204 CHAPTER 15^ Informative Speaking
how they are made, their identifying characteristics, how they work, how they’re used,
and so on.
Topic choices range from personal to international. Personal topics include physical
features such as skin or fingernails. Campus objects include a historical tree or a
memorial plaque, and cultural artifacts include the Golden Gate Bridge and guitars.
International topics have included the Great Wall of China and London’s Big Ben.Describing Events
Events range from personal (birthday customs), community (local festivals), national
(holidays), to international (the bombing of Hiroshima). In Appendix B, you’ll find
Lishan’s explanation of the Chinese holiday that corresponds to St. Valentine’s Day.
Chronological or narrative patterns work well for step-by-step events such as the
bombing of Hiroshima. The topical pattern is useful for happenings that consist
of several different components. Here is an example of major subtopics for a speech
describing a city event.
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the Portland Rose Festival.
Central Idea: The Rose Festival in Portland, Oregon, features something for
everyone.
I. The Queen’s Coronation features court members from each city high school.
II. The Junior Parade involves children.
III. People from all over the region participate in the Grand Floral Parade.
IV. City Fair on the waterfront features performers, carnival rides, and other
attractions.
V. The Rose Show is for flower lovers.
When you describe events in concrete detail and vivid language, your listeners can
place themselves at the happening, and your speech lets them participate vicariously.Presenting Reports
Reports answer the question, “What have we learned about this subject?” Investigative
reporters search for answers to questions such as, “What are scientists learning about
new treatments for melanoma?” Campus reporters pass along conclusions reached
by university task forces. In classrooms and workplaces, here and abroad, people give
reports. This section discusses two common topic areas: people and issues.Reporting about People
What individuals have shaped our world? What did they accomplish? How did they live?
Answer such questions by providing sketches of influential historical or contemporary
characters. Biographical reports can be about thinkers (Plato), military men and women
(Mongol warriors, Boudicca), artists (Mary Cassatt), writers (Wole Soyinka), and so
on. Villains (Machiavelli) as well as heroes (Harriet Tubman) make good biographical
subjects.
Generally, chronological, topical, or narrative patterns best fit a biographical
report. Alex divided his subject into two categories: (1) Dong Nguyen’s life and (2) his
most famous video game. He then used chronological subpoints to develop his first
section.
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of who Dong Nguyen is and how he is
related to the game Flappy Bird.
Central Idea: Dong Nguyen, the Vietnamese developer of Flappy Bird, took the
game app down because it was too addictive.Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
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