320 15.2 speaKinG to inForM
your audience should be able to describe, understand, or perform the procedure
you have described. Here are some examples of procedures that could be the
subjects of effective informative presentations:How state laws are made
How the U.S. patent system works
How an e-book reader works
How to refinish furniture
How to write a resume
How to plant an organic garden
How to select a graduate schoolNotice that all these examples start with the word how. A speech about a
procedure usually focuses on how a process is completed or how something can
be accomplished. Speeches about procedures are often presented in workshops
or other training situations in which people learn skills.
Anita, describing how to develop a new training curriculum in teamwork
skills, used an organizational strategy that grouped some of her steps like
this:I. Conduct a needs assessment of your department.
A. Identify the method of assessing department needs.- Consider using questionnaires.
- Consider using interviews.
- Consider using focus groups.
B. Implement the needs assessment.
II. Identify the topics that should be presented in the training.
A. Specify topics that all members of the department need.
B. Specify topics that only some members of the department need.
III. Write training objectives.
A. Write objectives that are measurable.
B. Write objectives that are specific.
C. Write objectives that are attainable.
IV. Develop lesson plans for the training.
A. Identify the training methods you will use.
B. Identify the materials you will need.
Many speeches about procedures include visual aids (see Chapter 14).
Whether you are teaching people how to hang wallpaper or how to give a
speech, showing them how to do something is almost always more effective
than just telling them how to do it.