Sample Speech

Good evening. It is a pleasure to be here tonight. In order for you to get to know me better I would like to share an experience and what I learned from it. My story is a childhood experience that I suppose many of you can relate to. As children, most all of us have tried to run away from home at least once. I too have attempted to escape “home prison,” but failed. I want to recount this experience and review three areas of improvement that may help you in future attempts to run away. These are travel and destination, equipment, and timing.

I would like to take you back to a hot summer day in 1980. The scene was a tranquil trailer-house park in Nebraska. The tranquility was superficial though because deep within a boy’s heart raged turbulent anger. That boy was me. I don’t know why I was mad, but I knew that parents were unfair villains that were trying to enslave children. Having caught on to their sinister plot, I planned to escape my parents’ domain and journey to my grandma’s house. I stuffed all of my underwear and socks in my suitcase. Then I grabbed my younger brother for a companion and told my mother I was leaving home. As I stepped onto the front porch, however, I soon realized that I didn’t know the way to grandma’s house. So my brother and I sat down to plan. One hour later, we were in the same spot with no plan. My mother came to the front porch with a smile because she knew of my dilemma and she knew I could not run away. However, I was determined not to ever return home—that is, until she bribed me into the house with ice cream. The result is that I never ran away. I would like to tell you how I could have improved the attempt.

First, I should have picked a destination and known how to get there. I knew I was going to grandma’s house, but did not know how to get there. After watching movies, I found out that I only needed to get to the bus station or airport. Also, I needed money to pay for a ticket. The kids in movies ran away using their savings, so I figured the $1.65 I had to my name would have gotten me to grandmother’s. Knowing this I could have at least left home.

Second, I should have been better equipped. Although I had all the underwear and socks that I needed, I forgot one important item: a stash of cookies and ice cream. This way, when difficulties arose, it wouldn’t have been as easy to bribe me back home.

The third area of improvement is timing the escape. I should have left in a moment least expected by my parents. After announcing my escape, my mom let me go out the door, because she could keep an eye on me. By not telling her, I would have had a better chance of getting away. Have you noticed when you disappear without parents knowing that they become worried? This is because they think you are successfully getting away.

To conclude, much preparation must be done in order to run away successfully. I am confident that these tips will help if carefully followed. For those of you asking why I haven’t used the plan, it is because I used another method of escape. I was shipped off to college. Maybe you know someone who needs these tips. Thank you for your time.