Working in groups of up to five students, select a potential speech topic. Then have each group member choose a different purpose for supporting materials (such as building audience interest or strengthening audience memory) and select an example of a supporting material that would help achieve that purpose. Discuss whether each supporting material chosen would be likely to achieve its purpose.

Identify the types of supporting materials Kim uses to develop her ideas. How well does she follow the guidelines for using supporting materials that are discussed in this chapter?

Review the evidence sources cited within this chapter, and then look at the endnotes for this chapter in the back of the book. What types of sources did the authors use to back up the points they raise? What kinds of supporting materials are included in this chapter that do not require citations to research? Would the chapter work as well if only one or the other type of supporting material were presented?

Review a newsmagazine article or another source that presents statistics to support the points it makes. How well do the statistics support the author’s thesis? Does the author provide appropriate context for the statistics?