Full Informative Speech: Gender-based Responses in Sports Chatrooms by Amanda List

Audience Analysis

Amanda uses audience analysis to help in determining both the content and delivery of her informative speech. Her audience analysis told her that many of her classmates use Internet chatrooms and many are interested in professional sports. Her experiment designed to test gender discrimination on the Internet relates to audience interests and is likely to be understood by them.

Since Amanda knows that her classmates have experience with online chatrooms, she uses language that the audience is likely to be familiar with when she says that she “was mildly flamed” for her mistake in a sports chatroom.

Content and Support

In demonstrating the process of her experiment to her classmates, Amanda uses step-by-step description of her experiences to support her hypothesis that “assuming gender is obvious, the treatment that one receives on-line when discussing sports-related topics will be congruous to the treatment a person encounters in face-to-face situations.”

Amanda precisely states her hypothesis for the study she is reporting. The hypothesis is referred to throughout the speech, and all of her points support it.

Here Amanda clearly demonstrates her claim that the identities she chose to use online are “obviously male,” “obviously female,” and “androgynous.” Both verbally and visually, she provides support to help her audience understand and believe her points.

Introduction, Transitions, and Conclusion

Amanda offers a complete introduction to bring her audience into her speech. She introduces her subject matter and shows how she arrived at her narrowed topic of gender-based communication in sports chatrooms.

Throughout the speech, she makes clear transitions, both from persona to persona when comparing the treatment of genders and from chatroom to chatroom when detailing her experiences online at different times of the day.

Speech Delivery

Amanda speaks clearly and confidently throughout her speech. Her tone is authoritative and she typically uses wording that is professional, yet she remains comfortable at all times.

When she does use online vernacular, her delivery remains strong, and she does not change her speaking style.

While practicing, Amanda made some delivery errors. When she stumbled in her speaking, she apologized for her mistake, drawing more attention to her faulty delivery instead of moving on confidently. When speakers must correct verbal mistakes, they should do so confidently, quickly, and move on without apology.

Use of Visual Aids

Amanda uses PowerPoint slides to help her audience follow the stages of her experiment.

In this example, Amanda makes good use of a visual aid to demonstrate visually what she is telling her audience.

While practicing, Amanda had some problems with her PowerPoint presentation. Here Amanda turns her back to the audience and speaks to her visual aid. This breaks eye contact and partially blocks the visual aid from the audience.