Chapter 15 Informative Speaking 445c An operational definition defines something by explaining what it
is or what it does. For example, a salsa can be defined by what it is:
“A salsa is a condiment, usually made of tomatoes, onions, and pep-
pers, common in Spanish and Latin American cuisine.” Alternatively,
it can be defined by what it does: “Salsas are most commonly used as
dipping sauces for fried tortilla chips, but they also work well along-
side grilled fish.”
c Definition by negation defines something by telling what it is not.
For example, “A salsa is not the same as taco or piquante sauce.”
c Definition by example defines something by offering concrete
examples of what it is. For example, “Salsas include the basic tomato
version you get at your local Mexican restaurant, as well as variants
made from mangoes, pineapples, or tomatillos.”
c Definition by synonym defines something by using words that
closely mean the same thing. For example, “A salsa is basically just a
chunky sauce, similar to a chutney in Indian cuisine.”c Definition by etymology defines something by using the origin of a
word or phrase. For example, “Salsa is the Spanish and Italian word
for sauce, derived from the Latin word for ‘salty.’”
As noted, definitional speeches can take one or more of these ap-
proaches to defining a specific term.
Explanation
Explanatory presentations delve into more complexity than the other approaches
to conveying information or creating awareness. Explanatory speeches answer
such questions as “Why?” or “What does that mean?” To make your points in an
explanatory speech, you must provide reasons or causes and show relationships
among things; you must use interpretation and analysis. To this end, you should
keep three main goals in mind: clarifying concepts, explaining the “big picture,”
and challenging intuition.
Clarifying Concepts
When providing complex explanations, an audience may have difficulty even
just understanding the meaning and use of certain terms. So it is important to
clarify your concepts. You may find it useful to use one of the definition tech-
niques discussed earlier. In addition, a particularly effective strategy for explana-
tory speeches is to provide elucidating explanations—details that illuminate
the concept’s meaning and use. Good elucidating explanations do three things.
First, they define a concept by listing each of its critical features. For example,
notice in the following sentence how the speaker provides succinct illustra-
tions for the concept of rhetoric: “Aristotle described the canons of rhetoric
as consisting of pathos (appeal to emotions), logos (appeal to logic), and ethos
(appeal to character).” Second, elucidating explanations contrast examples of the
concept. For instance, a speaker might suggest that the difference between gun
DOCTORS ESSENTIALLY
give explanatory speeches
to their patients, describ-
ing the causes of a medical
condition and how it may be
treated. Image Source/Getty Images