PREPARING THE
INFORMATIVE SPEECH
Guidelines For
Your Success
Preparation Steps






Understand the Informative Speech
Research the Topic
Prepare and Plan
Use Effective Delivery Methods
Practice
Meet Grading Criteria
Understand: What is an Informative
Speech?




Conveys Ideas and Information
Goal is to Increase Audience’s Knowledge
Provides Thorough Information
You Assume Role of Teacher or Newscaster
Understand: Types of Informative
Speeches

Define a word, process, or idea
–

Describe a person, place, object, or experience
–

Examples: Internet trends, Eating Healthy
Examples: Famous Person, Grand Canyon,
McDonalds toys
Explain an issue or event
–
Examples: Animal Rights, Welfare system
Understand: the Informative Speech
Conveys Information That Is . . .





Easy to Understand
Accurate
Interesting
Relevant
Objective and Without Bias
Understand: Criteria of Your
Assignment

Choose Competent Communicator
–

Must be 3-5 minutes in length
–

Try to hit the 4 min. mark
Have at Least 3 Sources
–

At Least One Quote
No more than 150 Words from One Source
Visual Aids
–
–
At Least Two Photographs/Drawings
2-3 SAT Words
Research: Secondary Sources




Books
Periodicals
Internet
Documentary Films and Videos
Research: Recording Information
Accurately

Copy the Information Exactly as Written
–

Include a Complete Source Citation With Each
Piece of Information
–

Misquoting information is sloppy research.
It is unethical to claim someone else’s work as your
own
Note the Author’s Qualifications
–
Establish your source’s credibility
Research: Check the Credentials of
Internet Sources

Who wrote the site?
–

What are they saying on the site?
–

Is the information factual? Well written?
When was the site created?
–

Are they qualified? Do they have credentials?
When was it last revised? Are the links current?
Where is the site from?
–
Is it .com, .org, .edu, or .gov?
Preparation: Setting an Objective




Why are you speaking?
What do you want to achieve?
How do you want your listener’s to feel when
you have finished?
What is the reaction you most want from your
audience?
Preparation: Your Objective Should
Be . . .



Written Down
Specific
Achievable
Preparation: Research Your
Audience



Why are they there?
What do they expect?
What do they want or need?
–
–
–
How much do they know about your topic?
How much do they want to know?
How much do they need to know for you to achieve
your objective?
Preparation: Draw an Ideas Map





Draw a circle in the center of your paper
Write in the subject of your talk
Place your ideas on lines radiating from the
center
Add new thoughts and ideas as they occur
Be creative
Preparation: Selection



Assess each idea against your objective.
Refer back to the audience’s needs
Make it easy for the audience to remember
your speech.
–
–
Don’t overload your talk with too many good points.
Remember that after a few days, your audience will
have retained approximately one quarter of what
you presented.
Preparation: Parts of a speech

Introduction (A, B, C, D)
–
Attention: Capture the attention of your audience

–
–
–
Ask a question; Use quotation, Use Anecdotes
Benefits: Show them what they will gain by listening
Credentials: Give them your credentials for
speaking
Direction and Destination: Tell them where you are
going and what you are going to say

State your Main Thesis
Preparation: Parts of a Speech

The Body
–
–
–
–
–
Address at least 3 main points
Use examples that show topic meaning
Use analogies, descriptions
Use present information
Don’t spend too much time on 1 issue…spread
them evenly throughout your speech
Preparation: Parts of a Speech

Conclusion
–
–
–
Restate main thesis
End decisively
Finish with a bang…make the audience remember
you and your speech
Preparation: Final Draft




Write out your final draft OR redo your Ideas
Map
Mark the key points in RED
Check the links you use to move from one
point to the next and mark these in BLUE
Mark any anecdotes, quotes, or examples in
GREEN
Delivery Methods: Disadvantages of
Reading




You cannot keep eye contact – one of the
essential elements of effective speaking
Your body language is restricted
You will sound unnatural and therefore
insincere
Script dependence will mean that you will
never learn to be a convincing speaker or
develop self-confidence
Delivery Methods: Disadvantages
of Memorizing




Your energy is directed inwards instead of
outwards to your audience
Your talk will sound mechanical
You will be unable to adapt to your audience
Your talk will lack the vital ingredients of
enthusiasm and spontaneity.
Delivery Methods: Advantages of
Speaking Extemporaneously





Most effective delivery style
All the benefits of impromptu speaking and
none of the drawbacks of reading
You sound enthusiastic
You behave with vitality
You look at the audience with sincerity
Delivery: 1 - 3x5 note card


Confidence Cards are your safety net
You have the key ideas in front of you
–



Do not use complete sentences; they are only a
hindrance to your delivery
You have the freedom to use your own words
to travel from one point to the next
Your speech is always spontaneous
Outline only!!
Delivery: How to Write Your
Confidence Cards


Work from your marked script or ideas map
Using index cards, write out in capital letters
–
–
–

Your key points
Your links
Your examples
Use only single key words except for:
–
–
Write out and memorize your opening and closing sentences
Write out in full any quotations you will use.
Delivery: How to Write Your
Confidence Cards (Continued)



Number your cards
Optional: You can hole punch them and tie
them together
Practice using your cards before your present.
Delivery: Using Confidence Cards
Will Help You To. . .





Sound Natural
Be Confident
Look at the Audience
Use expressive body language
Show sincerity, enthusiasm, and vitality.
Delivery: Visual Aids




Visual Aids can also provide a safety net
Use key words for a visual prompt
Use to reinforce your message
Practice using your visual aids
Delivery: Pitfalls to Avoid . . .




Don’t shuffle or play with the cards during your
talk
Don’t’ keep staring at the cards to avoid
looking at the audience
Don’t use fillers like “Um”, “And”, “You Know”
Do remember the power of the silent pause
Delivery: Body Language

Use your eyes to make contact
–

Smile
–

Look happy to be there and happy to see your audience
Hands
–

Practice looking at each person for at least 2-3 seconds
Your hands should be empty and still by the sides of your body
Gestures should be organic and relevant
–
Gesture for emphasis as you would naturally
Delivery: Body Language
(Continued)

Avoid barriers
–

Stand Tall
–

Stand to the side of the lectern so that you can refer
to your confidence cards but also gesture naturally
Act confidently
Balance on both feet
–
–
Image you are standing in weighted boots
Decide consciously when to move (to flip chart, for
example)
Practicing Your Presentation





Practice kills panic
Practice the whole speech
Practice in front of a mirror or video camera
Practice in front of a colleague to get feedback
You WILL be successful if you practice
Summary: Criteria for an “A”
speech









Achieve the general purpose of the speech
Stay within time limits
Clear main thesis & supporting points
Language is effective & grammatically correct
Organized structure
Delivery is clear, direct, & energetic
Confidence Cards and Visual Aids are well utilized
All required work in on time
Be a good audience member
Summary:
Grades will be taken on . . .










Research-daily
Ideas Map-daily
Final Draft-daily
Confidence Cards-1 test grade
Visual Aids-daily
Practice-daily
Critique (peer)--daily
Delivery—2 Test Grades
Audience Etiquette--daily
On task general grade - daily
Bibliography



Ms. K. Mader, MHS, 2003.
Virginia Hunter Myers, June Hubbell Smith,
and Marcia Myers Swanson, Communication
Applications (New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill,
2001).
Cristina Stuart, How to be an Effective Speaker
(Chicago: NTC Publishing Group, 1989).