Chapter 16

1. Chapter 16 Speeches to Inform

2. Section 1: Speeches that Instruct, Inform, and Clarify Types of Informative Speeches

3. public lecture – person is invited to lecture as result of special interest or expertise.

4. status report – knowledgeable person gives report to group indicating what has been accomplished so far and what plans exist for the future.

5. briefing – telling group about changes in policy or procedure.

6. fireside chat – group leader addresses concerns, worries, and issues of the moment. (Franklin Roosevelt below)

7. chalk talk – speaker relies on visual aid to show something to the group. • Many informative speeches are followed by Q & A session.

8. The Six Cs of Informative Speaking • Be Clear • define new words to audience • make distinctions (what something is and what it is not) • Be Concise • avoid redundancy • don’t be too wordy • choose the best word for the meaning you intend • Be Complete • Tell the audience how many points you will make and then use words like “first”, “second”, “third”, so they will know when you are finished • Advance organizers – statements that forecast what the audience can expect • Have a plan (outline) and use transitions so your audience can follow • Be Correct • check & double-check your facts • identify your sources • Be Concrete • be specific rather than general • talk about people, places, and things rather than general ideas • give concrete examples of what you’re talking about • Connect • analyze your audience • use a checklist • how many people will be present? What will be the ages of most of the people in the audience? Will the audience be mostly male, female, or mixed? • What are their interests, attitudes, and beliefs? • What do they know about the subject? • What is their attitude toward it? • cultural literacy – the information that an average American citizen can be expected to know

9. Turning a Subject into a Speech • Find a Subject • Personal Experience • Observations • Surveys • Narrow Your Subject • Limit your subject in time • Limit your subject in space • Limit your subject in extent • Limit your subject using the principle of divide and conquer • State Your Thesis • thesis – a positive statement about your topic • Support Your Thesis • Facts • Everyone loves a story • Quotable quotes • Defining your terms • Descriptions

10. Audio and Visual Aids • Two-Dimensional Visual Aids • Photographs, Drawings, and Cartoons • Graphic Representations • Chalkboard aids • Handouts • Projections • Overhead projector • Slides • Videotape • Three-Dimensional Visual Aids • Models • Cutaways • Sound Recordings • Guidelines for Using Aids • be sure the aid is large enough to be seen or loud enough to be heard • be sure the aid contributes to the idea being presented. If you can get along without it, don’t use it. It takes time away from the rest of your presentation. • don’t stand in front of the aid. • talk to your listeners, not to the visual aid. • keep any visual aid out of sight until you are ready to use it, and then put it away again when you have finished. • don’t overdo a good thing. A long succession of slides or charts can become boring. • remember Murphy’s Law – if something can go wrong, it will. Have a backup plan in case your equipment fails • Practice, practice, practice.

11. Pop Quiz • List the five types of informative speeches. • List the six Cs of informative speaking. • List four ways to narrow your speech subject.