1. A POCKET GUIDE TO PUBLIC SPEAKING 5TH EDITION Chapter 8
Developing Supporting Material

2. Types of Supporting Material
Examples
Narratives (stories)
Testimony
Facts
Statistics

3. Offer Examples Examples Brief example
Illustrate, describe, or represent things
Make ideas, items, or events concrete
Brief example
Single illustration of a point

4. Offer Examples (cont.) Extended example Hypothetical example
Multifaceted illustration
Reiterates the point effectively
Hypothetical example
Likely outcome of a future event; the “What If” scenario

5. Share Stories Story (narrative) Anecdote
Helps make sense of our experience
Includes plot, characters, setting, and timeline
Can be brief or drawn-out
Should create an emotional connection
Anecdote
A brief, interesting personal story

6. Draw on Testimony Testimony Expert testimony Lay testimony
Firsthand findings, accounts, and opinions
Expert testimony
Testimony from professionals/accredited experts on the topic
Lay testimony
Testimony by non-experts

7. Draw on Testimony (cont.)
When including testimony, provide
The person’s name and qualifications; especially if using expert testimony
Time and location of the testimony.

8. Provide Facts and Statistics
Documented occurrences such as actual events, dates, times, and places
Back up with credible evidence
Statistics
Quantified evidence
Summarize, compare, and predict things

9. Use Statistics Accurately
Use frequencies to indicate counts.
Frequency is how often something occurs.
Frequencies can
Help listeners understand comparisons;
Indicate size;
Describe trends.

10. Use Statistics Accurately (cont.)
Use percentages to express proportion.
A percentage is a quantified proportion of a whole.
Percentages help listeners easily grasp comparisons.

11. Use Statistics Accurately (cont.)
Use averages to describe typical characteristics.
Three types
Mean (arithmetic average)
Median (center-most score in a distribution)
Mode (most frequently occurring score)

12. Using Statistics Ethically
Use statistics within their context: remember that statistics are not permanent pieces of information; they are subject to the time in which they are gathered and who gathers them.
Never present statistics as absolute truth
Statistics are calculated but are still subject to scrutiny and evaluation for their validity.

13. Avoid Cherry-picking
Some speakers selectively present supporting material and statistics which buttress their point of view and ignore competing data which contradicts their goal.
Credible speakers present their evidence objectively and in context.

14. Refer Orally to Your Sources
Clearly identify your information source.
Provide enough context to interpret it.