Barry 2010
• Survey of graduates from 5 U.S. colleges:
• Respondents asked to rank the speech skills most important to
their jobs:
• Informative speaking was rated number one.
• Another survey:
• 62 percent of respondents said they used informative speaking “almost
constantly” in their job
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• To convey knowledge and understanding
• Not to advocate a cause or persuade
• In good informative speeches,
• Information is communicated accurately
• Information is communicated clearly
• Information is made meaningful and interesting to the audience
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• The four types of informative
speeches are
•Speeches about objects
•Speeches about processes
•Speeches about events
•Speeches about concepts
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• “Objects” include anything that is
visible, tangible, and stable in form.
• Could include places, structures,
animals, and even people.
• Examples:
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the Grand Canyon
the human eye
seaweed
comic strips
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stock market
Ella Fitzgerald
GPS navigation devices
U.S. Army
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• Of course, you must choose a specific
purpose centered on one aspect of a
subject.
• Good specific purpose statements:
• To inform my audience about the geological features of the Grand
Canyon
• To inform my audience about the role of Ella Fitzgerald in
establishing the American jazz aesthetic
• To inform my audience what to look for when buying a GPS
navigation device
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• Too broad:
• To inform my audience about Pablo Picasso
• Sufficiently narrow
• To inform my audience about the major contributions of Pablo
Picasso to modern art
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the
major achievements of Frederick Douglass
Central Idea: Although born in slavery, Frederick
Douglass became one of the greatest figures in
American history.
Main Points: I. Douglass spent the first 20 years of his
life as a slave in Maryland.
II. After escaping to the North, Douglass became a
leader in the abolitionist movement to end slavery.
III. During the Civil War, Douglass helped establish
black regiments in the Union Army.
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the
four major elements of a Japanese garden
Central Idea: The four major elements of a Japanese
garden are stones, sand, water, and plants.
Main Points: I. The first element of a Japanese garden
is stones, which symbolize mountains and islands.
II. The second element of a Japanese garden is sand,
which symbolizes the sea or other vast areas.
III. The third element of a Japanese garden is water,
which symbolizes purity and life.
IV. The fourth element of a Japanese garden is plants,
which symbolize life and the changing seasons.
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• Explain how something is made, how
something is done, or how something works.
• Good specific purpose statements:
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To inform my audience how hurricanes develop
To inform my audience how to write an effective job resume
To inform my audience how to choose a study-abroad program
To inform my audience how U.S. currency is made
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• There are two kinds of informative speeches
about processes:
• 1. Goal of understanding
• 2. Goal of performing
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the major
rituals of a traditional Bengali wedding in India.
Central Idea: A traditional Bengali wedding consists of a
series of rituals that take place before, during, and after the
wedding ceremony.
Main Points: I. Pre-wedding rituals include giving gifts to the
bride and groom and dressing the bride in traditional
fashion.
II. Rituals during the wedding ceremony include an exchange
of garlands between the bride and groom, the chanting of
mantras, and the giving away of the bride by her uncle.
III. Post-wedding rituals include a celebration at the home of
the bride’s family, a reception at the home of the groom’s
family, and the formal exit of the bride and groom.
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• Events refer to “anything that happens or is
regarded as happening.”
• Examples of subjects for speeches about
events:
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the Holocaust
the civil rights movement
Cinco de Mayo
attention deficit disorder
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mountain climbing
job interviews
tsunamis
Battle of Little Big Horn
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• Good specific purpose statements:
• To inform my audience of the festivities at
Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo celebration
•To inform my audience about the major
events of the Battle of Little Big Horn
• To inform my audience about the major
types of therapeutic massage
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the history of the
Paralympics
Central Idea: Olympic-style games for athletes with physical
disabilities have made great strides since the first competition more
than 60 years ago.
Main Points: I. What would eventually become the Paralympics
began in 1948 with a sports competition in Great Britain involving
World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries.
II. In 1952 the event expanded when athletes from the Netherlands
took part.
III. The first official Paralympic Games for international athletes took
place in Rome in 1960.
IV. In 2001 an agreement was signed officially holding the
Paralympic Games alongside the summer and winter Olympic
Games.
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• Beliefs, theories, ideas, principles
• More abstract than objects, processes, or
events
• Examples of subjects for speeches about
concepts:
• Confucianism
• philosophies of
education
• human rights
• string theory
• principles of feminism
• nonviolent resistance
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• Examples of sufficiently narrow purpose
statements:
• To inform my audience about the basic principles of
Confucianism
• To inform my audience about the doctrine of original intent
in constitutional interpretation.
• To inform my audience about the difference between
philosophies of education in Europe and the United States
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the basic
principles of nonviolent resistance
Central Idea: The basic principles of nonviolent
resistance stress using moral means to achieve social
change, refusing to inflict violence on one’s enemies, and
using suffering as a social force.
Main Points: I. The first major principle of nonviolent
resistance is that social change must be achieved by
moral means.
II. The second major of nonviolent resistance is that one
should not inflict violence on one’s enemies.
III. The third major principle of nonviolent resistance is
that suffering can be a powerful social force.
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• Speeches about concepts are often
more complex and difficult to
understand.
• If you speak about a concept, avoid
technical language unless you define
terms.
• Also, use examples and comparisons to
illustrate the concepts.
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• Some subjects could fit into more than
one category, depending on how you
develop the speech.
• Decide how you want to handle your
subject, and go from there.
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas
• If it is helpful, you can use these more
limited categories to brainstorm ideas for
speeches:
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People
Places
Things
Cultural traditions
How-to speeches
Natural phenomena
Religious beliefs or practices
Political beliefs or practices
Problems
From The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas