American Lit Sample Argumentative/Persuasive Paper Skeleton Outline

I. Attention Step(gain attention, establish relevance and credibility, thesis & road map)

A. Wake-Up

According to a recent Time Magazine article, “1,000,000 people pick their nose at any given second.”

B. This Is Important

This is important to you because at one time or another you yourself have either:

1. Picked your nose, or 2. witnessed somebody pick their nose. If either scenario applies to you, the information I give you in the next few minutes can save your life

C. Get this

Nose picking is the leading cause of death among teenagers

D. Ethos

I was once a teenager afflicted with this terrible habit and it almost killed my sister.

E. Internal Preview

Today I will discuss the horrible problems associated with nose picking, what can be done to stop the madness, what the world can look like and finally inform you on what you can do to help.

II. Need Step (all the big, bad problems)

  1. Nose picking is a terrible habit
  2. Statistics resulting in death
  3. Bacteria spread through nose picking
  4. Diseases associated with nose picking
  5. Gateway habit to other nasty habits

III. Satisfaction Step(specific solutions to the established problems)

  1. Tools to stop the habit
  2. Join a support group
  3. If all else fails, cut off your fingers and/or hands
  4. REFUTATION: While cutting off fingers may not sound like a viable solution to some, it is the lesser of two evils. This may be a drastic step, but it is also a last resort and should not be taken lightly… in the end, being fingerless is better than some of the diseases associated with nose picking.

IV. Visualization Step(narrative on doing nothing and fixing the problem)

A. World View #1

- Disease, death, destruction, losing loved ones, sadness, mayhem

B. World View #2

- Support groups, happiness, less disease, harmony, enlightenment

V. Action Step(summarize, connections, remember and act)

A. Internal Summary

Today we looked at the horrible problems associated with nose picking, what can be done to stop the madness, what the world can look like let you know what you can do

B. So-What

Remember this next time you have the urge to pick your nose or if you see a loved one digging for gold.

C. Clean-Up

Don’t become a statistic, become a part of the solution to end world-wide nose picking

D. Call to Action

Please visit to view meeting dates in your community, and for goodness sake, the next time you see a potential nose picker, stop them before it is too late.