Supporting Evidence

1. Supporting Evidence Lisa A. Stefani

2. Steps in the Speech Making Process • Select a topic/Analyze the audience • State the speech purpose/Compose a Thesis statement • Develop the main points • Gather supporting material/Read the supporting material • Separate Major parts/Outline • Presentation aids/Practice

3. Types of Supporting Evidence • Broad category of illustrations • Narratives – stories that are factual or hypothetical • Anecdotes – brief stories of interesting, humorous, or real life incidents.

4. Examples or Specific Instances • Offer a single illustration of a point. Illustrate, describe, or represent things. • Show the wide spread nature of the issue. • Extended examples offer multifaceted illustrations of the idea, item,or event. • Women’s role in globalization • Women around the world working toward democracy.

5. Facts & Statistics • Facts – represent documented occurrences, including actual events, dates, times, people involved, and places. • (A Documentary does not mean “truth.” It is a story reflecting writer/producers truth.) • Statistics summarize data that measure the size or magnitude of something, demonstrate trends, or show relationships.

6. Statistic Use Considerations • Use only recent statistics except when you are showing changes over time. • Statistics should be from credible sources. • Always cite the source of the statistics – who conducted the study

7. Reliable and Valid Statistics • Ask your self: • Who took the poll? When? • How many people were interviewed? How were they chosen? What area or group are they from? • Are answers based on all of the interviews? • What is left out? Is there a sampling error?

8. Ethical Statistics • Include statistics from the most authoritative source you can locate. • Tell listeners about the methods (survey, etc.), scope (sample size), where the data is drawn from and the date. • Avoid using or ignoring statistics selectively to make your point (cherry picking).

9. Forms for Citing Stats & Facts • “As published in the October 2015 edition of Nature . . .” • “According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website, updated on May 18, 2016 . . .” • “In a May 2016 study published in Morbidity and Mortality Report available online at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website . . .”

10. Simplify Statistics • Break down the statistic so that it is meaningful to the audience. • According to the California Highway Patrol in 2015, drunk drivers were responsible for 42% of all traffic fatalities. • One person is killed approx every 30 minutes. • According to this statistic, by the end of this class, six people will have lost their lives due to a drunk driver.

11. Testimony • Testimony –firsthand findings, eyewitnesses accounts and opinions by people, both lay (non expert) and expert. • Expert Testimony – Expert findings, accounts, opinions. • Big difference between a testimonial and expert testimony.

12. Analogy • Analogy – the use of comparison to convey ideas. • Compare your topic/issue/event/etc. with something the audience already knows in order to make your topic more understandable. • Key phrases – “is like,” “can be compared to” • Drinking and driving is like playing Russian Roulette.

13. Locating Supporting Material • Plan a research strategy. Make an inventory of your research needs. • What do I personally know about my topic? • What does my speech purpose require me to explain, demonstrate or prove? • What type of supporting material does my topic call for? • What type of supporting material will influence my audience?

14. Primary Resources • Self conducted interviews and surveys • Have a written set of questions that can be answered in the time allotted. • Questions should be relevant to speech purpose, sequenced, and free from bias. • Save controversial questions for the end. • Get permission to record the interview and be sure to have paper and pen.

15. Secondary Research • Secondary research: Information gathered by others. • Print and electronic resources • Books, newspapers, periodicals, journals, government publications, encyclopedias, almanacs, biographical resources, Atlases, books of quotations and poetry collections.

16. Documenting Sources • Use proper APA or MLA format. No “Easy bib!” • APA and MLA manuals at the reference desk in the library, bookstore, and online. • Samples of documenting your sources are included in chapter 2 of your textbook. • Both in-text citations and bibliography.

17. Internet Research • Many Subject directories – sites organized by category: • Academic Info www.academicinfo.net • Search engines • www.google.com & google scholar • www.dogpile.com meta search engine • https://www.sweetsearch.com/ 35,000 websites that librarians have approved for quality • Your library’s homepage is a good place to start.

18. Evaluating Website Credibility • Check list workbook chapter 2 under “Gathering Information: The Internet.” • Need Author and organization name • Information about the author and organization. • Date published and the date last updated. • Current references and hyperlinks. • Are the hyperlinks to credible sources? • Is the website biased – promoting a position? • Is research fully documented?