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.