Although people, places, objects, events, and processes are concrete things that we can readily visualize, concepts are abstract or complex ideas or even theories, like “art,” “patriotism,” “artificial intelligence,” or “loyalty,” which are much more difficult for us to understand. The challenge of a concept speech, then, is to take a general idea, theory, or thought and make it clear and meaningful for your audience.

Despite the challenge, many worthwhile informative speeches focus on the explanation of a concept. The idea of “ethnocentrism,” the belief that one’s cultural ways are superior to those of other cultures, would be an informative speech about a concept (Armstrong & Kaplowitz, 2001). You could then make reference to important historical events that were influenced by ethnocentrism: the Holocaust, ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Rwanda, or the September 11 terrorist attacks.