Communication In Our Lives, Fifth Edition by Julia T. Woods Chapter 17 Informative Speaking

Informative Speeches  Presentations that have the goal of increasing others’ knowledge, understanding, or abilities

Types of Informative Speeches  Demonstration  Instruction  Description  Explanation  Briefing  Reporting

Informative versus Persuasive Speaking  Persuasive speeches  tend to have more controversial purposes  seek more powerful responses from listeners  need more and better proof  require the speaker to earn greater credibility

Effective Informative Speaking  Provide listeners with a clear thesis statement  Connect with listeners’ values and experiences  Motivate listeners to want information  Build credibility with listeners

Effective Informative Speaking (cont’d)  Organize so listeners can follow easily  Adapt to diverse listeners

Effective Informative Speaking (cont’d)  Design your speech to enhance learning and retention  limit information presented  move from familiar to unfamiliar  repeat important ideas  highlight key material  rely on multiple communication channels

Effective Informative Speaking (cont’d)  Involve listeners  call for participation  ask rhetorical questions  poll listeners  refer to specific listeners

Supporting Materials  To be effective and ethical, supporting materials should be  sufficient  accurate  relevant  timely  free of biases

Websites  American Memory Collection American Memory Collection American Memory Collection  Library of Congress, source materials to use when choosing a speech topic or writing an informative speech