23The Informative

Speech

Objectives of Informative Speaking

To communicate knowledge. To raise audience awareness about a topic. To provide additional information to

audience’s current knowledge base. To shape perceptions. To demonstrate how something works. To describe an event.

Types of Informational Speeches

About objects or phenomena About people About events About processes About issues About complex concepts

• Table 23.1

Defining Information

Etymology: By illustrating the root or historical meanings of the term

Operational: By explaining what it does Negation: By describing what it is not Example: By providing concrete examples of it Synonym: By comparing it with something it is

like

Speeches of Demonstration

“How-to” speech, be prepared to use objects, models, or diagrams to demonstrate the process.

Choose topics that are unusual – items that you’ve never seen demonstrated before which you know how to do.

Speeches of Explanation

Provide detailed descriptions of persons, places, or things.

Provide reasons or causes for the concept. Demonstrate relationships between two

things. Offer interpretation and analysis about the

item.

Strategies for Reducing Confusion

Use analogies to build on prior knowledge

Demonstrate underlying causes Check audience for understanding Appeal to different learning styles

Organizing the Informative Speech

Choose the speech pattern that best fits the type of informative speech you are giving.

Organize your main points appropriately to the speech pattern.

Match your audio/visual aids to the speech pattern.

Matching Speech Type & Pattern

OBJECTS – spatial or topical

PEOPLE – topical, narrative, or chronological

EVENTS – topical, chronological, causal, or narrative

PROCESSES – chronological, spatial, or causal

CONCEPTS – topical, causal, or circular

ISSUES – topical, chronological, causal, circular

Bibliography

O’ Hair, Dan, Stewart, Rob, Rubenstein, Hannah, A Speaker’s Guidebook, Bedford St. Martin (2009)