Communication Studies
August 1, 2014
Basic Informative Speech
Topic: How to manage acute anxiety
General Purpose: To inform
Specific Purpose: By the end of my speech, my audience should be able to describe and perform three important factors in managing acute anxiety: 1) the physiology of the autonomic nervous system; 2) common drugs that manage acute anxiety; and 3) non-pharmacological interventions to decrease acute anxiety.
Central Idea: Understanding how to manage acute anxiety can be useful in stressful situations.
I. Introduction
A. It’s Tuesday night. You walk into class and you know that tonight you’re scheduled to speak. You’ve spent two weeks practicing and memorizing your speech in front of your friends and family. You feel like you’re ready. As you stand up to walk to the front of the class, your mouth suddenly becomes dry. Your heart starts to race and you begin to sweat. You think that you might even throw up. As you open your mouth to speak, nothing comes out. Your mind goes completely blank and you have forgotten your entire speech.
B. This is exactly what happened to me two weeks ago. I spent time to develop and practice my speech but unfortunately, my performance anxiety still got the best of me.
C. Tonight I’m here to talk to you about how to manage acute anxiety. First, I will explain the physiology of the autonomic nervous system and how it effects your body; second, I will describe common drugs used to manage acute anxiety; and third, I will demonstrate non-pharmacological techniques to reduce acute anxiety.
Transition: First, let’s explore the autonomic nervous system and its functions.
II. The role of the autonomic nervous system is to regulate glands, the function of the internal organs and muscles such as the heart and vessels, intestines, eyes and muscles in the skin.
A. 3 subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system are parasympathetic, sympathetic and enteric.
1. Parasympathetic nervous system controls...