Informative Speech
Informative Speech
Informative Speech
An informative speech provides information about a specific subject to an audience. The aim
of an informative speech is to help your audience to understand and to remember the
information you are presenting.
Students will create a five minute informative speech on a topic of their choice. They must
make sure the topic is narrow enough to thoroughly be presented within the five minutes.
(For example: dogs would be too broad of a topic to cover in 5 minutes - a particular breed of
dog, such as the Labrador retriever, might be covered in 5 minutes)
Students will select a topic and gather information from multiple sources - they can use
books, encyclopedias, database articles, or use the Internet as long as they can prove through
a web evaluation that the site is a valid source created by an authority on the subject.
Students will read over their sources and choose three main points that will be covered in the
body of their speech. They will then create notecards (according to specific guidelines
included in this packet) that support the chosen points and create a working outline with a
general and specific purpose statement, a thesis statement, and the three main points with
supporting evidence for each point.
Specific Purpose -
The specific purpose of a speech is its goal, stated in a complete sentence. If the general
purpose of your speech is to inform, then your specific purpose will be a statement of the
particular information you will present to the audience.
Example: Joels general purpose in his speech about place-kicking is to inform. His specific
purpose could be stated in a complete sentence. I want to explain the steps in soccer-style
place-kicking.
Examples:
If you already know a great deal about your topic, you can write your thesis statement at this
stage of your planning. For most speeches, however, you will need to do some research first.
SAMPLE
Topic: place-kicking
Thesis Statement: The four steps in soccer-style place-kicking are to spot the ball, to mark off
the steps, to approach the ball,, and to kick the ball.
You need to find information to support your main idea as expressed in your thesis
statement. The types of details commonly used to support a thesis include facts, opinions,
examples, illustrations, anecdotes, statistics, comparisons, definitions, descriptions, and
quotations.
4) Statistics:
Statistics are numerical facts: Only six out of every ten registered voters voted in the
last school election or unemployment recently dropped 2 percent. Citing a few
statistics may make your speech more informative, but giving too many statistics can
be boring or distracting. Use statistics carefully to add interest or to emphasize a
point.
5) Comparisons:
A comparison is a statement that shows the similarities between people, places, things,
events, or ideas. Comparisons help listeners relate new ideas to familiar concepts.
A literal comparison shows the real similarities between things that are essentially
alike. Example - Tom runs slower than Jorge.
7) Descriptions:
A description is a word picture of a person, place, thing, or event. Accurate
descriptions help people in your audience form mental pictures that correspond to the
actual thing described.
8) Quotations:
A quotation expresses someones exact words. Usually, you express your ideas in your
own words. However, in some cases you will use a quotation to express the opinion of
an authority or to include a particularly well stated idea. When you use quotations, you
must give credit to the source from which the words were taken.
The more convincingly you can show your listeners that you know about your topic, the more
likely they are to pay attention and to remember what you say.
The final step in preparing your material is to organize it. A well-organized speech has three
parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
The beginning section of your speech is the introduction. An introduction can be as short as a
few sentences and should usually be no longer than 10 percent of the speech. Length varies,
depending on the topic, the audiences interest level, and the audiences knowledge about the
subject.
1) get the attention of the audience - (sustained interest) - you need to find a way to
focus the audiences attention on the subject matter of your speech, then, when
you get into the body of the speech, your audience will continue to listen.
2) gain the goodwill of the audience - (audiences respect or positive feeling for the
speaker as a person) - What you say in your opening remarks and the way in
which you say it - your tone, your inflection, and other nonverbal signals are
important. If your audience likes or trusts you, they will likely be willing to
listen to what you have to say and to think about your message.
You can use any of the common methods for beginning a speech - a startling statement, a
question, a quotation, a story, or a personal reference - in an informative speech.
Transitional devices are bridges between ideas. They connect parts of a speech and help to
emphasize the points you are making.
Example: Between the opening and the body of your speech about dogs being our best friends,
you might say, First, lets look at ways dogs help people. Between the first and second
points you might say, Now that we have seen examples of how dogs work with people, lets
move on to our second point.
Transitional devices also help you emphasize ideas. For example, you might say, Here is a
point I want to stress, or The key point here is . . . Statements like these alert your
audience to be prepared to hear information that you think is important.
Audiovisual materials are resources that a speaker uses to help listeners retain information.
They can:
**Save time in explanation
**Clarify a point
**Help an audience remember important material
Sometimes you can find audiovisual materials --such as charts, diagrams, photographs, audio,
graphs, or maps - already prepared.
The body of a speech is the portion in which the main points are developed. To organize the
body of a speech, you will need to
Because the body of a speech contains the most important ideas that will be presented, many
experienced speakers prepare it first. Then, after they know the development of the main
ideas, they usually find the introduction and conclusion easier to prepare.
The main points of a speech are the major ideas under which the supporting information is
organized. If you have composed a well-written specific purpose, then determining the main
points of your speech should be fairly easy. The specific purpose or the thesis statement lead
to the wording of the main points.
Example:
Specific Purpose: I want to explain the three ways that dogs have shown themselves to be our
best friends.
Thesis Statement: Dogs have earned their place as our best friends by working with people,
by protecting people and their property, and by showing love and devotion to people.
Main Points:
I. Dogs work with people.
II. Dogs protect people and their property.
III. Dogs show love and devotion to people.
The main points of your speech may be organized in any of a number of logical patterns. The
three most common methods of arrangement are chronological order, spatial order, and
topical order.
1) Chronological Order - arranges details or events according to the order in which they
occurred in time. Chronological order is often useful for speeches that present a
history of something. To make remembering easier for your audience, group the steps
in chronological order under broad headings.
Chronological Example:
Specific purpose: I want to explain the five stages in the evolution of the bicycle.
2) Topical Order - a topic is broken down into its parts and then arranged in an order
determined by the speaker and stated in the specific purpose. This is the most common
method for organizing speeches.
3) Spatial Order - details are arranged according to their position in space. This
arrangement is often used for descriptions.
Once you have determined the main points of your speech and have made an informal plan of
organization, you can arrange your supporting information under appropriate headings.
Remember that the main points provide a basic structure that you fill out with supporting
information. As you sort and arrange your supporting material to group related ideas, take
care to keep unity in mind. A speech is unified when all its parts fit together to make a whole
and all of the information contained in the speech relates to the specific purpose. The best
way to plan a unified speech is to prepare an informal outline.
The conclusion of an informative speech usually includes a summary of the main points.
Many speakers end with a quotation, an anecdote, or a final thought that makes the
conclusion more memorable. The conclusion is the final portion of a speech. Although a
conclusion is seldom longer than a few sentences, it is very important. The goals of an
effective conclusion are:
1) Credibility - A speakers credibility is the amount of trust and belief the speaker
inspires in an audience. You want to establish yourself as a speaker whom the
audience can trust to give accurate information. One way to do this is to tell the
audience a little about your background or experience to let your audience know what
makes you qualified to talk about your topic. Be thoroughly prepared, but if you do not
know something or if experts are still debating a point, freely admit this.
2) Enthusiasm - Be enthusiastic about your topic. Your audience will probably find it
difficult to become excited about the topic you are speaking about if you do not seem to
find it important or interesting. The more enthusiasm you show, the more likely you
are to get and to hold the audiences attention.
3) Eye contact - Establish eye contact with your listeners. If you look at the members of
your audience, they will look at you. If you fail to establish eye contact, the members of
the audience will let their eyes - and their attention - wander.
4) Vocal Variety and Emphasis - Vary your tone, rate, volume, and pitch to emphasize
key points and to make your speech more interesting.
5) Clear Articulation and Enunciation - Be careful not to slur your words. When you
speak clearly, your audience will find listening to your message easy and enjoyable.
6) Good Pronunciation - Your pronunciation can either help or hurt your credibility. If
you mispronounce key words in your speech, your listeners will begin to question
whether you have a thorough knowledge of your subject.