Note: This is the outline format you should use for your community advocacy speech.

In
the body of the outline below, Ive used a bold font to indicate what should actually be part
of an outline. Ive used a regular font (no bold) for explanations of sections and stock
issues. Do not use paragraphs for your outline. You should not write your outline in essay
form. Stock issues are highlighted in yellow.
Name:
Instructor:
Section number: COMS 211.XX
Date:
Community Advocacy Preparation Outline
Title: (This should be intriguing and set up your presentation.)
Target Audience: ____________________ (Who is the group that can enact change or
implement your solution? This is the group to whom your speech should be written.
General Purpose: To induce a specific action
Specific Purpose: To ____________________ (This is a single phrase that defines precisely
what you intend to accomplish in your speech.)
Thesis: (This should be the main claim of your presentation. State it as a single, concise
sentence.)

INTRODUCTION (Note that the introduction must be memorized.)

Attention-getting material: (When you present, this is your first sentence or two. It should
make your audience want to hear more and should set up the content of your presentation. See
suggestions in your text for attention-getting techniques.)
Motivate to listen: (Explain why your message should be important or interesting to your

target audience. Whats in it for them?)

Establish credibility: (Refer to the research youve done and/or your experience.)
Thesis: (State thesis as written above.)
Main points: (Signpost and state main points as written below.)

[Transition: In order to convince you that feral cats are a significant problem for ACU that
will continue, I discuss my first point:]
BODY
I.

Feral cats exist on the ACU campus for many reasons. (Describe the cause of the
problem in the first main point. Be sure to state your main point as a claim here. By
the end of this point, the audience should understand the staus quo, including the
reason(s) why the situation exists as it does now and the barriers to changing the
status quo.)
A. Feral cats have a long history on campus. (Within this point, you should
discuss the history surrounding your topic that led to the current problem that is
the focus of your speech.)
1. Feral cats began to surface on campus after the adoption of the wildcat
mascot. (Willie, 2012)
2. The feral cat population declined in the 1970s due to the US economic
recession. (Felinus, 2011)
3. Feral cats have been on the rise in the past five years. (Felinus, 2011)
B. There are several barriers that prevent ACU from solving its feral cat
problem. (Within this point, you should discuss attitudinal and structural barriers
that prevent change from occurring in the status quo or present system.)
1. Attitudinal barriers exist. (These are values or beliefs that prevent change.)
a. There is an active Cat Lover Society on campus that loves the cats.
(Cattie, 2013)
b. People like the cats because they associate them with the schools
wildcat mascot. (Willie, 2012)
2. Structural barriers exist. (These are laws or societal structures that prevent
change.)
a. There is no department on campus that is responsible for eliminating
the feral cat population. (Catstay, 2011)
b. Members of the Cat Lover Society secretly feed the cats. (Cattie, 2013)

[Transition: Now that weve discussed the causes of feral cats on campus, we have a clear
understanding to frame our discussion of the effects of having these cats on campus.]
II.

Feral cats can cause a variety of problems [harms] on the ACU campus.
(Describe the effect of the problem in the second main point. Be sure to state your
main point as a claim here. When you finish this point, your audience should
understand why your topic is a significant community issue that affects either a large
segment of the community or a small segment in significant ways.)
A. The feral cat population may cause significant harm to people on campus.
(Fangus, 2011)
1. Feral cats can be rabid.
2. Humans can contract rabies from rabid feral cats.
3. Rabies is expensive and painful to treat.
4. A small percentage of humans who contract rabies die.

B. The feral cat population could harm ACU revenue. (Costtus, 2010)
1. Parents and prospective students will see feral cats when they visit the
school.
2. 50% of parents will not send their kids to a school with a feral cat
population.
3. 25% of prospective students do not want to attend a school with a feral
cat population.
4. In ten years, ACU could see a 60% drop in its revenue.
C. The feral cat population on campus harms ACU community relations.
(Happyus, 2012)
1. Feral cats dont respect property lines.
2. Feral cats could infest nearby communities.
3. Costs associated with feral cat removal may anger nearby communities.
[Transition: Clearly, feral cats are a significant problem that could have serious
consequences for the ACU campus. However, a relatively simple solution would solve
ACUs feral cat problem.]
III.

An Adopt-a-Cat program should be implemented to eliminate the feral cat

problem on campus. (Describe the plan or policy you propose to solve the problem
you identified in the first and second main points. Be sure to state your main point as
a claim here. When you finish this point, your audience should understand your plan
and the solvency, workability, and advantages of your plan.)
A. Plan: Implement an Adopt-a-Cat program. (By the end of this point, your
audience should understand the plan or policy youre proposing to alleviate the
problem youve identified. Answer questions including who, what, when, where,
and how as you describe your plan. Note: Your plan should come from your
research. For example, another community may have a policy that could be used
in your community. Or an expert may have written about what a good policy
would look like for the problem youve identified.)
1. The Physical Resources Department, the Biology Department, & the Cat
Lover Society (who)
2. Should work together to create an Adopt-a-Cat program for feral cats on
campus (what, where, & how)
a. Physical Resources would build cat traps and place around
campus
b. Students in a pre-vet class would spay/neuter the cats
c. Cat Lovers Society would locate people in Abilene to adopt the
cats
B. Solvency: An Adopt-a-Cat program would solve the feral cat problem. (Use
supporting material to support your claim. For example, illustrate the plan you
advocate has been used by another community to solve the problem you identified
in your first main point. Or use your interview with an expert to support your
claim that your plan will solve the problem.)
1. Cats-R-Us Universitys Adopt-a-Cat program dramatically reduced the
number of feral cats on its campus. (Catseverywhere, 2012)

2. The Humane Society of Abilene believes such a program would solve the
feral cat problem at ACU. (Felix, 2013)
C. Workability: An Adopt-a-Cat program would easily be implemented. (This
connects directly to the barriers you identified in main point I. By the end of this
point, the audience should believe your plan could actually be implemented. The
question is not whether the plan would solve the problem youve identified but
whether the audience could or would implement your plan. In other words, how
would your plan overcome the structural or attitudinal barriers that are present in
the status quo?)
1. The Cat Lover Society would support an Adopt-a-Cat program because
cats would receive better treatment after adoption than if they remained
feral.
2. An Adopt-a-Cat program would provide the necessary structures for
such a program to work.
D. Advantages: An Adopt-a-Cat program would have additional advantages.
(Explain the advantages of the plan youre advocating. Note: Advantages go
above and beyond solving the problem youve identified. This is like the And
thats not all part of a commercial. Your plan should have more advantages than
disadvantages.)
1. Not having food and water bowls around campus would beautify the
campus.
2. The cat odor throughout campus would be eliminated.
3. Pre-vet students would gain experience conducting operations on small
animals.
[Transition:]
CONCLUSION (Note that the conclusion must be memorized.)
Summary Statement: (Restate the thesis as given in the preview, and restate main points and
number them.)
Call to Action: (Present your audience with the specific information they need e.g., contact
information, websites, deadlines, time/places of meetings, etc. in order to take action on your
solution. Note: This appeal needs to be appropriate for the audience to whom you are speaking
in this speech. Also, you will likely have some subpoints here to detail the specific actions you
are persuading your target audience to take.)
Concluding Remarks: (Tie conclusion back to the introduction. Relate to audience. Leave the
audience with something to think about. In a persuasive speech, your call to action goes here.)
References