1 Brandon Williams

Brandon Williams
Persuasive Speech Outline
COM 101
12/7/14
Specific Purpose: By the time my speech is over, my audience will support the proposal
of a policy to prevent as rather than react to the harm caused by cyber bullying.
Central Idea: The government should recognize social medias reach and potentially
negative impact and see that cyber bullying is a serious problem that has caused
irreparable damages to families and educational organizations across the country.
I.

Introduction
A. Introduce Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi
1. Dharun Ravi and Tyler Clementi were college freshmen roommates
at Rutgers University in the Fall of 2010
2. Dharun set up a web-camera to spy on Tyler when he was in the
room with guests and broadcasted Tylers private affairs over the
internet without his consent
3. Dharuns actions lead to Tyler committing suicide and until Dharun
was punished by a court of law, he did not recognize the true impact
of his actions (Foderado)
B. Victims of cyber bullying?
1. According to studies conducted by Dr. Justin Patchin and Dr.
Sameer Hinduja, approximately one in four kids in grades 6 12
experiences cyber bullying. (Cyberbullying Research Center)
2. Compared to the student population at Butler of 4000, thats about
1000 of your classmates.
C. As a member of a college community for the past four years, I have
received the news of at least five members of my community passing.
1. None, however, were caused by something as juvenile and senseless
as cyber bullying.
D. Thesis: The government should create a program that mandates primary
and secondary schools, both public and private, to have programs geared
toward educating student bodies about the negative effects of cyberbullying.
E. So in the next few minutes, I want to show you why this is an important
issue that impacts you as a college student and member of a society that is
becoming increasingly intertwined with social media. Then Ill explain a
simple educational solution that, if passed, would help prevent this
growing epidemic.

Transition: Lets first gain an understanding of how social media makes bullies more
effective and how cyber-bullying affects individuals and our community.

2 Brandon Williams
II.

Need Step; Social media has increased the reach and impact of bullying.
A. Impact of bullying
1. Bullying in any form makes people feel one-dimensional and
unimportant.
2. Children are like plants.
a. Plants grow and build leaves as children grown and become
more complex individuals.
b. Bullying is like focusing on one of those leaves and
reducing that plant to one small part of the whole.
B. The speed and permanence of information with the internet and social
media.
1. The faster that information travels, the easier it is for people to get
involved and the bigger the problem grows.
2. Through social media, comments and post are never truly deleted
and they are only monitored when reported
3. With social media, bullying no longer stops at school, it can
continue 24/7
C. The effect of heavy social media use on cognitive and emotional
development is only beginning to be studied, but the negative effects of
are noticeable. (Clinton)
1. Schools are not educating students on what bullying entails and
how it benefits everyone to not be involved with it.
2. Schools are not adequately punishing kids found guilty of bullying
at young ages.
a. John Tucker, a journalist in North Carolina recently wrote
about a young girl, Tanasia Young, who felt forced to fight
for her safety and was charged in both juvenile and adult
courts for fighting. (Tucker)
i.
Instead of dealing with the bullies, the
administrators isolated her and deprived her of
her educational needs
b. Bullying can drive people to hurt themselves as well as
others.
3. The range of detrimental effects bullying has on students, includes
impacts on student learning, school safety, student engagement, and
the school environment. (StopBullying.gov)

Transition: So, whats a feasible solution? How do we go about removing this harmful
aspect of our society?
III.

Satisfaction Step; People respond to punishment; but by educating our youth

about the effects of bullying, we can prevent the problem instead of
responding to it.
A. The current laws and policies that exist do not directly target bullying,
they target harassment.

3 Brandon Williams
1. Only when bullying becomes harassment, does it become a crime.
a. When bullying is based on race, color, national origin, sex,
disability or religion.
b. U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights and
the U.S. Department of justices Civil Rights Division.
i.
No kid should need to be well versed in the
powers of the government in order to go to
school every day and not be harassed.
B. Similar to schools having classes and programs for sexual education, the
same programs should be offered for bullying.
1. Currently, the only schools obligated to legally act in cases of
bullying are those that are federally funded.
2. By creating a policy that incorporates this aspect of education into
schools curriculums, all schools, both public and private, will
benefit.
.
Transition: Now youve heard the plan, here is how it would work.
IV.

Visualization Step; Once a policy is in place that will educate our youth about
the negative effects of bullying, we will raise a more aware and sympathetic
generation.
A. Children at the ages of 10, 11 and 12 years old are ending their lives due to
suicide.
1. Children will be informed.
a. A child may now see the very real possibility that they or
someone close to them could be the victim of bullying and
feel compelled to not participate
B. When we all took that sexual education class, it may or may not have
stopped anyone from having sex, but you left the class informed on the
consequences. One of them being, the creation of life.
1. Similarly, children should have that same experience with
something that unfortunately has been ending many young lives
before they can develop.
2. Researcher Douglas Kirby studied the effects of comprehensive
sexual education programs and found that the programs were,
indeed, very effective.
a. 60% reduced unprotected sex (Kirby)
b. 40% delayed sexual initiation or reduced partners (Kirby)
c. 30% reduced the frequency of sex (Kirby)
C. The purpose of a similar program for the effects of bullying is not to
prevent, but to inform.
1. Positives
a. Kids will think before they act

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b. Kids will be aware of the consequences for all parties
involved
2. Negatives
a. The program would be an additional cost for schools
i.
Additional training for teachers
ii.
Time would be taken away from other subjects
or programs
b. The program is not guaranteed to succeed
c. It will be difficult to measure the programs success
D. Sensitive issues are never comfortable topics as an adolescent, and sexual
education was never on my list of top things to talk about. Nevertheless, I
left the class informed and happy that I did.
Transition: Tonight, Ive shown the benefits of improving the current system. Now lets
take action.
V.

Action Step; Ive explained to you how simply educating kids, is proven to
alter their behavior as adolescents and adults. Now Ill return to the story of
Tyler and Dharun and show how bullying picked a part an individual and how
it could have easily been prevented.
A. There is a simple solution to solving this growing problem, all we need to
do is be proactive; and that can prevent many more young lives from
being lost.
B. Life is a fight, but not everyones a fighter. Otherwise, bullies would be
an endangered species. Andrew Vachss
1. Kids should be able to live their lives in peace, without senseless
harassment.
2. We will never be able to rid the world of all bullies, but with this
program we can reduce the amount there are and potentially save
many young lives from being lost.

5 Brandon Williams
Works Cited
StopBullying. gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 6 Dec.
2014. <http://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/key-components/index.html>.
Tucker, John H. "Bullied at school, A Teen Fights The Administration That Punished
Her." Indy Week. N.p., 2 July 2014. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
Foderado, Lisa W. The New York Times. N.p., 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 5 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/nyregion/30suicide.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.
Kirby D. Sex and HIV Programs: Their Impact on Sexual Behaviors of Young People
Throughout the World. Journal of Adolescent Health 40 (2007) : 206-217.
Cyberbullying Research Center. Ed. Justin W. Patchin and Sameer Hinduja. N.p., n.d.
Web. 7 Dec. 2014. http://cyberbullying.us/facts/
Clinton, Chelsea, and James P. Steyer. "Is the Internet Hurting Children." CNN Opinion.
CNN, 21 May 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/21/opinion/clinton-steyer-internet-kids/>.