With information available today in so many forms, electronic and otherwise, it might appear that we have little need for informative speeches. Yet it is precisely because of this glut of gathered facts that we thirst for thoughtful perspectives, and informative speeches can answer this need. Your speech might be an in-depth analysis of a complex subject, a report of an event, or a physical demonstration of how something works. As long as your audience learns something, the options are nearly limitless.

Enlighten Rather Than Advocate

The goal of an informative speech stands in contrast to that of the persuasive speech, which explicitly attempts to influence people’s attitudes, values, beliefs, or behavior about an issue. Whereas a persuasive speech would seek to modify attitudes or ask the audience to adopt a specific position, an informative speech stops short of this. Yet scholars of public speaking point out that there is no such thing as a purely informative or persuasive speech; that is, there are always elements of persuasion in an informative speech, and vice versa. Rarely are we entirely dispassionate about a subject, especially one that tends to elicit strong reactions. Nevertheless, if you keep in mind the general informative speaking goal, you will be able to deliver an informative speech whose primary function is to enlighten rather than to advocate.

Use Audience Analysis

Audience members must be able to identify with the informative topic and see how they can use and benefit from the information you give them. You therefore will need to gauge what your listeners already know about your informative topic as well as what they want and need to know about it. Then adapt your speech accordingly. If speaking about collecting violins to a general audience, for example, you might describe the parts of a violin, the sounds it produces, and the names of the Italian families who made the most prized instruments. Only a specialized audience of musicians will want or need to hear about staccato bowings, sforzando marks, or other technical information.²

The importance of giving listeners a reason to care about your topic cannot be overstated. Early on in your speech (in your preview statement, for example) tell audience members why they should listen to you. Demonstrate the topic’s relevance to the audience by pointing out how some aspect of it relates directly to listeners’ lives.

Present New and Interesting Information

Audiences want to learn something new when they listen to a speaker. To satisfy this drive, try to uncover information that is fresh and compelling. Seek out unusual sources (but make certain they are credible), novel (but sound) interpretations, startling facts, compelling examples, and moving stories. As professional speaker Vickie K. Sullivan notes:

The first point that transforms an ordinary speaker into an industry beacon is a new perspective on a major problem. . . . If the speech does not convey provocative information, audience members feel their time has been wasted (and rightfully will feel offended). They expect their thinking to be challenged.³

As important as offering new information, however, is not overwhelming listeners with too much of it. Most people will recall less than half of the information you tell them, so focus on what you most want to convey and trim material that does not strongly support your central idea.⁴

One way to discover new information is via the Web. The following sites provide search trends, hot topics, popular issues, and ideas that are trending now⁵:

Look for Ways to Increase Understanding

People are not simply empty vessels into which you can pour facts and figures and expect them to recognize and remember all that information. Before we can retain information, we must be motivated to listen to it and be able to recognize and comprehend it.⁶ Incorporating the public speaking steps introduced in previous chapters will help you motivate the audience to listen and sustain their involvement as you move through the speech. For example, Chapter 8 discusses how to flesh out speech points with compelling supporting materials, such as examples, stories, opinions, and facts. Chapter 16 illustrates ways you can use language to connect to your audience and help listeners to visualize ideas; it also shows how rhetorical devices such as repetition and parallelism can reinforce information and drive home key themes. Other aspects of speechmaking covered in previous chapters that are necessary ingredients for an effective informative speech include: