Preparation Outline

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SPEECH TITLE: PROTECT THE LARGEST ORGAN IN YOUR LIFE

By: Jessica Bordonaro, Scottsdale Community College

image Write your specific purpose and thesis as part of the outline heading to keep the central idea of your speech in mind as you develop your outline.

Topic: Reducing Skin Cancer Risks

Specific purpose: To persuade my audience to take precautionary steps to reduce the risks of skin cancer and other skin-related health issues. image

Speech thesis: By protecting yourself adequately from overexposure to the sun, you lessen your risk of skin damage and skin cancers.

image Section headers are used to identify the introduction, body, and conclusion of the speech. This helps you see the overall speech organization.

INTRODUCTION: image

  1. Gain attention: “By a show of hands, how many of you always protect yourselves when you know you are going to be in the sun for a significant amount of time?”

  2. Speech thesis: By protecting yourself adequately from overexposure to the sun, you lessen your risk of skin damage and skin cancer.

    image The outline includes all five components for an effective introduction.

  3. Establish credibility: I have firsthand experience with the negative effects the sun can have on people. image

    1. Two family friends died in the past three years from skin cancer.

    2. I am very passionate about wanting people to know how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun.

  4. Connect listeners’ need: Living in Arizona, you have exposure to the sun all year round.

    image The preview statement links the introduction to the body of the speech.

  5. Preview main points: I am going to discuss how not protecting yourself from overexposure to the sun can contribute to skin-health problems, such as sunburn, premature aging, and skin cancer. I am also going to cover some ways you can help protect yourself from these things. image

BODY:

image Each main point is indicated by a roman numeral and is stated as one complete sentence.

  1. Main Point 1: Your risk for sunburn increases when you don’t protect yourself adequately from the sun. image

    image Subpoints are marked by uppercase letters. Be sure to check for appropriate subordination of all subpoints.

    1. Sunburns happen from overexposure to the sun. image

      1. In a 2012 study, dermatologist Jennifer Lin and colleagues observed that among adolescents in the United States, about 83% reported at least one bad sunburn the previous summer.

      2. Only about 34% of adolescents reported sunscreen use (Lin, Eder, & Weinmann, 2012).

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      3. Sunburn doesn’t discriminate by skin color.

        1. The Mayo Clinic Web site (2012) states that although lighter-skinned types may burn easily, darker-skinned types can also suffer sunburns. image

        2. All skin types are subject to deep skin damage due to overexposure to the sun (Mayo Clinic, 2012).

      image All supporting material is listed with proper points, including source citations.

    2. According to the National Library of Medicine (2011), “While the symptoms of sunburn are usually temporary . . . , the skin damage is often permanent and can have serious long-term health effects,” and that “by the time the skin starts to become painful and red, the damage has been done.”

    image Connectives are set off in parentheses. They also help show the relationship between main points.

    (Transition: Sunburn is just the start of much larger issues of skin damage.) image

  2. Main Point 2: Another issue that can arise when you don’t protect yourself well in the sun is premature aging.

    1. Intrinsic aging is one type of skin aging.

      1. Intrinsic skin aging is related to natural biological aging.

      2. Intrinsically aged skin appears smooth, pale, and finely wrinkled.

    2. Extrinsic aging (or photoaging) is the effect of a lifetime of UV exposure.

      1. According to Fitzpatrick Dermatology, “Many skin functions that decline with age show an accelerated decline in photoaged skin” (Gonzaga, 2009).

      2. Photoaged skin is characterized by coarse wrinkles, dark spots, and broken blood vessels.

    (Transition: Although you might think that sunburns are temporary and aging skin is too far down the road to worry about, there is another damaging effect of the sun to your health.)

  3. Main Point 3: Overexposure to the sun can contribute to skin cancer.

    1. There are different kinds of skin cancer, and some are more aggressive than others.

      image In composing this speech, the speaker uses a variety of supporting materials, including statistics, examples, expert testimony, and stories.

      1. According to the American Cancer Society Web site (2013), more than 3.5 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancers are diagnosed in the United States each year. image

        1. These include basal- and squamous-cell carcinomas.

        2. These cancers develop on sun-exposed areas of the skin.

        3. These skin cancers are curable when caught early.

      2. Melanoma starts in the particular skin cells that produce our skin color, known as melanocytes.

      3. Melanoma accounted for about 75% of skin cancer deaths in 2012 (Lin et al.).

      image The speaker includes a personal story as supporting material to engage the audience.

    2. I have had two family friends affected by skin cancer. image

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      image This speech uses four main points to develop the thesis. What organizational pattern does the speech follow?

    (Transition: Given the potentially deadly effects of the sun, what can we do?)

  4. Main Point 4: There are several ways to protect yourself from the sun and its harmful effects. image

    1. Avoid sun exposure during hours of peak sun-ray intensity.

      1. The UV index is a measure of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

      2. Here is a map of yesterday’s UV index.

    2. If you’re going to spend extended time in the sun, protect your skin by wearing sunscreen.

      1. Wear generous amounts of at least SPF 30 sunscreen.

      2. Apply 30 minutes before sun exposure to allow absorption.

      3. Remember to reapply, because it comes off in water and from sweat.

    3. You should also protect other exposed areas of your body.

      1. Wear UV-protective sunglasses.

      2. Wear lip balm with a high SPF.

      3. Wear a wide-brim hat.

    4. Even if you don’t plan to spend time in the sun, develop the habit of wearing a daily lotion that has sunscreen in it.

      1. This is easy to do if you already put lotion on anyway.

      2. This simple change will ensure you get SPF protection every day.

image The conclusion summarizes the main points of the speech and is a final chance to leave the audience with a lasting impression about the topic.

CONCLUSION: image

  1. Summary: Getting too much sun has negative and damaging effects on the body, but you can take simple, specific precautions to protect yourself from the sun’s rays.

  2. Summer is approaching, not to mention the fact that we live in Arizona, so do yourself a favor and start buying sunscreen and applying it when you are going to be in the sun.

  3. You don’t want to look older than you are or risk dying before your time.

image The last part of the outline is a properly formatted list of sources used for preparing the speech.

REFERENCES: image

American Cancer Society (2013). Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/cancer/
cancercauses/sunanduvexposure/skin-cancer-facts

EPA. (n.d.). UV index. Retrieved from http://www2.epa.gov/sunwise/uv-index

Gonzaga, E. R. (2009, January). Role of UV light in photodamage, skin aging, and skin cancer. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology 10(S1), 19–24. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.

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Lin, J. S., Eder, M., & Weinmann, S. (2011, February). Behavioral counseling to prevent skin cancer: A systematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of Internal Medicine 154(3), 190–201. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.

Mayo Clinic. (2012). Sunburn: Risk factors. Retrieved from http://www. mayoclinic.com/health/sunburn/DS00964/DSECTION=risk-factors

National Library of Medicine. (2011, May 13). Sunburn. Retrieved from http://www. nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003227.htm