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CHAPTER TWELVE: MANAGING INFORMATIVE PRESENTATIONS IN THE
WORKPLACE
Objectives
Select a topic that meets an audience need
Develop a clear purpose and thesis to a presentation
Offer significant support to make your points credible and understandable
Key Words
Informative speaking, developing, purpose statement, thesis statement, main propositions,
outlining, introduction, conclusion, oral reports and briefings, media briefings
On the Internet
Chapter Teaching Notes
I. Steps to Develop Informative Presentations
A. Step One: Analyze the audience
B. Step Two: Select the topic
1. Topic should be relevant to the audience
C. Step Three: Select a Purpose
1. Inform, persuade
D. Step Four: Formulate a thesis and preview
1. Explains the central idea the main assertion
2. Often previews major points
E. Step Five: The speech body develops the main points
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2. Answer the audience question or need
F. Step Six: Support the points
1. Examples real cases or situations which have occurred
3. Narrative a visual account or description in story form
5. Statistics used to explain facts, reveals intensity or frequency of a
theme s occurrence
7. Definition literary, operational, origins and processes
8. Analogy compares how two things are alike
G. Step Seven: Develop an informative body format
1. Strong outlining
3. Use consistent symbols
4. Use one idea or key word per symbol
H. Step Eight: Choose an effective informative body design
1. Topical breaks down major components of the speech without
attempting to organize them by function
3. Chronological refers to movement and progress of a topic across time
5. Known to unknown connecting with a beginning point that the
audience understands and moving toward what they do not understand
6. Simple to complex structures info from the simple to the more
complex
I. Step Nine: Develop the Introduction
1. Functions:
a. Gain attention
2. Common mistakes:
a. Talking around the point
b. Apologizing
4. Creating Informative Messages
3. Gaining attention:
a. Startling statements
b. Quotations
c. Illustration real or hypothetical
J.
Step Ten
:
Construct a conclusion
2.
Offer
a mea
n
s
of
m
o
tivation
4.
Avoid:
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a. Apologizing
b. Adding new material
d. Contradicting your position
K. Step Eleven: Making Connections and
Transitions
1. Enumeration verbal marking by the numbering of each concept or
major idea
3. Questions instead of an assertion, a question introduces the point
5. Remember to cite all your sources!!!!!!
II. Special Types of Informative Presentations
A. Oral reports shorter than an informative speech, presents more details and
organization in the talk
B. Elevator speech
C. Introduction of speakers
D. Spoken news releases and oral briefings
1. Announcements should:
a. Present your position or role
2. Media interview reminders:
a. Avoid co
b. Acknowledge media representatives before and after
c. Use small chunks of info
d. Develop a memorable phrase
3. When introducing a speaker:
a. Keep the intro short, usually under a minute
b. Introduce the occasion
Class Exercises
1. Objective: Improve informative presentation skills.
Time: Varies according to number of students.
Directions: This speech involves developing an outline, giving an informative speech, and
creating a self-critique of the speech. Total points for the project (150) are broken down as
Important Points:
I used
m
eaningful gestures for e
m
phasis.
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A 5-minute speech, with a one-minute grace period on each side.
You will attempt to inform the audience about concept, process, or questions. You will
research the topic, prepare the speech according to the guidelines discussed in class, and
Requirements:
1. Two (2) copies of a typed formal outline due before the speech; follow the criteria of the
sample informative outline found in this section.
Your outline should contain:
A Title, Purpose Statement, and Thesis Statement
An Introduction and Conclusion (containing the necessary elements)
2. You must use at least three (3) research sources to support and provide information for your
speech.
4. Effective delivery of the speech from a key-word outline (do not read your speech). You
may be required to turn in a key-word outline upon request.
6. Visual aids can be used if necessary (See guidelines in textbook).
Directions for Speech Critiques
Speech critiques are a method for you to analyze your own performance in order
to
identify
both your strong areas and areas that need improvement. In addition, you are then able to
develop an action plan for how you are going to work on them for your next speaking
SAMPLE SPEECH CRITIQUE
Strengths:
I maintained constant eye contact with my entire audience throughout the speech.
Areas for improvement:
My specific plan for improving my next speech is:
I am going to practice my speech in front of an audience in order to have them
watch and stop me every tim m
I am going to videotape myself during a practice session so that I can become more
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Informative Speech Evaluation Form
Name
Topic
AUDIENCE ANALYSIS/TOPIC CHOICE (10 points)
Clear and Specific
Interesting
Appropriate
INTRODUCTION (10 points)
Gained attention
Provided reason to listen
Clear thesis statement
Preview of major points
BODY (20 points)
Reviewed major points
Creative/Clincher
LANGUAGE (10 points)
Clear, concise, correct
Colorful, creative
Helped listener to visualize
DELIVERY (25 points)
Adequate eye contact
Vocal Variety and emphasis
Appropriate nonverbal support
General effectiveness
TIME (5 points- all or nothing)
/10
/10
/20
/10
/25
5
TOTAL POINTS
/100
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Outline Evaluation
Form
Name
Topic
Outline
Method
ORGANIZATION
Specific purpose clearly stated
Thesis statement clearly stated
Functional parts of the outline labeled
Outline symbols consistent
WRITING
Clear introduction and conclusion
Outline is complete
PREPAREDNESS
/10
/10
/10
Complete sentences used throughout
Contained no mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation
Outline neatly typed, double-spaced, and on regulation paper
BIBLIOGRAPHY
/10
At least (3) sources documented
Sources typed in MLA style
2. Objective: Improve understanding of key word outlines.
Time: 1 or 2 class periods (day 2 is optional)
Directions: Place students in groups of 3 or 4. Give each group a different short speech, or a
magazine article. Then ask each group to transform the speech or article into a full form
3. Objective: Create an understanding of why and how to cite sources.
Time: 50-70 minutes
Directions: Have students bring in 2 recent articles that they have read and find interesting
from a credible business or organizational magazine or newspaper. In class, ask the
students to
use each article to create different types of support. For each article, they should write an
example, an illustration, a statistic, a quote from an authority, a definition (if possible), and an
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4. Objective: Creating an informative presentation: Choosing a topic. Creating purpose and thesis
statements. Practice using different types of informative outlining body designs.
Time: 30-40 minutes
Directions: See worksheet. Students need to create a general topic for their speech. Students
should pick one general topic with which to work. They need to decide two different ways
that they could generate this topic into an informative body design. Each topic must be
written into two different speeches, with two different body designs. For example, for the
topic students could do one speech in a chronological pattern and another in a
spatial pattern. This activity allows for flexibility, as they can choose any aspect of jazz
music that they want to narrow the topic down to.
For each general topic, have students narrow it down, write a thesis statement, and a purpose
statement. Then have them create a basic outline pattern with three main points and at least
two sub points for each main point. They are expected to create this information in
a
believable manner; they are not expected to know actual data, for example, about jazz music.
The objective is to have them practice adapting their speech into different outlines. How does
the body outline influence the speech?
5. Objective: To create effective introductions and conclusions. To create connective statements
within the speech. This project is an extension of activity #4.
Time: 30-40 minutes
Directions: Have students refer to the worksheets they completed in activity #4. Now that they
5. Objective: Creating an informative presentation
Directions: First choose a general topic. You are going to use this topic to create two different
speeches. After you have chosen a general topic, decide how you can narrow it down two
different ways to fit two different informative body designs. For example, if you chose
the
general
topic, music, you might choose a topic such as evolution of jazz trumpet
Topic #1:
Purpose statement #1:
Thesis statement #1:
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Informative design type:
I.
A.
B.
II.
A.
B.
III.
A.
B.
Topic #2:
Purpose statement #2:
Thesis statement #2:
Informative design type:
I.
A.
B.
II.
A.
B.
III.
A.
B.
6. Objective: Writing introductions, conclusions, and connections
Directions: Refer back to the activity that you completed in which you created an informative
Topic:
Purpose statement:
Thesis statement:
Introduction:
I.
A.
B.
Connection:
II.
A.
B.
Connection:
III.
A.
B.
Connection:
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Conclusion:
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever listened to a speech where the topic was not matched to the audience?
Was the speech effective? What happened?
2. How do you usually organize a presentation? Is your order of operations different from
what the text suggests? Which do you think works the best and why?
3. How do you think an essay and its parts differ from a speech and its parts (thesis, outline,
etc.)?
4. Which type of evidence do you think is the best to use? Why?