Title of Speech: Knowing KnotsGeneral Purpose: To informSpecific Purpose: To inform my audience about the importance of knots and their usesCentral Idea/Thesis Statement: Using a knot designed to solve your problem can prevent harm and add efficiency.

IntroductionI. Attention Material

A. Knot tying is an important skill. How you tie a knot can mean thedifference between success or disaster (Verdugo Fire Academy).

B. The use of one of the most familiar knots in the world, the Reef or Square knot, has caused more accidental deaths then the failure of any assortment of knots in the history of rope.

II. Orienting MaterialA. Tie to the audience: Everyone will tie a knot at some point in their lives.

What are the consequences of it failing or slipping? When you need it to work, will you know what to do?

B. Establish credibility: Knot tying isn’t a rope gimmick or a neat talent for sailors and boy scouts. It is a valuable safety skill.

1. I have used the knots I’ve learned over the years for many things. Even to save my life and the lives of my work crew.

C. Central Idea/Thesis Statement: If you know how to tie a knot correctly and how to decide which knot to use based on its strengths, you can effectively prevent harm and become efficient with a rope.

D. Preview statement: The first step is to define your problem. The second is to apply a safe knot designed for the task. When in doubt seek help. Never wing it.

(Transition) Let’s begin with the deadly Reef knot.

BodyI. Main point 1: The Reef knot is simple, easy to tie, familiar, and prone to failure.

A. When a knot fails, it means that it slips or becomes untied.1. When the knot is holding a load or being tested, the likelihood of it

failing is vital.2. Especially, if the load is yourself or something that could cause harm

if released3. The Reef knot is often used to connect or bind two ropes together.

B. Here is how it is tied1. Hold one rope end in each hand. 2, Pass the right end over and under the rope in your left hand and pull

it snug. 3. Pass the rope now in your left hand over and under the one now in

your right, and pull it snug (meritbadge.org).

C. The problem is that under stress this knot will fail and is a poor choice in any situation other then tasks not requiring stress.

(Transition) Let me show you a knot that better designed for this task.

II. Main point 2: The Sheet bend knot is designed to join two ropes together.A. If you’re in a situation where it is important to join two pieces of rope

together and it is important that it not fail then this is the knot to use.1. Even if the rope is of different diameters this knot will not fail.

a. Even chain can be bound to rope in this fashion (Grog LLC, 2011).

2. Once it is tightened or given a load, it can also be untied easily allowing the preservation of your rope

B. Here is how it is tied:1. Make a loop in one end of the rope2. Take the other end and come out of the loop, around the loop, and

then under its path (meritbadge.org).

(Transition) However, even this knot can fail under extreme stress.

III. Main point 3: The most efficient and safe method of binding two lines together is with the Carrack Bend knot.

A. This knot is classified as an advanced knot and is not a commonly known.B. It is tied by forming a loop.

a. The other end is passed under the loop, over the loops line, around the loops end, then under its path across the loop.

C. It is a difficult knot to tie but is efficient and unlikely to fail (realknots.com).

(Transition/Signal of end) Knowing the proper knot can save your life.

IV. Main point 4: The Bowline is one of the most useful and dynamic knots available.

A, Its many uses in a survival situation has given it the nickname, “The Rescue Knot”

1. Imagine you’re in a situation where you’ve been thrown a rope and you need to make a loop around yourself in order to be pulled to safety.

a. This is a familiar situation in general.b. The problem being presented is to tie a knot simply that will not

slip, allowing the loop to shrink, or fail, allowing you to fall.B. The Reef knot has earned its reputation in this situation by failing to solve

this problem. (Demonstrate its failure)C. This is how to tie the bowline.

1. Make a loop in one end of the rope

2. Take the other end and come out of the loop, around the loop, and then back into the loop (meritbadge.org).

D. This knot will not slip and despite being tightened under heavy load will always release easily.

ConclusionI. Summary

A. On a job-site repairing a broken control tower window, I was asked to help on the outside of the tower 140 feet off the ground.

B. When I climbed above where I was to be working to tie off my safety line, I noticed to my horror that several of the lines were tied with several improvised knots to various pipes and beams about the top of the structure.

C. Without untying any of the lines, I correctly tied the ends onto a large support beam in the center of the tower

1. I used a Bowline knot.D. Several hours later as fate would have it, the frame around the large

window failed and sent the entire crew off the tower into the air, supported by nothing but their safety lines.II. Clincher

A. A later inspection revealed that every knot had failed under the stress of the crew falling except the bowlines I had tied. This is an extreme case but an important lesson. Knowing knots can not only be a useful skill, it can save lives.

References

Grog LLC. (2011). Grog's Index of Scouting Knots. Retrieved 11 1, 2011, from AnimatedKnots by Grog: http://www.animatedknots.com/indexscouting.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Meritbadge.org. (n.d.). Knot. Retrieved 10 27, 2011, from meritbadge.org:http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Knot

Realknots.com. (n.d.). Bends. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from Roper's Real KnotPage: http://www.realknots.com/knots/bends.htm

Verdugo Fire Academy. (n.d.). Ropes. Knots, and Hitches. Retrieved 11 1, 2011, fromglendale.edu:http://www.glendale.edu/fire/Documents/ClassMaterials/Ropes/RopesVFA08.pdf