UCLA Communications Mental Health Advocacy Speech Essay – Description
Assignment Guide: Introduction Speech–My Advocacy
PROMPT
Record yourself presenting a speech exploring a little about yourself and describing/exploring an issue/cause/problem for which you currently advocate or would like to advocate for. In this speech, you will explore how and why this advocacy is important to you. In addition to the video- recording of this presentation, you will also be submitting a fully-drafted copy of your speech.
The My Advocacy Speech will prepare you to unpack your own personal experience with advocacy, through a process of careful self-reflection, and sharing a personal narrative, to effectively engage an audience. Combined, these two tasks will help you create a stronger foundation for later assignments and activities in the course (and beyond).
Advocacy can be thought of as one or more of the following components:
Advocacy is the promotion of an idea, cause, concept, or information
Advocacy includes actions toward a specific goal
Advocacy finds solutions to current problems
TOPIC SELECTION
Ultimately, this speech should be about something that is near and dear to your heart–something you feel strongly about; something for which you currently advocate for or would like to advocate for in the future. Thus, the topic of your speech will be a personal one.
You may advocate for an issue/idea/movement/law/cause/concept of your choosing. Here are some ideas:
Education/training
Pre-K-12 Education or Higher Education
Children, youth, families
Student loans
Equal pay/ inequities
Healthcare equity
Local/global hunger/poverty
Cost of housing/healthcare
Socioeconomic status
Immigration
Criminal justice/policing
Military/veterans
Identity theft
Freedom of the press
Ending domestic violence
Voting
Transparency in governmentOrganizationYour advocacy speech should include the following:
GuidelineDescriptionIntroduction + HookIntroduce yourself to the audience, including your name, the course that this speech is for, and the assignment.
Find a way to hook your readers–ask a question, share an example, or include a quote (with attribution). Make sure your hook is directly relevant to your advocacy topic.Advocacy TopicDescriptionDescribe the issue/cause/problem for which you are advocating. Remember: your audience may not be familiar with your topic, so provide enough context that they can follow along with you, without issue.Advocacy Narrative
Describe how and why this advocacy is important to YOU and to your audience. Some questions to consider: Why does advocating for this cause/issue/problem/ matter to you? What information is important to share with the audience, regarding this topic, and your participation in it? What happens if no one advocates for this cause/issue/problem? Why should others be interested in this topic and your advocacy?
ClosingCreate a closing that helps remind readers of the most important points shared during this speech. Do not directly repeat your opening–find a way to engage readers one last time, sharing the same information, but in a new and compelling way.
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