COMS 101 Persuasive Speech Instructions This course requires you to present a persuasive speech to a live, visually documented audience of 3 or more adults. Use a video recording device to create an audible recording of this presentation for submission. After recording the presentation, upload it to YouTube as an unlisted video and post the video’s link to the instructor via the designated Blackboard assignment submission link. See the Posting Speech Videos to Blackboard via YouTube tutorial (in the Assignment Instructions folder) for step-by-step instruction about this process. Your speech grade will be determined by the degree to which you satisfy the requirements listed below. 1. Choose an appropriate topic. This assignment requires you to research a global, national, regional, state or local problem that apparently exists because humans in general or a specific group of humans are neglecting their duty to promote the things God values in this world. · The problem may be political, economic, educational, environmental, medical, religious, or cultural. It may be a false belief or set of beliefs (about God, nature, or other people) that needs correction, a wrongful attitude or type of attitude (toward God, nature, or other people) that needs adjustment, a neglectful or wrong way of acting (toward God, nature, or other people) that needs to change, or a state of needfulness or brokenness that exists as it does because of human indifference or inactivity. · The problem must be a social one that deters many individuals—not just a few isolated lives—from experiencing life according to God’s Word as he intended when he created the world the people in it. Among the social issues that could generate a qualified speech topic are the following: abortion, infanticide, or euthanasia discrimination (racism, sexism, ageism) abuse (child, elder, self, spousal) ecology (climate change, pollution, littering) addictions/codependency/eating disorders education (underachievement or illiteracy) air, land, or water pollution famine, drought or diseases animal abuse or vivisection labor issues (child labor or sweatshops) bioethics (cloning, eugenics, stem cell research) marriage (divorce, cohabitation) birth or population control poverty (world hunger or homelessness) crime (street, juvenile, gang, or white collar) sex (pre-marital, extramarital, homosexual) criminal justice (prison crowding, recidivism) slavery or human trafficking The following sites may be helpful for discovering or exploring these and other qualified topics: Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity The Heritage Foundation Family Research Council The Rutherford Institute The American Enterprise Institute The Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life The Discovery Institute Speech Goals: Because this is a persuasive speech—a speech in which you try to persuade the audience to believe or value something or to act in a specific way—and because you are to use this particular speech to advocate a rede.

1. COMS 101
Persuasive Speech Instructions
This course requires you to present a persuasive speech to a
live, visually documented audience of 3 or more adults. Use a
video recording device to create an audible recording of this
presentation for submission. After recording the presentation,
upload it to YouTube as an unlisted video and post the video’s
link to the instructor via the designated Blackboard assignment
submission link. See the Posting Speech Videos to Blackboard
via YouTube tutorial (in the Assignment Instructions folder) for
step-by-step instruction about this process.
Your speech grade will be determined by the degree to which
you satisfy the requirements listed below.
1. Choose an appropriate topic.
This assignment requires you to research a global, national,
regional, state or local problem that apparently exists because
humans in general or a specific group of humans are neglecting
their duty to promote the things God values in this world.
· The problem may be political, economic, educational,
environmental, medical, religious, or cultural. It may be a false
belief or set of beliefs (about God, nature, or other people) that
needs correction, a wrongful attitude or type of attitude (toward
God, nature, or other people) that needs adjustment, a neglectful
or wrong way of acting (toward God, nature, or other people)
that needs to change, or a state of needfulness or brokenness
that exists as it does because of human indifference or
inactivity.
· The problem must be a social one that deters many
individuals—not just a few isolated lives—from experiencing
life according to God’s Word as he intended when he created
the world the people in it.
Among the social issues that could generate a qualified speech
topic are the following:

2. abortion, infanticide, or euthanasia
discrimination (racism, sexism, ageism)
abuse (child, elder, self, spousal)
ecology (climate change, pollution, littering)
addictions/codependency/eating disorders
education (underachievement or illiteracy)
air, land, or water pollution
famine, drought or diseases
animal abuse or vivisection
labor issues (child labor or sweatshops)
bioethics (cloning, eugenics, stem cell research)
marriage (divorce, cohabitation)
birth or population control
poverty (world hunger or homelessness)
crime (street, juvenile, gang, or white collar)
sex (pre-marital, extramarital, homosexual)
criminal justice (prison crowding, recidivism)
slavery or human trafficking
The following sites may be helpful for discovering or exploring
these and other qualified topics:
Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity
The Heritage Foundation
Family Research Council
The Rutherford Institute
The American Enterprise Institute
The Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life
The Discovery Institute
Speech Goals: Because this is a persuasive speech—a speech in
which you try to persuade the audience to believe or value
something or to act in a specific way—and because you are to
use this particular speech to advocate a redemptive (i.e., God-
honoring) solution to a social problem, your goal in this
presentation is to use information from appropriately credited
expert sources in 2 ways:
(1) To identify the social problem and to establish, with

3. information from credible sources, that it exists somewhere in
the world, and
(2) To prescribe a redemptive remedy for the problem—a
remedy that, if implemented by someone or a group of people,
would promote something that God, according to Scripture,
values and that, if implemented, could help somebody
experience life as God, according to His Word, meant it to be
experienced.
Examples: In such a speech, you might use information from
documented expert sources to establish that abortions claimed
630 lives in your home county last year. You would then use
Scripture to argue that God values human life, including
preborn human life. Finally, you could argue that the county
must take 3 specific steps, described by you, to eliminate or
diminish the frequency of abortion in the county. Alternatively,
you might also use information from documented expert sources
to establish that the federal government authorizes the use of a
certain chemical in the treatment of drinking water and that
credible research from sources A, B, and C indicates this
chemical actually causes cancer. You could use Scripture to
establish that God wants humans to protect the bodies he
created. You would then argue that the federal government must
take steps to protect people by banning the chemical from use in
the treatment of drinking water.
As you promote something God values (e.g., life, quality of life,
creation care, etc.) through this speech, be sure you do not
condone or promote something God’s Word discourages or
prohibits (e.g., fornication, adultery, homosexuality). After all,
a solution is redemptive only if it promotes something that God
values according to Scripture. If you are uncertain whether your
proposed solution to a social problem satisfies this standard,
discuss this in advance of the project’s deadline with your
instructor.
Other Topic Selection Criteria: Your topic must satisfy not only
the preceding criteria, but also the topic selection criteria set

4. forth in the course reading materials and the Liberty University
Online Honor Code. In addition, your topic must comply with
the following:
· Choose a Topic You Can Address Ethically: Avoid any topic
that leads you to portray legally or ethically questionable texts
or behaviors in a favorable light. This includes but is not
limited to theses that advance sexually promiscuous activity, the
use of illegal substances, or other behaviors that Liberty
University’s statement of values prohibits. Questions about the
appropriateness of topics, sources, etc. should be directed to
your instructor early in the speech-planning process.
· Choose a Topic You Can Address Originally: Your speech
topics MUST be researched,selected, and delivered primarily
for this course and not primarily for, or in conjunction with, a
presentation for a church group, a Sunday School class, a social
group, or any other small group. You may not give a speech that
serves a double purpose.
· Choose a Topic You Can Address as Required by the
Instructions: You must choose a topic that enables you to
construct the speech in a way that satisfies the specific
requirements of the Speeches Grading Rubric, which lists the
criteria that your instructor will use when grading your
presentation.
2. Form a thesis statement and research the topic.
Please note the following:
Process Overview: To do this, you should do the following:
(1) Form a preliminary thesis—a single-sentence statement that
succinctly proposes a specific solution to the asserted social
problem. Because this functions as your working thesis, you
should assume for now that this will be the main point of the
speech.
(2) Research credible sources for thesis-related information
about your topic.
(3) Finalize your thesis, modifying it if necessary to match what
your research disclosed.

5. (4) Express this finalized thesis as a complete thought in a
single-sentence thesis statement.
(5) Choose the information from your research that most
powerfully delivers the type of information that this thesis
statement requires.
(6) Present this information in a logically sequenced outline of
properly documented main points, sub-points, and perhaps even
sub-sub-points, using the Persuasive Speech Outline Template
document as your formatting guide.
(7) Your outline in its final form will serve as the blueprint that
you mentally must follow while extemporaneously delivering
the speech to your audience.
Source-Related Requirements: For your persuasive speech, you
are required touse 4 expert sources. You must use and clearly
cite examples, illustrations, statistics, quotations from experts,
etc. from at least 4 expert sources in this project. An expert
source is a person, group of persons, or organization with
documentable expertise in the area it addresses. Information
from such sources typically derives from personal interviews
with credentialed experts or from documentable print and/or
electronic publications.
· The Bible as an Expert Source: While you may of course use
the Bible as a source when related to your topic, it must be in
addition to the 4 required sources.
· Non-Expert Sources: Never use information from anonymous
or questionable sources such as Wikipedia or any printed source
authored by someone whose credentials for addressing the topic
are not clearly established.
· Liberty University Database Source Options: It behooves you
to consult the Liberty University Library’s research portal for
access to many potentially useful, credible databases.
3. Organize your information in the form of a conventional
speech outline.
After you have finished your topic-related research and found
what you believe to be enough credible information to support

6. your original thesis statement or a modified version of the
thesis, begin the process of organizing it in the form of a speech
outline.
Be sure to satisfy the following guidelines:
Create a Draft Outline and then a Final Outline: The speech
outline process involves 2 submissions. If you post the optional
draft outline, your instructor will provide constructive feedback
to it that can help you create a stronger final outline. Submit
each outline via its designated Blackboard submission link
during the module/week when it is due.
· The optional draft outline is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on
Monday of Module/Week 5.
· The final outline is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of
Module/Week 6.
· Use the Provided Outline Template to Build Your Outline:
Download the MS-Word formatted Persuasive Speech Outline
Template document. Retain its format, but be sure to overwrite
its non-boldfaced content with content of your own that is
appropriate for that element in a speech that aims to support
your thesis about your topic.
Use Problem-
Solution
or Problem-Cause-