Events
An event is a notable or exceptional occurrence, either from the present time or from some point in the past. Here are just a few examples of events on which you could focus an informative speech:
The signing into law of the Twenty-
Sixth Amendment, which lowered the voting age to eighteen The discovery of a new planet or species
The outcome of a high-
profile murder trial The publication of an important new book
An underdog’s surprising victory over the front-
runner in a sporting event The emergence in the business world of a new and different kind of company
The unearthing of new evidence suggesting the origins of humankind
A wedding, funeral, or religious ritual in your family
The Republican or Democratic National Convention
The Billabong Pipeline Masters at Banzai Pipeline
A commemoration at the Tomb of the Unknowns
Your town’s extraordinary Fourth of July celebration
Fashion Week in New York City
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How do you decide what event would make a good topic for an informative speech? Look for events that your audience will consider exciting, newsworthy, historically important, or interesting because they are unfamiliar or surprising.
In delivering an informative speech about an event, you could easily use narrative to tell the story of how the event unfolded. You also could use description to explain how the event affected a group of people. Or you could employ a blend of both narrative and description. For instance, suppose you were presenting a speech about the day you became an American citizen. You might begin with a narrative about your experiences as an immigrant, including anecdotes about your travels from your home country and your family’s struggle to establish itself in America. You might then detail the process of applying for citizenship. Finally, you might describe what happened at your naturalization ceremony and how it felt for you to take the citizenship pledge.