Informative and persuasive
Types of Speeches
 Informative
 Persuasive
Informative Speeches
Persuasive Speech
•To increase knowledge.
•Can be presented with or
without persuasion.
•To change attitudes and
behaviour.
•Has to be presented with
information, in order to
persuade.
Informative speeches
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Distinctions between Informative
and Persuasive Speaking
 An informative speech is meant to increase
knowledge.
 A persuasive speech is meant to alter attitudes
and behavior.
 A speech can inform without persuading.
 A speech cannot persuade without informing.
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Topics for Informative Speeches
Choose topics that:
 Allow you to convey an important thought or action.
 Are familiar and interesting to you.
 Are important to you.
 Your audience will find interesting.
 You can develop within the time limit.
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Categories of Informative Topics
 Objects
 Processes
 Events
 Concepts
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Preparing and Developing an
Informative Speech
 Gain and maintain audience attention.
 Increase understanding of the topic.
 Apply basic guidelines for effective informative
speaking.
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How do you gain and maintain
audience attention?
 Generate a need for
the information
 Create information
relevance
 Provide a fresh
perspective
 Focus on the unusual
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How do you increase
understanding of the topic?
 Organize your presentation
 Plan for repetition
 Use advance organizers
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How do you increase
understanding of the topic?
 Choose language carefully
 Use concrete words
 Use description
 Use definitions
 Show contrasts
 Use synonyms
 Use antonyms
 Use etymologies
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Hints for effective informative
speaking are...
 Avoid assumptions
 Analyze your audience
 Adapt to their level of knowledge
 Personalize information
 Relate your topic to your listeners
 Show that it has relevance for them
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How do you evaluate an
informative speech?
 Topic
 General requirements
 Audience analysis
 Supporting materials
 Organization
 Delivery
 Language choice
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Who evaluates the speech?
 Instructor
 Self
Yes, you engage in self-evaluation.
 Listeners
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Informative Speech Topics
 Graphic design
 Caffeine and you
 Road rage
 Baseball’s cork bats
 Anger management
 PETA and your pets
 Identity fraud
 Save your hearing!
 Muslim terrorism
 Laser technology
 Christian terrorism
 Global warming
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Persuasive Speeches
 Persuasion is a communication process, involving
verbal and non-verbal messages, that attempts to
reinforce or change listeners’ attitudes, beliefs,
values or behaviors( Seiler and Beal, 2008 page
320).
 The effect of persuasion occurs over time, that is
not immediately.
 The effect of persuasion can be manifested in
adoption, continuance, discontinuance or
deterrence of actions.
What is the difference between
persuasion, influence, and coercion?
Is there a difference?
“Persuasion is a communication
process . . . that attempts to reinforce
or change listeners’ attitudes, beliefs,
values, or behavior.”
-- Seiler and Beall
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What makes him/her so persuasive?
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What are the goals of
persuasive speaking?
 Adoption
 Discontinuance
 Deterrence
 Continuance
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Topics for Persuasive Speeches
 Should be interesting
 Should be worthwhile
 Must have a goal of influence or action
 Should be current
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Persuasive Topics Ask...
 Questions of Fact
 Questions of Value
 Questions of Policy
 Any combination of these three
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Support a persuasive position with claim,
data, and warrant.
 Claim - the fact, value, or policy the speaker wants
listeners to accept.
 Data - evidence that should influence listeners.
 Warrant - explanation of relationship between claim
and data.
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What are the key elements for
supporting evidence?
(Toulmin model)
Data
Claim
Frazia would violate any
future proposed cease-fire
treaty
Frazia has violated
50 of 52 cease-fire
agreements
Warrant
Past violations are symptomatic of
probable future violations
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Establishing Credibility
 Competence
 Demonstrate
involvement
 Relate experience
 Cite research
 Character
 Trustworthiness
 Ethics
 Charisma
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Becoming Effective
Consumers of Persuasion
Ask the right questions.
 How knowledgeable is the speaker?
 What sources has the speaker used?
 Are sources reliable?
 Is evidence worthwhile?
 Can I believe the argument?
 Where can I get additional information?
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Preparing and Developing a
Persuasive Speech
 Research the topic (review chapter 8)
 Organize the speech (review chapter 9)
 Use supporting material
 Use persuasive strategies
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Supporting Material
 Appeals to needs
 Logical appeals
 Deductive reasoning
 Inductive reasoning
 Causal reasoning
 Reasoning by analogy
 Emotional appeals
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Supporting Material
 Appeals to needs
 physical needs
 safety needs
 social needs
 self-esteem needs
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Supporting Material
 Logical appeals
 Deductive reasoning: from general information to a
specific conclusion



General premise: Heart disease is a major health concern in
the Midwest
Minor premise: Nebraska is part of the Midwest
Conclusion: Therefore, heart disease is a major health
concern in Nebraska!
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Supporting Material
 Logical appeals
 Inductive reasoning: moving from specific information to
general conclusions


Facts:
 My speech teacher is an excellent teacher
 My speech teacher last semester was also excellent
 My friend’s speech teacher is also excellent
Conclusion: Speech teachers at the University of Nebraska
are excellent teachers
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Supporting Material
 Logical appeals
 Causal reasoning: sequence of thought that links
causes with effects


The earth’s temperature is turning colder because the ozone
layer is thinning
Adequate support would be required to support this claim is
persuasion is desired
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Supporting Material
 Logical appeals
 Reasoning by analogy: compares similar things or
circumstances in order to draw a conclusion



General premise: American auto production must improve
Minor premise: The Japanese method of auto production has
been extremely successful
Conclusion: American auto manufacturers should adopt the
Japanese method if they want to be successful
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Supporting Material
 Emotional appeals
 Fear, happiness
 Can sway people to
do things that might
not be logical
 Ethics demands that
we use emotions with
care
 Speaker should be
careful, fair, truthful
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Fallacies in Argument
Development
 Fallacies of reason
 Questionable cause
 Ad hominem
 Fallacies of evidence
 Fact vs. opinion
 Red herring
 Hasty generalization
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Making Effective Persuasive
Speeches
 Set a realistic persuasive goal.
 Conduct a thorough audience analysis.
 Identify a need for the audience.
 Provide a solution that matches the audience’s
beliefs, attitudes, and values.
 Give your audience a practical solution.
 Point out the advantages.
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Making Effective Persuasive
Speeches
 Point out the negatives in other solutions and why
your solution is best.
 Use only valid and reliable evidence.
 Be ethical and fair.
 Practice and become familiar with the content.
 Deliver the speech with enthusiasm, sincerity, and
confidence.
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Evaluating the Persuasive
Speech
 Topic
 General requirements
 Audience analysis
 Supporting materials
 Organization
 Delivery
 Language choice
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Delivery
 Be enthusiastic, confident, and poised
 Convey a persuasive attitude
 Convey the topic’s relevance
 Enhance and clarify with nonverbals gestures, eye contact, facial expression
 Enhance with vocal delivery: vocal variety,
rate, appropriate pauses, pitch, volume to
match impact of your points
 Read the audience and adjust accordingly
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Tips for Persuasive Speakers
 Establish yourself as an ethical communicator.
 Use repetition and restatement.
 Use appropriate organizational patterns.
 Select appropriate supporting materials.
 Use sound reasoning.
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Persuasive Speech Topics
 Increasing Funding for Stem Cell Research
 Requiring Internships without Pay
 Dangers on the Internet
 Control Road Rage
 Racial Profiling is Wrong
 Baseball Must Control Steroid Use
 Global Warming and the Environment
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Provide information AND
affect listeners’ attitudes,
beliefs, values, or
behaviors.
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Reference
 Seiler, W. J and Beall, M. L ( 2008). Communication.
Making Connections ( 7th ed). Boston: Pearson
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