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Informative Speaking

S itting in a village café drinking malwa, a local homemade brew, a group of Ugandan men are attending a lecture.¹ A health worker is explaining that women are more susceptible to malaria during pregnancy because their immune system is weakened. If a pregnant woman is infected with malaria—spread through the bite of mosquitoes—she and her child could become seriously ill and even die (World Health Organization, 2003). Though the village health clinics make this information available, most of the men don’t know these facts. Why? As Christine Munduru of the Open Society Initiative for East Africa (OSIEA) explains, “When special meetings are held to educate people on health issues, the men don’t go because they think health is something only the women should deal with” (Cumberland, 2010).

¹ Drawn from Cumberland (2010).

This practice prompted local scientists and health care workers to think of alternative ways to get important information distributed in the village. They decided to go where the village men do gather: the local bar. They began holding a series of casual discussions—known as Café Scientifique—to educate the men about health issues, as well as topics like agriculture and domestic violence. Conducted in the local language, the talks were a hit from the start. “It was amazing,” says Munduru. “Nobody wanted to miss out. . . . We let the community take charge and choose the topics, although we guide them to make sure that they are balanced. We empower them with information then leave them to make their own decisions” (Cumberland, 2010).

While the Café Scientifique sessions are prospering in Uganda, the concept actually began in a wine bar in Leeds, England. Worried that people didn’t know enough about modern scientific advancements, British television producer Duncan Dallas planned an informal session about Darwinism—a theory about how species evolve. Almost 50 people showed up and inspired Dallas to transform Café Scientifique into a worldwide movement. Also known as “science cafés,” the idea is to provide “a place where, for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science and technology” (www.cafescientifique.org).

No matter where Café Scientifique events take place, the format is fairly consistent. Most talks are conducted in coffee shops, bars, or restaurants (like the one shown here in Germany). A local scientist or technologist speaks for about 20 minutes about a topic of interest to listeners. Speakers focus their talks on simple main points, using everyday language that audience members can understand—even those with no scientific background (Dallas, 2006). After a talk, the speaker takes questions from the audience for about an hour. According to John Cohen, immunology professor at the University of Colorado and founder of a Café Scientifique in Denver, people can ask questions or just listen to scientists in a relaxed setting and learn something new (Sink, 2006). But the presenters also benefit—they learn how to competently communicate their research and ideas to the general public.

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The Café Scientifique presentations can also have unexpected outcomes. After listening to the malaria presentation, many Ugandan men—who ordinarily sleep alone under mosquito nets—gave the nets to their pregnant wives to protect them against mosquito bites. Informative speaking happens in a lot of different everyday settings. For example, in a college class, while at work, or elsewhere in your community, you could be asked to give a talk that’s aimed at informing and enlightening an audience. Maybe you’ll offer insights about a particular topic (why pregnant women are more susceptible to malaria), show how to do something (how to stain a piece of furniture), talk about an event or a person of interest (the story of George Lucas and the Star Wars franchise), or explain the differences and similarities between several ideas or things (the distinguishing features of serif versus san serif fonts). When delivering an informative speech, you’ll still follow the five steps for speech preparation that we discuss in Chapters 13, 14, and 15: think, investigate, compose, rehearse, and revise (see Table 16.1). In addition, you’ll consider the unique aspects of informative speeches. In this chapter, you’ll learn: