Informative Speeches: Chapter 13 Study Notes

Understanding Informative Speeches

Introduction and Goals

An informative speech's primary goal is to deepen your audience's understanding and raise their awareness about a particular issue or subject. The speaker aims to increase the audience's knowledge on topics they likely have little or no prior understanding of. It is also important that the topic is personally meaningful to the speaker, as this typically leads to a more engaging and effective presentation. Lack of interest from the speaker can be conveyed to the audience.

Key Characteristics

• Accuracy: This is paramount. Information must be gathered from reliable, substantiated sources. Avoid using biased or unproven facts, especially from .com sites that may be skewed by political or personal agendas. Instead, prioritize .gov sites (e.g., fbi.gov, census.gov) for accurate statistical and factual information.
• Clarity: Present information in a clear and understandable manner. The goal is not to overload the audience but to ensure easy comprehension.

Categories of Informative Speeches

When brainstorming topics for an informative speech, consider the following categories:

• Objects and Places: Focus on tangible items or specific locations.
  • Examples: A pencil, a house, a statue, Paris, Spain, a small town.
  • Speech Example: "The Secret Spices in Thai Food."
    • Specific Purpose: To help my audience learn about the secret spices of Thai food.
    • Thesis Statement: (Would outline several key spices).
• People or Other Living Things: Focus on individuals or species.
  • Examples: Rottweilers (e.g., assessing their danger to society), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (relevant during Black History Month).
  • Speech Example: "The Truth About Tarantulas."
    • Specific Purpose: To make my audience understand the truth about tarantulas.
    • Thesis Statement: Tarantulas are not deadly to humans, usually live a long life, and make good pets (if they are not poisonous).
• Processes: Explain how something is done or how something works.
  • Examples: How to bake a cake, how to change a light bulb, how to fix a catalytic converter on a car.
  • Speech Example: "Create Your Own Podcast."
• Events: Focus on significant occurrences.
  • Example: Career Day.
  • Specific Purpose: To help my audience understand the features of career day.
    • Thesis Statement: (Would detail the various features of a career day).
• Ideas and Concepts: Explore abstract issues or subjects.
  • Examples: Investing, sex trafficking, binge drinking.
  • Speech Example: "Binge Drinking."
    • Specific Purpose: To have my audience understand the risks of binge drinking.
    • Thesis Statement: Binge drinking is a form of alcohol abuse that poses serious short-term and long-term health risks to the individual.

Developing a clear specific purpose and a thesis statement is crucial. The thesis statement will guide the entire development of your speech.

Organizational Patterns

While various patterns exist (topical, chronological, spatial, cause-effect), the most common for informative speeches are:

• Topical (Most Popular): This pattern divides the subject into main points that are of equivalent importance and relate to the overall topic. For example, a speech on "the dangers of smoking" might use main points such as hygiene, health, and finances, as they parallel each other in impact.
• Chronological: This pattern arranges points in a time sequence (e.g., past, present, future for a personal introduction speech).

Challenges and Strategies for Effective Informative Speeches

1. Engaging Your Audience

• Challenge: Informative speeches can sometimes be perceived as monotone or uninteresting.
• Strategies:
  • Use Good Research Skills and Present Little-Known Information: Surprising statistics or facts can instantly grab attention.
    • Example: A study revealed that $99.7\%$ of married couples who pray together daily never divorce (only $3$ out of $1000$ ever divorced). This statistic is compelling given that divorce rates typically exceed $50\%$
  • Teach and Inform: Explain why the information is important, how it is useful, and how it can be applied to the audience's lives.
  • Lively Delivery: Be enthusiastic, use vocal variation, and employ appropriate gestures to maintain audience attention. Avoid a boring or monotonous delivery.

2. Making Information Relevant

• Challenge: The audience may not see how the information pertains to them, especially if the topic seems distant.
• Strategy:
  • Proximity: Connect the information to the audience's local environment or personal experiences. For example, instead of discussing water shortages in California, localize the issue to "water shortage in Coles County" to increase immediate relevance and engagement.

3. Avoiding Information Overload

• Challenge: Speakers often try to include too much new information or too many statistics, overwhelming the audience.
• Strategies:
  • The $30/70$ Principle: Audiences typically remember about $30\%$ of what is said. Aim for approximately $30\%$ new information in your speech, and use the other $70\%$ to repackage, review, or reinforce key points to aid memory.
  • Keep it Simple: Present complex ideas in an easy-to-understand manner.
  • Avoid Jargon: Do not use specialized terms or acronyms that your audience might not understand (e.g., "JIT technology" for "Just-In-Time" in manufacturing). If jargon must be used, explain it clearly.
    • Note: Even common social media terms like "tweet" or "update your status" may not be universally understood.
    • Recommendation: Consider watching the documentary The Social Dilemma for an insightful perspective on technology and communication.
  • Build in Repetition and Redundancy (Signposting): Use verbal cues to guide the audience through your speech structure. This is like road signs telling drivers where to turn or stop. For example, when transitioning between main points, use phrases like "First, let me discuss hygiene… Second, we will examine health… And third, we'll look at finances." Use parallel wording for main points to enhance clarity.

4. Avoiding Persuasion

• Challenge: The primary goal is to inform, not to convince or persuade the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or action.
• Strategies:
  • Objectivity is Key: Maintain a completely unbiased stance. Do not attempt to make decisions for the audience.
    • Example: When discussing an election, explain the electoral process or voting locations, but do not endorse a particular candidate or party.
  • Avoid Persuasive Language: Refrain from using emotionally charged words or phrases that suggest a certain judgment. This includes words like "should," "shouldn't," "good," "bad," "right," or "wrong."
  • Present Facts Only: Your role is to provide factual information, allowing the audience to form their own conclusions.

Informative Speech Requirements (Classroom Context)

• Speech Length: $8$ minutes.
• Sources: A minimum of $5$ credible sources are required.
  • Maximum of $2$ internet (.com) sites. Prioritize more credible sources such as newspapers or academic databases accessed through a library.
  • One Personal Interview: Conduct an interview with someone knowledgeable on your topic. This can often be your most valuable source.
• Visual Aids: Not strictly required (no PowerPoint, Prezi, or slideshows). Focus on using vivid language to paint a picture for your audience. If you choose to use a visual aid, it's acceptable.
• Citation: You must verbally cite your sources during your speech. Additionally, all sources must be cited in your speech outline.
  • Verbal Citation Example: "According to an article in the Chicago Tribune by David Smith, published on February $2$, $2021$,…" Refer to specific instructions in the course Dropbox for various examples of verbal citation.