Chapter 15 Informative Speaking 441(such as racial profiling, post-traumatic stress disorder, or unemployment) as well
as ideas, activities, and circumstances over which opinions vary widely (such as
birth control or affirmative action).
Because of the controversial nature of many issues, giving an informative
presentation on one can be a challenge, as it can be difficult to keep your own
opinions from influencing the speech. But if you keep your focus on deliver-
ing a speech that is truly one of discovery, inquiry, and objectivity, then even
controversial topics often break down into more manageable components that
you can look at objectively. For example, if you were to give an informative
speech on stem cell research, you could break all of your information down
into groups of basic facts: what the current laws say, where the stem cells come
from, how the research is done, and why such research is being conducted. You
could also address the controversy over the issue itself by presenting differing
opinions from both within and outside the scientific community. If, however,
you take a look at the research and plot your speech points but still doubt your
ability to describe an issue objectively, you probably should save the topic for a
persuasive speech.
Plans and Policies
The final category for informative speeches concerns plans and policies (Allen &
McKerrow, 1985). In such speeches, the speaker tries to help an audience under-
stand the important dimensions of potential courses of action (for example,
raising fares on commuter trains in your city or eliminating work-study scholar-
ships at your college). Such speeches do not argue for a particular plan or policy;
they simply lay out the facts. Like issue speeches, plan and policy speeches can
easily evolve into persuasive addresses, so you must be very careful to focus on
unbiased facts; if you find yourself unable to keep your opinion from influencing
your speech, consider a different topic.
DO YOU THINK you
could be objective about
abortion? If not, it’s probably
a good idea to stay away from
this topic for your informative
speech. (left) AP Photo/Nati Harnik;
(right) AP Photo/Bill HaberWould you find it hard to
speak in a purely informative
manner on certain subjects?
Would you be able to speak,
for example, in a nonpersua-
sive way about your religious
beliefs? Your favorite film?
Or a musical act that you
just can’t stand?AND YOU?
At this point, you may have
many good topics for an
informative speech. But
if you need more ideas,
remember the advice we
offer in Chapter 12 on
searching for topics. Try
brainstorming or clustering,
soliciting ideas from oth-
ers, or using the Internet
to identify possible topics.
Always ask yourself: Is this
topic interesting to me? Do
I know enough about it? Is
it a good topic for an infor-
mative speech?At this point you mayhaCONNECT