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Effective informative speakers share accessible, understandable information in a compelling way.

As the opening example about the speech on influenza vaccines suggested, informative speaking is about teaching your listeners something and increasing their awareness of your topic. You probably use informative speaking many times during a typical day—whenever you’re defining, explaining, describing, demonstrating, or telling a story about something. Whether you’re speaking informatively in everyday situations or delivering a formal presentation to a class or another type of audience, you can greatly enhance your effectiveness by applying the key practices presented in this chapter.

First, know how and when to use the five techniques for informative speaking: definition, explanation, description, demonstration, and narrative. Second, decide on the type of informative speech you want to give—whether it will be about an object, an individual or a group, an event, a process, or an idea. Third, use audience analysis to decide which technique you should use to organize your speech and how much to simplify your message. And fourth, stay focused on informing and maintaining an objective viewpoint.

When you apply these practices, you improve the odds of achieving your purpose in giving an informative speech. You enable your audience members to learn something new and important, and you hone their understanding, awareness, or sensitivity to your topic.