When you define a term, explain a concept, or describe an object or a place to your audience, you are making an expository presentation. For instance, a museum docent enriches visitors’ understanding of the art by defining relevant terms and describing painting techniques. In a meeting about salary increases, a manager defines “interest-based negotiation” and explains how it relates to pay raises. (See Table 16.3 for examples of expository speech topics.)

When you’re composing an expository presentation, you will apply many of the practices associated with this step of speech preparation, including choosing an appropriate organization pattern for your main points, and developing an introduction and a conclusion. A topical pattern is the most common way expository presentations are organized. You may recall from Chapter 14 that this organizational pattern breaks down main points into specific categories or subtopics. For example, if you’re giving a speech about autism, you might organize the presentation like this:

Speech thesis: Scientific research is changing misconceptions about autism.

Main points:

You’ll also want to use clear, straightforward language in expository presentations. For instance, if you’re going to be talking about a complex, technical subject that’s unfamiliar to your audience, don’t use a lot of specialized vocabulary or acronyms. Also, remember that word meanings can vary widely. Try to stick to commonly accepted definitions of words (denotative meanings) rather than using terms that have personal meaning or relevance (connotative meanings). Use your audience analysis to determine which words and types of examples would best help your listeners understand your points.