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102.1 Section Title
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Chapter 16
Informative Speaking
What to Expect
- The Goals of Informative Speaking
- Topics for Informative Presentations
- Approaches to Conveying Information
- Guidelines for Informative Speeches
Chapter Outline
- Informative speaking exists to increase an audience’s understanding or knowledge about a particular topic.
- Effective speakers use strategies to make an informative speech meet the audience’s informational needs.
- Gauge what the audience already knows.
- Decide on an appropriate approach to the topic.
- Make the topic relevant to each member of the audience.
- Informative speaking must inform, not persuade.
- An informative speech is intended to be objective, presenting facts and information in a straightforward, evenhanded way.
- A persuasive speech is expected to be subjective, presenting facts and information from a particular point of view.
- Informative speaking should be appropriate and ethical.
- First, choose an appropriate topic.
- Provide the audience with information that is relevant and reliable.
- Present material in a way that is respectful to the audience and the subject.
- Avoid plagiarism by orally citing sources and providing a complete list of references at the end of your speech outline.
Ask Yourself:
- What is a topic that could be both informative and persuasive?
- How might you clarify your purpose to avoid confusion?
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Countless topics are appropriate for informative speeches.
- People (people you know, famous people, obscure people who achieved greatness)
- Places (general places, specific places, imaginary places)
- Objects and phenomena (animals, inanimate objects, the solar system, imaginary or hypothetical things)
- Events (noteworthy occurrences, a collection or series of events)
- Processes—a series of actions, changes, or functions that bring about a particular result (how to bake brownies, how the brain processes sound)
- Concepts—abstract or complex ideas or theories that are difficult to understand (liberty, terrorism, freedom, equality)
- Issues—problems or matters of dispute (depression, the obesity epidemic)
- Plans and policies—the important dimensions of potential courses of action (legalizing marijuana, implementing a school code of conduct)
Ask Yourself:
- Are there any other types of informative speeches you can think of?
- Which of these might be most appropriate for your chosen topic?
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There are four primary approaches to conveying information in an informative speech.
- A descriptive presentation paints a mental picture for the audience, portraying places, events, persons, objects, or processes clearly and vividly.
- Descriptive presentations are most effective when the topic is personally connected to the speaker.
- Demonstration speeches combine explanatory narration and physical demonstration. They often answer “how” questions (for example, how to perform CPR or the Heimlich maneuver).
- The key to delivering an effective demonstration speech is to begin with a clear statement of purpose and to follow a very straightforward organizational pattern.
- Definitional speeches define a term or idea and provide answers to “what” questions (for example, “What constitutes terrorism?”).
- An operational definition defines something by explaining what it is or what it does.
- Definition by negation defines something by telling what it is not.
- Definition by example defines something by offering concrete examples of what it is.
- Definition by synonym defines something by using words that mean nearly the same thing.
- Definition by etymology defines something by using the origin of a word or phrase.
- Explanatory speeches are complex and provide reasons or causes and demonstrate relationships; they answer “why” questions. When giving explanatory speeches, three goals must be kept in mind.
- Clarify concepts with elucidating explanations—details that illuminate the concept’s meaning and use—which help illuminate a concept’s meaning and use.
- Explain the big picture with a quasi-scientific explanation that models key dimensions of some phenomenon for a typical audience.
- Challenge intuition with transformative explanations designed to help speakers transform theories about phenomena into more accepted notions. These help people understand ideas that are counterintuitive.
Ask Yourself:
- What approach to conveying information is best for your topic and purpose?
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Following specific guidelines can enhance informative presentations.
- Create information hunger.
- Arouse the audience’s interest in or curiosity about the topic.
- Work your topic by making the subject matter relevant to the audience.
- Unless you present a clear benefit that people can derive from listening to you, you will not get or keep their attention.
- If you cannot find the subject’s relevance, you may need to refine or revise the topic.
- Try to make the presentation easy to listen to.
- Choose a clear organization and structure.
- Emphasize important points.
- Do not overwhelm the audience.
- Build on prior knowledge.
- Define terms that the audience may be unfamiliar with.
- Use interesting and appropriate supporting material.
- Use appropriate presentation aids.
Ask Yourself:
- Why are these guidelines important?
- How can they be incorporated into your speech?