For this assignment, students will assume the role of a trainer within a company and deliver a persuasive speech to associates within the company that shows them how to respond to a variety of crises that might occur. Over the course of this class, students learned many communication strategies and concepts to use in their everyday lives. Looking back over the class, students should focus on three specific communication strategies/concepts to use when delivering this speech which will train others on how to respond to a crisis.
To provide a better visualization, some common potential crises might include, but are not limited to, the following:
- The SEC is charging the company president and CEO with insider trading.
- Private information about an employee was accidentally emailed to several people outside of the company.
- One of the company executives has tweeted confidential company information.
- The company sold produce that was recalled due to safely concerns
- A whistleblower revealed an unethical and immoral company culture.
Students should avoid focusing on the crisis itself. Instead, students should focus on talking about how they would train other associates on how to respond to a crisis should it ever occur.
When completing this assignment, students should think about some of the communication strategies they would tell everyone to use when responding to a crisis that might arise, as well as what makes those strategies so effective. Students should consider how they would advise everyone to approach a potentially hostile audience as well as a culturally diverse audience.
Students should pick at least three specific communication strategies/concepts to use during this training as well as specifically explaining how these strategies/concepts will be useful. Remember, this is a persuasive speech, and students should frame their message to convince their trainees to use the recommended strategies.
Month day, year
Speech Title
I. Introduction
A. Attention getter: This is a full sentence that relates to the topic and gets the audience engaged in the presentation.
B. Background and audience relevance: This is two to three sentences introducing the topic to the audience, providing a brief summary of the topic, and offering a reason for why the audience should care about the subject matter.
C. Speaker credibility: This is one or two sentences explaining why the speaker is qualified to speak on the subject. It might describe the speaker’s education or training, or it could explain the amount of research that went into the presentation.
D. Thesis: This is a sentence explaining precisely what the speaker aims to accomplish in the presentation.
E. Preview of main points: This is a sentence explaining the three main points supporting the thesis.
F. Transition to Main Point 1: This is one to three sentences moving from the introduction to the first main point. It should include an internal review of the introduction, a signpost for Main Point 1, and an internal preview of the first main point.
II. Body
A. Main Point 1: This is a sentence explaining the first main point that will be used in the presentation.
a. Subpoint 1: This is two or three sentences of supporting information that prove the main point true.
b. Subpoint 2: This is two or three sentences explaining why the main point supports the thesis and why it is relevant to the audience.
c. Transition to Main Point 2: This is one to three sentences moving from the first main point to the second main point. It should have an internal review, a signpost, and an internal preview of the second main point.
B. Main Point 2: This is a sentence explaining the second main point that will be used in the presentation.
a. Subpoint 1: This is two or three sentences of supporting information that prove the main point true.
b. Subpoint 2: This is two or three sentences explaining why the main point supports the thesis and why it is relevant to the audience.
c. Transition to Main Point 3: This is one to three sentences moving from the second main point to the third main point. It should have an internal review, a signpost, and an internal preview of the second main point.
C. Main Point 3: This is a sentence explaining the third main point that will be used in the presentation.
a. Subpoint 1: This is two or three sentences of supporting information that prove the main point true.
b. Subpoint 2: This is two or three sentences explaining why the main point supports the thesis and why it is relevant to the audience.
c. Transition to conclusion: This is one to three sentences moving from the third main point to the conclusion. It should have an internal review, a signpost, and an internal preview of the conclusion.
III. Conclusion
A. Restate thesis: This is a sentence restating the thesis.
B. Review main points: This is three sentences which summarize each of the main points in order.
C. Memorable closer: This is one or two sentences that remind the audience of the attention getter and close out the speech in a satisfactory manner.
IV. References
Students should include an APA-style reference page for the information presented in the outline. Students should include at least four qualified sources in order to earn full credit.
The outline must be typed, double-spaced with standard margins, and in a 12-point font. It should also follow the structure (e.g., title and date, Roman numerals, capital letters, etc.) and the formatting guidelines of the sample outline in the previous step. This outline should include a reference page for the sources used for research.
After creating this preparation outline, students will create a shorter presentation outline that will be used to help them deliver their speech. The presentation outline should be index-card sized (3 x 5) and may contain things that will help the student deliver their speech, including direct quotes. Students should not write an essay for either outline. It’s important to remember that an outline differs from an essay in that it is mainly a planning tool for organizing the presentation. Similarly, students should not read from their outline word-for-word.