Example Outline for Demonstration Speech

How to Make a Balloon Animal Dog

By Christine Pointer

Period 7

General Purpose: To demonstrate how to make a balloon animal

Specific Purpose: Today you will learn the steps to use so you can make your very own balloon animal dog.

Central Idea/Thesis: The safety precautions necessary, materials needed and steps to make a balloon animal dog.

  1. Introduction
  1. Attention Getter: Have you ever watched someone twist and turn a long colorful balloon and make it into a creative animal, hat or even a bicycle?
  2. Purpose Statement: Today you will learn all the steps to create your very own balloon animal dog.
  3. Central Idea/Thesis: I will discuss safety precautions one must take when creating balloon animals, the materials needed and the steps to create a balloon animal do.
  4. Interesting Fact: Interestingly, making balloon animals has been around for over 80 years. A man named Henry J. Maar was a vaudeville magician and had to result to making props out of balloons when all his props were stolen and he still had to entertain the crowd. He came up with balloon creations on the spot.
  5. Credibility: I was always intrigued with people who made balloon animals. It was fun to watch them at sporting events, restaurants, and even on the streets in NYC. One day I was visiting Boston and saw a man making balloon animals. I thought to myself, “I can do that”, so I went home and bought a book to help me learn how to make a balloon animal. I started practicing and it was so much fun to figure out all the different animals I could make. I even made them for some kids at an Astros game one night when I saw kids playing with balloons, I offered to make them a dog and next thing I knew, kids were lining up for my balloon animals.
  6. Transition: To begin, we will start with safety precautions.
  1. Body
  1. Safety Rules
  2. Do not ever put balloons in your mouth.
  3. Keep balloons in a dry place and out of the sun.
  4. Keep balloon animals out of the heat and direct sun.
  5. Balloons don’t last forever, they become fragile as they age, so throw away old balloons and buy new ones if you’ve had them for more than a year.
  6. Don’t leave balloons (broken or otherwise) on the floor or in the reach of small children, babies or animals.
  7. Do not ever suck out the helium from blow up balloons since helium is considered a noxious gas and can lead to brain damage.
  8. Transition: Now, let me share with you the materials you need to create your work of art.
  9. Materials Needed
  10. You can purchase materials at Party City in …. Or online at
  11. You will need balloons and a pump to blow them up

a.Balloons cost

b.The pump cost

  1. Transition: Now that you have your materials, let’s begin with the steps to create your balloon animal dog.
  1. Steps to Create a Balloon Dog
  2. First, Inflate the balloon

a.It is hard to blow up a balloon like the ones you need for this project with just your mouth and your lungs. This is where a pump comes in handy.

b.Once the balloon is blown up with the pump you need to secure it by tying it.

  1. Second, You will twist three basic balloon twists
  2. Lock off the ears and nose of the dog – the balloon should now look like the head of a dog
  3. Create the neck and front legs of the dog by making three basic balloon twists 3 inches long
  4. Now, bend them over and lock twist in the middle of the body to secure the legs & body
  5. Make the back end of dog with three basic balloon twists, 3 inches long leaving a final part for the tail.
  1. Conclusion
  2. Closing Statement: In summary, I hope you enjoyed making your very own balloon animal dog. Maybe joining the circus is an option or working at a restaurant where they make balloon animals for the kids that visit.
  3. Re-State your Thesis: Today, you learned about the safety when making a balloon animal, materials needed, and the steps to create a balloon dog.
  4. Second Interesting Fact:I bet you didn’t know that balloon animals date back to the Aztecs and were originally made out of animal intestines.
  5. Re-State Most Important Concept/Step: Again, don’t ever put balloons in your mouth or leave popped balloons on the floor as they are a choking hazard for pets and small kids.

Helpful Hints When Creating an Outline:

  • The template above will help you set up the entire outline – just use it and go step by step with each aspect – once you are done with the outline your whole speech is written for you/it takes place of writing a speech out word for word
  • Remember there are three parts to a speech (Introduction, Body and Conclusion)
  • Your three main points for your speech will be in the Body of the speech
  • The last letter (C) in your body will be a list of your steps; you don’t have to go into that much detail.
  • Be VERY detailed in your introduction and conclusion in this outline – it will be exactly what you say in your speech
  • Work as a group to create this page, everyone can have the same info as long as everyone types their own. Ask for help and double check your work.

Example Reference Page for Demonstration Speech

How to Make a Balloon Animal Dog

DiNissio, Julie. Quail Bell Magazine. The History of Balloon Animals, 22 Jul. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

Granados, Monica. Mental Floss. Early Balloons Were Made From Dental Floss, 28 Oct. 2012. Web. Oct. 17

2014.

Kawamoto, Wayne. About.Com. How to Make a Balloon Animal Dog.Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

*Make note of all the commas (,) and periods (.) behind and between items in the reference – yours should look just like mine. Dates go in this format (day Month 3 letter w/period & then year with period)