Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Lecture Notes
Chapter 14: Informative and Persuasive Presentations
Learning Objectives
1. Distinguish the types of informative presentations.
4. Identify how a speech to convince might influence preexisting beliefs and attitudes of an
6. Explain the artistic proofs.
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
A. Informative presentation: To improve audience knowledge/understanding.
II. Informative Presentations
A. Preexisting relationships with audience members, in most cases.
B. Utilize knowledge about audience when developing presentation.
C. Presenting Definitions and Descriptions
i. Definitions and descriptions: Provide audience with extended
explanation/depiction of object, creation, place, person, concept, or event.
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
D. Expository Presentations: Provide audience with detailed analysis of object,
creation, place, person, concept, or event.
i. Higher levels of understanding: Connect ideas, distinguish/classify components,
compare and contrast elements, initiate new approaches, integrate existing
E. Process and How-To Demonstrations
i. Process demonstrations: Describe procedure/method to accomplish something
without expectation of audience performing process.
ii. How-to demonstrations: Describe procedure/methods with expectation that
audience will be able to perform process.
iii. Encouraging audience to use information.
iv. Chronological pattern most commonly used; could also use topical/spatial
patterns.
v. Include All Steps
a. Even those you consider obvious.
b. Important when introducing unfamiliar process.
vi. Provide a Clear View
a. Visual presentation aids: Ensure everyone can see.
F. Strategies for Successful Informative Presentations
i. Build on Your Relationship with the Audience
a. Determine relational status.
b. Decide whether to confirm preexisting relationship, or be viewed as more
authoritative on topic.
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
c. Decision based on factors: Purpose of the presentation, issues surrounding
ii. Maintain a Narrow Focus
a. Provide adequate support, development for topic.
b. Assist audience’s ability to understand, connect material.
iii. Adapt the Complexity
a. Match audience’s previous exposure/understanding.
b. Audience research needed for deciding level of complexity.
iv. Be Clear and Simple
a. Regardless of audience’s experience with topic.
b. Use simple language: Usually difficult language threatens relational
v. Use Clear Organization and Guide the Audience
a. Develop presentation with clear organization.
b. Guide audience, especially in case of technical content.
vi. Stress Significance and Relational Influence
a. Importance of introduction, especially in case of unfamiliar material.
b. First objective: Make audience realize importance of topic.
vii. Develop Relationships Through Language
a. Use “us,” “we” to connect to audience and material; avoid “I,” “you.”
b. Use familiar terminology, or introduce unfamiliar terminology with care.
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
d. Concrete words: Represent tangible objects, experienced through sensory
channels; include real people, objects, actions, locations.
e. Abstract words: Represent intangible objects, cannot be experienced through
senses; include ideas, beliefs, and feelings.
f. Descriptive language: Provides clearer picture through description.
viii. Relate Unknown Material to Known Material
a. Helps retain material.
b. Audience more likely to recall presentation.
ix. Motivate Your Audience
a. Audience members should know how to use information.
b. Should fully recognize importance of topic in their lives.
c. Prompt interest, entice audience to use information.
III. Persuasive Presentations
A. Different purposes of speaker in different presentation types.
B. Convince: To influence audience members’ minds.
C. Actuate: To influence audience members’ behaviors.
D. Presenting to Convince
i. Presentations to convince: Attempt to influence audience thinking.
ii. Primary claim: Essentially, what speaker tries to convince audience to believe.
iii. Claims of Policy: Maintains that course of action should/should not be taken.
a. Speaker must demonstrate need for such policy.
iv. Claims of Value: Maintains something is good/bad, beneficial/detrimental.
a. Deal largely with attitudes.
v. Claims of Fact and Claims of Conjecture
a. Claim of fact: Maintains something is true/false at present time or was in
past.
b. Claim of conjecture: Something determined to be true/false in future.
c. Require solid evidence, support.
vi. Audience Approaches to Presentations to Convince
a. Effect of audience’s existing beliefs/attitudes on presentation objective,
E. Presenting to Actuate
i. Presentations to actuate: Attempt to change audience behavior.
ii. May influence audience thinking as consequence of desire to actuate.
iii. Ultimate goal: Affect behavior.
F. Persuasive Speaking and Fallacious Arguments
i. Fallacious arguments: Based on faulty reasoning or insufficient evidence.
a. Can be found in social engagement activities, advertisements, everyday
communication.
ii. Argument against the source: Source of message attacked, rather than message
itself.
iii. Appeal to authority: Person’s authority/credibility in one area used to support
another area.
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
ix. Red herring: Use of another issue to divert attention away from real issue.
x. False alternatives: Only two options provided; one presented as poor choice.
G. Persuasive Speaking and Artistic Proofs
i. Ethos: Use of speaker credibility to influence audience.
ii. Pathos: Appealing to emotions such as excitement, sadness, happiness, guilt,
anger.
a. Emotion as symbolic, relational activity: Given meaning within
culture/society.
iii. Logos: Use of logic/reasoning to influence audience.
iv. Inductive reasoning: Deriving general conclusion based on specific evidence,
examples, instances.
v. Deductive reasoning: Using general conclusions, premises, principles to reach
conclusion about specific example or instance.
H. Persuasive Speaking and the Social Judgment Theory
i. Social judgment theory: How people respond to range of positions surrounding
particular topic/issue.
ii. Latitude of acceptance: Range of positions audience sees as acceptable.
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
vi. Variables Influencing Social Judgment
a. Size of latitudes affected by audience’s level of involvement/relationship with
issue.
b. Audience involvement: Based on audiences’ recognition of issue’s
significance.
c. High involvement → Small latitudes of acceptance, noncommitment.
d. Assimilation effect: Advocacy of position within latitude of acceptance:
vii. Using the Social Judgment Theory to Improve Persuasive Presentations
a. Thorough audience analysis needed to determine social judgment.
b. Only rough idea of general latitudes possible.
c. Useful insights into ways to improve presentation.
d. Be Explicit
1. Avoid assimilation, contrast effects.
2. Inform audience of exact position.
e. Consider Audience Involvement
2. Size of latitude of acceptance/rejection may dictate choice of
4. Neutral/somewhat unopposed audience: Present only supported side of
issue.
f. Degree of Change
1. Anchor position far away: Hard to convince members to accept new
3. Persuasion is continual, very gradual process.