Informative

Speeches
Educate Your
Audience
+ The goal of an informative speech
is to teach or educate your
audience something using
objective and factual information.
+ This is not your opinion.
+ You are not telling your audience
to change their thinking or
behavior (i.e., avoid persuasion).
Selecting Your Topic

+ Step One – Audience Analysis

+ Step Two – Determine the General Purpose of the speech
+ Step Three – Narrow the topic, develop a Specific Purpose
Statement
+ Step Four – Compose a Thesis Statement (i.e., a Central Idea)
Step 1 – Audience
Analysis
+ Determine “Who is my audience?”
+ Consider both commonalities and
uniqueness.
+ Be aware of Demographics
+ Gauge your audiences' interest and
knowledge on a topic (Psychological
Audience Analysis)
+ Consider the attitudes, beliefs, and values
of your audience
Step 2 – Determine
the General Purpose
+ A General Purpose is the
overarching, most abstract goal of
the speech;
Inform*
Persuade
Entertain
*The general purpose of this speech is to
inform my audience.
Step 3 – Narrow the topic and develop a
specific purpose statement
+ Consider the parameters of the speech (see assignment sheet)
+ See textbook for brainstorming suggestions
+ Once a topic had been chosen, draft a specific purpose statement
A one-sentence statement that includes the objective you want to accomplish in your speech.
Audience-centered, agrees with the general purpose, addresses one main idea, and is realistic.
“To inform my audience about the new local ordinance regarding seatbelts.”
Step 4 – Compose the thesis
statement for the speech
+ A thesis statement is a one-sentence summary of the central idea of your speech that you
either explain or defend.
+ For informative speeches – you explain.
+ Difference between thesis and specific purpose statement;
The thesis statement is content centered, purpose statement is audience centered.
The thesis statement is incorporated into the spoken portion of your speech, while the
specific purpose serves as a guide for your research and writing and an objective you can
measure.
Connecting the topic, General Purpose,
Specific Purpose, and Thesis Statement
Researching Your Topic (also
see chapter 9.2)
 Researching Your Topic
Use sources that are objective, balanced,
and credible.

Find new and engaging sources of

information.

Not too much, not too little.

Organizing Your Speech
(chapter 9.3)
Choosing the correct organizational pattern…
 INTRODUCTION
Ten Step
Organization
BODY

CONCLUSION
 INTRODUCTION
1. Attention Getter - this is the first thing out of your mouth (not your name or
topic)
1. Ask a rhetorical question
2. Offer a shocking statistic
3. Tell a story (fiction or non fiction - but concrete)
4. Provide an evocative quotation
5. Illustrate a hypothetical situation
2. Thesis Statement
3. Credibility Statement
4. Preview the main points of your speech, in order
 BODY
5. Main Point One
6. Main Point Two
7. Main Point Three
Of course, you should have transitions in between.
 CONCLUSION
8. Restate Thesis
9. Review Main Points, in order
10. Clincher - Tie back to attention getter
Organizational Patterns
+ Topical Pattern – breaking a large idea down into smaller ideas or categories.
Example – Inform audience on various parts of a vehicle.
+ Chronological Pattern – trace the development of an idea, product, or event.
Example – Inform audience on key turning points in WW2.
+ Spatial Pattern – arrange main points based on their layout or proximity to each other.
Example – Inform audience of the layout of a new mall.
Transitions and Signposts
+ Transitions are the statements that connect large sections of a speech.
Example – “Now that I’ve talked about my first main point – what the Habitat for Humanity
is – lets move onto my second main point and review the work they’ve done in Battle Creek.”
+ Signposts are used within sections of a speech to connect the content
within that section.
Example – “Habitat for Humanity has done a lot of work in Battle Creek, including but not
limited to fundraising, volunteer recruiting, and program development.”
+ “First, when it comes to fundraising….
+ “Second, in terms of volunteer recruitment efforts…”
+ “Finally, Habitat for Humanity has also developed key programs….”
Methods of Informing

Developing ideas within the speech….

Methods of Informing

+ Informing through + Informing through

definition description
+ Defining concepts clearly + Creating verbal pictures for
and concisely your audience
+ Identify functions, use + Vivid and evocative
examples, etc. language
Methods of Informing

+ Informing through + Informing through

demonstration explanation
+ Verbally instruct the + Sharing how something
audience on how to do works, how something
something came to be, or why
something happened
Final Key Pointers

+ Avoid Persuasion
+ Avoid Information Overload
+ Engage Your Audience
Provide credible information
 Example Speech
Outline (Moodle and pg.
Watch Example 544 of Textbook).
Speeches/Read
Example
Outlines YouTube search
“Example Informative
Speeches”