332 15.4 speaKinG to inForM
Besides surprising your listeners, you might maintain their attention by
creating mystery or suspense. Stories are a great way to add drama and interest
to a talk—especially a story that moves audience members to try to solve a
riddle or problem. One technique for creating a “mini-mystery” is to ask a rhe-
torical question. You don’t necessarily expect an audible answer from audience
members, but you do want them to have a mental response. Here’s an example:
“Would you know what to do if you were stranded, out of gas, at night, without
your cell phone?” By getting listeners to ponder your question, you actively
engage them in your message rather than relying on them to passively process
your words.^16Although Roger’s primary
purpose is to inform, he uses a
hypothetical example to tell the
audience how the information
he has given them will help
them solve a problem: how to
find a good speech topic.Now, just picture yourself putting these ideas into practice. Imagine
sitting in a classroom, listening to your classmates talk about issues or
ideas that are important to them. They are so excited that you can’t help
but be excited about the topic with them. You’re learning from their life
experiences, experiences that you would not have had the opportunity
to learn about if it had not been for their speech. Then, imagine being
able to talk about the experiences and knowledge that are important to
you. Sometimes you only have seven minutes to express what is most
important to you. Besides that, it’s to a captive audience that has no
choice but to listen to you. There are few times in our lives when we
can have an impact on someone else’s life, and we have only a short
amount of time to do it. But in our public speaking class, we can have that
chance. Let’s all think about how we use our time and energy in our public
speaking class. I don’t want to waste my time or have any unnecessary
stress over [pause] tables. I would like all of us to use our opportunities
wisely by choosing topics that are interesting, important, and informative.
Roger provides closure to his
message by making a reference
to the example he used in his
introduction.Source: Student Speeches Video II, 1st ed. By Allyn & Bacon. Copyright © 2003 by Allyn
& Bacon. Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Quick Check
Keeping the Audience Interested
• tell them why they should want to listen.
• tell them a good story.
describe conflict.
describe action.
Create suspense.
Use humor when appropriate.
• tell them how the information affects them.
• tell them something that surprises them.