Chapter 15

Informative
Speaking
Informative Speaking: Introduction
An informative speech:
Shares information or ideas with audience
Increases understanding and awareness of a
topic
Gives listeners new knowledge
Keeps information audience-centered
Informative Speaking: An Overview
In this chapter, we will discuss:
Techniques for informing
Types of informative speeches
Developing your informative speech
Clarifying and simplifying your message
Three sample speeches

Techniques for Informing:
Definition
Definition explains the essence, meaning,
or purpose of something such as a(n):
Object
Person or group
Event
Process
Idea or concept

Techniques for Informing:
Definition
Four types of definitions:
Dictionary: presents the meaning of a term as
it appears in a dictionary
Expert: comes from a credible source in the
field
Etymological: traces somethings roots in the
same or other languages
Functional: looks at how something is applied
or how it functions
Techniques for Informing:
Definition
Techniques for Informing:
Explanation
Providing an analysis
of something to clarify
it, or tracing a line of
causal connections
between events
Works well on
speeches that:
Present a process
Trace the emergence of
an event
Illustrate how
something works

Techniques for Informing:
Description
Use words to paint a mental picture.
Achieve maximum impact by using:
Vivid language
Presentation aids
Details that evoke the audiences senses

Techniques for Informing:
Demonstration
Teaches how a process or a set of
guidelines works
Calls for physical modeling and verbal
elements to lead an audience through a
process
Requires confidence and practice
Helps audiences retain information
Especially when combined with repetition
Techniques for Informing:
Demonstration
Techniques for Informing:
Narrative
Present a story that entertains while it informs.
Base narratives on audience analysis and
support your message.
Tips for Techniques of Informing
Tip: Stories can humanize speakers and
improve their credibility, but, as a speaker,
you must practice the stories to sound
natural and unrehearsed.

Tip: Be audience-centeredit is your job
to get information across to the audience,
so choose a technique that is appropriate
for both the audience and the topic.
Types of Informative Speeches:
Objects
Types of objects include:
Mechanical/technological
Natural
Cultural
Personal
Appropriate techniques:
Definition
Explanation
Demonstration
Narrative


Types of Informative Speeches:
Individuals or Groups
People are
fascinated by
human subjects.
Ideas include:
Famous politician
Famous sports
star, entertainer, or
artist
An unsung hero
A tragic figure
Types of Informative Speeches:
Events
Notable or exceptional occurrences
from the present or past
Consider events that seem noteworthy,
exciting, surprising.
Blend narrative and description.
Types of Informative Speeches: Events
Types of Informative Speeches:
Processes
A series of steps or stages
that lead to outcomes
Informative speeches about
processes can be at the
micro or macro level.
Walk the audience through
the steps and their
sequence.
Types of Informative Speeches:
Ideas
Idea: Theory, principle, belief, or value
Relatively abstract
Discussion could benefit from real life
analogies
Presenter needs to connect with the
audiences:
Interests
Level of education
Prior exposure to the idea


Types of Informative Speeches: Ideas
Developing Your Informative Speech:
Analyzing Your Audience
Examine audience demographics:
Age
Ethnicity
Gender
Religion
Sexual orientation
Academic major
Educational background
Political affiliation
Occupation

Developing Your Informative Speech:
Analyzing Your Audience
Look for common ground, such as shared
values and interests.
This will help to strengthen your ethos.

Developing Your Informative
Speech: Selecting a Technique
Choice of technique helps you decide how
to develop main points and supporting
materials.
For demonstration, consider forum and
audience size.
For explanation or description, focus on
demographics.
For narrative, look to common ground issues.

Keep your focus on your purpose.

Developing Your Informative Speech:
Clarifying and Simplifying Your
Message
Clarity is a goal
of informative
speech.
Being clear
makes it easier
for audience to
understand.
Clarifying and Simplifying Your
Message: Move from General to
Specific
Keep the
information simple
to help your
audience
understand.
Clarifying and Simplifying Your
Message:
Move from General to Specific
Ask yourself:
What message do
you want your
audience to take
away?
The answer can
help you narrow
your topic.
Clarifying and Simplifying Your
Message: Reduce the Quantity of
Information You Present
Less is more
Pare down details
Clarifying and Simplifying Your
Message:
Make the Complex Familiar
Use definitions
and analogies.
Avoid jargon
and an
overabundance
of technical
terminology.

Clarifying and Simplifying Your
Message: Use Presentation Aids
Use
presentation
aids to clarify
and simplify
your
message.

Clarifying and Simplifying Your
Message: Reiterate Your
Message
Refer to your
message multiple
times.
Use different words
each time.
Clarifying and Simplifying Your
Message: Repeat Your Message
Use the same
words each
time.
Tips for Informative Speeches
Tip: Be audience-centered, choose a topic
that will be new to your audience.

Tip: To aid in clarity and interest, focus on
what you want the audience to have
learned by the end of the speech.
Sample Informative Speech
Rachel Parish, Spider Silk: A Miracle
Material Derived fromGoats?
Read the sample speech with comments
on pages 48791.
The three main points are:
Background and unique properties of spider silk
Role of the spider goat in producing spider silk
Current and future uses of spider silk
Sample Informative Speech
Elvia Anguiano, Precision-Guided Tumor
Killers
Read sample speech with comments on
pages 49296.
The main points are:
What traditional chemotherapy is and how it works
What precision-guided tumor killers (PGTKs) are
How PGTKs work
The potential benefits of PGTKs
Sample Informative Speech
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, On the Bank
Crisis
Read sample speech with comments on
pages 497501.
The main points are:
How banks work
Why banks failed in 1933
How the federal government responded