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Public Speaking: The Virtual Text
introduction
Every day you give others
information in an informal way,
whether you realize it or not. You give
your grandparents driving directions to
your college campus. You tell your
professor about a breaking news story.
You teach a friend how to ride a
motorcycle. You explain to your
significant other your spiritual
philosophy. You show a co-worker
how to operate the cash register. You
help your younger brother build his
first Facebook page. Or you share your
summer travel experience with your
roommate. Without a doubt,
information plays a vital role in our
everyday lives. In the dictionary, the
term “inform” has several meanings,
including to impart knowledge; to
animate or inspire; to give information
or enlightenment; to furnish evidence;
to make aware of something; to
communicate something of interest or
special importance; to give directions;
and to provide intelligence, news, facts
or data. When you deliver an
informative speech, your primary
purpose is to give your audience
information that they did not already
know, or to teach them more about a
topic with which they are already
familiar.
Your ability to give informative
speeches is one of the most important
skills you will ever master, and it will
be used both during the course of your
career, and in your personal life. A
pharmaceutical sales representative
who can’t describe the products’
chemical composition, uses and side
effects, will have trouble making a sale.
A high school math teacher who can’t
explain algebra in simple terms will
have students who will not learn. A
manager who can’t teach workers how
to assemble microchips will have a
department with low productivity and
quality. And a little league coach who
is unable to instruct players on batting
and catching techniques will have a
disadvantaged team. It is easy to
imagine how difficult it would be to go
about the business of our daily lives
without the ability to give and receive
information. Speeches to inform are
the most common types of speeches
(Gladis, 1999), so speech writers
should give priority to learning how to
construct them.
informative speaking
chapter 15
By Lisa Schreiber, Ph.D.
Millersville University, Millersville, PA
www.publicspeakingproject.org
chapter objectives
After reading this chapter, you
should be able to:
1. Explain why informative
speeches are important
2. Recognize the functions of
informative speeches
3. Identify the main
responsibilities of the
informative speaker
4. List and describe the four
types of informative
speeches
5. Discuss techniques to
make informative
speeches interesting,
coherent, and memorable
6. Apply chapter concepts in
review questions and
activities
Not only is there an art in
knowing a thing, but also a
certain art in teaching it.
~ Cicero
chapter outline
• Introduction
• Functions of Informative
Speeches
o Provide Knowledge
o Shape Perceptions
o Articulate Alternatives
o Allow us to Survive and
Evolve
• Role of Speaker
o Informative Speakers are
Objective
o Informative Speakers are
Credible
o Informative Speakers Make
the Topic Relevant
o Informative Speakers are
Knowledgeable
• Types of Informative Speeches
o Definitional Speeches
o Descriptive Speeches
o Explanatory Speeches
o Demonstration Speeches
• Developing Informative
Speeches
o Generate and Maintain
Interest
o Create Coherence
o Make Speech Memorable
• Conclusion
• Review Questions and Activities
• Glossary
• References
A speaker hasn’t taught until
the audience has learned.