COM 101

PERSUASIVE SPEECH OUTLINE

Introduction (TOTAL TIME FOR THE INTRODUCTION– 1 minute)

I. Attention-getting device:

Personal credibility:

Thesis/Message: I believe if we, as college students, regularly engage in a creative pastime, it can help relieve the stress caused by classes and other responsibilities.

Preview of main points:

· What do I mean by a creative pastime?

· Why is it valuable for us to engage in a creative pastime?

· How do we fit a creative pastime into our lives?

Transitional word or phrase:

Discussion (Body of the Speech) (TOTAL TIME FOR ALL 3 MAIN POINTS– 5-6 minutes)

II. Main Point #1: What do I mean by a creative pastime?

A. In their 2008 article "Hobbies: The Personal Path to Creativity," posted at the Psychology Today website, Michele and Robert Root-Bernstein liken hobbies to play, from which we make new things, gain personal knowledge, and learn new skills.

1. Drawn from that insight, my definition of a creative pastime, would be any hobby which engages the imagination, like painting or writing or playing Dungeons & Dragons, or which results in a new product like a sweater, or a piece of art, or a loaf of bread, which would also tend to involve learning something new.

B. For the sake of simplicity, I am going to use the word "hobby"

interchangeably with the phrase "creative pastime."

Transitional word or phrase:

III. Main Point #2: Why is it valuable for us to engage in a creative pastime?

A. As students, we not only have stress from school, but also from jobs and other outside commitments.

1. In her 2020 article "The Importance of Hobbies for Stress Relief," posted at Verywellmind.com, Dr. Elizabeth Scott, an expert on stress management, says, "Hobbies provide a slice of work-free and responsibility-free time in your schedule. This can be especially welcome for people who feel overwhelmed by all they have to do and need to recharge their batteries by doing something they enjoy."

2. A few years ago, adult coloring books were all the rage; it's amazing how relaxing just sweeping a marker across a piece of paper while concentrating on staying inside the lines, can actually be after a tough day of work or homework -- plus, you have a pretty picture when you're finished.

B. In addition to the normal day-to-day stress from school and jobs,

now we must deal with the stress created by the ongoing COVID-19

pandemic.

1. In their 2020 article "Meaning-Making Through Creativity During COVID-19," published in Frontiers in Psychology, Hansika Kapoor and James C. Kaufman, state that "being immersed in something creative, often losing track of time and one's surroundings, can be intensely joyful."

2. Now, more than ever, we need to take our minds off the things that stress us out -- to knit or fold origami unicorns or write poetry.

Transitional word or phrase:

IV. Main Point #3: How do we fit a creative pastime into our lives?

Between homework and jobs and family responsibilities, we are ridiculously busy and might think there is no way we can spare any time

A. for something frivolous, but it can be easier than you think to fit a new hobby into your life.

1. I have said before that I am an amateur photographer; in addition to my cellphone, I keep a small pocket camera with a reasonably good zoom in my purse, so I always have it with me.

B. The recommendation of Scott Behson, in his 2020 article "Working Parents, Save Time for Hobbies," posted on the Harvard Business Review website, is, "Carve out regularly scheduled times for hobbies and protect that time as you would an important business meeting or family matter."

1. When I was younger, every Saturday night was Dungeons & Dragons night and nothing else was ever scheduled on Saturdays -- and when I went through a divorce a decade ago, I went back to regularly scheduled game days.

Conclusion TOTAL (TOTAL TIME FOR THE CONCLUSION– 1 minute)

V. Cue the ending:

Summarize main points:

· What do I mean by a creative pastime?

· Why is it valuable for us to engage in a creative pastime?

· How do we fit a creative pastime into our lives?

Call to action:

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