Purpose and Central Idea

1. Purpose and Central Idea

2. General Purpose • To inform • To persuade • To entertain

3. General Purpose > Specific Purpose Specific Purpose States Speech Objective

4. Specific Purpose: States Speech Objective • General Purpose: To inform • The audience will be able to identify the dangers of keeping handguns in the home. • General Purpose: To persuade • The audience will support legislation that controls handgun ownership.

5. Concise Statement of Specific Purpose • Confusing: The audience will be appalled by the pain and suffering of animals that are used for testing and will not support manufacturers who use animals to test their products. • Clear: The audience will boycott products that rely on animal testing for safety.

6. Summarizes Main Point(s) Central Idea Purpose > Central Idea (thesis) Specific Purpose States Speech Objective

7. Central Idea: Conveys main point of speech • Informative: Using animals to test product safety is inhumane and unnecessary. • Persuasive: We must boycott manufacturers that rely on inhumane animal testing to pressure them to adopt alternative testing procedures.

8. Specific Purpose > Central Idea • GP: To inform • SP: My audience will be able to explain how animals are used in testing product safety. • Thesis: Using animals to test product safety is inhumane and unnecessary.

9. Specific Purpose > Central Idea • GP: To persuade • SP: My audience will boycott products that use animal testing. • Thesis: We must boycott manufacturers that rely on inhumane animal testing to pressure them to adopt alternative testing procedures.

10. Writing the Central Idea Considering the audience’s needs

11. Writing the Central Idea • A thesis: • Is a specific and detailed statement • Relates the speech’s content in one sentence • Conveys main goal or purpose • Guides direction • In other words, a thesis summarizes the entire speech while providing detail and direction to orient the audience.

12. Writing the Central Idea • A thesis: • Does not ask a question • Does not make an announcement

13. For Practice. . . • Paying college athletes a salary is a good idea. • We should petition the NCAA to allow college athletes to receive a $300 monthly salary as part of their scholarship.

14. For Practice. . . • Many problems with fad diets have been identified. • While fad diets can help you lose weight quickly, they also can seriously affect your health by creating vitamin and mineral deficiencies and by breaking down muscle tissue.

15. For Practice. . . • How does indoor soccer differ from outdoor soccer? • Played on a smaller, enclosed, artificial turf field, indoor soccer involves faster action, higher scoring, and different strategies than outdoor soccer.

16. For Practice. . . • Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is an awesome place for a vacation. • Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula has many attractions for vacationers of all ages, including sunny beaches, extensive Mayan ruins, excellent food, and an active night life.

17. Previewing the Speech Further considering audience needs

18. Previewing the Main Points • A preview: • Follows the central idea • Alerts audience to key points/ideas in order • Keeps audience attention

19. Previewing Main Points • Thesis: • While fad diets can help you lose weight quickly, they also can seriously affect your health by creating vitamin and mineral deficiencies and by breaking down muscle tissue. • Preview: • Today I will show you how fad diets can create dangerous vitamin and mineral deficiencies that can lead to everything from hair loss to severe leg cramps. I also am going to explain how fad dieting can result in loss of muscle tissue, including smooth muscle like that of the heart.

20. Previewing Main Points • Thesis: • Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula has many attractions for vacationers of all ages, including sunny beaches, extensive Mayan ruins, excellent food, and an active night life. • Preview: • Today I will show you the many attractions you can find in the Yucatán. I will start with the outdoor activities and then move onto the food and nightlife.