Informative Speech

Informative Speeches Should… Communicate the information accurately Communicate the information clearly Make the information meaningful and interesting to the audience

Four Types of Informative Speeches Speeches about Objects Speeches about Processes Speeches about Events Speeches about Concepts

Speeches About Objects Objects include things are or alive such as people or animals, places, things, or structures. Examples: Barack Obama, The Gettysburg Battlefield, an acoustic guitar You will not have time to tell your classmates everything about any of these subjects. Choose a specific purpose that focuses on one aspect of your subject. Example: To inform my audience what to look for when buying an acoustic guitar. Example: To inform my audience of Barack Obama’s early life as a community organizer.

Make Your Purpose Precise BAD: To inform my audience about J.K. Rowling. GOOD: To inform my audience about the major contribution that J.K. Rowling made to a generation’s love of reading.

Organizing Your Speech About Objects Depending on your topic and your purpose, you will organize your speech using one of the following types of organizing techniques. Chronological Order – if your purpose is to explain the history or evolution of your subject Spatial Order – if the specific purpose is to describe the main features of your subject Topical Order – Speeches about objects

Speeches About Processes Speeches about processes explain how something is made, how something is done, or how something works. Examples: To inform my audience about how a vinyl record is made. To inform my audience how to make seven layer dip. To inform my audience how hurricanes develop.

Two Kinds of Speeches about Processes The first explains a process so that listeners will understand it better. Your goal is to have your audience know the steps of the process and how they relate to one another. The second explains a process so listeners will be better able to perform the process themselves. Your goal should be to teach the audience a skill.

Organizing a Process Speech When informing about a process, you will almost always arrange your speech in chronological order. Explain the process step-by-step from the beginning to the end. Make sure each step is clear and easy to follow. If you process has more than four or five steps, group the steps into units to limit your number of main points.

Speeches About Events An event is anything that happens or is regarded as happening. Examples: the Sundance Film Festival, the Battle of Gettysburg, Olympic Games Narrow your focus and pick a specific purpose you can accomplish in a short speech. Example: To inform my audience about how films are chosen to be shown at the Sundance Film Festival. Example: To inform my audience about what occurred at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Organizing Your Event Speech Chronological Order: If you are recounting an event, you will organize your speech in chronological order, relating the incidents one after another in the order they occurred. Topical Order: You can approach an event from almost any angle or combination of angles – features, origins, implications, benefits, future developments, etc. Make sure your main points subdivide the subject logically and consistently.

Speeches About Concepts Concepts include beliefs, theories, ideas, and principles. Concepts are more abstract than objects, processes, or events. Examples: Buddhism, theory of special relativity, human rights Make sure to add a specific purpose to your topic. Example: To inform my audience about the basic principles of Buddhism.

Organizing a Concept Speech Concept Speeches use Topical Order Focus on the main features of your concept Define the concept you are dealing with, identify its major elements, and illustrate it with specific examples. Be sure to pay special attention to avoiding technical language and define terms clearly. Use examples and comparisons to illustrate your concept

Guidelines for Informative Speeches

Don’t Overestimate what the Audience Knows For most informative speeches, your listeners will be only somewhat familiar with the details of your topic. Do not assume that the audience will know what you mean. Be sure to explain everything so thoroughly that they cannot help but understand.

Don’t Overestimate What the Audience Knows continued As you work on your speech, ask yourself whether it will be clear to someone who is hearing about the topic for the first time. The test of a good speaker is to communicate even the most complex ideas clearly and simply. Remember that one of the challenges of speaking is that your listeners must understand what you say in the time it takes you to say it.

Relate the Subject Directly to the Audience Remember that what is interesting to you, isn’t necessarily going to be interesting to your audience. Find ways to relate what you’re talking about to the audience. Research has found that using personal terms like “you” and “your” in an informative speech increases audience understanding of the topic.

Personalize Your Ideas Listeners want to be entertained as they are being educated. Don’t just use facts and figures to inform about your topic. Personalize your ideas and dramatize them in human terms. Put a human face on your topic by sharing a story.