Real Communication An Introduction

Chapter 15  Informative Speaking 451

TABLE 15.2

TYPES OF INFORMATIVE SPEECHES, SAMPLE TOPICS, INFORMATIONAL STRATEGIES,
AND ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERNS

Subject Matter Sample Topics

Informational Strategy

(definition, description, etc.)

Suggested Organizational

Patterns

Speeches

about objects

or phenomena

• Egyptian pyramids


• Pre-Columbian
  artifacts


• Mona Lisa


• El Niño wind
  patterns

Define and describe the object

or phenomenon in question.

Depending on your specific

speech purpose, either conclude

at that point or continue with

an in-depth explanation or a

demonstration of the object or

phenomenon.

You might use a topical pattern if

you are explaining the categories for

Pre-Columbian artifacts. Conversely,

you might use a chronological pat-

tern if your speech focuses on a his-

torical timeline of the artifacts.

Speeches

about people

• Celebrities


• Inventors


• Athletes


• Politicians


• British royalty

Paint a vivid picture of your

subject using a description.

Use explanation to address the

person’s or group’s significance.

Narrative patterns could be useful

for speeches about people since

stories can include rich details

about a person’s life. The chrono-

logical pattern can also be useful to

describe someone’s life events or

achievements.

Speeches

about events

• The terrorist
  attacks on
  September 11


• The 2011 earth-
  quake and
  tsunami in Japan


• The 2013 Boston
  Marathon bombings

Use description to paint a vivid

picture. Use explanation to

analyze the meaning of the

event.

You might use a chronological pat-

tern for a topic focusing on events if

time or sequence is relevant to your

purpose.

Speeches

about

processes

• How a hybrid car
  works


• How lightning forms


• How to sew or knit


• How to sync your
  data on your mobile
  devices

If physically showing a process,

rely on demonstration. If

explaining a process, vary

strategies as needed.

Cause–effect patterns of speech

organization are helpful in explaining

processes of various kinds. Addi-

tional patterns of organization could

include spatial or chronological.

Speeches

about issues

• Racial profiling


• Post-traumatic
  stress disorder


• Unemployment


• Police brutality

Focus on description and

explanation.

Topical and spatial patterns can

be particularly useful for speeches

about issues (which can easily

become persuasive).

Speeches

about concepts

• Art


• Patriotism


• Artificial intelligence


• Ethnocentrism


• Time travel

Focus on clear definitions and

explanations; the more difficult a

concept is, the more ways you

will want to define and explain

it. Vivid description can also be

useful.

Consider topical organizational pat-

terns for speeches about concepts,

as well as the narrative pattern. The

spatial pattern may also work well

for your purposes.

Source: O’Hair, Stewart, & Rubenstein (2012), p. 334. Adapted with permission.

word—to make certain that it makes a real contribution to your speech. Elimi-
nate anything that is redundant or tangential. You want to strike a perfect bal-
ance by telling your listeners just what they need to know to understand your
topic—nothing more, nothing less.