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Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Lecture Notes
Chapter 8: Integrating Support
Learning Objectives
1-1 Use and assess the effectiveness of examples
1-2 Use and assess the effectiveness of explanations and descriptions
1-3 Use and assess the effectiveness of definitions
1-4 Use and assess the effectiveness of analogies
1-5 Use and assess the effectiveness of statistics
1-6 Use and assess the effectiveness of testimony
1-7 Properly cite support in a speech
Outline
I. A speech should be infused with support that amplifies, clarifies and vivifies its ideas.
A. To avoid having your speech fall flat, it is essential to search diligently for supporting
materials to elaborate on, prove, or enliven your points.
1. Use examples
a. Short examples – support a specific point
b. Extended examples – known as illustrations, narratives, or anecdotes
c. Hypothetical examples – describe imaginary situations
d. Assess the power of your examples
i. Examples must reinforce, clarify, and personalize your ideas as
well as relate directly to your listeners
II. Speakers can use explanations and descriptions in their speeches.
A. Use explanations to clarify what we have said, and we use descriptions to help our
audience imagine they can see, hear, smell, touch, taste or feel what we do.
1. Designed to facilitate understanding
B. Use descriptions to produce fresh and striking word pictures designed to provoke
sensory reactions.
1. Be as vivid as possible to make listeners feel as if they were there
Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
C. It is important to assess the power of your explanations and descriptions.
1. Consider how your audience will respond to each explanation and description.
i. Am I using the explanation to deliver information the audience clearly
does not know?
ii. Have I avoided over explaining or under explaining?
iii. Is the description rich in specific detail?
iiii. As a result of the description, will the subject of my description come
more alive for listeners?
v. Have I been appropriately selective in choosing what I explain and/or
describe?
III. Speakers can use definitions in their speeches.
A. Definitions help bridge cultural divides, enhance audience understanding, and facilitate
audience acceptance of a speaker’s ideas.
1. Useful when audience members are unfamiliar with the way you are using key terms
or when they might have associations for words or concepts that differ from your own.
B. What words should speakers define?
1. Technical in nature
2. Specialized meanings
3. Rarely used word
4. Used in an unique or unusual ways
5. Two or more meanings
C. How do you define a word?
1. Does my definition contribute to the overall goal and purpose of my speech?
2. Is my definition easily understood?
3. Am I consistent in the way I define or explain a term or problem?
4. Will audience members readily accept my definition?
IV. Speakers can use analogies in their speeches.
A. Analogy functions to increase understanding, but unlike the definition, it does so through
comparison and contrast.
1. Literal analogies compare two things from similar classes
2. Figurative analogies compare two things that at first appear to have little in common
with each other
3. Assess the power of your analogies
Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
a. Does the analogy have a clear purpose within the context of the speech?
b. Is the analogy easily understood?
c. Is the analogy easily visualized?
d. Is the analogy original?
e. Is the analogy apt and colorful?
V. Speakers can use statistics in their speeches.
A. Statistics are used to clarify and strengthen our claims, to expresses the seriousness of
a situation, and/or the magnitude of a problem.
1. Understand what statistics mean
2. Put statistics to use
3. Use statistics ethically
4. Present statistics visually
5. Assess your use of statistics
a. Are the statistics representative of what I claim they measure?
b. Am I being totally honest in my use of these statistics?
c. Have I obtained my statistics from a reliable source that has no vested
interest in the figures?
d. Have I interpreted the statistics correctly?
e. Have I used statistics sparingly?
f. Have I explained my statistics creatively?
g. Have I rounded off my statistics to facilitate understanding?
h. Have I used a visual aid to increase the memorability of my statistics?
i. Have I provided a context for the statistics?
j. Have I used statistics to clarify and enlighten rather than confound and
confuse?
k. Are the statistics I used complete and current?
VI. Speakers can use testimony in their speeches.
A. Expert testimony is provided by sources recognized as authorities on your topic.
1. When you cite an expert and establish his or her reputation, you enhance your
credibility and that of your speech as well.
2. Place on work cited page
Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
B. In contrast to expert testimony, peer or lay testimony is the opinions of people who
are not necessarily recognized authorities, but “ordinary people” who have firsthand
experience with the subject.
1. Gives more personal insight
2. Speaker shares feelings, reactions, and the knowledge of individuals who have
“been there” with audience members.
3. Do not place on work-cited page
4. Assess the power of your testimony
a. Have I clearly identified the source of the testimony?
b. Is the source I cite recognizable, objective, and credible?
c. Is the testimony I am using absolutely relevant to my presentation?
d. Have I quoted or paraphrased the source accurately and used his or
her words in proper context?
e. Have I used verbatim quotations whenever possible?
f. Have I used lay or peer testimony to enhance the audience’s ability to
identify with my topic?
g. Did I use the most up-to-date testimony available?
h. Have I stressed the source’s qualifications so audience members will not
have to strain to find his or her statement credible?
C. It is important to cite sources within the context of your speech.
1. To enhance your credibility, you need to tell the audience where you got your
information.
a. Name and author of a book, article, newspaper or Web document
b. Follow a checklist to ensure proper citing of oral sources
i. Did I share the name of the author or origin of the source?
ii. Did I include the title or description of the source?
iii. Did I set the source in context by providing a date?
iiii. Did I establish any relevant credentials or affiliations of the
source?
v. Did I establish the source’s credibility?
vi. Did I cite the source without interrupting the flow of my
presentation?
vii. Could an audience member locate the source I cited if they
wanted to?
