Informative Speech Outline

Speaker: Isabel Contreras

Title: Can I Make You Smile?

Speech Purpose: To inform my audience how the power of smiling can help themselves and
everyone around them.

Thesis: The smile was rated to be the highest positive emotional content that a human being
could produce

INTRODUCTION
Attention material: Have you ever noticed that whenever you see someone laughing
hysterically you tend to smile just a little? Im here to tell you that youre not going crazy
and explain to you why you react this way.
Initial audience relevance: Smiling is the universal sign of happiness. Every individual
from different cultures, across the globe understand that a smile is a facial gesture
expressing happiness. I guess you can say, its just a human thing.

Initial creditability: One morning, I was walking to class in a very bad mood. All
I wanted was for that day to be over with already. In the middle of my walk I looked up
from the sidewalk to see another person walking towards me. As we passed each
other she smiled at me and I automatically smiled back. Although my day did not
change because of the interaction, I felt my mood improve slightly in that
moment.

Thesis: Smiles make such a great impact that they became the highest positive emotional
substance that us, humans, can do.

Preview of main points: Many of you do not realize how important smiling actually is.
However, dont worry thats why Im here today. Im going to be sharing
information with you on how smiles affect your brain, your body and even the people
around you. Hopefully, by the end of this speech youll be smiling a whole lot more.

Transition to body: So with that being said, lets get smiling!

BODY

Main Point 1: Every time you smile your brain throws a big party.
Sub-point A: When the corners of your mouth start to go upward a neuro
message starts activating in your brain
Sub-point B: The brain starts to release neuropeptides that are
meant to get rid of stress.
sub-sub-subpoint 1: Neuropeptides are molecules that permit neurons to
communicate with each other.
sub-sub-subpoint 2: It is basically letting the entire body know when we
are happy, sad, excited, angry, etc.
Sub-point C: However, it doesnt stop there. Youre brain also
releases these neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins.
sub-sub-subpoint 1: These lower your blood pressure, heart rate and
relaxes your body.
sub-sub-subpoint 2: In other words, youre getting high
off of a natural drug.

Transition: Whenever you smile youre getting high and your body feels like its on cloud nine.

Main Point 2: Every time you feel amazing in the inside, you look amazing on the
outside too.
Sub-point A: It was even proven in the University of Aberdeen, Scotland in 2011
sub-sub-subpoint 1: Researchers stated that the people who
smiled more were viewed as more attractive, confident, and relaxed.
sub-sub-subpoint 2: Peoples appearance became
friendlier as soon as they smiled.
Sub-point B: Strangers are more likely to feel more comfortable around someone
who smiles because they give out a sense of reliability.

Transition: Your smile is not only affecting the way you are feeling but also how other people
are feeling as well!

Main Point 3: Just like the video that we saw in the beginning, we tend to smile or laugh
once we see other people smiling or laughing.
Sub-point A: But does it mean that smiles contagious?
sub-sub-subpoint 1: There is a part of your brain that controls your facial
expressions and sometimes it mimics other peoples expressions.
 Sub-point B: Your brain is trying to respond to the smile that you are seeing on
the other persons face in order to receive an award
sub-sub-subpoint 1: The reward that the brain is trying to obtain is the
sweet sensation of the good chemicals being released in it.
Sub-point C: If you and a stranger were to smile to each other, you both would
essentially get high off of a good feeling that is stimulated by the facial
expression.
sub-sub-subpoint 1: So, when you smile another person might smile and
another stranger might see them smiling so they smile, so on and
so on.
sub-sub-subpoint 2: Its a never ending domino effect of smiling and
sharing a good feeling.

CONCLUSION
Marker to conclusion: So, what is the point of smiling?
Summary of speech thesis: As humans, we have a lot of emotional matter inside of us.
Some of it being good and some of it being bad. However, there is one specific
action that is the highest positive content that we can produce. The content that I am
talking about is, of course, smiling.

Summary of main points: When we smile we produce chemicals

in the brain that make us feel amazing. Not only that but people are genuinely more attracted to
others when are seen smiling. So, not only are you getting affected other people are as
well. Smiling is an anti-depressant that can be shared with everyone you smile at.

Audience take away: Now, you know that smiling

is a powerful tool that can be used to make yourself or others happy. Hopefully, youll
use this powerful tool more often now that you know what it does.

Closing material: I only have one final question for you guys. Did I make you smile? If I
did pass it on, everyone deserves to feel good.

BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCE CITED
. Adolphs, R. (2002). Recognizing Emotion from Facial Expressions: Psychological
and Neurological Mechanisms. Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews, 1(1),
21-62.
. Ansfield, M. E. (2007). Smiling When Distressed: When a Smile Is a Frown Turned
Upside Down. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33(6), 763-775.
. Ekman, P., & Davidson, R. J. (1993, September). Voluntary Smiling Changes Regional Brain
Activity. Psychological Science, 4(5). 342-345
. Kraft, T. L., & Pressman, S. D. (2012, September 24). Grin and Bear It: The Influence of
Manipulated Facial Expression on the Stress Response. Psychological Science, 23(11).
1372-1378
. Neuhoff, C. C. (2002, December). Effects Of Laughing, Smiling, And Howling On Mood.
Psychological Reports PR, 91(7). 1079-1080