Sarah Aezer 10/3/18 COMM 1020 Informative Speech Outline

I. General Purpose: To inform about propagation.

II. Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of the reason for and the
process of propagating succulents.
III. Organizational Pattern: I will use both categorical (succulents improve
life quality) and chronological (propagation steps in order)
organizational patterns.
IV. Introduction
1. Attention Getter: How many of you, by raise of hands, have felt
stressed out by school at some point? How many of you, by raise of
hands, have experienced lowered stress by spending time in nature?
How many of you, by raise of hands, find that you have ample time to
spend in nature?
2. Establish Credibility/Relate to Audience: As a student, I find myself
cooped up in my house doing schoolwork, or indoors at work making
money to pay for the house and the schoolwork. It can get really
stressful at times. But I’ve found that by improving my environment, I
can improve my every day experiences. I now share my home with 11
plants that I’ve propagated from little leaves, and they brighten up my
space and my life.
3. Central Idea/Thesis/ Preview Statement: Propagating plants,
particularly succulents, is incredibly easy and proximity to nature has
been shown to have a positive impact on the human condition. Today
we’ll look at a few studies that show improved physical and mental
health by exposure to nature, and I’ll show you a step-by-step
demonstration of propagation so that perhaps you too can share your
space with a happy plant.
Transition sentence: So, you might be wondering which ways a plant can improve
your life quality.

V. Main Point 1: Nature has a positive impact on our quality of life.

1. Sub Point: According to a study in Psychology today, bringing plants
into our homes and work places can have an affect on our physical
and psychological health.
i. Supporting Material: The study showed lowered blood
pressure, increased productivity, and lowered anxiety when
plants were introduced to the space.
2. Sub Point: Another study by Yun-Chen Chang, Tzuhui Angie Tseng,
Shih-Che Chiu done on breast cancer patients showed that nature
therapy could be used to improve the physical and psychological
condition of participants.
i. Supporting Material: The hospital anxiety and
depression scale as well as blood and saliva tests
showed decreased stress psychologically and physically.
Transition Sentence: As students, we all experience some level of anxiety and could
benefit greatly by creating happier spaces to live and work in.
Sarah Aezer 10/3/18 COMM 1020 Informative Speech Outline

VI. Main Point 2: You can create your own happiness by propagating your
own plants to put in your spaces!
1. Sub Point: Some plants reproduce asexually.
ii. Supporting Material: An article by Dennis A. Gravatt and
Josephine Taylor explains how some plants reproduce with
fertilized seeds, while others (succulent plants) are able to
clone themselves in nature by way of propagation.
2. Sub Point: The process of succulent propagation is so simple a plant
could do it!
iii. Supporting Material: Based on personal experience and
with added help from Garden Answer YouTube channel,
I can demonstrate to you how to propagate a succulent.
iv. Supporting Material: Step one, remove leaves. Step two,
allow a few days for the ends to callous so they do not
rot, but not too long that they dehydrate. Step 3, place
on top of well draining soil in indirect bright light. Step
4, mist with water once per day until roots begin to
form (a week or so). Step five, roots will be come a baby
succulent, which you can then plant in a pot with well
draining soil and bright indirect light. Step 6, water
weekly and enjoy!
Transition Sentence: As you can see, it’s a simple process to create a little friend to
help you fight the stress of life.

VII. Conclusion
1. Signal Conclusion: “In conclusion, …”
2. Review Central Idea/Thesis (Memorable Idea, Take Away): “…one
way to decrease anxiety in our lives is to follow these simple steps and
propagate a little bit of nature to bring into your space.”
3. Refer to your introduction: As we found out earlier, many of us aren’t
able to get outside to visit nature as much as we’d like to, and because
we’re students, we’re getting stressed out on a regular basis. Take a
simple step to improve your life by propagating a succulent. Bring
nature and peace home with you.
4. End Strong. Pause. Take a beat.

References
Chang, Yun-Chen , Tzuhui Angie Tseng, & Shih-Che Chiu . " The Effect of Nature therapy for Stress, Anxiety, Depression and
Demoralization on Breast Cancer Patients." GSTF Journal of Nursing and Health Care (JNHC)[Online], 5.1 (2017): n. pag. Web. 3
Oct. 2018

gardenanswer. YouTube, YouTube, 8 Feb. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2mecDHIaS0.

Gravatt (December 2004). "Description of Asexual Reproduction in a Texas succulent Sedum Wright 2
(Crassulaceae)" (PDF). SIDA, Contributions to Botany. 21 (2): 943–950.

Kaplan, Dr. Jonathan S. “Plants Make You Feel Better.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 11 Mar. 2009,
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-mindfulness/200903/plants-make-you-feel-better.