How to Give a Speech on Animal Cruelty

A speech on animal cruelty needs to be organized and executed to motivate action. Focus on the definition of animal cruelty, examples of abuse, tips for contacting agencies to report abuse and ways to proactively support animal rights. Include information about animal protection laws to educate your audience on what legally constitutes animal abuse.The goal is to encourage awareness and persuade your audience to get involved in the mission to enforce this legislation and stop animal cruelty.

Define the type of behavior that constitutes animal cruelty. Explain that each state has its own animal protection laws but most have the same basic regulations. For example, in California, Ohio, New York and Colorado, abandoning or purposefully injuring, neglecting and poisoning animals are prosecutable offenses. In most states, any type of intentional mistreatment or purposeful neglect is considered animal cruelty. In your discussion, you might also initiate debate over animal cruelty as it relates to undomesticated animals, such as their use in medical testing or their slaughter for fur and for human consumption.

Incorporate a presentation slideshow into your speech, and display a list of animal protection laws in your state. Explain the legal consequences for animal cruelty in your state, such as fines and punishments for misdemeanors and felonies. For example, those convicted of animal-cruelty charges must forfeit their animals to appropriate agencies, such as animal shelters. Show examples of animal cruelty, ensuring that the pictures are appropriate to the age range of your audience. Besides photos, look for other forms of multimedia to make an impact. Help listeners learn to recognize animal abuse so they know when and how to intervene.

Discuss avenues for helping abused and mistreated animals. Provide contact information for local agencies, such as animal shelters, emergency hotlines and animal hospitals. Use your presentation slideshow to list important tips as to what your listeners should do if they encounter abused animals. For example, you might advise them to beware of biting and instruct them to quarantine sick animals to avoid spreading diseases to other animals. At the end of your speech, pass out flyers that detail animal safety tips and list important telephone numbers, so your listeners have something tangible to take with them.

Make it personal. Because animal cruelty is a highly emotional topic, engage your audience by passionately explaining why the topic is important to you. You might tell a personal story of rescuing an animal in distress or discuss how you first became an advocate of animal rights. Provide compelling, heartfelt evidence so your listeners want to get involved in the cause. The goal is to leave your audience with a sense of duty or responsibility. If you connect your audience's outrage over the plight of vulnerable, abused animals to concrete acts to prevent it, your speech is a success.