Public Speaking Handbook

types of supporting Material 8.3 167

Descriptions and Explanations

Probably the most commonly used forms of support are descriptions and ex-
planations. A description provides the details that allow audience members to
develop mental images of what a speaker is talking about. An explanation is a
statement that makes clear how something is done or why it exists in its present
form or existed in its past form.

DESCRIBING

Write for the eye, the ear, the nose, and all the senses. In other words, be

as vivid as you possibly can.^10

This advice from a professional speechwriter acknowledges that, in effect, de-
scription creates images that allow listeners mentally to see, hear, smell, touch, or
taste what you are describing. More specific instructions for constructing word
pictures are given in Chapter 15.
Description may be used in a brief example, an extended illustration, a
hypothetical instance, or by itself. British Prime Minister David Cameron viv-
idly described World War II as:

A war which saw the streets of European cities strewn with rubble. The

skies of London lit by flames night after night.^11

EXPLAINING HOW In a speech about the dangers of lithium cell batteries,
student speaker Alexandria explained how batteries can injure children who in-
gest them:

When in contact with fluid-filled tissues such as a child’s esophagus or
stomach, the battery undergoes a chemical reaction [that] can cause any-
thing from severe burns and internal bleeding to larger issues....^12
Speakers who discuss or demonstrate processes of any kind rely at least in
part on explanations of how those processes work.

EXPLAINING WHY Explaining why involves giving reasons for or conse-
quences of a policy, principle, or event. The president and founder of Study
Abroad Alumni International explained to a Study Abroad conference why
global awareness is important:

Why is global awareness so important?... Every six seconds a child dies

of hunger. I think we all need to be aware of this... and we need to do

something about it.^13

USING DESCRIPTIONS AND EXPLANATIONS EFFECTIVELY When large
sections of a speech contain long, nonspecific explanations, audience eyelids are
apt to fall shut. The following suggestions can help you to use descriptions and
explanations effectively in your speeches.