Real Communication An Introduction

Chapter 15  Informative Speaking 449

For example, imagine that you are an office manager and need to deliver a pres-
entation to your colleagues explaining how to fill out the company’s new expense
reports. One way to get them interested in what they might perceive as an unnec-
essary presentation is to show them that learning how to do this task will benefit
them in some way:

I know it’s hard to get excited about something as mundane as filing expense

reports. But the good news is that our new electronic transmittal system

will get your reimbursements to you faster and more reliably. As you know,

it typically takes four to six weeks for an expense report to be routed, ap-

proved, and transmitted to accounts payable and another two weeks for

accounts payable to cut the check. With this new system, we’ll be able to

have funds deposited directly to your bank account in as little as ten business

days. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at how the new system works.

By clearly connecting the subject with the lives and needs of your listeners, you’re
more likely to have their attention as you demonstrate the less interesting aspects
of the process. If you cannot find the subject’s relevance, you may need to refine
or revise the topic.

Make It Easy

Creating a good informative speech is hard work; listening to one should not be.
Your job as speaker is to find and distill a lot of information in a way that is easy
for your audience to listen to, absorb, and learn. In short, you need to do your
listeners’ work for them. There are a number of objectives to bear in mind as you
prepare, which we will now discuss.

Choose a Clear Organization and Structure

When people are presented with new information, they need to organize it in their
minds in a way that makes sense to them. You can help them in this endeavor by
organizing your speech around a clear and logical structure (McCroskey & Mehrley,
1969). Recall from Chapter 13 that there are a number of arrangements
for presentations, including chronological, topical, and spatial organizations;
problem–solution, cause–effect, and narrative patterns; and arrangements based
on motivated sequences. Your choice of organizational pattern will depend on
your topic, and every speech will have several organizational options.
For example, if you’re planning to deliver a speech on the history of punk
rock, you might choose a chronological organization, beginning with mid-
1960s’ garage bands and following through the 1970s’ peak with bands like
the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, through the postpunk era, and ending with
more modern punk-influenced bands like Green Day and the Libertines. But
you also might find it interesting to approach the topic spatially, noting differ-
ences between American and British punk, or even causally, demonstrating how
the form arose as a reaction to the popular music that preceded it as well as to
the economic and political climate of the times. Table 15.2 offers some ideas for
using organizational approaches to different informative topics, in addition to

What techniques can you

use to look at a subject and

find its relevance to you or

your audience? How can

these tactics help you create

more interesting informative

speeches?

AND YOU?