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Informing, Not Persuading

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Ethics and You

Have you ever treated a speech, another assignment, or a work-related task subjectively when it was intended to be as objective as possible? Do you feel that it’s possible to stay entirely objective in many situations that call for it?

As you learned in chapter 11, informative speaking serves as the base for persuasive speaking: in many cases, speakers inform audiences in hopes of persuading them to behave in a certain way. In a similar vein, persuasive speakers must first inform their audiences about certain facts and information before they can attempt to influence them. But while these two types of speaking are naturally related, it’s important to recognize that they differ in one very important way: an informative speech is intended to be objective—it presents facts and information in a straightforward and evenhanded way, free of influence from the speaker’s personal thoughts or opinions. A persuasive speech, by contrast, is expected to be subjective—it presents facts and information from a particular point of view.

Table 14.1 Informative Versus Persuasive Speaking
	Informative Speeches	Persuasive Speeches
Approach	From a perspective of inquiry or discovery; the speaker researches a topic to find out what information exists and shares that information with an audience.	From a perspective of advocating a position or desired outcome; the speaker researches a topic to find information that supports a particular point of view and then tries to convince an audience to change an attitude or take some action based on that point of view.
Objectivity	The speaker reports information objectively, in the role of a messenger.	The speaker argues a case subjectively and speaks from a particular point of view.
Use of facts and information	The speaker sets out the current facts or state of affairs concerning the topic.	The speaker builds a case that he or she is passionate about and includes information that supports his or her favored position.
Expression of opinions	The speaker may provide others’ opinions but refrains from giving his or her own.	The speaker provides others’ opinions that support his or her own position or viewpoint; the speaker may mention differing opinions only to rebut or discredit them.

When you’re speaking to an audience that is knowledgeable about your topic, you don’t want to bore them with a long list of facts they already know. Tell them something new!

When delivering an informative speech, you must always remain objective; if you find yourself expressing an opinion or choosing only facts, information, or other material that supports your personal view, you are in fact delivering a persuasive speech. So when delivering an informative speech, it’s important to examine your process at every step to ensure that you are being truly objective. Some of the issues you’ll need to evaluate are examined in Table 14.1, above.

THINGS TO TRY

Locate a persuasive speech that you found particularly compelling. Print it out and edit it, removing any and all material that you feel is persuasive in nature (for example, the speaker’s opinions, any notably biased statements, any evidence that is subjective rather than objective). Does the remainder of the speech hold up as an informative speech? How could you change it to make it a purely informative presentation?