In some speaking situations, you’ll be called on to present the similarities and differences between ideas, things, events, or people. In these cases, you’ll be making a comparison/contrast presentation. For example, if you volunteer at the local science museum, you might explain the differences and similarities between bacterial and viral infections to visiting school groups. Or as the president of your parent-teacher organization, you might spell out the implications of purchasing new playground equipment or a new photocopier with the revenue generated from a recent fund-raiser.

When preparing this type of speech, start by identifying what you’ll be comparing or contrasting. Stick to just a few things, so your audience can keep track of the comparisons. For example, at the science museum, you wouldn’t want to compare and contrast 10 different types of bacteria and viruses. Instead, you would want to compare and contrast general differences and similarities.

A topical pattern of organization works well for most comparison/contrast speeches because it helps you focus on how the features or characteristics of the things you’re comparing are similar and different. Consider the following outline for the speech examining the similarities and differences between bacterial and viral infections:

Speech thesis: Bacterial and viral infections have some similarities, but they also have important differences.

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Main points:

Other ways to compare and contrast are by talking about costs and benefits, advantages and disadvantages, or pros and cons related to different items. Table 16.3 shows more examples of comparison/contrast presentations.