week 4 outline SHORT VERSION

INFORMATIVE SPEECH OUTLINE

Name Surname Student ID
Topic: The Titanic

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about one of the most famous tragedies in history, the Titanic.

Thesis: From the disaster to the movie, the sinking of the Titanic remains one of the most famous tragedies in history.

Introduction

Attention Getter/Ice Breaker: An American writer named Morgan Robertson once wrote a book called The Wreck of the Titan. The book was about an “unsinkable” ship called the Titan that set sail from England to New York with many rich and famous passengers on board. On its journey, the Titan hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sunk. Many lives were lost because there were not enough lifeboats. So, what is so strange about this? Well, The Wreck of the Titan was written 14 years before the Titanic sank. [See ppt slide #]

Reason to Listen: The sinking of the Titanic was one of the largest non-war related disasters in history, and it is important to be knowledgeable about the past.

Credibility Statement:

I have been fascinated by the history of the Titanic for as long as I can remember.


I have read and studied my collection of books about the Titanic many times, and have done research on the Internet.

Preview of Main Points:

First, I will discuss the Titanic itself.

Second, I will discuss the sinking of the ship.

Finally, I will discuss the movie that was made about the Titanic.

Development (A B C refers to paragraphs)

From the disaster to the movie, the sinking of the Titanic remains one of the most famous tragedies in history.

The Titanic was thought to be the largest, safest, most luxurious ship ever built. At the time of her launch, she was the biggest existing ship and the largest moveable object ever built.

Transition: Now that I’ve discussed the Titanic itself, I will now discuss the tragedy that occurred on its maiden voyage.

The Titanic hit disaster head-on when it ran into an iceberg four days after its departure. The beginning of the maiden voyage was mostly uneventful.



Transition: Now that we have learned about the history of the Titanic, I will discuss the movie that was made about it.

A movie depicting the Titanic and a group of fictional characters was made. The movie was written, produced, and directed by James Cameron. [See ppt slide #]

Conclusion

Review of Main Points:

Today I first discussed the Titanic itself.

Second, I discussed the sinking of the ship.

Finally, I discussed the movie that was made about the Titanic.

B.

Restate Thesis:

From the disaster to the movie, the sinking of the Titanic remains one of the most famous tragedies in history.
C.
Closure:
In conclusion, remember The Wreck of the Titan, the story written fourteen years before the Titanic sank. It now seems as if it was an eerie prophecy, or a case of life
imitating art. Whatever the case, the loss of lives on the Titanic was tremendous, and it is something that should never be forgotten.


D. Call to Action/Final Statement/Food for Thought: YOU NEED TO WRITE YOURS ……… [See ppt slide #]

Please note that this is a detailed example of an outline. In the outlines Research Methods students provide, I. Introduction is similar to what I expect from you.

II. Development. you do not need to write every sentence for this part. However, you need to give an indication of how many paragraphs/main points (no less than 3, no more than 5) you have and write the first sentence (or a couple of sentences for each), and at least one transition.
III. Conclusion is similar to what you should present. You also need to have a thought-provoking final statement/food for thought (which could be a call to action, a rhetorical question, something to look at or research after the speech etc.)

PPT slides are just exemplary. You should have some (no less than 3) and add them to where you find to be appropriate.

References

Ballard, R. (1988). Exploring the Titanic. Toronto, Ontario: Madison Press Books.
Kramer, P. (1998). Women first: ‘Titanic’ (1997), action adventure films and Hollywood’s female audience. Historical Journal of Films, Radio, and Television, 18, 599-618.
Lord, W. (1955). A night to remember. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Lynch, D. (1992). Titanic: An illustrated history. New York, New York: Hyperion.
Marsh, E. (1997). James Cameron’s Titanic. New York, New York: Harper Perennial.