Expository Presentations

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 guide 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.)

  • Defining feng shui

  • Explaining open source computing

  • Explaining Stockholm syndrome

  • Describing a mezuzah

  • Using an automatic external defibrillator

  • Demonstrating basic personal defense

  • Playing Sabakiball

  • Using Final Cut Pro for video editing
EXPOSITORY PRESENTATIONS PROCESS OR DEMONSTRATION PRESENTATIONS

  • Volunteering for hospice

  • Life and work of J. K. Rowling

  • Raising a service animal

  • A day at NASCAR

  • Differences of internships and externships

  • Pros and cons of various e-readers

  • Similarities in families on Downton Abbey and Breaking Bad
NARRATIVE PRESENTATIONS COMPARISON/CONTRAST PRESENTATIONS
Table 16.3: TABLE 16.3 EXAMPLES OF INFORMATIVE PRESENTATIONS

Introwiz1/Shutterstock

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:

  1. Autism is a general term that reflects a range of pervasive developmental disorders, known as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

  2. ASDs are characterized by abnormal social and communication behaviors.

  3. Current research sheds some light on possible causes of ASDs.

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. As Chapter 5 points out, life experiences and culture influence our understanding of language. Use your audience analysis to determine which words and types of examples would best help your listeners understand your points.