394 PERSUASIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Making a Difference Through the Special Olympics
1 In Seattle, nine young athletes gathered at the starting line for the 100–yard dash. At the
gun, they all started off, not exactly in a dash, but with a desire to run the race to the finish and
win. All except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and
began to cry. The other runners heard the boy cry. They stopped; they looked back. Then they all
went back to the boy’s side—every single one of them. One girl with Down syndrome kissed him
and said, “This will make it better.” Then all nine linked arms and walked to the finish line—
together.
2 These athletes were not competing on national television. They were not sponsored or
idolized. But they were given the opportunity to flourish under the glow of their own spotlight, to
feel the brush of the ribbon cross their chests as they ran through their own finish line in their
own Olympics—the Special Olympics.
4 After working as a volunteer for the Special Olympics and doing additional research for
this speech, I’d like to encourage you to become involved as a volunteer for the Special Olym-
pics. We’ll start by looking at the need for volunteers.
5 According to the Special Olympics Web site, more than 1.3 million people compete in
Special Olympics around the world. Participants must be at least eight years old and be identified
as having a cognitive or intellectual disability. There are currently 200 Special Olympics pro-
grams running in over 150 countries.
6 As the Special Olympics continues to grow, so does the need for volunteers. Here in Wis-
consin, there are 10,000 athletes and 3,500 volunteer coaches. But because of all the individual
attention required by Special Olympics athletes, there’s always a need for more volunteer coaches,
or for loads of other volunteers as well.
7 Now you know the need for Special Olympics volunteers. So the question is: What can
you do to help? The answer is: Become a volunteer. The most obvious way to become a volunteer
MAKING A DIFFERENCE THROUGH THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS 395
8 If you don’t want to be a coach, there are other ways to help out as well. You can work
behind the scenes by assisting with fund–raising or organizing events or any of the other countless
details involved in running a huge organization such as Special Olympics. It’s also very important
that you know that your contribution to Special Olympics can last from a day to a year to a life-
time, depending on the level of commitment that you’re ready to make.
9 No matter how you decide to help, I guarantee you that working with the Special Olym-
pics will be immensely rewarding. As a coach, your instruction and support will help your athletes
develop physical skills, while your interaction and friendship will help them develop socially.
Ronna Vanderslice, author of the article “Special Olympics: Beneficial to All,” reports that indi-
viduals who get involved in sports and recreation through Special Olympics develop larger net-
works of friends, are more likely to socialize with others, and receive more social support.
12 I know you may not have a lot of time available right now, but you can volunteer for the
time that fits your schedule. The most important thing is to get involved in some capacity, for what-
ever amount of time you can manage.
13 Remember the nine children I mentioned at the beginning of this speech. Think of their
happiness and their support for one another. Think of how much they gained from running in that
race. And think of how you can help others experience the same benefits as they strive to fulfill the
motto of the Special Olympics: “Let me win. But if I can’t win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
396 PERSUASIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Making a Difference Through the Special Olympics
Commentary
“Making a Difference Through the Special Olympics” is an excellent example of how a student can utilize
emotional appeals responsibly and to enhance the persuasiveness of his or her message. The speech is
available online and on the DVD of student speeches that accompanies this edition of The Art of Public
Speaking. Below is a synopsis that focuses on how the speaker employs the methods of persuasion
discussed in Chapter 17.
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to volunteer for the Special Olympics.
Central Idea: Volunteering for the Special Olympics supports a worthy cause and is rewarding for ath-
letes and volunteers alike.
Method of Organization: Monroe’s motivated sequence
Credibility: The speaker establishes her credibility in paragraph 4 by stating that she has worked as a
volunteer for the Special Olympics. The fact that she has personal experience with the Special
Olympics frames everything she says in the rest of the speech and makes her ideas much more
persuasive. This is especially true with regard to her explanation in paragraph 10 of how gratify-
Evidence: The speaker begins with an extended example about a race of Special Olympics athletes in
Seattle. Vivid in its detail and moving in its description, the example illustrates the spirit of Spe-
cial Olympics at the same time that it gains the attention and interest of the audience. It is hard
to imagine a more effective way of beginning the speech.
In fact, this extended example is so effective that it raises the question of whether the
speaker could have used a second extended example, especially in paragraphs 9–10, where
she discusses the benefits of the Special Olympics. The quotation from Ronna Vanderslice in
paragraph 9 is well chosen to support the speaker’s point, but a story about the manner in
MAKING A DIFFERENCE THROUGH THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS 397
In paragraph 5, the speaker uses statistics from the Special Olympics Web site to quantify
the extent of the organization’s activities around the globe. Even though the figures come from
the Special Olympics rather than from an outside source, they are noncontroversial, and there is
no reason to doubt their accuracy. The same is true of the statistics in paragraph 6 about the
need for Special Olympics volunteers. Because the speech was delivered in Wisconsin, the
speaker presents statistics about the situation in that state, thereby relating the topic directly to
her audience.
If the speaker had more time, she could have presented additional statistics about the
number of Special Olympics participants and the continuing need for volunteers, but she knew
from her class survey that most of her audience already understood that charitable organiza-
tions such as Special Olympics can always use new volunteers. As a result, the speaker was
able to cover the need point fairly quickly, thereby giving her more time to focus on the satisfac-
tion and visualization steps of Monroe’s motivated sequence.
Reasoning: The primary method of reasoning in this speech is causal. The speaker argues that volun-
teering for the Special Olympics benefits both the athletes and the volunteers. To put the position
more formally, the speaker claims that if a particular cause occurs (in this case, volunteering for
the Special Olympics), a particular effect will ensue (benefits will accrue to the athletes and volun-
teers alike).
398 PERSUASIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
answer questions about the time commitment and other practical issues, and reach the
audience on an emotional as well as a logical level.
Emotional appeal: “Making a Difference Through the Special Olympics” provides an excellent example
of how students can use emotional appeal in a persuasive speech that seeks immediate action.
The poignant opening example establishes an emotional tone that runs throughout the entire
speech and is brought full circle with the quotation of the Special Olympics’ motto in the closing
sentence.
Other parts of the speech that carry strong emotional impact include the following: Para-
graph 2, in which the speaker talks about Special Olympics athletes having the opportunity to
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