SAMPLE
2/17/2010
COM 181 – J015
Demonstration Speech Outline
Choosing a Child Safety Seat
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about how to choose a child safety seat
Comment [S1]: Make sure this is an infinitive
phrase, NOT a sentence!
Central Idea: Successfully choosing the correct child safety seat can be accomplished by
following several simple steps.
Comment [S2]: Make sure your central idea is a
sentence and follows the rules for central ideas that
we discussed in class.
Method of Organization: Chronological
Introduction
Does anyone know what is the number one killer of children in the United States? If you guessed
H1N1 or cancer, you would be wrong. The correct answer is car accidents (Car-Safety.org,
2009). Many more children could be saved each year through the correct selection and use of car
seat. Successfully choosing the correct child safety seat can be accomplished by following
several simple steps. As a parent who has done a great deal of research and a certified Child
Passenger Safety Technician, I often work with parents who have given less thought to their
child’s car seat than they did to choosing a nursery set or stroller. Helping to make children safer
is something that we should all be concerned about, whether you have children of your own or
not. Today we will be discussing briefly how to decide what you want, test a seat, and then
properly use it to restrain a child.
Comment [S3]: Attention getter (question, in
this case)
Comment [S4]: Central idea.
Comment [S5]: Statement of credibility. (When
in doubt, you can always use the “After doing a
great deal of research about…”)
Comment [S6]: Statement of importance.
Comment [S7]: Preview.
Body
I. As there are so many car seat options available on the market today, the very first step
anyone choosing a seat should do is to consider what they need in a child safety seat.
A. First, consider what your child needs.
1. There are 4 main types of car seats: infant-only, convertible,
combination, and booster. The seat your child needs will depend on their
age, weight and height, and maturity level.
2. While the legal minimum for allowing a child to forward face in a car
seat is 1 year and 20 pounds, research has shown this to be insufficient
in protecting children. Children are much safer rear facing than forward
facing, according to Car-Safety.org (2009). In fact, the American
Academy of Pediatrics now recommends rear facing children until at
least 2 years of age or to the height or weight limit of their seat
(O’Keefe, 2009). In many other countries, it is not unusual to see
children rear face to age 4-5! (Show slides with older rear-facing
children.)
3. Young children should always rear face if at all possible. Older children
should be harnessed as long as possible (to age 5-6) and then be
boostered until they pass the 5 step test.
Comment [S8]: Check out the various methods
of citation in this example. This one is correct to the
APA format and is also a way I could say the
citation!
Comment [S9]: This is cited correctly per APA,
but I would not actually say this part in the speech.
Instead, I note earlier that the recommendation is
coming from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Comment [S10]: Here is a note for myself
regarding where I might use a visual aid. You can
include this information in your outline if you wish,
but it is not required.
4. You will also want to consider the child’s body type and needs as well
when choosing a seat. For example, if the child has a long torso, you
need a seat with a tall shell and high harness slots. A heavier child will
need seats with higher weight limits.
B. You should also consider your needs. This includes budgetary concerns and
doing some research online to get some idea of what is available that appeal to
you.
II. Once you have considered your needs in a child safety seat, you can head to the store and
try out some seats!
A. You should first try your child in the seat in the store and see how comfortable
they appear to be.
B. Not all car seats fit well with all vehicle seats. For example, some pickup trucks
can be particularly tricky because of the small amount of space in their back seats.
C. The best way to find out what fits well in your car is to try before you buy.
D. Stores like Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby will allow you to take the floor model
out to your vehicle to see how it will fit.
E. When trying out a seat, you want to truly install it (either using the seatbelt or
LATCH system) rather than just sitting it on your vehicle seat so that you can get
an idea of how it will actually work.
F. Never purchase or use a child restraint second-hand when you cannot be
absolutely certain of its history and trust its owners. Child restraints have
expiration dates (generally around 6 years from the date of manufacture) and are
sometimes are subject to safety recalls. A seat might have damage that you cannot
see. If you know and trust the previous owners, you should still utilize the used
seat checklist provided by CPSafety (n.d.).
III. Now that you’ve researched and chosen a seat that fits your child and vehicle, you will
want to make sure that you have properly installed the seat and can use it to restrain the
child during each ride.
A. Studies have shown that 80-90% of child restraints are installed or used
incorrectly, with an average of two errors per seat! (SafeKids, n.d.)
B. Always read the manual when you purchase a new child restraint.
C. SafeKids Worldwide provides a search function on their website that can allow
you to locate a certified child passenger safety technician in your area (SafeKids,
2005).
D. A CPST can help you learn to properly install the seat and find out about the best
practices for keeping kids safe in the car.
E. Once you know how to use a seat you have purchased, take the time to use it
correctly every time there is a child in the car!
Conclusion
Today we’ve discussed how to decide what you want, test a seat, and then properly use it to
restrain a child. The Kyle David Miller Foundation was started by the parents of a 3 year old boy
who was killed in a car accident when he was riding in a booster seat (Kyle David Miller
Foundation, 2010). His parents did not know that higher weight limit, 5-point harness seats were
available and that one likely would have saved his life. Hopefully today, you’ve learned more
about how to choose the best seat for your needs and that might save a child’s life.
Comment [S11]: Review/preview.
Comment [S12]: Notice that the referenced
information is spread throughout the presentation,
appearing in all 3 main points. This helps balance
things out.
Comment [S13]: Again, review/preview.
Comment [S14]: Note the variety of types of
support in this speech. There are facts, statistics,
expert opinion (per the APA recommendations),
hypothetical examples, and “real life” examples.
Comment [S15]: Review
Comment [S16]: Closing (extended example, in
this case)
References
Car-Safety.org (2009). Why rear-facing is safest. Retrieved February 10, 2010, from Car-Safety
Web site: http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html
CPSafety (n.d.) Not new? (Is this seat safe?): Used child safety seat checklist. Retrieved
February 10, 2010, from CPSafety Web site:
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/usedseat.aspx
Kyle David Miller Foundation (2010). About us. Retrieved February 10, 2010, from the Kyle
David Miller Foundation Web site: http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/about-us.html
O’Keefe, L. (2009). What to consider when positioning carseats for toddlers. AAP News, 30(4),
12.
SafeKids (2005). Certificant search. Retrieved February 10, 2010, from SafeKids Worldwide
Web site:
https://ssl13.cyzap.net/dzapps/dbzap.bin/apps/assess/webmembers/tool?pToolCode=TAB
9&pCategory1=TAB9_CERTSEARCH&Webid=SAFEKIDSCERTSQL
SafeKids (n.d.). Child passengers at risk in America: A national study of car seat misuses.
Retrieved February 10, 2010, from SafeKids USA Web site:
http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=2530&folder_id=680
Comment [S17]: Make sure that you are using
APA style! You can find samples on our course
website.
www.sarah-riley.org, then “Courses”, then “COM
181” under the BCTC heading and see “Some APA
Examples” & “Citation Examples”
OR
www.sarah-riley.org, then “Resources”. Scroll down
to the APA Style. The “StyleWizard” link will help
you with your reference page (if you need to do a
th
website, you must choose the “5 edition”). The
“Purdue University’s OWL” link will help with
reference page and other issues.