- to teach the audience something new
- to teach the audience something we don't know
The audience may have the general idea of the topic, but an informative speech will give the audience new knowledge or more depth.
Types of Informative Speeches
- Objects - deals with anything you can see, feel, hear, taste, or smell. Includes people, animals, places, plants, and structures.
- Events - about anything that has happened or is happening.
- Processes - about a related series of events that lead to a specific result or product.
- Concepts - dealing with beliefs, theories, ideas, and principles. More abstract than objects, events, processes speeches.
Attention Devices
- Humor (funny incident)
- Anecdote (story to connect to speech topic)
- Common Ground Technique (identify ways the audience might have experience with your topic)
- Shock Technique (hard-to-believe fact, statement to get the audience "awake")
- Suspense (Teasing the audience into guessing the topic by withholding it for awhile)
Build interest in the speech during the introduction. Ask a series of questions dealing with your topic to preview what you will be discussing. Use a quotation that highlights an important aspect of your topic.
PREVIEW the topic....audiences need "clues" about the topic coming up as well as the main points that will be covered. Then, RELATE the topic to your audience. Get them to connect to it by saying why it is of particular interest to them.
A good introduction should: focus the listener's attention, build their interest in the speaker's subject, and preview the topic for the audience
The main message of your topic is critical and must be included in several places: previewed in the introduction, told the complete message in the body, and hear the message summarized in the conclusion.
The BODY of the speech includes: logos, ethos, pathos
Logos (logical) - means to persuade by the use of reasoning. Reason is the heart of argumentation. Statistics, facts, and logical appeals.
Pathos (emotional) - appealing to the reader's emotion. Language choice affects the audience's emotional response, and emotional appeal can effectively be used to enhance an argument.
Ethos (credibility) - or ethical appeal, means convincing by the charactor of the author. Need to project that you are someone worth listening to - the AUTHORITY on a subject, as well as someone who is likeable and worthy of respect. Listeners more readily accept information from a source they have confidence in, that they believe, and they always ask 3 unspoken questions:
- Is this speaker thoroughly familiar with the subject?
- Is this speaker being completely open and honest with me?
- Do I enjoy listening to this speaker?
Use humor, anecdotes, straightforwardly mention the research you did for the speech, and mention an experience you've had that qualifies you as an "expert" on your topic.
Transitions
Transition between paragraphs with a transition sentence. Use transition words throughout to build flow. Transitions should: summarize your point, tell the listener what point is next, and show the relationship between those two.
Avoid to much technical language...it will BORE US.
Conclusion
- Signal that you're going to conclude
- Summarize your main points by restating in different words
- Be sure to really enforce the main idea
- Close with a "BANG!" (quotation or dramatic statement)
- Then, really close with a challenge to your audience or a rhetorical question
