Building Content for Your Speech

1. Building Content for Your Speech

2. Types of Support: Examples • Why examples are effective: • They give an audience a secondary “picture” of the speaker’s idea. • They help an audience make logical connections between new ideas and ideas with which they already identify. • They bring relevance to a subject and allow an audience to see why the material is, indeed, important to them.

3. How to Use Examples • Examples can be short to quickly support an idea. • Examples can be lengthy to bring more substance to a possibly less-understood idea. • Examples can be authentic to give credence to something that has already occurred. • Examples can be hypothetical to pose a future possibility. • Examples should connect to the presented idea. • Examples should be relevant to the audience. • Remember “less is more”: Sometimes overtly graphic words or thoughts negatively impact an audience. • If examples are hypothetical, rather than authentic, should be revealed.

4. Types of Support: Stories • Why stories are effective: • Human beings love telling stories and hearing stories. • Narratives help people connect to each other’s experiences. • Stories help a speaker infuse creative, vivid language.

5. How to Use Stories • Keep story length relative to the overall speaking time. • Find stories of real people or historical figures. • Consider personal experiences as a basis; if you feel uncomfortable “owning” the experience, use a fictitious name. • Begin a story in the speech introduction and then interweave it through the speech content. • Ensure that the language used for the story is appropriate to the topic and audience. • Consider delivery modifications for a story. If the story requires energetic delivery, adjust vocals and facial expressions accordingly. • Heavily emotional stories provide better impact after hard facts.

6. Types of Support: Statistics • Why statistics are effective: • Statistics help people determine tendencies among groups. • Statistics use real numbers that most people can comprehend. • Statistics substantiate facts.

7. How to Use Statistics • Be certain to cite the source of the statistics; do not simply say “studies show.” • Ensure that statistics are updated and that the source is credible. • Don’t use statistics gratuitously. Only use statistics when they work in favor of the point being made. • Beware of too many statistics. An audience can become overwhelmed by numbers quickly. • If possible, use a visual aid for increased audience comprehension.

8. Types of Support: Facts • Why facts are effective: • Facts involve concrete ideas about people, events, dates, and places. • Facts involve “hard” research, which validate a speaker’s claim. • Facts help a speaker build credibility. • An audience is more likely to accept a speaker’s point of view when assertions are supported by solid evidence.

9. How to Use Facts • Make sure that all facts come from credible and viable sources. • Facts should come from a variety of sources. • Attempt to check facts via several sources to ensure unified perception. • Facts should be up-to-date. • Beware of using irrelevant facts, which can change the scope of the thesis statement. • Always cite the source of the facts.

10. Types of Support: Testimony • Why testimony is effective: • A speaker enhances credibility by adding credibility of experts. • Testimony can often reveal the “voice of the people.” • Testimony can substantiate a speaker’s written facts. • Testimony can add first-hand insight into a particular issue. • Testimony can outline opposing viewpoints.

11. How to Use Testimony • Use expert testimony when authority is needed to validate information. • Use lay testimony for eyewitness accounts or as a representative voice of regular citizens. • Ensure that the person spoken to is credible. • Ensure that the person spoken to is unbiased and honest about their position. • Do not quote the source out of context. • You may paraphrase testimony as long as the intended meaning is unchanged. • Differentiate whether the testimony contains facts or opinions. • Represent your source properly to the audience.