Informative Speech
An informative speech is like teaching. The purpose of an informative speech is to try to teach something to the
audience. The success of your speech depends on whether the audience learns what you wanted to teach them. You
need to tell the audience why the information is useful and valuable. You need to make sure that the audience
understands and remembers the essential information.
Possible Informative Speech Topics
anthrax
Bobby Knight
depression
firefighting
Franklin D. Roosevelt
schizophrenia
twins
Aztecs
California
diabetes
football
Metallica
tennis
television history
bees
Cinco de Mayo
epilepsy
hummingbirds
panic attacks
trucks
Winston Churchill
Demonstration Speech
A demonstration speech is like an informative speech because you have to teach the audience about something.
However, in a demonstration speech you will not just tell the audience about something, you will also tell them how
to do something. Your speech will be successful if at the end of your speech the audience can do what you showed
them to do.
Possible Demonstration Speech Topics
decorate a cake
make a jello cake
make rice krispy treats
tie a knot
the Heimlich maneuver
make a smoothie
make salsa
perform a magic trick
draw cartoons
make origami
play guitar
make a puppet
Persuasive Speech
A persuasive speech contains information to help people make a decision. The purpose of a persuasive speech is to
persuade people to change in some way. For example, it could be to change the way they think about something. Or
it could be to change the way they do things. Finally, it could be to persuade the audience to do something that they
do not do now. Your speech will be successful if at the end of your speech the audience is willing to make the change
you suggested.
Possible Persuasive Speech Topics
adoption
eating healthier
cell phones in school
salary caps in sports
TV violence
cloning
getting exercise
pay for college athletes
saving money
vegetarianism
drinking soda
good hygiene
music parental advisory labels
smoking
trying teens as adults
Speech Assignment
You will be presenting a speech to the class. Each student is responsible for the following:
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3-5 minute speech
Full sentence outline due the day the speech is given
Notes – On 3x5 cards to use during the speech
(no papers will be allowed)
Visual aid
3 sources cited in a bibliography at the end of the outline
(only one source may be an interview)
Choose the type of speech you will give.
Informative
Demonstration
Persuasive
Choose a topic that:
 not only interests you, but will be interesting to others as well
 has enough information available to fill the time requirement
 is something you know enough about to inform others on
 is school appropriate (ask first if you’re not sure)
Definitions of each type of speech and examples are on the back of this paper.
Use the bottom of this page to brainstorm some ideas of your own.