will think this is a good reason:
No one wants to get arrested or fined.
B. Evidence I will use to support this reason:
Utah’s penalties
Example of parallelism: “Spending a few extra seconds to pull over now is better than spending many extra years in jail later.” / Another good reason to avoid texting and driving is because it is outlawed in many cities and states. Getting caught could get you in big trouble. In 2009, Utah passed the nation’s toughest law on texting behind the wheel—up to 15 years in prison. Think about it: spending a few extra seconds to pull over now is better than spending many extra years in jail later.
And in addition to the actual laws in place, there are technological advances that now allow parents to install driver cams that show them in real time exactly what you’re doing while you’re driving. This could also get you in trouble.
V. Reason #3: There are better options.
A.  Why my audience will think this is a good reason:
I provide good alternate strategies.
B. Evidence I will use to support this reason:
I will supply some ideas of what to do instead. / A better alternative is to wait until you reach your destination. Or, if you absolutely must respond to a text sooner, find a safe place to pull over. If having the phone within reach is too much of a temptation for you, try placing it in the backseat where you can’t get to it while you’re driving.
VI. Conclusion
A.  This is how I will strongly emphasize the truth of my claim:
You don’t want to be in an
ambulance.
B. This is what I will ask my audience to do:
Pull over when need to text. Keep phone out of reach. / So as you prepare to get out on the roads, let your biggest worry be whether you’ll pass your driving test, not whether you’ll end up in an accident due to texting and driving. Let it wait. Pull over. Or just put your phone out of reach until you get where you’re going. When you respond to your BFF’s text of “where r u?”, you don’t want your answer to be “in an ambulance.”