Study Notes on Informative and Persuasive Speaking

Chapter Overview: Informative and Persuasive Speaking

  • Sections:

    • 11.1: Informative Speeches

    • 11.2: Persuasive Speaking

    • 11.3: Persuasive Reasoning and Fallacies

    • 11.4: Persuasive Strategies

11.1: Informative Speeches

Objectives

  • Identify common topic categories for informative speeches.

  • Identify strategies for researching and supporting informative speeches.

  • Explain the different methods of informing.

  • Employ strategies for effective informative speaking, including avoiding persuasion, avoiding information overload, and engaging the audience.

Importance of Informative Speaking

  • Informative speaking is the most common form of public speaking, found in reports, lectures, training seminars, and demonstrations.

  • While it may not seem as exciting as persuasive speaking, it is crucial and widely used in various contexts such as consulting and training fields.

  • College alumni stress the importance of informative speaking skills in professional environments (Verderber, 1991).

Creating an Informative Speech

  • Informative speaking aims to teach using objective information.

  • Historically, public speaking was primarily argumentative; however, with the democratization of information and the complexity of knowledge, there has been a shift to more informative instruction.

  • Educators now aim to teach background information without relying solely on debate and argumentative methods.

Choosing an Informative Speech Topic

  • Topics can engage and educate based on the level of speaking: formal, vocational, and impromptu.

  • Categories for Speeches:

    • Objects

    • People

    • Events

    • Processes

    • Concepts

    • Issues

  • Examples of Topics:

    • Objects: Biomass gasifier, Tarot cards.

    • People: Al Gore, Jennifer Lopez.

    • Events: Earth Day, Pi Day.

    • Processes: Converting wind to energy.

    • Concepts: Sustainability.

    • Issues: Nuclear safety.

Researching Informative Speech Topics

  • Effective research is fundamental for informative speaking.

  • Seek credible, balanced, and objective sources (periodicals, books, newspapers, websites).

  • Engage the audience by choosing novel and unexpected information.

  • Example: A speech on the history of coupons highlighted surprising facts, increasing audience engagement.

Engaging the Audience

  • Avoid information overload; focus on clarity and comprehension.

  • Provide practical takeaways that both engage and inform the audience, leaving them with memorable insights.

  • Organize informative speeches using topical, chronological, or spatial patterns:

    • Topical: Logical subdivisions of the main topic.

    • Chronological: Development or processes in time sequence.

    • Spatial: Layouts or characteristics of a specific place or concept.

Methods of Informing

Informing through Definition

  • Define concepts clearly using:

    • Synonyms/Acronyms: Help clarify meaning.

    • Use/Function: Explain what something does.

    • Examples: Illustrate larger concepts.

    • Etymology: Historical origins of terms (e.g., meanings and roots of words).

Informing through Description

  • Create vivid verbal pictures to engage the audience’s senses, enhancing understanding and interest.

  • Example: Invoking sensory reactions when describing objects.

Informing through Demonstration

  • Combining verbal and physical directives enables audience understanding of how to do something.

  • Emphasize practice, clarity, and visual aids during demonstrations to ensure effectiveness.

Informing through Explanation

  • Share reasons for phenomena or processes; break complex topics into manageable parts for understanding.

Effective Informative Speaking Strategies

Avoiding Persuasion

  • Maintain objectivity; focus solely on informing without swaying views or opinions.

Avoiding Information Overload

  • Keep information digestible; suggest spending 30% of your speech on new material and 70% on reengaging or summarizing that information.

Engaging Your Audience

  • Create content that is relevant and interesting based on the audience’s prior knowledge.

Summary

  • Effective informative speaking requires balancing the presentation of novel content with audience engagement strategies while avoiding persuasive techniques and information overload.

11.2: Persuasive Speaking

Objectives

  • Explain how claims, evidence, and warrants function to create an argument.

  • Identify strategies for choosing a persuasive speech topic.

  • Identify strategies for adapting a persuasive speech.

  • Distinguish among propositions of fact, value, and policy.

  • Choose an appropriate organizational pattern for a persuasive speech.

Foundation of Persuasion

  • Persuasive speaking aims to influence beliefs, attitudes, values, or behaviors.

  • An argument consists of:

    • Claim: Central assertion.

    • Evidence: Supporting data or examples.

    • Warrant: Justification linking claim and evidence.

Example of Argument Structure

  • Claim: “There should be a national law against texting while driving.”

  • Evidence: “Research shows a crash risk of 23 times worse than driving without distraction.”

  • Warrant: The cited research comes from a credible source, adding legitimacy to the claim.

Choosing a Persuasive Speech Topic

Criteria for Topic Selection

  • Current relevance and controversy.

  • Significant societal implications.

  • Passionate personal interest.

  • Topics should not be inflammatory but rather meaningful.

Thesis Statement Development

  • Articulate arguments clearly; counter arguments should be considered for persuasive strength.

Adapting Persuasive Messages

Audience Analysis

  • Engage audiences at differing levels of agreement and understanding.

  • Strategies include intensifying agreement for supportive audiences and providing supporting background information for neutral audiences.

Propositions in Persuasive Speeches

  • Proposition of Fact: Asserting something is true or false.

  • Proposition of Value: Claiming something is good/bad or right/wrong.

  • Proposition of Policy: Advocating for specific actions or policies.

Organizational Patterns for Persuasive Speech

Patterns Include:

  • Problem-Solution: Identifying a problem followed by proposed solutions.

  • Cause-Effect: Examining causal relationships.

  • Monroe’s Motivated Sequence: Structured for influencing audience action through clear steps.

11.3: Persuasive Reasoning and Fallacies

Objectives

  • Define inductive, deductive, and causal reasoning.

  • Evaluate the quality of reasoning.

  • Identify common fallacies in reasoning.

Reasoning Types

Inductive Reasoning

  • Generalizing based on specific examples (e.g., evidence leads to broader conclusions).

  • Weakness: hasty generalizations may arise if examples are insufficient.

Deductive Reasoning

  • Drawing specific conclusions from general principles (e.g., syllogisms). Valid deductions require all premises to be true.

Causal Reasoning

  • Establishing relationships between causes and effects. Care must be taken to avoid over-simplification of complex issues.

Common Fallacies of Reasoning

  • Hasty Generalization: Insufficient examples lead to broad claims.

  • False Analogy: Comparing two things that are not similar enough.

  • False Cause: Incorrectly attributing cause and effect.

  • Ad Hominem: Attacking the person instead of the argument.

  • Slippery Slope: Assuming direct consequences from a single action without evidence.

  • Red Herring: Distracting from the main issue with irrelevant information.

11.4: Persuasive Strategies

Objectives

  • Identify common persuasive strategies.

  • Explain how ethos, logos, and pathos are utilized in speeches.

  • Discuss cognitive dissonance and its role in persuasion.

Persuasive Strategies Overview

  • Ethos: Building speaker credibility through competence, trustworthiness, and dynamism.

  • Logos: Logical reasoning and factual support are crucial for establishing a rational basis for claims.

  • Pathos: Leveraging emotional appeals to engage and motivate audiences.

Cognitive Dissonance

  • Employing discomfort from contradictory beliefs to persuade audiences toward change.

Appeals to Needs

  • Tapping into fundamental human needs (safety, social connection, self-esteem) to motivate audience action.

Summary

  • Persuasive speaking employs various strategies centered on ethical consideration of credibility, logical reasoning, and emotional engagement while effectively using cognitive dissonance and appeals to human needs to enhance persuasion.