Ch. 13 & 14 Informative Speaking and Persuasive

Speaking

Types of Informative Speaking

• By content or purpose

Content

• Speeches about processes-a series of actions that leads to a specific result

The process involved in traveling abroad• Speeches about objects-anything that can be seen

or touchedA speech about your guitar• Speeches about events-when a topic refers to

anything notable that has happenedA speech about the war in Iraq

Purpose

• Descriptions- describingDescribing the traditions of a particular

culture• Explanations-explainingExplaining each of the steps involved in fire

prevention• Instructions-teachingShowing students how to protect themselves

Informative Vs. Persuasive

Informative

• you are not presenting info that is controversial

• You are not trying to change audience attitudes

• You are trying to make the audience aware of something

• Usually to improve audience knowledge or ability

Persuasive• Usually involves a controversial topic• You are trying to persuade the audience to

take some sort of action, or change some sort of behavior

Techniques of Informative Speaking

1. Define a specific informative purpose2. Create information hunger

3. Make it easy for audience to listen and understand

• Limit amount of info you present -stick to 3-5 main topics• use familiar information to increase

understanding of the unfamiliar • Use simple information to build

understanding of complex info

4. Emphasize Important points

• Use repetition -with main points -with material that is difficult to understand• Use sign posts

Characteristics of persuasion

• Persuasion is the process of motivating someone, through communication to change a particular belief, attitude, or behavior.

Persuasion is interactive

• Can be compared to the transactional model

• It is an interaction that takes place between speaker and audience

Categorizing types of persuasion

• By types of proposition or by desired outcome

By types of Proposition• Propositions of fact• Propositions of value• Propositions of policy

Propositions of fact• issues in which there are two or more sides

with conflicting evidence• listeners are required to choose the truth

for themselvesExample: Kobe Bryant did/did not commit

rape

Propositions of value• go beyond issues of truth to explore the

worth of some idea, person, or objectExamples:• President Bush is/ is not the best president• Animal testing is/ is not wrong

Propositions of policy• Goes a step beyond fact or value in stating

a recommended course of actionExample:• Animal testing is wrong, and everyone

should not buy products that test on animals

Persuasive speeches based on desired outcome

• Convincing- when goal of speech is to make the audience believe something

-Kobe Bryant did not commit rape• Actuating- when goal of speech is to get

audience members to take specific actions -don’t buy make-up that is tested on animals

Persuasion can be categorized by to approaches:

1. Direct persuasion- state the persuasive message outright

(speaker’s goals are clear from the beginning)2. Indirect persuasion- persuasive message is not

clear right away(may start with a question and continue speech to

prove that question and persuade audience)

Creating the persuasive message

• Set a clear persuasive purpose• Structure the message carefully• Describe the problem• Describe the solution• Describe the desired audience response

Avoid fallaciesFallacy- Errors in logical thinking• There are numerous types of fallacies

A few of the most common fallacies

• AD HOMINEM- attack on the person instead of the argument

-the speaker attacks the integrity of the person in order to weaken the argument

REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM

• Reduction to the absurd• Unfairly attacks an argument by extending it to

such extreme lengths that it looks ridiculousStraw man argument- a variation of ad absurdum

fallacy• Speaker attacks a potentially valid argument by

demolishing a weak example and suggesting that it represents the entire position

EITHER-OR FALLACY

• Sets up false alternatives• Suggests that if the inferior one must be

rejected, then the other must be accepted

POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC

• False Cause• Mistakenly assumes that one event causes

another because they occur after one another

ARGUMENTUM AD VERECUNDIAM

• Appeal to authority• Involves relying on the testimony of

someone who is not an authority in the case being argued

• Occur often in advertising and politics

ARGUMENTUM AD POPULUM

• Bandwagon appeal• Based on idea that many other people like

it or agree with it, so should you• Wide spread acceptance of an idea is no

guarantee that it is correct

In conclusion

• When constructing your speech be careful that it does not involve fallacious reasoning