Chapter 16 Persuasive Speaking 489take a look at a sample speech by Elijah Lui. In this speech, Elijah is persuad-
ing his audience to recognize the problem of cyberbullying and explaining how
listeners can address and prevent it. Organizationally, the speech is arranged
along the lines of the problem–solution pattern. Note that Elijah uses a variety
of sources to support his arguments. Be sure to check out Elijah’s reference list as
well as his speaking outline, both of which follow the speech sample.
Sample Student Persuasive Speech 16.1
Preventing CyberbullyingElijah Lui
On the evening of September 22, 2010,- Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi
updated his Facebook status: “Jumping off
the gw [George Washington] bridge sorry.”
According to Lisa Foderaro’s report in The
New York Times, a few hours later Clementi
did just that. But what would cause a bright
student and talented musician with a promis-
ing future to take his own life? A bully with a
webcam.
According to a May 21, 2012, report on
CNN, Clementi’s roommate was sentenced to
30 days in jail, 3 years of probation, 300 hours
of community service, and $11,000 in restitu-
tion for using a Web cam to view and transmit
images of Clementi in an intimate encounter
with another young man. Tyler Clementi’s story is tragic, but it’s not
an isolated event. On September 9, 2013, 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick
jumped to her death after allegedly being tormented by two girls
on Facebook. A few months earlier, Rehtaeh Parsons, a 17-year-old
Canadian high school student, hanged herself after cell phone pictures
of her being sexually assaulted were distributed by the alleged attackers.
What is going on here? In a word—it’s cyberbullying. •
My name is Elijah, and I’m here today to
confront the growing problem of electronic ha-
rassment experienced by Tyler Clementi and so
many others. I’ll start with a look at the various
forms cyberbullying takes and describe the scope
of the problem. But I’m not here just to talk about
one more social ill; I want to show you how you
and your loved ones can stay safe—both by scru-
pulously guarding your personal information and
by actively thwarting cyberbullies. Finally, should
you or someone you know become a victim, I
want you to be able to respond constructively. •- Elijah begins his speech with
a dramatic example that cap-
tures the audience’s attention.
- Elijah begins his speech with
Watch It Now!
To see Elijah deliver his speech,
go to bedfordstmartins.com
/realcomm and watch the
sample speech video for
Chapter 16. You should
critique his topic, preparation,
and delivery—so watch
carefully!Elijah cleans before recording
his online speech so that the
background isn’t distracting.
Elijah sits far enough from
the camera so that his body
movements and gestures can
be seen.
- Elijah introduces his topic
with a rhetorical question. - Elijah sets up the organiza-
tional pattern of the speech,
indicating that he will describe a
problem and offer solutions.