Chapter 16
Informative Speaking
C
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
• Learn about the different techniques for conveying information.
• Understand the different types of informative speeches, from those on specific objects, to those
CHAPTER OUTLINE
CHAPTER INTRODUCTION
• The chapter begins with a hypothetical scenario in which you work at the campus health center
and are asked to deliver an informative presentation about providing free influenza vaccinations
to all students. Because this is a health matter, you must provide the information in an
informative manner and yet be influential with your information and tone. You’ll have to think
about your main points in a strategic manner.
• An informative presentation teaches the audience something and increases listeners’
understanding of, awareness of, or sensitivity to the topic. This chapter examines techniques for
informing, the types of informative speaking, audience analysis, and simplification of complex
information.
TECHNIQUES FOR INFORMING
• Most informative speeches rely on one of several techniques for conveying information.
Although some topics lend themselves best to only one of these techniques, usually you
will use a blend of techniques.
• Definition
Through definition, you break down something by its parts and explain how those parts
add up to identify the topic. “Something” could be
• An object
• A person or group
Etymological definition
• This is an understanding of a word or concept that traces its roots in the same or
other languages.
Association
• Explanation
Through explanation, you provide an analysis of something for purposes of clarity and
specificity by tracing a line of reasoning or a series of causal connections between events.
• Description
When you use description, you use words to paint a mental picture for your listeners so
that they can close their eyes and imagine what you are saying.
• Demonstration
You might choose to provide a demonstration of a topic if your goal is to teach your
audience how a process or a set of guidelines works.
TYPES OF INFORMATIVE SPEECHES
• Informative speeches seek to share information, explanations, or even ideas with an audience.
They are meant to give audience members knowledge they might not have possessed
before the speech.
• Objects
If you’re giving an informative speech about an object, you have a virtually unlimited
range of possibilities to choose from.
• The one thing all objects have in common is that they’re not human.
Types of objects suitable for an informative speech
• Mechanical or technological
• Natural
• Cultural
• Personal
Groups, likewise, are collections of people with whom your audience can identify.
• These can include famous politicians who belong to the same party or musicians
who perform together.
You could focus your talk on one of the following:
• Events
An event is a notable or an exceptional occurrence that happened in the distant past or
in the recent past.
Look for events that your audience will consider exciting, newsworthy, historically
important, or interesting because they are unfamiliar or surprising.
• Processes
A process is a series of steps or stages that lead to a particular outcome.
When you deliver an informative speech about a process, you should walk your listeners
through the steps that make up that process, explaining how those steps are carried out
and in what order.
• Ideas
An idea is a theory, a principle, a belief, or a value.
Because ideas are abstract, it’s important to select an idea carefully when you consider
topics for an informative speech.
Be sure to consider your audience’s interests and level of education when you weigh
DEVELOPING YOUR INFORMATIVE SPEECH
• To develop an informative speech, you will analyze your audience’s background and needs,
decide which supporting materials to include, and determine how to organize your content.
• Analyzing Your Audience
Focus on where and how your audience is situated for the presentation, your audience’s
specific demographics, and any common ground between you and your audience.
You also should consider audience size and details of the speaking forum when planning
presentation aids for your informative speech.
• Focusing on Your Goal to Inform
When developing an informative speech, remain focused on your rhetorical purpose—to
inform—at every phase.
• Organizing Your Informative Speech
Spatial pattern: Describes or explains elements or events as they occur geographically
Temporal (chronological) pattern: Moves from the beginning to the end by referencing
points in time
CLARIFYING AND SIMPLIFYING YOUR MESSAGE
• As you prepare your informative speech, focus on clarifying and simplifying your message as
much as possible.
• Move from General to Specific.
Ask yourself, “At a minimum, what do I want my audience to take away from my
speech? What basic message should the audience carry away?”
• Reduce the Quantity of Information You Present.
Use the “less is more” approach.
Look for ways to pare down the details you present.
• Make Complex Information Seem Familiar.
L
LIST OF KEY TERMS
informative presentation
definition
denotative meaning
connotative meaning
CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is an informative presentation, and how does it differ from a persuasive one?
• Sometimes students confuse these two types of speeches. Some topics that can go either
way, depending on the main points being discussed. For example, one speech might describe
the parts of an e-cigarette, and a different type of speech might discuss the drawbacks of
using e-cigarettes. In the first scenario, the main point would be to educate an audience. In
2. What five types of definitions can be used as a tool for informing, and what are some scenarios
where each could be applied?
• Depending on the knowledge level of an audience in relation to a particular speech topic,
audience comprehension can sometimes be expanded when a definition is provided.
3. What five techniques for informing can be considered when constructing an informative speech?
• Students should understand that they must inform their audience throughout their entire
speech, and several techniques can be used to accomplish this.
4. When selecting an individual or group of people for an informative speech topic, what
characteristics should you consider and why? What are some examples of individuals or groups that
would be good choices for an informative speech?
• The informative speech about individuals or a group of individuals gets a little tricky for
students. If not crafted with compelling main points, it can become a short biography.
5. Why should you keep the information expressed in your informative speech simple, and what
techniques can you use to clarify complex messages?
• When your students present an informative speech, have them consider the “less is more”
approach. Because listeners have only one opportunity to hear the message (unless it is video
recorded), speakers need to keep points as clear and concise as possible. Our attention spans
A
APPLY YOUR SKILLS
APPLY YOUR SKILLS FROM CHAPTER 16
1. Look at the “Apply Your Skills” activity on page 519 in the text. After students complete the
activity, have them answer the following questions, either in a small group, in a class discussion, or
in writing:
• What are a process seen at a macro level and a process seen at a micro level, and which type
might you be more likely to use in your communication class?
MORE “APPLY YOUR SKILLS” IDEAS
1. Review the illustration “It Was a Dark …” on page 494 in the text. What techniques can you use
to describe something most effectively? (Students should touch on using vivid language,
2. Review the untitled illustration showing objects on a table on page 499 in the text. Identify the
types of objects that are suitable for an informative speech, and provide an example of each.
3. Review the illustration “Blending Narrative and Description” on page 503 in the text. How might
you go about blending narrative and description with a speech about the authentic German cuisine
PERSONAL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
1. Have your students develop an essay analyzing the informative elements used in their informative
speech, paying particular attention to the following prompts:
• Introduction: Provide your speech type and topic. Include the purpose of the paper in your
introduction and a preview of main points to be discussed.
What informing techniques did you choose to incorporate and why?
What visual aid did you incorporate? Was it visually appealing, and did it truly
enhance a point you were trying to convey?
Finally, did you perceive your presentation to be truly informative and not
persuasive?
2. Have your students develop an essay analyzing the informative elements used in a peer’s
informative speech, paying particular attention to the following prompts:
• Introduction: Include the name of the peer you are reviewing, along with his or her speech
type and topic. Include the purpose of the paper in your introduction and a preview of main
points to be discussed.
• Body: Critique the use of informative elements within your peer’s speech.
Were the main points clearly identifiable with appropriate transitions linking
thoughts together? What organizational pattern did your peer use?
3. Have students think of a time when they’ve had a class filled with some complex topics. Was the
instructor able to explain them to the class in such a way that was meaningful to students? Did the
instructor simplify things so that they were easier to understand? If so, what techniques did he or
she use to do this? If not, what techniques could have been used to simplify the complex
information?
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Bring to class a handful of markers and big white sheets of paper, and tape them to the walls of
the classroom. At the top of every sheet of paper, write the types of informative speeches:
“Objects,” “Individuals or Groups,” “Events,” “Processes,” and “Ideas.” You might first consider
2. Provide students the following scenario: With the rise of fitness-related products in the United
States in recent years, you decide you’d like to do an informative speech on the idea of “fitness
culture.” One of the techniques that you’d like to use in your speech is definition. What is the
3. Have students form groups of four or five. Provide each group a complex speech topic (such as
genomic testing, how nuclear power works, seismic waves, drone piloting, neuroimaging, or
censorship). Provide 25 minutes for this activity, and have each group research the concept and
4. Give students 15 minutes to take out a sheet of paper and list topics for five demonstration
speeches. The speeches shouldn’t be too simple. Most people know how to do things like “How to
5. Have students form groups of four or five. Provide each group a topic of your choosing (such as
chocolate, robot-assisted surgery, eating “clean,” solar power, or learning a second language), and
have students describe how they could incorporate the following informing techniques in a speech
A
ADDITIONAL MEDIA RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES
1. Search for and watch the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talk by Tom Wujec titled “3
Ways the Brain Creates Meaning” (2009). Wujec explains how sketches bring to life key ideas and
moments. He notes that a good graphic invites the eye to dart around and that the act of engaging
and looking at the image creates meaning, leading to selective logic. Why is this concept interesting
to consider when developing visual aids for your speeches?
2. Search for and listen to the online Podcast by Tim Gordon and Roger Pike titled
“Communication Steroids: Organizing Your Speech.” Gordon and Pike claim that that there are
three steps to effectively organizing your presentation. What are they? What do the commentators
H
HANDOUTS AND READY–TO–PRINT ACTIVITIES
Informative Speech Types and Techniques
Insert possible speech topics within each informative speech “type” box below. To
the right of each topic, provide an example of an informing technique that you could
use for the respective topics. Selected at least two techniques that could be used for
each topic.
INFORMING TECHNIQUES
INFORMATIVE
SPEECH TYPE
Definition
Explanation
Description
Demonstration
Narrative
Object
Individual or
group
Event
Process
Idea (theory or
concept)