Persuasive Speech: Mobile Phones Should Be Switched off During a Lecture
Introduction
Attention Grabber: Incontestably, the invention of mobile phones was meant to save us money and time. Sadly, this is not the case. Smartphones have turned into addictive devices that trap our souls into a lifeless planet that, ironically, is full of lives.
Thesis/Overview: I’d like to show you why mobile phones need to be switched off during lectures. Now is the time to get the ball rolling, so we understand the problems of keeping smartphones on during lectures.
Motivation: I am confident that all of you will acknowledge the issues associated with keeping mobile phones turned on during lectures. On the contrary, I am unsure whether all of you will agree with me that smartphones should be switched off during lectures. Please remember that my objective is to convince you to keep your phones off during lectures. I am not prohibiting you from carrying your phones into lecture halls.
Transition: First, I would like to tell you why I am so concerned about keeping phones turned on during lectures. I vividly recall one occasion when I sought clarification on an assignment, unaware that the professor had just clarified the task a few seconds ago! This was indeed a shameful moment. Why? Because my phone beeped and I could not resist the urge to check the message.
Thought Pattern: Problem-Explanation-Solution
Body
Problem 1: Effect on the Learning Process
- Distraction
Notifications will always go off whenever a smartphone is left on, especially when having an internet connection. Even without realizing, you will be forced to check the notification. This distracts you even without realizing, thus making you lose an essential concept that was being explained when you diverted attention to see the notification.
- Grades Falling
Keeping your smartphone on during lecturers will distract you, as shown above. Subsequently, you will find it extremely difficult to understand the key concepts taught in class. Even though some students argue that they would research or consult to grasp the idea, this is never the case sometimes. Eventually, the poor grasping of concepts culminates in a failed grade.
- Homework
Failing to resist the urge to switch your phone off during lectures implies that you have been addicted to smartphones to the extent that you cannot think of separating yourself from the device even for thirty minutes. Subsequently, you will also want to maintain your intimacy with the phone even at home, which could adversely affect your ability to complete your homework.
- Cheating
There is a high likelihood that you will not have anything to write when answering test questions due to the distraction and failure to pay attention during lectures. You will, therefore, be tempted to ‘consult’ your phone to research answers to the questions, which amounts to cheating.
Problem 2: Effect on the Student’s Social and Personal Life
- Social Life
Establishing a permanent connection with your phone will inevitably affect your social life. Even outside of lecture halls, you will remain glued to your phone to catch up with virtual friends on social networks rather than interacting with your friends to improve your social life.
- Cyberbullying
Besides the adversely affected social life, there is a chance that you can be a victim of cyberbullying during the lecture. Although this seldom occurs, it would upset you, thereby negatively affecting your attention.
Problem 3: Effect on the Lecturer
- Disrespect
Ever since I joined college, finding myself in the wrong books of the lecturer is one of the events that I regard as misfortunes that could cost me a good grade. Allowing your phone to ring loudly or notifications to go off aloud is disrespectful to the lecturer. You never know what this could mean to you and your grade if the habit persists, and they get frustrated.
- The lecturer can get upset.
While this point links directly to the above point, I have decided to address it a separate point to reiterate what upsetting the lecturer means to your grade and college life. While they will not communicate this to you, they can decide to avenge your disrespect by giving you a low grade that will make it known that you did not pay attention to what brought you to college.
Conclusion
As a recap, I would like to emphasize my position that mobile phones should be switched off during lectures. I have addressed the adverse effects of keeping your smartphone switched on during classes. As you have heard, some of these effects extend beyond the classroom to the student’s personal life and final grade. The adverse effects of keeping your phones on during lectures include distraction, poor performance, failure to work on assignments on time, cheating, poor social relations, cyberbullying, and disrespect to the lecturer. While smartphones have become a necessity in our lives, we should use them carefully to reap their benefits or risk facing the consequences of their misuse.
