Public Speaking:
An Audience-Centered Approach – 7th edition
Chapter 7
Gathering
Supporting
Material
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Steven A. Beebe & Susan J. Beebe
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
“Learn,
compare,
collect the facts!...
Always have
the courage
to say to
yourself –
I am ignorant.”
- Ivan Petrovich Pavlov
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Supporting Material is Important
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There are various potential
sources of supporting material.
World Wide Web has resources.
Carefully judge the quality of
Web sites
Libraries offer resources.
Effective interviews can provide
useful supporting material.
Be sure to properly document resources.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Personal Knowledge &
Experience
• Skills.
• Hobbies.
• Personal experience.
These can boost your credibility.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
The Internet
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Most popular place for
information.
Directories: lead to
subjects (e.g., Google).
Search engines: use key-word
or subject searches (e.g., Yahoo!).
Vertical search engines: focused and
specialized searches (e.g., Google Scholar).
Boolean search: includes “AND” or “+.”
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Evaluating Web Resources
• Accountability:
• Accuracy:
• Objectivity:
• Date:
• Usability:
Is information
about
authorities disclosed?
is information truthful?
Correct? Exact?
does site represent
special interests?
is site current?
does site have easy access?
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Library Resources
• Books.
• Periodicals.
• Full-text databases.
• Newspapers.
• Reference resources.
• Government documents.
• Special services.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Library Resources - Books
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Stacks:
Card catalog:
book collections.
information file about
library books.
 Indexed.
 Computerized.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Library Resources - Periodicals
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General-interest magazines
(e.g., Newsweek, Sports Illustrated).
Trade & professional journals
(e.g., American Psychologist,
Communication Monographs).
Indexes: bibliographic listings
of articles in periodicals.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Full-Text Databases
• Online: key word or subject search.
• Periodicals typically found.
• Newspapers, books, and
government documents included.
• Academic Search Complete: largest
multidisciplinary database.
• ABI/Inform: business & trade database.
• ERIC: education database.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Newspapers
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More current than
periodicals.
Allow more detailed
coverage.
Cover stories of
local importance.
Indexes contain
bibliographic entries.
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Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Reference Resources
• Encyclopedias.
• Dictionaries.
• Directories.
• Atlases.
• Almanacs & Yearbooks.
• Books of Quotations.
• Bibliographic Dictionaries.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Reference Resources - Encyclopedias
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General encyclopedias.
 Encyclopaedia Britannica.
 Encyclopedia Americana.
 Wikipedia (BEWARE!!).
Specialized encyclopedias
(e.g., art, philosophy,
music, psychology).
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Reference Resources - Dictionaries
• Comprehensive.
 Oxford English Dictionary.
 Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
• Specialized.
 Black’s Law Dictionary.
 Others (geography,
music, economics, etc.)
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Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Reference Resources - Directories
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Encyclopedia of Associations.
National Directory of
Nonprofit Organizations.
Telephone directories.
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Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Reference Resources - Atlases
• Focus on geographic data.
• Examples include:
 Goode’s World Atlas.
 Rand McNally College World Atlas.
 Township Atlas of the
United States.
 Specialized atlases
(e.g., history, politics).
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Reference Resources –
Almanacs & Yearbooks
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•
Collections of facts.
Examples include:
 Statistical Abstract
of the United States.
 World Almanac.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Reference Resources – Books of
Quotations
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•
Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.
Bartlett’s Familiar
Quotations.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Reference Resources –
Biographical Dictionaries
• Who’s Who series.
• Dictionary of National Biography.
• Dictionary of American Biography.
• Directory of American Scholars.
• Biography Index.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Government Documents
• Records of official
proceedings.
• Pamphlets, special
reports & speech texts.
• Most important index:
Monthly Catalog of U.S.
Government Publications.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Special Services
• Interlibrary loans.
• Reciprocal borrowing
with libraries of other
colleges & universities.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Interviews
• Prepare ahead of time.
• Determine purpose.
• Schedule interview.
• Plan questions beforehand.
• Conduct interview promptly and
with structure.
• Follow up with reviewing notes.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Potential Sources
of Supporting Material
Special-Interest Groups &
Organizations
• Can be found through:
 Web searches.
 Encyclopedias.
 Directories.
• Critically review the
quality of information.
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Research Strategies
Develop a Preliminary Bibliography
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Should include possible resources to
use in the speech.
Be consistent with
the format
(APA, MLA, etc.).
Know your
instructor’s
preference.
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Research Strategies
Locate Resources
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Check if library
subscribes to
periodicals.
Realize that
photocopying might be necessary
Consider asking librarians for assistance.
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Research Strategies
Evaluate the Usefulness of Resources
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Determine if resources
have information
to support ideas.
Rank usefulness
of resources.
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Research Strategies
Take Notes
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Write down
various forms of
support found.
SIFEC rule:
“Single Idea For Each Card
Follow
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Research Strategies
Identify Possible Presentation Aids
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Make note of various visual
forms of evidence (charts,
graphs, pictures, etc.).
These might be used
as presentation aids.
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