Informative Speaking: Notes

NOTES:
• Informative Speaking – Effective informative speakers share information in an accessible, understandable, and compelling manner.
• Techniques for informing o Definition – breaking down by its parts and explaining how they add up to identify the topic. Types of definitions:
 Dictionary – the meaning of a term as it appears in a dictionary
 Expert – Comes from a person or an organization that is a credible source of information on your speech’s topic
 Etymological – Understanding a word or concept by tracing its roots in the same or other languages
 Functional – defining a concept by examining how it is applied or how it functions o Explanation – provide an analysis of something for purposes of clarity and specificity by tracing a line of reasoning or a series of causal connections between events. o Description – you use words to paint a mental picture for your listeners o Demonstration – physical and verbal as you lead audience through parts or steps o Narrative – story
• Types of informative speeches o Objects suitable for informative speeches
 Mechanical/Technological
 Natural
 Cultural
 Personal
 Individuals or Groups
 Events
 Processes
 Ideas
• Developing informative speeches o Analyzing your audience
 Demographics of audience – is it appropriate? o Selecting a technique (see above) o Focusing on your goal to inform – organization
 Spatial – describes or explains elements or events as they occur in space
 Temporal (chronological) – moves from the beginning to the end by referencing points in time
 Causal – explains the roots of a phenomenon or process
 Comparison – presents major similarities and differences between two items
 Criteria-application – presents the topic as a condition for series of conditions that must be met in order for a conclusion to follow
 Narrative – The speech as story with characters and plot
 Categorical (Topical) – main points constitute separate topics, each of which