The document outlines a speech preparation guide for a presentation on panic attacks, detailing their nature, prevalence, and treatment options. It emphasizes that panic attacks are serious conditions affecting millions, with specific symptoms and two main treatment approaches: medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Additionally, the document includes general guidelines for preparing and delivering an informative speech in a college setting.

1. 1
SAMPLE PREPARATION OUTLINE
STUDENT:
INSTRUCTOR:
COURSE: COMM 2200-XX
DATE:
TITLE:
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the nature,
extent, and symptoms of panic
attacks.
Central Idea: Panic attacks are serious medical conditions
whose fearful symptoms affect
millions of people.
Introduction
I. Attention: I can't breathe, my arms are tingling, I'm really
dizzy, and it feels as if
my heart is about to fly out of my chest. When this happened to
me three years ago
at an outdoor concert, I was really frightened. At the time, I had

2. no idea what was
going on.
II. Topic: My doctor told me later that I had experienced a panic
attack.
III. Credibility: I have learned a lot about my condition during
the past three years, and
I did additional research for this speech from sources such as
the National Institute
of Mental Health and the American Psychiatric Association as
well as others.
IV. Preview: Today I would like to inform you about the nature
of panic attacks, the
people affected most often by them, and the options for
treatment.
(Transition: Let's start with the nature of panic attacks.)
I. Panic attacks are a severe medical condition with a number of
physical and mental
symptoms.
2

3. A. As defined by the National Institute of Mental Health, panic
attacks involve
"unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied
by physical
symptoms."
1. The attacks usually come out of nowhere and strike when
least
expected.
2. Their length can vary from a few minutes to several hours.
B. There are a number of symptoms common to most panic
attacks.
1. Physical symptoms include a pounding heart, shortness of
breath,
lightheadedness, and numbness or tingling sensations in the
arms
and legs. (Baskin)
2. Mental symptoms include acute fear, a sense of disaster or
helplessness, and a feeling of being detached from one's own
body.
(Transition: Now that you know something about the nature of
panic attacks, let's look at
how widespread they are.)
II. Panic attacks affect millions of people.
A. According to the American Psychiatric Association, six
million Americans
suffer from panic attacks.
B. Some groups have a higher incidence of panic attacks than do

4. other groups.
1. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that panic
attacks
strike women twice as often as men.
2. Half the people who suffer from panic attacks develop
symptoms
before the age of 24. (National Institutes of Health)
3. Presentation aid (United)
(Transition: Given the severity of panic attacks, I'm sure you
are wondering how they can
be treated.)
III. There are two major options for treating panic attacks.
A. One option is medication.
1. Antidepressants are the most frequently prescribed
medication for
panic attacks.
2. They rearrange the brain's chemical levels so as to get rid of
unwanted fear responses. (Choy)
B. Another option is cognitive-behavioral therapy. This therapy
involves techniques that help people with panic attacks gain
control
of their symptoms and feelings.
1. Some techniques involve breathing
exercises.
2. Other techniques target thought

5. patterns that can trigger
panic attacks. (Brantley)
3. According to David Barlow, author
of the Clinical
Handbook of Psychological
Disorders, cognitive behavior
can be highly effective.
3
Conclusion
I. Summary: As we have seen, panic attacks affect millions of
people. Fortunately,
there are treatment options to help prevent panic attacks and to
deal with them
when they occur. In my case, the combination of medication and
cognitive-
behavioral therapy has been extreme helpful.
II. Close: I don't know if I will ever be completely free of panic
attacks, but at least I
understand now what they are and what I can do about them.
Works Cited

6. Barlow, David. Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders,
4th ed. New York: Guilford,
2008. Print.
Baskin, Kara. "Not Just Any Old Butterflies." Washington Post
9 Jan. 2007: F1. LexisNexis.
Web. 23 Oct. 2008.
Brantley, Jeffrey. Calming Your Anxious Mind: How
Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free
You from Anxiety, Fear, and Panic, 2nd ed. Oakland, CA: New
Harbinger Publications,
2007. Print.
Choy, Yujuan. "Treatment Planning for Panic Disorder."
Psychiatric Times Feb. 2008: 40–44.
Print.
Lucas, Stephen E. The Art of Public Speaking, 10th ed. New
York: McGraw, 2009.
ConnectLucas.com. Web. 12 Aug. 2010.
United States. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Web. 23
Oct. 2008.

7. 4
National Institute of Mental Health. Panic Disorder.
National Institutes of Health 2 Apr. 2008. Web. 23 Oct. 2008.
Informative Speech
Types of Informative Speeches
Process
Concept
Object
Event
Examples of Process: Health
Examples of Process: Cooking
Examples of Process: Arts/Sports
Things to consider

8. Time needed
You can bring in a volunteer or pick someone from the class or
use the entire class
COVID issues: Food and touching
Bringing in the actual items, bringing in substitute items,
showing items digitally
Examples of Concept
The death penalty
Fairness
Marriage
Political parties
Things to Consider
Do not take a side on an issue. That would make the speech
persuasive. You can discuss the history of a concept, compare
concepts, look at how various cultures have viewed a concept,
or discuss the evolution of a concept. However, you may not
place judgement or value on the concept.
Examples of Object: A material item or an animal
Examples of Object: Buildings and People
Examples of Object: A Place

9. Things to Consider
The list in this category is almost endless. You can talk about
people, animals or things. However, be sure that you are
specific enough in your topic sentence. For instance, saying
you are going to speak about George Washington would be too
broad of a topic for the time you have to speak. Examples of a
good topic sentence would be: “This speech will serve as a
chronological overview of the key moments in the life of
George Washington.” or “I will discuss George Washington as a
military commander.”
Examples of Events: Personal Annual or one time events
Examples of Events: Annual Cultural sports or art/music events
Examples of Events: Holidays
Events: Achievement
Requirements
4-6 minute speech
Outline format is the same
Visual Aid is required and how it is used is graded

10. Works Cited/Bibliography of 6 sources in MLA format
Must verbally cite at least 6 source materials within the speech
What is the difference between sources and source materials?
Sources are where you find your information such as a journal,
book, interview.
Source materials are what you find in the sources such as
statistics, quotes, examples. These are connected verbally to
the source from which they came. This is called verbally citing
sources.
The difference between verbally citing a source and establishing
credibility
Establishing Credibility
Introduction
"There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the
Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias and redwoods, the
Canyon of the Colorado, the Canyon of the Yellowstone, the
Three Tetons; and our people should see to it that they are
preserved for their children and their children's children
forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred.“ Theodore
Roosevelt
Today I will discuss the history of the National Park System
To prepare for this speech, I used “A Quick History of the
National Park Service” published by the National Park Service,
the Encyclopedia Britannica, watched an ABC News
Documentary, interviewed a park ranger from the Smokies
National Park as well as used other sources.
In this speech, I will explain why the national parks were
created, the important figures that created our parks, and the

11. process of becoming a national park.
Verbally citing a source
According to a National Park Foundation Blog in Dec. 2020,
there were 63 national parks.
Theodore Roosevelt said “"There can be nothing in the world
more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant
sequoias and redwoods, the Canyon of the Colorado, the Canyon
of the Yellowstone, the Three Tetons; and our people should see
to it that they are preserved for their children and their
children's children forever, with their majestic beauty all
unmarred.“
The website of Explore Travel and Leisure provides an example
of one of our newer national parks which is the New River
Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia
Informative Speech Guidelines
Speaking Time: 4-6 Minutes
Visual Aid: At least one visual aid is required
Supporting Material: At least SIX sources are required on the
works cited page and must be cited verbally during the speech.
Note Cards/Speaking Outline: You may use an outline or note
cards when you present.
Preparation Outline and Works Cited Page: Preparation Outline
and Works Cited required.
Attire: Business or Business Casual
See course schedule for due dates for the topic proposal, final
preparation outline, and speech.
Video Requirements
Speech videos should not be edited. One continuous speech
presentation is required.
You, the speaker, should be standing and clearly visible from

12. the front in order for the instructor to see facial expressions and
gestures. You should be viewable from head to fingertips. The
visual aid should be visible in the video.
The MTSU Walker Library has two group study rooms available
that are equipped to record presentations. Call 615-904-8526 for
more information. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time before
the deadline to record your speech in case of technical
difficulties. Young children should not be present during the
speech.
Videos should not be edited before submission. However, you
may record several videos and choose your best presentation.
Upload the speech to YouTube.com and post the link to the
Discussion Board on the designated forum. Be sure the quality
of the video is such that the sound and visuals are clear. Poor -
quality videos will impact your grade and may require re-
submission at the instructor's discretion.
Informative Speech Purpose
· The general purpose of this speech is to inform.
· An informative speech is designed to convey knowledge and
understanding.
· Your presentation should have no element of advocacy.
· You are not trying to influence a major belief change or get
the audience to take action.
Informative Speech Topic Selection
· Topics should be significant and worthwhile for a college
audience in an academic class.
· The topics that work best are topics that are relatively non-
controversial [e.g., How to Be You Own Fitness Trainer].
· If you choose to speak on a controversial topic you must
present a balanced pro-con analysis.
You will begin topic selection by brainstorming with your
classmates on the discussion board. Your Topic Proposal should
be uploaded to the designated Dropbox folder by the due date.
Your topic proposal should include a brief summary of why you
chose this topic and how you intend to relate the topic to your
audience. Your instructor will approve the topic and make

13. suggestions for changes, as needed. Do not begin researching or
writing your speech until approval has been given for your
topic.
Preparation Outline Requirements
· A typed, full-content, Preparation Outline must be uploaded to
the Dropbox by the due date.
· The outline must be divided into three distinct parts
(Introduction, Body and Conclusion). The introduction must
have 4 specific sections and the conclusion must have 2 specific
sections. Appropriate transitions should also be used. (See the
outline template and the sample outline provided in D2L. Read
Chapter 11 for more info).
A typed Works Cited page in MLA format must be turned in
with the outline. You must have at least six sources. SOURCES
MUST ALSO BE CITED WITHIN THE CONTENT OF THE
SPEECH. Sources will be randomly checked for validity. Many
websites have unknown credibility. You may not use websites
for sources unless you can verify the Authorship, Sponsorship,
and Recency (see Chapter 7 for more info). Wikipedia can be
used as one source only, as long as the content is not flagged as
still in development. Source types include:
a) Generalreferences - encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, etc.,
b) newspapers, c) magazines, d) media news sources;
e) professional journals, f) books, g) credible websites, h)
government-authored documents, i) interviews of academics or
practitioners in the field.
Notes and Delivery Requirements
· You may use note cards OR a one-page Speaking Outline of
your speech.
· Points will be deducted if a significant amount of content is
read directly from the note cards or Speaking Oultine (See
Chapter 11 for examples of Speaking Outlines and Preparation
Outlines).
· You are expected to know the content of your speech and
present extemporaneously using a conversational quality.
Extemporaneous Speech-A carefully prepared and rehearsed

14. speech that is presented from a brief set of notes (note cards or
speaking outline).
Conversational Quality-Presenting a speech so it
sounds spontaneous no matter how many times it has been
rehearsed.
Other Info
· Failure to present and post your speech on the discussion
board by the deadline will result in a zero for the assignment
and may result in an "F" for the semester.
· It is YOUR responsibility to communicate with your instructor
if an emergency situation should arise.
· Lack of preparation is not an emergency situation.
· Students must present informative and persuasive speeches
and earn a passing grade on each to pass Comm 2200.
· Feel free to post questions about this assignment on the
Questions For Your Instructor discussion board forum.