EXPLANATION

Certain informative speech topics are built on explanation—providing reasons or causes, demonstrating relationships, and offering interpretation and analysis. The classroom lecture is a classic example of explanation in an informative context. But many kinds of speeches rely on explanation, from those that address difficult or confusing theories and processes (What is the relationship between the glycemic index and glycemic load?) to those that present ideas that challenge conventional thinking (Why do researchers say that sometimes emotion makes us more rather than less logical?). See the checklist on p. 181 for strategies for explaining complex ideas.

Conveying information: Description, explanation, analogy