Informative Speech Outline Free

Specific purpose: To inform my audience about kinds of adoption, the process of adoption, and the effect it has on children Central idea: There are many different kinds of adoption but for all of them the process is a serious one that will have a lasting effect on a family so it’s important for everyone, especially young adults, to be well informed about it because it can be a great option.

INTRODUCTION

A. Attention- getter: Babe Ruth, John Lennon, Bill Clinton, and Steve Jobs all have one thing in common. They were all adopted. These celebrities were just a few of the over 400,000 children in America that are currently living without a permanent family or home.
B. Audience significance: The Adoption Institute’s Benchmark Survey found that about 60% of Americans have a personal connection to adoption. Not only does adoption surround us, but it is also important for young adults like us to be thinking about adoption now so that when we’re are ready to decide about children of our own one day we are in a better position to make an informed decision.
C. Ethos: I have a personal connection of my own, at the age of 10, my mom was remarried and her new husband adopted me so he is now my legal father instead of just my “step-dad”. This is not exactly the scenario that comes to mind when you think about a typical adoption but it had a huge impact on me and has motivated me to thoroughly research the topic.
D. Central idea: There are many different kinds of adoption but for all of them the process is a serious one that will have a lasting effect on a family so it’s important for everyone, especially young adults, to be well informed about it because it can be a great option. E. Preview: Today I am going to explain exactly adoption is, the process of adopting a child, and how it affects that developing child. Transition: I’ll start off by explaining what it is and the different kinds of adoption

I. BODY

A. There are several unique types of adoption. No child has the same story.
a. Technically adoption is the legal transfer of all parental rights from one person or couple to another person or couple but there are a few different ways for this to take place.
b. The biggest variations within adoption include:
b.a. Domestic vs. international adoption
b.b. Closed vs. open adoption
c. Domestic adoption is implied in the name and is when you adopt a child that was born in one of the 50 states and international adoption is when the child is born in another country but brought to live here
d. The other two main types of adoption are closed and open adoptions
d.a. Closed adoption is described by the Nation Adoption Center as “an adoption in which no identifying information about the birth family or the adoptive family is shared between the two. Additionally, there is no contact between birthparents and adoptive parents.”
d.b. Sometimes an open adoption will take place though which is where there is some association and contact between the two families so if you want you can send pictures, exchange phone calls, or even have visitation rights. This is appealing when the child is older and already knows the birthparents and may want to stay in contact with some members of the family, like siblings for example. Transition: Now that we’ve covered the few basic types of adoption, let’s dig into the process of adoption…

B. If adoption is something being considered, there is a lot you need to do before you can commit to taking in a child as there are several steps to the process to make sure that the adoption will be the best fit for everyone.
a. Maybe you’re unable to have kids of your own or are interested in improving the life of one foster child around the world. Either way…
b. First you’ll need to decide what type of adoption is best
b.a. Like I mentioned before there is international, domestic, closed, and open adoptions
c. Second, you will need to select an agency to go though
c.a. You must work with an agency licensed in your state but you should contact several local agencies and get references from families to make the best choice
d. Next, you must complete a home study
d.a. A home study is a series of meetings with a social worker which involves education, preparation, and gathering information. The social worker is there to confirm that you’re prepared to adopt; this process normally takes anywhere from 2 to 10 months.
e. After this, you search for a child. Once you have been placed with a child, you must file the necessary legal documents f. Then finally you’re able to welcome your child into your family and parent them as your own Transition: This lengthy process is in place to ensure that the adoption goes smoothly because it is such a life changing decision and has enormous effects on the child which is what I’m going to tell you about next…

C. Children are rapidly developing and adoption can dramatically affect this development
a.a. Clearly, adoption can save a child’s life and it a great gift to them but sometimes can cause some problems down the raod…
a.b. Social and emotional development is the biggest concern for children who have been adopted
a.b.1. Much of a child’s identity comes from family and relationships so having to merge separate families and histories can be an hard difficulty to overcome
a.b.2. Carly Seifert writes in an article for the Global Post “A child adopted domestically through a closed adoption or adopted internationally where little background information is known typically has questions about his birth family and the circumstances surrounding his birth mom giving him up for adoption. He might wonder what his first family was like and what physical and emotional characteristics he inherited.”
a.b.3. Those who felt “chosen” and special begin to subconsciously think someone “unchose” them which negatively effects their self-worth and esteem
a.b.4. These feelings can leave to difficulty maintaining relationships outside of the family
a.b.4.a. Anxiety, difficulty controlling emotions, and struggling with empathy are commonly seeing in adopted children
a.b.5. An extreme case of an emotionally disturbed adopted boy is described by Tina Traster in the September 11th issue of the New York Times as she writes about an email she received from a mother who adopted a boy from Russia 13 years ago. Traster writes “She told me how her son has been in and out of a juvenile detention center. At 16, he is now in state custody and wants nothing to do with her. This woman was devastated and could hardly make sense of what has happened.”
a.c. If anyone was considering adopting a child, these struggles shouldn’t stop you. They’re just good to keep in mind and to fully understand so you can help your child grow and develop healthily. A few things you can do to help with the few specific development issues I just talked about include:
a.c.1. Keep your child’s past in mind and speak positively about it
a.c.2. Teach them words for various feelings & how to express them
a.c.3. Ensure plenty of quality family time
a.c.4. Positive encouragement & kind messages (notes in a lunch box) Transition: In conclusion…

II. CONCLUSION

A. Review of main points: I hope you learned more about the different kinds of adoption, the process of adopting a child, and the impact it will have.
B. Reinforcement of the thesis: There are many different kinds of adoption based on where your adopted child was born and the amount of contact had with the biological family, but for any type of adoption the process is a serious one that has the opportunity to positively change a child’s life forever.
C. Final idea: Adoption can be a great gift for a child that should be kept in mind when a family is adequately prepared.

QUESTIONS?