Persuasive Speech Preparation Script

Title

I. Introduction Attention Getter: Get a diploma and struggle or get a degree and live freely.

Motivation for Listening: Growing up, my mother always told me to finish school no matter

how hard it gets, or regardless of how many obstacles come my way. I saw my mom and dad

work really hard to maintain our household. Neither of my parents continued their education

beyond high school. Sometimes, it was very hard to gather up the money to pay the rent, but no

matter what, my parents made it happen. I am the first person in my family to go to college, and

although it has not been an easy path, seeing the smile on my parents' faces makes it all worthwhile.

Establishing Credibility: According to a 2012 article published in the American Business

Journal, there is a clear correlation between a person's educational attainment and his or her

earning power (Scott, 2012). A college degree guarantees more job choices, higher earnings,

lower unemployment, and more opportunities for promotions (Living with vision loss, 2012). In

short, going to college will help achieve a better and more sustainable future--promoting decent

work and economic growth.

Preview of Speech:

 Today I will be stating why earning a college degree improves your

l ife financially and why more job opportunities are available.

 I will also explain why some people might think that you do not have to

go to college to become successful.

 Finally, I will explain what we must do to achieve the goal of

improving our lives by earning a degree.

Transition: Let’s begin by looking at some reasons for obtaining a college degree

II. Body Establishing the problem: Why get a college degree?

 First, many people struggle daily with their ability to pay their bills. Obtaining a college

degree will improve your life financially because you will have fewer worries about how

your bills will be paid. For young adults ages 25- 34 who worked full time throughout a

full year, higher educational attainment was associated with higher median earnings (Fast

Facts, 2013). Adults with bachelor's degrees in the late 1970s earned 55 percent more

than adults who had not advanced beyond high school. That gap grew to 75 percent by

1990 according to an American Business Journal article published in 2012 (Scott, 2012). In

my survey I asked how much more do you think a college graduate earns compared to a

high school graduate, and astonishingly, only one person in the class answered correctly.

In fact, nationally, a college graduate earns about 85% more than a high school graduate

(Scott, 2012). In the future, how great would it feel to make 85% more than a high school

graduate who said that college is a waste of time?

 Secondly, if you lose your job and you do not have a college degree, it may be more

difficult to find another job. Earning a Bachelors, Masters, or Ph.D. allows you to have

more job opportunities. By getting a degree of some sort, you make yourself more

attractive to employers (Top). A high school diploma provides less flexibility in seeking

employment in uncertain economic times than a college education does (Meier, 2013)

High school graduates have a higher unemployment rate in comparison to college

graduates, as well (Meier, 2013). In February, 2013, The Atlantic reported the

unemployment rate for people with college degrees as 3.7 percent versus 12 percent for

people with high school diplomas. Also, employed high school graduates have a

lifetime earning potential of almost half of college degree holders (Meier, 2013).

Careers requiring a college education are also more likely to provide benefits such as

job flexibility, insurance benefits, retirement funds, and paid vacations (Meier, 2013).

Transition: Stay on track because some will try to steer you the wrong way. So we’ve looked

at reasons for obtaining a degree, what about opposing viewpoints?

Establishing opposing Viewpoints

 While you are statistically more likely to earn more as a college graduate, a college

degree is not required in order to be wealthy (Meier, 2013). Some individual who chose

not to go to college look at the lifestyle and earnings of athletes, musicians, actors, and

other entertainers and say that most of them do not have a college degree, yet, they are

very financially secure. That is indeed correct, but how many people do you personally

know that are entertainers? Also, do you think what you are doing right now guarantees

you to become wealthy. It's so hard to even get a foot in the door now without a degree

that it's not worth the chance. People don't necessarily need degrees to be employable, but

most will not get a chance otherwise.

 Lately, a lot of people have been saying that a college degree does not guarantee you to

have money or get a job. Yes, a low percentage of college graduate are unemployed but

there are still many jobs available (Meier, 2013). According to Fredericksburg.com, about

5 million graduates are working jobs that require less than a degree (Top).While that is

not what you want when you graduate, you must make sure you pursue a degree in a

career field that is in demand. Also, your location plays a role as well.

Transition: Now that you know the pros and cons of obtaining a degree, what are you going to

do?

Call to Action

In my survey I asked if any of you or your families are living from paycheck to

paycheck, and 15 people in the class said yes. According to the research I conducted

for this speech, obtaining a college degree will be helpful for many of you in living a

more secure lifestyle. We must stay focused in school and do our best in classes

because on graduation day it will all be worth it. You will have more options for jobs

when you have that degree compared to if your highest level of education is high

school. We should also motivate family members and friends who are deciding

against college, and let them know that the pros of a college degree definitely

outweigh the cons.

Transition: The choice is up to you.

III. Conclusion

Summary of Main Points: Earning a college degree will improve your life financially

because you will have access to better jobs and earn more than if you did not continue your

education beyond high school. Even though some will say you do not have to go to college to

become successful, the chances of that happening are very slim.

Reiterate Call to Action: We should stay in college and keep pushing until we earn our

degree. Also, it's great to motivate others and let them know that without going to college,

life might be a little harder than if they continued school for a few more years.

Final Sentence: Earlier I said "get a diploma and struggle or get a degree and live freely." I

am not only talking about financial security, your college degree is something that you will

always have-no one can take it away. That is true freedom!

References

Fast Facts. (2013, November 24). Retrieved December 1, 2013, from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/

Living with vision loss. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2013, from American Foundation for the

Blind website: http://www.afb.org/info/living-with-vision-loss/1

Meier, K. S. (2013). College Education vs. High School Diploma. Retrieved November 24, 2013,

from https://classroom.synonym.com/college-education-vs-high-school-diploma-

1947.html

Scott, T. G. (2012). Earnings widen between college and high school-only grads. American City

Business Journals, 28, 7-9.

Top reasons to stay in college. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2013, from

http://www.leavingacademia.com/top-reasons-to-leave/