informative speech on concepts

Module 9: Informative Speaking

Informative speeches about objects, processes, and concepts, learning objectives.

Identify characteristics of informative speeches about objects, processes, or concepts.

Speeches about Objects

An object is something that has physical existence—it can be perceived with the senses. Examples of objects would include institutions like the college you attend, places like the Grand Canyon, substances like coffee, and inanimate things like a musical instrument.

Conrad recently bought a piece of Puerto Rican artwork during his trip to the island. He is very excited about this beautiful painting and wants to share how he procured it with his friends. When his friends drop by for a visit, he tells them all about the painting. He is engaging in an informal informative speech about an object.

Unlike an informal description of an object, however, a formal speech about an object needs to have a clear purpose and structure. The audience members need to know why they are learning about this object, and they need to learn about it in a clear and structured way. (We’ll dive deeper into the question of structure in the next section.)

To watch: Steve Jobs

One of the most famous speeches about an object is the speech in which Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone.

You can view the transcript for “Steve Jobs introduces iPhone in 2007” here (opens in new window) .

Speeches about Processes

A process is an action involving a predictable series of changes, phases, or steps. When you give a speech about a process, you are informing your audience about how something works or how something is made or done. A speech about how to apply for a scholarship, how to bake bread, or how recycling works would be examples of process speeches, as would any speech where you physically demonstrate how to do something—such as how to change a flat tire or how to play a guitar.

To Watch: Shantell Martin

In this video, visual artist Shantell Martin discusses her process of drawing.

You can view the transcript for “Shantell Martin: Follow the Pen” here (opens in new window) .

What to watch:

Since Martin’s artistic work is so process-oriented, her description of the art is closely connected to the way she creates. “Put the pen down and then just go with it. The pen knows where it’s going.” Halfway through the video, Martin also talks about her process of becoming an artist and how her environment affected the visual works she created.

Speeches about Concepts

A concept is an idea, belief, principle, or theory. Bioethics, human rights, free speech, religious freedom, and karma are examples of concepts. What all concepts have in common is that they are abstract or general ideas. As a result, speeches about concepts can often be more difficult to prepare and deliver than speeches about more concrete subjects like people or events.

To Watch: Brian Green, “That whole General Relativity thing”

In this clip from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, physics professor and science educator Brian Greene explains how gravity works. (The explanation begins at 3:35.)

You can view the transcript for “Brian Greene Explains That Whole General Relativity Thing” here (opens in new window) .

What to watch for:

Green’s speech shows how effective a visual demonstration can be to explain difficult concepts. Saying that gravity warps the fabric of space-time is one thing, but demonstrating it on a piece of actual fabric makes the concept clear and memorable.

• Steve Jobs introduces iPhone in 2007. Authored by : John Schroter. Located at : https://youtu.be/MnrJzXM7a6o . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License
• Shantell Martin: Follow the Pen. Authored by : The New Yorker. Located at : https://youtu.be/7ywYnk0-xUY . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License
• Brian Greene Explains That Whole General Relativity Thing. Provided by : The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Located at : https://youtu.be/0jjFjC30-4A . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License
• Informative Speeches about Objects, Processes, and Concepts. Authored by : Mike Randolph with Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Informative Speeches about Objects, Processes, and Concepts. Authored by : Sandra K. Winn with Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

Informative Speech Topics on Concepts

Alex barski.

Informative speeches about concepts include theories, ideas and major themes that attempt to inform people about their history and function. Explaining how concepts work can help audiences understand their place in society. To make speeches more effective, speakers can use charts, graphs and multimedia presentation software to get their messages across.

Explore this article

• Social Issues

1 Government

Speeches about concepts in government can focus on how nations govern using different forms, such as tyranny, monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. Informing people about each government’s process -- how it passes laws and how it rules the media, for example -- can all make interesting topics to discuss. Topics can include nations that use such systems today, nations that changed their systems of governments and the effectiveness of each. Topics can also focus on the best and worst practices of each form of government along with the triumphs and struggles of each throughout history.

Informative speeches about religion cover the major religious concepts of the world, including Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism and Islam. Informative speeches explaining the major beliefs, major holidays and times of the year considered most holy can all help audiences understand the religion's concepts. Topics can include the major struggles of each religion, including wars and conflicts caused by religious strife; they can also speak about trends including growth of membership. Speakers can also address some of the biggest religious leaders and their impact on both their own followers and the political world.

3 Social Issues

Throughout American history, people organized for different causes and beliefs and fought for changes in society that stemmed from social problems, thus supporting the growth of concepts such as feminism and civil rights. Topics can include the history and beginnings of each of these movements, discussing the laws passed thus far and the work yet to be done. Speeches can also focus on the major leaders that emerged from each of these movements as well as key battles, victories and losses along the way. Topics about how the media covers each can also work.

Speeches about concepts in business can include entrepreneurship, economics, capitalism, marketing and advertising. In the area of entrepreneurship, topics can focus on starting a business, key strategies in successful ownership and hiring employees. Topics about marketing and advertising can explain some of the best campaigns used to sell products as well as some of the worst. Speakers can address how each works and some of the major hurdles each area faces in both a good and bad economy. Topics can also include business functions outside the United States and how foreign companies make adaptations to concepts. Speakers can also address ethical issues within each area.

• 1 Colorado State University: Example Topics
• 2 Georgia Perimeter College: Classical Concepts of Government
• 3 BBC: Religion
• 4 Del Mar College: Social Problems

About the Author

Alex Barski began writing professionally in 2006. He is a former television news reporter now working in news management and has written for regional magazines and business journals in Pennsylvania. Barski has also served as a college professor, teaching courses in mass media and writing. He has a Bachelor of Arts in mass communications and English from King's College.

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My Speech Class

Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

509 Informative Speech Ideas and Topics

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

How to Choose the Right Informative Topic

Half the battle of presenting a speech or writing an essay is choosing the right topic. Choosing a good informative speech topic or informative essay topic can keep your audience entertained, your reader interested, and your own work process more enjoyable. Here are a few tips to help you choose a topic:

Know your audience or reader: Your informative presentation – whether through speech or essay – should cover a subject not already well known to your audience, but still relevant to them. If you do choose a topic they’re familiar with, then present new and exciting information. Consider the age, knowledge level, and interests of your audience when preparing your informational speech or essay.

Consider your own interests: Think of your own passions and areas of expertise that you think people could benefit from learning more about. Choosing a topic you care about will help your speech or essay be better received. Your passion will keep them engaged and curious to learn more.

Consider length requirements : How much time are you allotted for your informative speech? What is the page requirement for your informative essay? You should be able to thoroughly cover the topic in the amount of time you are given. If you don’t think you have enough knowledge or personal interest to talk about illegal drug use among teens, saving money as a college student, or another informative topic for 20 minutes, you may need to consider a different subject.

The good news is that there are countless options available. Below are lists of informative topics for speeches and essays. Remember that, in order to choose the best informative topic for you, you need to consider your audience, your interests, and your time and length requirements. Then, customize the central idea to suit your situation.

Best 10 Informative Speech Topics

Don’t have time to read our full list of 500+ topic ideas? Here is our list of 10 best informative speech topics.

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• How to adopt a dog
• The history of motorcycles
• The best sales tactics
• The differences between male and female communication
• America’s fastest growing cities
• The importance of education for the economy
• Different stages of poverty
• How to cook vegetarian
• How to keep your skin looking young and wrinkle free
• The different types of poetry

List of Informative Speech Topics

• Communication
• Current Events
• Environment
• Food and Drink
• International Relations
• National Security

Relationships

• Supernatural
• Demonstration
• Easy / Simple
• Interesting
• Legislation
• Pop Culture

10 Animal Informative Speech Topics

• The role of cats throughout history.
• Caring for hermit crabs.
• What are the best pets?
• The lives of ants.
• The different types of tropical fish.
• The different exotic breeds of cats.
• How to raise rabbits.
• The beauty of wolves.
• How to adopt a dog.
• Raising pet snakes.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topics About Animals .

10 Automotive Informative Speech Topics

• Is it better to buy or lease a car?
• How to choose the right tires for your car.
• How to make your car run better.
• What to look for in a new car.
• How to change your car’s oil.
• Dirt bike riding safety tips.
• How to drive a stick shift.
• The history of motorcycles.
• How to change a flat tire.
• The best muscle cars.

14 Business Informative Speech Topics

• Taking your brand to the next level with three easy steps: promoting, advertising and marketing.
• How business owners’ personal characteristics impact their business.
• What is the impact of training and development on employee job performance?
• Leadership styles and their effects on employee productivity.
• Engaged employees result in high retention.
• Developing personal power in an organization.
• Impacts of incentives on employee performance.
• Psychological tactics in marketing.
• How to create a successful brand.
• The importance of accounting research.
• The benefits of enterprise resource planning.
• The benefits of multilevel marketing.
• The best sales tactics.
• How to nail the negotiation in your first meeting.

See this page for a full list of Informative Speech Topics for Business .

8 Communication Informative Speech Topics

• How deaf people talk with emotion.
• The differences between male and female communication.
• How to be a persuasive speaker.
• How to improve your conversation skills.
• Some simple conversation tips.
• What is neural linguistic programming (NLP)?
• Why smiles are contagious.
• How to manage communicative disorders.

4 Current Events Informative Speech Topics

• America’s fastest growing cities.
• The Occupy Wall Street movement.
• Poverty in New York City.
• What is the national happiness rate?

6 Economy Informative Speech Topics

• The history of taxes on carbon dioxide emissions.
• What would be the impact on economic growth if everyone produced their own food?
• The impact of progressive taxation on the provision of social services.
• Economic growth of the People’s Republic of China.
• The effects of price and demand of agricultural products.
• The importance of education for the economy.

10 Education Informative Speech Topics

• How EFL teachers can use the internet as a classroom aid.
• Should teachers and students be friends on social networks?
• Why is our education system only based on theory and not practical knowledge?
• Should students be permitted to eat during classes?
• The importance of formal education for building a successful career.
• The pros and cons of teaching students three languages in school.
• What materials work best in a sandbag for blocking floodwaters?
• Hypnosis: its misconceptions and common uses.
• Learning disabilities and their effects on learning in college.
• Are test scores a good indication of a school’s competency?

See this page for a full list of Informative Persuasive Speech Topics .

10 Environment Informative Speech Topics

• Should politicians bring more pollution to our country?
• What would happen if finite resources were not used wisely?
• Four main reasons for generating genetically modified crops.
• The effect of organic and inorganic fertilizer on maize.
• Are we going to lose the rainforest?
• The best ways to protect the environment.
• Commercial crops and their effect on the water table.
• The environmental impact of a meat based diet.
• Recycling helps mitigate the greenhouse effect.
• Why we should stop global warming.

See this page for a full list of Environmental Informative Speech Topics .

3 Ethics Informative Speech Topics

• Is it sometimes better to tell a lie than to tell the truth?
• Is tolerance the same as love?
• Is hunting morally acceptable?

10 Family Informative Speech Topics

• Adopted children should always have the option to see their biological parents.
• The impact of single parenting and its effects on children.
• The appropriate penalties for parental negligence.
• What it is like being the youngest of a family of 19 kids.
• The importance of the parent-child relationship.
• My father is my hero.
• How to pick a name for your children.
• Cases of domestic violence against men.
• The importance of family.
• The history of foster care.

See this page for a full list of Family Informative Speech Topics . We also have a page with Speech Topics for Kids .

18 Financial Informative Speech Topics

• How banks are getting paid twice for your mortgage.
• How to save money in college.
• How to build credit.
• How to save money on your income taxes.
• How to apply for a credit card.
• The basics of financial aid.
• The importance of saving money.
• How to recognize stock market trends.
• The process of buying a house.
• The basics of internet banking safety.
• The best investment strategies.
• How to live on $5 a day/ Eating well on $5 a day.
• Tips on how do deal with money problems.
• The history of our currency.
• How the US Dollar affects the Euro.
• Debt relief programs.
• Does China have a serious stock market?

9 Food and Drink Informative Speech Topics

• The difference between Gatorade and Powerade.
• How to cook a delicious dinner.
• How to grow your own food.
• The different types of coffee.
• How to cook vegetarian.
• How to make a cocktail.
• The best types of cheese.
• The best exotic fruits.
• How to make Chinese food.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topic Ideas On Food, Drink, and Cooking .

11 Fun Informative Speech Topics

• The history of Valentine’s Day, the celebrations in different cultures.
• Some laugh, but there are many courageous people who overcome stuttering.
• Funny Saint Patricks Day parades, pub decorating, Irish fun runs.
• Differences between apes and monkeys, monkeys in space programs, how they live in groups in the zoo.
• Your hand: what your signature, handwriting and your hand palm lines say about your character.
• Amphibian vehicles – search for information about those rare car-boat vehicles, and you have lots of fun informative speech topics to talk about!
• Cartoons in relation to our Freedom of Speech and Expression principles.
• Show the listeners to your public speaking speech some flags of unknown countries, ask them what nation you mean and explain colors and symbols.
• The extraterrestrial life stories and future theories from French author Jules Verne.
• Etiquette and manners, how to cope with special situations, how to behave at official ceremonies you see enough public speaking speeches spicing humor.
• Fashion styles and dress codes at parties and ceremonies.

See this page for a full list of Fun Informative Speech Topics .

5 Geography Informative Speech Topics

• The antipodes – Places on Earth which are diametrically opposite to each other.
• Cartography – How terrestrial globe spheres are crafted.
• Climatology – Patterns in climate change, like rising temperatures and flooding.
• Coasts – Types of coasts, deltas, sea cliffs and beaches.
• What does the continental drift theory mean in vulcanology?

See this page for a full list of Speech Topics On Geography .

9 Government Informative Speech Topics

• The role of accounting in the control of public expenditures in Nigeria.
• What factors affect community participation in public meetings?
• How difficult is it to run a country of 1.2 billion people?
• Speeding cameras are meant to provide government money.
• Should the President be paid while being in office?
• The Federal government’s separation of powers.
• Journalism is our weapon against corruption.
• How a bill passes in state government.
• The best city planning practices.

10 Health Informative Speech Topics

• Steroids, antibiotics, sprays: are these things hurting us?
• The effects of dissociative identity disorder or multiple personality disorder.
• Bigger isn’t always better: the effect fast food has on America.
• The importance of proper stretching before a workout.
• How to keep your skin looking young and wrinkle free.
• The different types of insomnia.
• The causes and effects of Alzheimer’s disease.
• The psychosocial aspects of organ transplantation.
• Controversial ideas about whooping cough vaccines.
• The reasons why stress and depression should be taken seriously.

See this page for a full list of Informative Speech Topics on Health and Fitness . We also have a page with Medical Topics and Psychology topics.

10 History Informative Speech Topics

• The beauty of ancient Egyptian art.
• The most beautiful paintings in history.
• The history of fashion.
• The history of high heels.
• The history of cosmetic makeup.
• The history of Tibetan burial practices.
• What Olympic events did ancient Greece have?
• The history of swear words and their impact on society.
• Words and their meanings that have changed with time.
• Why dragons perform in Chinese New Year celebrations.

See this page for a full list of History Speech Topics .

16 International Relations Informative Speech Topics

• Economic development and the role of the private sector in reducing poverty in Lesotho.
• Tourism and remittances are the solutions for Tonga’s economic growth.
• The military of the Philippines.
• Is South Africa ready for a female president?
• Can democracy bring stability to Pakistan?
• South Africa is an amazing country.
• The impact of U.S drone strikes.
• The discovery of oil in Equatorial Guinea.
• How to help refugees.
• Why everyone should live in China.
• The status of trade relations in East Africa.
• The effects of the Dowry system in India.
• Sri Lanka after thirty years of war.
• Why Africa is underdeveloped.
• The political system of India.
• The purpose of the United Nations.

2 Language Informative Speech Topics

• English is a link language for many parts of the world.
• The origins of cliches.

6 Literature Informative Speech Topics

• Inside the mind of Edgar Allen Poe.
• How to write a book.
• The three trials of Oscar Wilde.
• The meaning of The House on Mango Street.
• The history of vampires in literature.
• The different types of poetry.

21 Media Informative Speech Topics

• What steps are involved in creating a movie or television show?
• How Spotify hurts new artists.
• The benefits of watching less TV.
• How the media has hurt our body image.
• Books that were turned into terrible movies.
• The benefits of reading a newspaper.
• The basics of photography.
• The history of the Titanic movie.
• Some famous advertising campaigns.
• The effects of misleading advertisements.
• Some important women in the media.
• The best foreign TV shows.
• The benefits of satellite radio.
• The best TV sitcoms.
• Al Jazeera, the largest Arabic news channel is the Middle East.
• How Disney produces and distributes short animated films.
• The amazing stage performance of Christina Aguilera.
• The love life of Jennifer Aniston,
• The story of CNN International reporter, Christiane Amanpour.
• The ten actors who played James Bond.
• Top three worst Woody Allen movies.

9 Music Informative Speech Topics

• The different types of marching bands.
• The history of french horns.
• The history of house music.
• The evolution of rock and roll.
• The beauty of reggae music.
• Music as a “lifestyle”.
• The best electronic dance music.
• How to play the kazoo.
• The beauty of Haitian music.

4 National Security Informative Speech Topics

• How illegal things are smuggled into the country.
• The United States military branches.
• The importance of the Air Force.
• The branches of the military.

10 Politics Informative Speech Topics

• Should the U.S. restrict immigration?
• The benefits of communism.
• The most important women in politics.
• Define the term foreign policy and offer current examples.
• The delicate position of women and children in war torn societies and countries on the globe.
• How issues on oil in Nigeria lift the oil prices worldwide.
• How a free trade agreement works.
• The major environmental problems in Australia.
• National gun control statistics compared to the statistics of other countries.
• The function of the Federal Reserve Board in maintaining a stable financial system.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topics about Politics .

10 Psychology Informative Speech Topics

• The benefits of greeting people.
• Positive thinking is the key to peaceful living.
• The meaning of dreams.
• How to explain child geniuses.
• Difference between empathy and sympathy.
• How to be more sensitive for an emotionally insensitive person.
• How to know a person’s true personality when we are so good at disguise nowadays.
• Secrets about quiet people.
• How to respond or take a compliment.
• Why do people lie and how to deal with that.

See this page for a full list of Psychology Speech Topics .

12 Relationships Informative Speech Topics

• How marriages today differ from marriages from the 60’s.
• The secrets of happy and successful relationships.
• How to choose the right relationship.
• How to get along with your roommate.
• The guidelines for military marriages.
• How to make long distance relationships work.
• The average age to get married.
• How to talk to people when you have nothing to say.
• How to recognize toxic friends.
• Your Brain Falls in Love Not Only Your Heart.
• Who Was and Is Cupid and Co.
• All You Wanted to Know About Engagement.

10 Religion Informative Speech Topics

• A comparison of Genesis and Revelation in the Bible.
• Modern values are violating religious values.
• How Christ is present in our world.
• What percentage of the world’s population are Christians?
• Why worshipping Satan isn’t a bad thing.
• Why the bunny symbolizes Easter.
• God helps those who help themselves.
• A comparison of different religions.
• The history of the Christian church.
• The main principles of Christianity.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topics on Religion and Spirituality .

10 Science Informative Speech Topics

• The difference between an alligator and a crocodile.
• Why whales should not be hunted for food.
• Transhumanism and the evolution of the human race.
• How we can create geniuses.
• Falabella horses are the smallest in the world.
• Why is the colonization of Mars important?
• Albert Einstein’s contributions to science.
• The isolation of nicotinic acid from tobacco.
• The journey to becoming a nuclear physicist.
• Some interesting facts about the human brain.

See this page for a full list of Informative Science Speech Topics .

31 Self-Help Informative Speech Topics

• The difference between boundaries and limits.
• The benefits of affirmation.
• Three goals to strive for in life.
• How to present yourself with confidence.
• Why it’s important to be yourself.
• How to manage your anger.
• How to make a good first impression.
• How to prepare for a job interview.
• Your actions determine your future.
• How to set goals and achieve them.
• How to enhance your public speaking skills.
• How to increase your motivation.
• What makes life meaningful?
• How to take your next big step in life.
• How to construct an argument.
• How to boost your self-esteem.
• How to be happy being single.
• How to avoid procrastination.
• How to improve your manners.
• How to be a good leader.
• The importance of a good attitude.
• How to be more romantic.
• How to break bad habits.
• How to overcome conflict.
• Happiness: The thing we all look for but never really understand.
• What it’s like to be falling in love.
• What is love and what’s not.
• The secret to resolving conflicts.
• Dancing is your secret weapon for happiness and health.
• Things to remember if you don’t want to die with any regrets.

10 School Informative Speech Topics

• Schools should not make money by selling unhealthy candy and soft drinks to students.
• Music with foul language in it should not be allowed at school dances.
• Students should be able to listen to their MP3 players during class.
• Students who commit cyberbullying should be suspended or expelled from school.
• Boys and girls should be taught in separate classrooms.
• Homeschooling produces better results than public schools.
• High School will be the best time of your life.
• Boys are lazier than girls.
• All students should wear school uniform.
• It is possible to Ace your way through High School.

See this page for a full list of School Speech Topics for All Grades .

10 Society Informative Speech Topics

• Why it is bad to judge people by their appearance.
• The lives of isolated indigenous people.
• How to tell someone they are annoying you without being rude.
• How human behavior affects society.
• Left handed people: the underrepresented minority group.
• Is the military a fulfilling career choice for women?
• The effects of discrimination.
• The importance of newspapers in our daily life.
• Do actors and athletes make too much money?
• Why I’m optimistic about our nation’s future.

See this page for a full list of Informative Society Speech Topics .

10 Sport Informative Speech Topics

• Should female students be allowed to play on male sports teams?
• How to do a walking handstand or a cartwheel into the splits.
• Is netball or hockey more dangerous?
• The benefits of sports for all ages.
• Why the spelling bee shouldn’t be on ESPN.
• The worst professional sports teams.
• The importance of sports and games.
• What you should have in your golf bag.
• The history of professional fighting.
• The worst trades in sports history.

See this page for a full list of Informative Sports Speech Topics .

3 Supernatural Informative Speech Topics

• The mystery of the Bermuda triangle.
• The evidence that bigfoot exists.
• The existence of telepathy.

41 Technology Informative Speech Topics

• How roads are built.
• Is wind energy cheap, effective, and practical?
• Why college students should be careful about what they put on social media.
• The uses for artificial intelligence computer networks.
• The danger of putting too much personal information on social networks.
• Modes of communication are constantly changing.
• How has social media impacted our daily lives?
• The line between the human brain and a computer.
• Why technology is a bad thing for growing minds.
• How technology has destroyed human interaction.
• How is text messaging affecting teen literacy?
• The advantages and disadvantages of social media.
• The effects of violent video games on children.
• The decline of interpersonal communication due to technology.
• The difference between hardware and software.
• Antivirus software: beware of malware functions.
• The history of programming languages.
• How voice over IP works.
• What would we do without electricity?
• The benefits of 3D printing.
• The major technological changes since 1990.
• The negative effects of cellphones.
• How to avoid computer viruses.
• The evolution of the internet.
• Computers through the decades.
• How airport biometrics systems work.
• Robots now and in the future.
• How satellites help communication.
• How a water plant operates.
• How watches work.
• The evolution of video games.
• How cellular phones work.
• The evolution of the iPhone.
• How to build a computer.
• How nuclear power works.
• How search engines work.
• How air pressure works.
• The best new technologies.
• The future of electric cars.
• How to practice cyber safety.
• A guide to different social media sites.

15 Travel Informative Speech Topics

• How students can find great vacation bargains.
• The best cruise vacations.
• Famous parliament buildings
• How to test the quality of water when traveling.
• Interesting underground railroad systems in capital cities.
• Investigation shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea.
• The benefits of wind tunnels on transport.
• The discovery of the famous temples in the Maya culture.
• The influence of global warming on Alpine skiing.
• The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
• The Wright Brother’s first flight.
• Totem poles and obelisks are symbols of unity, tradition, and pride.
• What you need to know about the Principality of Andorra.
• Why is there a Titanic replica?
• Why the unsinkable and invincible Titanic sank.

9 Workplace Informative Speech Topics

• The benefits of break time for nursing mothers in the workplace.
• The prevalence of dangerous chemicals in the workplace.
• How to survive working in a restaurant.
• Why underwater welding is dangerous.
• How it is to work in the fast food industry.
• How to get a great internship.
• How to become a comedian.
• The most dangerous jobs.
• What are the fastest growing careers?

List of Informative Essay Topics

14 college informative essay topics.

• Benefits of a college degree
• Crimes on college campuses
• Healthiest foods in the campus cafeteria
• How students can stay safe on a college campus
• How students can use eLibrary Curriculum Edition for research
• How to beat senioritis
• How to find cheap textbooks
• How to pick a major
• How to study for and pass a test
• Saving money as a college student
• The story of how your school was founded
• Ways of preventing college dropout
• Whether binge drinking is a problem on your college campus
• Your favorite club or organization on campus

5 Demonstration Informative Essay Topics

• How to bake a cake
• How to knit a scarf
• How to organize a closet
• How to swing a golf club
• How to train your dog

7 Easy / Simple Informative Essay Topics

• A genre of music
• America’s fastest growing cities
• Breeds of dogs
• How a computer works
• Interesting cultures
• Lesser known presidents
• Natural disasters

9 Education Informative Essay Topics

• How to choose a persuasive speech topic
• How to deliver a funny informative speech
• How to deliver a persuasive speech
• How to maintain audience attention during a speech
• How to win your audience with descriptive speech
• How to write a persuasive essay
• How to write an argumentative essay
• How to write an expository essay
• The difference between a thesis statement and a topic sentence

10 Fun Informative Essay Topics

• An impressive world record
• Fun games to play at the beach.
• The history of ice cream
• The revolution of the selfie
• Ways different cultures celebrate Valentine’s Day
• What do people do when they win the lottery?
• What people don’t know about Disneyland
• What you can learn from grade K students
• What your horoscope means
• Why people get tattoos

6 Funny Informative Essay Topics

• Everything you need to know about skinny jeans
• Funny St. Patrick’s Day parades
• How to be nice to people you don’t like
• How to cheat in poker
• How to look attentive when you’re actually not
• Things you can learn from your pet

See this page for a full list of Funny Informative Speech Topics .

10 Health Informative Essay Topics

• All about gluten
• Cause-and-effect relationship of air pollution
• Causes of cancer
• How caffeine works
• How stress affects your body
• How to make exercise a habit
• How to quit smoking
• Symptoms of Alzheimer Disease
• Symptoms of depression
• How to get rid of bad habits

6 Hobbies Informative Essay Topics

• Best places for scuba diving
• Choosing your next book to read
• Peace lily care tips
• Professional baseball stadiums
• The history of your favorite sport
• Types of tropical fish

9 Interesting Informative Essay Topics

• Effects of global warming
• Exotic pets
• How to perform an attention-getting first dance at your wedding
• Near-death experiences
• Places to see in northern Nevada
• The biography of Clyde Tombaugh
• The history of a cliche marriage ritual
• What is your dog actually thinking?
• What your handwriting says about you

See this page for a full list of Informative Interesting Speech Topics .

7 Life Informative Essay Topics

• How to drive a stick-shift
• How to pay off your student loans in under 10 years
• How to succeed in multi-level marketing
• The process of buying a car
• Tips for being an effective networker
• Traveling the world for cheap
• Why people lie

7 Legislation Informative Essay Topics

• Fees and taxes for an electric car
• Minimum wage laws
• The history of drinking age rules
• What dogs are affected by breed specific legislation?
• Anti-trust crimes.
• Benefits of pleading guilty.
• Felony penalties for aggravated stalking.

See this page for a full list of Legal Speech Topics .

10 Pop Culture Informative Essay Topics

• A biography of your favorite celebrity
• All about your favorite author
• All about your favorite television show
• Former childhood stars
• History of your favorite product brand
• Instances where the movie is better than the book
• The Miss America pageant
• The pop art movement during the 20th century and the changes it brought about
• What makes a pop sensation
• Your favorite form of public broadcasting

7 Relationships Informative Essay Topics

How to be a good friend

• How to choose your friends
• How to get along with your in-laws
• How to make a marriage work
• How to survive a blind date gone wrong
• The different types of friendships
• The history of online dating

Picking Your Topic

At first glance, an informative speech may seem like the simplest type of presentation . The basis of an informative speech is to introduce a topic to the audience and then describe or explain it . It sounds fairly straightforward, but special care must be given to selecting a topic or the entire speech may not be well received.

Informative speeches can easily become boring for an audience for several reasons. First, the speaker should be sure not to present a topic which is already well known, or the audience will quickly lose interest. The topic should be something the audience has never encountered, or at least include new and exciting information on a familiar topic. Speakers should remember, when preparing the speech, that their own level of interest will become apparent during delivery of the presentation. In other words, if the speaker is bored by the topic, the audience will feel bored as well.

Knowing the audience is a primary factor in choosing an informative speech topic. The speaker should consider the age, knowledge level, subculture, and other demographics of his listeners when preparing the speech. It is important to present information which is neither too elementary nor too difficult for the audience to comprehend. The chosen topic should reflect the interests of the audience, and should be intriguing to them without rehashing information they already know. For example, college students may be interested in a topic on alcohol use, but they are already very familiar with a topic like the dangers of drinking and driving. In this case the speaker might concentrate his topic on the health benefits of red wine. This way, he has chosen a topic which interests the audience, but is likely to present new information which will not bore his listeners.

Finally, speakers should consider time limits when choosing an informative speech topic. A topic should be covered thoroughly enough that the audience feels as if most of their questions on the topic have been answered. On the other hand, a tight time restriction may prevent the speaker from adequately covering a very intricate topic. When time is limited, a subject which requires lengthy explanation should be avoided. The audience should leave an informative speech feeling as if they’ve gained new insight on a topic. It is good if they are interested in doing their own research to learn more about the subject, but they should never leave the presentation feeling confused or unclear about what they have just heard.

Informative Speech Idea In 5 Steps

1. step one – make a list.

Make a short list of your personal interests and informative speech topic ideas. To help you determine your interests on an informative speech topic, think about your favorite objects, products, people, animals, events, places, processes, procedures, concepts, policies, theories, and so on. Answer these important questions:

• Is there something you love to talk about, always have wanted to research?
• What interests you very much, or do you like or love at first glance?
• Do you have developed special skills in personal or professional life?
• What interesting informative topics do you know a lot of or want to know more about?
• What are some personal or professional experiences and skills in certain situations related to your favorite subjects?
• Can you reveal hidden secrets, new perspectives or insights on some topics?

2. Step Two – Analyze Your Audience

Determine the interests and needs of your audience. What do they want to learn? Can you teach them on a subject you like?

3. Step Three – Check Your Interests

Review the short list of your interests and make a decision. Choose the informative speech topic that is also interesting to your audience. Take care of their interests, questions and needs.

4. Step Four – Research and Write

Research  just one new single aspect  of that informative speech idea. Look for valuable or amazing information that surprises your listeners. Fresh data, facts, intelligence, and advice will catch their attention immediately! To help you researching: look for new facts, figures, stories, statistics, surveys, personal experiences, professional experiences, quotations, comparisons and contrasts.

5. Step Five – Add Help Props

Demonstrate steps, stages, pros and cons, and remarkable effects by the use of public speaking software or other visual aids , that display the material you want them to be understood or remembered.

Informative Speeches FAQ

1. Speeches About Objects 2. Speeches About Processes 3. Speeches About Events 4. Speeches About Concepts

An informative speech is one that provides information and educates the audience on a specific topic. An informative speech should help your audience learn, understand, and remember information you are presenting.

1. Know your audience or reader 2. Consider your interests 3. Consider length requirements

You can see this page with speech examples .

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613 Original Argumentative Speech Topics Ideas

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1-How to be a good friend: you have to do everything to make them happy, don’t snatch on them

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3-How to get along with your in-laws:1-Get to know them. … 2-Know your limits. … 3-Keep things cordial. … 4-Put your relationship first

4-How to make a marriage work

5-How to survive a blind date gone wrong 1-Ask open-ended questions. … 2-Tell a funny anecdote. … 3-Let your date talk. … 4-Answer questions fully. … 5-Listen to them carefully.

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Informative Speeches — Types, Topics, and Examples

What is an informative speech?

An informative speech uses descriptions, demonstrations, and strong detail to explain a person, place, or subject. An informative speech makes a complex topic easier to understand and focuses on delivering information, rather than providing a persuasive argument.

Types of informative speeches

The most common types of informative speeches are definition, explanation, description, and demonstration.

A definition speech explains a concept, theory, or philosophy about which the audience knows little. The purpose of the speech is to inform the audience so they understand the main aspects of the subject matter.

An explanatory speech presents information on the state of a given topic. The purpose is to provide a specific viewpoint on the chosen subject. Speakers typically incorporate a visual of data and/or statistics.

The speaker of a descriptive speech provides audiences with a detailed and vivid description of an activity, person, place, or object using elaborate imagery to make the subject matter memorable.

A demonstrative speech explains how to perform a particular task or carry out a process. These speeches often demonstrate the following:

How to do something

How to make something

How to fix something

How something works

How to write an informative speech

Regardless of the type, every informative speech should include an introduction, a hook, background information, a thesis, the main points, and a conclusion.

Introduction

An attention grabber or hook draws in the audience and sets the tone for the speech. The technique the speaker uses should reflect the subject matter in some way (i.e., if the topic is serious in nature, do not open with a joke). Therefore, when choosing an attention grabber, consider the following:

What’s the topic of the speech?

What’s the occasion?

Who’s the audience?

What’s the purpose of the speech?

Common Attention Grabbers (Hooks)

Ask a question that allows the audience to respond in a non-verbal way (e.g., a poll question where they can simply raise their hands) or ask a rhetorical question that makes the audience think of the topic in a certain way yet requires no response.

Incorporate a well-known quote that introduces the topic. Using the words of a celebrated individual gives credibility and authority to the information in the speech.

Offer a startling statement or information about the topic, which is typically done using data or statistics. The statement should surprise the audience in some way.

Provide a brief anecdote that relates to the topic in some way.

Present a “what if” scenario that connects to the subject matter of the speech.

Identify the importance of the speech’s topic.

Starting a speech with a humorous statement often makes the audience more comfortable with the speaker.

Include any background information pertinent to the topic that the audience needs to know to understand the speech in its entirety.

The thesis statement shares the central purpose of the speech.

Demonstrate

Preview the main ideas that will help accomplish the central purpose. Typically, informational speeches will have an average of three main ideas.

Body paragraphs

Apply the following to each main idea (body) :

Identify the main idea ( NOTE: The main points of a demonstration speech would be the individual steps.)

Provide evidence to support the main idea

Explain how the evidence supports the main idea/central purpose

Transition to the next main idea

Review or restate the thesis and the main points presented throughout the speech.

Much like the attention grabber, the closing statement should interest the audience. Some of the more common techniques include a challenge, a rhetorical question, or restating relevant information:

Provide the audience with a challenge or call to action to apply the presented information to real life.

Detail the benefit of the information.

Close with an anecdote or brief story that illustrates the main points.

Leave the audience with a rhetorical question to ponder after the speech has concluded.

Detail the relevance of the presented information.

Before speech writing, brainstorm a list of informative speech topic ideas. The right topic depends on the type of speech, but good topics can range from video games to disabilities and electric cars to healthcare and mental health.

Informative speech topics

Some common informative essay topics for each type of informational speech include the following:

Informative speech examples

The following list identifies famous informational speeches:

“Duties of American Citizenship” by Theodore Roosevelt

“Duty, Honor, Country” by General Douglas MacArthur

“Strength and Dignity” by Theodore Roosevelt

Explanation

“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” by Patrick Henry

“The Decision to Go to the Moon” by John F. Kennedy

“We Shall Fight on the Beaches” by Winston Churchill

Description

“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Pearl Harbor Address” by Franklin Delano Roosevelt

“Luckiest Man” by Lou Gehrig

Demonstration

The Way to Cook with Julia Child

This Old House with Bob Vila

Bill Nye the Science Guy with Bill Nye

14 Informative Speeches

Speeches to Educate, Explain, or Describe

In this chapter . . .

In this chapter we examine our first type of public speech, the informative speech. This is used in lectures, briefings, and anytime you want to transmit fact-based information to an audience. We cover what makes an informative speech unique, the types of informative speeches, and how to construct this type of speech.

What is an informative Speech? Defining what an informative speech is can be both straight-forward and somewhat tricky at the same time. Very simply, an informative speech can first be defined as a speech based entirely and exclusively on facts. An informative speech conveys knowledge, a task that every person engages in every day in some form or another. Whether giving someone who is lost driving directions, explaining the specials of the day as a server, or describing the plot of a movie to friends, people engage in forms of informative speaking daily.

An informative speech does not attempt to convince the audience that one thing is better than another. It does not advocate a course of action or incorporate opinion as its basis. This can be the tricky part of developing an informative speech because some opinion statements sound like facts (since they are generally agreed upon by many people) but are really opinions.

For example, in an informative speech on George Washington, you might want to say, “George Washington was one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States.” While this statement may be agreed upon by many people, it’s not irrefutable, meaning someone could argue against this claim. However, you could include this statement in an informative speech if you present the opinion from a reputable source: “Ron Chernow, in his 2011 best-selling biography of George Washington, describes the first president as one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States.” That is an acceptable way of presenting an opinion within the framework of a factual speech. While you may not be able to avoid opinion, you don’t want your central idea, your main points, and most of your supporting material to be opinion or argument in an informative speech.

Additionally, you should never take sides on an issue in an informative speech, nor should you “spin” the facts to influence the opinions of the listeners. Even if you are informing the audience about differences in views on controversial topics, you should simply and clearly explain the issues.

This doesn’t mean that an informative speech will have no effect on the audience. An audience can learn things from an informative speech that will affect what they do or how they think about something—that’s their choice. Your only focus is to provide the clearest and most factual information you can.

Types of Informative Speeches

While the topics to choose from for informative speeches are nearly limitless, they can be categorized according to five broad categories based on the primary goal of the speech. Understanding the type of informative speech that you will be giving can help you to figure out the best way to research and speechwriting.

Type 1: History

An informative speech on the history or development of something. Your focus is to explain to an audience how something came into existence. History speeches can be about objects, places, ideas, or even events. For example, imagine your informative speech was on the history of the football (the object, not the game). Someone at some point in history was the first to develop what is considered the modern football. Who was it? What was it originally made of? How did it evolve into the football that is used by the NFL today? For the history of a place, like a university, you would describe the specific year it opened, the number of students who were initially enrolled, and how it got its name. It’s also possible to provide the history of an idea, like “democracy.” By explaining the civilizations and cultures that adopted forms of democracy throughout history, it’s possible to provide an audience with a better understanding of how the idea has been shaped into what it has become today.

Type 2: Biography

A biographical speech is similar to a history one, but in this case the subject is a person, whether living or deceased. As with histories of objects, places, or ideas, there are specific and irrefutable facts that provide the details of someone’s life. Your focus is to tell the audience about someone’s life.

Type 3: Processes

Process speeches are informative speeches that explain how to do something or how something is achieved. These speeches require you to provide steps that will help your audience understand how to accomplish a specific task or process. We see examples of “how-to” presentations frequently—especially on YouTube. There’s a second type of process speech that focuses not on how the audience can achieve a result, but on how a process is achieved. The goal is understanding of a process instead of the performance of a process. After a speech on how to change a car tire, for example, the audience members could probably do it (they might not want to, but they would know the steps). However, after a speech on how a bill goes through Congress, the audience would understand this important part of democracy but not be ready to serve in Congress. Either way, if your speech aims at teaching the audience how something works, it’s a process speech.

Type 4: Ideas and Concepts

It is possible to have an informative speech about an idea or concept where your primary focus isn’t on the history of the idea, but how it exists now. In the examples above, we have seen two types of speeches about democracy: democracy as the topic of a speech that focuses on its history and democracy in a speech that focuses on a process in democratic legislation. In this fourth type of informative speech, you could focus on the concept of democracy as interpreted, for example, in three different countries. Your speech is neither about history nor about process but focuses on the definition itself.

Type 5: General

Sometimes an informative speech topic doesn’t lend itself to a focus on history, process, or concept. In those cases, the topics tend to fall into the general category of informative speeches. The focus in this type of informative speech is determined by the topic. For example, imagine a speech about customs to know when traveling in Japan. This isn’t a speech about the history of anime , nor a biography of a former emperor. It’s not about the process of planning a trip to Japan, nor is it about the concept of kawaii . Customs of Japan falls into the “general” type of informative speech.

Tips for Informational Speeches

Use the type of speech to determine the structure.

Identifying the type of informative speech being given can help in several ways (conducting research, writing the introduction and conclusion), but the biggest benefit is that the type of informative speech being given will help determine the organizational pattern that is best for a speech.

For example, a How-To speech must be in chronological order (step 1, step 2, step 3). Similarly, most speeches that focus on providing history or biography will be organized chronologically, but not always. It makes sense to use chronology to explain the history of the football from the moment it was first developed to where it’s today, but for an informative speech on Benjamin Franklin a student might choose a topical pattern (idea 1, idea 2, idea 3) as their three main points: 1) His time as a printer, 2) His time as an inventor, 3) His time as a diplomat. These main points are not in strict chronological order because Franklin was a printer, inventor, and diplomat at the same time during periods of his whole life. However, this example would still be one way to inform an audience about him without using the chronological organizational pattern.

As for general informative speeches, since the topics that can be included in this category are so diverse and cover a range of possible subject matter, the way they are organized will be varied as well and may use chronological, spatial, or topical structures. (Refer to Chapter x on speech structure and organization).

Keep Your Topic Specific

One of the biggest and most common mistakes students make is pursuing a topic that is much too broad. Let’s consider the example of a student who proposes the topic “To inform my audience about the Civil War.” The Civil War was, conservatively speaking, four years long, resulted in over 750,000 casualties, and arguably changed the course of human history. To think that it’s possible to cover all of that in a speech is unrealistic. Even a very experienced professor in American history would find it difficult to deliver a one-hour lecture that accomplished that goal.

The better approach in this case is to be as specific as possible. A revised specific purpose for this speech might be something like “To inform my audience about the Gettysburg Address.” This topic is much more compact (the Gettysburg Address is only a few minutes long) and doing research will be easier—although you will still find hundreds of sources on it. An even more specific topic would be “To inform my classmates of the specific places in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that are considered haunted.”

Avoid Fake Informative Speech Topics

Sometimes students think that because something sounds like an informative speech topic, it’s one. This happens a lot with political issues that are usually partisan in nature. Some students may feel that the speech topic “To inform my audience why William Henry Harrison was a bad president” sounds factual, but really this is an opinion—in other words, it’s a fake informational speech because it’s a persuasive speech disguised as an informational speech. Similarly, a few topics that include conspiracy and paranormal subject matter are usually mistaken for good informative topics as well. It is common for a student to propose the topic “To inform my audience about the existence of extraterrestrials,” thinking it’s a good topic. After all, there is plenty of evidence to support the claim, right? There are pictures of unidentified objects in the sky that people claim are from outer space, there are people who claim to have seen extraterrestrials, and most powerful of all, there are people who say that they have been abducted by aliens and taken into space.

The problem here, as you have probably already guessed, is that these facts are not irrefutable. Not every single person who sees something unknown in the sky will agree it’s an alien spacecraft, and there can be little doubt that not everyone who claims to have been abducted by a UFO is telling the truth. This isn’t to say that you can’t still do an informative speech on alien sites. For example, two viable options are “To inform my audience about the SETI Project” or “To inform my audience of the origin of the Area 51 conspiracy.” However, these types of speeches can quickly devolve into opinion if you aren’t careful, which would then make them persuasive speeches. Even if you start by trying to be objective, unless you can present each side equally, it will end up becoming a persuasive speech. Additionally, when a speaker picks such a topic, it’s often because of a hidden desire to persuade the audience about them.

Be Selective about Content

Even if you have chosen a specific and focused topic, you must still make choices about what you can and cannot include. Writing an informative speech isn’t about dumping enormous amounts of information on your audience that you can only get to by speaking at breakneck speed. It’s about carefully choosing what to include, making it interesting and clear, and presenting it to your audience at a comfortable pace. What’s better: too much information that audiences can’t grasp or less information for audiences that hear every word? Regardless of the topic, you will never be able to cover everything that is known about your topic, so don’t try. Select the things that will best help the audience gain a general understanding of the topic that will interest them, and that they hopefully will find valuable.

Be Accurate, Clear, and Interesting

A good informative speech conveys accurate information to the audience clearly and keeps the listener interested in the topic. Achieving all three of these goals—accuracy, clarity, and interest—is the key to being an effective speaker. If information is inaccurate, incomplete, or unclear, it will be of limited usefulness to the audience.

Part of being accurate is making sure that your information is current. Even if you know a great deal about your topic or wrote a good paper on the topic in a high school course, you will need to verify the accuracy and completeness of what you know, especially if it’s medical or scientific information.

What defines “interesting?” In approaching the informative speech, you should keep in mind the good overall principle that the audience is asking, “what’s in it for me?” The audience is either consciously or unconsciously wondering “What in this topic for me? How can I use this information? Of what value is this speech content to me? Why should I listen to it?”

Keep in Mind Audience Diversity

Finally, remember that not everyone in your audience is the same, so an informative speech should be prepared with audience diversity in mind. If the information in a speech is too complex or too simplistic, it will not hold the interest of the listeners. Determining the right level of complexity can be hard. Audience analysis is one important way to do this (see Chapter 2). Do the members of your audience belong to different age groups? Did they all go to public schools in the United States, or are some of them international students? Are they all students majoring in the same subject, or is there a mixture of majors? Never assume that just because an audience is made up of students, they all share a knowledge set.

Learning how to give informative speeches will serve you well in your college career and your future work. Keep in mind the principles in this chapter but also those of the previous chapters: relating to the informational needs of the audience, using clear structure, and incorporating interesting and attention-getting supporting evidence.

Something to Think About

Here are three general topics for informative speeches. Write specific purposes for them and explain how you would answer the WIIFM question.

• Type 1 diabetes
• The psychological effects of using social media

Public Speaking as Performance Copyright © 2023 by Mechele Leon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Public Speaking Helpline

All about the informative speech you need to know

The informative speech is designed to provide factual information and educate the audience on a specific topic or subject. Through concise and engaging delivery, the speaker aims to present essential details that are informative and thought-provoking.

An informative speech serves as a valuable tool to disseminate knowledge and engage listeners. It allows the speaker to share information, insights, and perspectives on a particular subject in a concise yet captivating manner. By providing accurate and factual information, an informative speech has the potential to educate, inspire, and leave a lasting impact on the audience.

Whether it is delivering a presentation in an academic setting, at a professional event, or even during informal gatherings, a well-crafted informative speech can effectively communicate ideas, enhance understanding, and encourage further exploration. Through the use of engaging storytelling techniques, visual aids, and effective speech delivery, an informative speech has the power to captivate the listeners’ attention and leave them with valuable insights and knowledge.

Table of Contents

Understanding Informative Speech: What Is It?

Informative speech is a form of public speaking that aims to educate or instruct the audience about a specific topic. Unlike persuasive speeches which aim to persuade the audience to adopt a particular point of view or take specific action, informative speeches are designed to provide valuable information in an engaging and interesting manner.

Definition And Explanation Of Informative Speech

Informative speeches can be defined as presentations that are intended to educate and enlighten the audience about a specific subject. These speeches are focused on providing facts, details, and statistics, ensuring that the audience gains a deeper understanding of the topic being discussed.

Informative speeches can take various forms. Some common types include explanatory speeches, demonstration speeches, and descriptive speeches. Explanatory speeches aim 

to explain complex concepts or ideas in a simplified manner, while demonstration speeches involve showing the audience how to perform a particular task or process. Descriptive speeches, on the other hand, paint a vivid picture for the audience, allowing them to visualize or imagine a specific scenario or concept.

The Purpose Of Informative Speech

The primary purpose of an informative speech is to provide the audience with new knowledge or insights about a particular subject. It is essential to engage the audience throughout the speech by using clear and concise language, supporting information with visual aids when necessary, and organizing the content in a logical and structured manner.

Informative speeches can serve a variety of purposes, such as raising awareness about a specific issue, sharing expertise or research findings, providing instructions or guidance, or simply satisfying the audience’s curiosity. By delivering information in an engaging and informative way, speakers can inspire their audience to learn more and become more informed about the topic at hand.

Examples Of Informative Speech Topics

When choosing a topic for an informative speech, it is important to consider the interests and knowledge level of the audience. Here are a few examples of informative speech topics:

• The benefits of practicing mindfulness meditation
• The history and impact of the Internet
• The process of creating a budget and managing personal finances
• The effects of climate change on the environment
• The basics of healthy eating and nutrition

These examples demonstrate the wide range of subjects that can be covered in an informative speech. From practical tips and advice to broader social or environmental issues, there is no shortage of topics that can provide valuable information to an audience.

In conclusion, informative speech is a powerful tool for educating and informing audiences about a specific topic. By understanding its definition, purpose, and examples of possible topics, speakers can create engaging and informative presentations that leave a lasting impact on the audience.

Types Of Informative Speeches

An informative speech is a type of presentation that aims to educate or inform the audience about a particular topic. There are several types of informative speeches, each with its own unique purpose and style. Understanding these types can help you create a compelling and effective speech that engages your audience. In this article, we will explore the different types of informative speeches and provide examples for each.

1. Descriptive Informative Speeches

A descriptive informative speech focuses on providing a detailed description of a person, place, object, or event. It aims to paint a vivid picture in the audience’s mind by using sensory details and descriptive language. For example, a speech about the Grand Canyon could describe its awe-inspiring beauty, geological formations, and history.

2. Demonstrative Informative Speeches

A demonstrative informative speech involves demonstrating or showing the audience how to do something. It can include step-by-step instructions, visual aids, and live demonstrations. For instance, a speech about making a gourmet dessert could involve actually making the dessert on stage and showing the audience the process.

3. Explanatory Informative Speeches

An explanatory informative speech aims to explain a complex or abstract topic in a clear and understandable manner. It breaks down the topic into smaller parts, provides examples and analogies, and presents logical explanations. For instance, a speech about quantum physics could explain the fundamental concepts and theories in simpler terms.

4. Comparison And Contrast Informative Speeches

A comparison and contrast informative speech involves highlighting the similarities and differences between two or more objects, people, events, or concepts. It helps the audience develop a deeper understanding of the subject by analyzing the relationships and connections between them. For example, a speech comparing different types of renewable energy sources could discuss their advantages, disadvantages, and environmental impact.

5. Problem-solution Informative Speeches

A problem-solution informative speech addresses a specific problem and proposes solutions or strategies to solve it. It aims to raise awareness about the issue and inspire action from the audience. For instance, a speech about reducing plastic pollution could discuss the harmful effects of plastic on the environment and suggest practical ways individuals can reduce their plastic consumption.

6. Argumentative Informative Speeches

An argumentative informative speech presents a clear argument or viewpoint on a controversial or debatable topic. It provides evidence, facts, and logical reasoning to support the argument and persuade the audience to adopt a specific position. For example, a speech about the benefits of vegetarianism could present scientific studies, ethical arguments, and health benefits to support the case.

7. Narrative Informative Speeches

A narrative informative speech tells a story or recounts a personal experience to convey a message or lesson to the audience. It engages the audience emotionally and keeps them captivated through storytelling techniques. For instance, a speech about overcoming adversity could share a personal story of resilience and inspire others to persevere in the face of challenges.

8. Definitive Speeches

A definitive speech aims to provide a comprehensive and authoritative overview of a subject. It presents factual information, research findings, and expert opinions to provide a clear understanding of the topic. For example, a speech about the history of the internet could explore its origins, development, and impact on society.

9. Speeches About Objects

Speeches about objects focus on providing information and insights about specific physical items or artifacts. They may discuss the history, uses, benefits, and significance of the object. For example, a speech about the Eiffel Tower could delve into its construction, architectural design, and cultural symbolism.

10. Speeches About People

Speeches about people center around highlighting the lives, achievements, and contributions of specific individuals. They may explore their background, accomplishments, values, and impact on society. For instance, a speech about Martin Luther King Jr. could discuss his role in the civil rights movement, his speeches, and his influence in promoting equality and justice.

11. Speeches About Events

Speeches about events focus on providing information and insights about specific historical, cultural, or significant occasions. They may discuss the context, significance, and impact of the event. For example, a speech about the moon landing could delve into the space race, the scientific achievements, and the implications for future space exploration.

12. Speeches About Concepts

Speeches about concepts aim to explain abstract or philosophical ideas and theories. They may delve into the meaning, applications, and implications of the concept. For instance, a speech about happiness could explore different theories of happiness, the factors that contribute to it, and strategies for cultivating happiness in one’s life.

13. Speeches About Processes

Speeches about processes explain the steps, stages, or methods involved in a particular process or activity. They may include demonstrations, diagrams, or visual aids to help the audience understand the process. For example, a speech about baking a cake could outline the ingredients, mixing techniques, and baking instructions.

14. Speeches About Issues

Speeches about issues focus on raising awareness and providing information about specific societal, environmental, or political issues. They may discuss the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to the issue. For instance, a speech about climate change could address the science behind it, the impact on the planet, and the importance of taking action to mitigate its effects.

How To Choose A Topic For Your Informative Speech

Choosing the right topic for your informative speech is crucial to engaging your audience and delivering a successful presentation. There are several factors to consider when selecting a topic, including identifying your target audience, evaluating your own knowledge and interests, researching potential topics, narrowing down your options, and ensuring the final topic is both relevant and engaging. In this article, we will explore each of these steps in detail to help you choose the perfect topic for your informative speech.

Before diving into the process of choosing a topic, it’s essential to identify your target audience. Understanding who will be listening to your speech will guide you in selecting a topic that resonates with them. Consider their age, interests, knowledge level, and any specific needs or preferences they may have.

Once you have a clear picture of your target audience, it’s time to evaluate your own knowledge and interests. Choose a topic that you are passionate and knowledgeable about, as this enthusiasm will shine through in your delivery. Your expertise on the subject will also lend credibility to your speech, making it more effective in educating the audience.

Now that you have a general idea of the direction you want to take, it’s time to start researching potential topics. Use reliable sources such as academic journals, books, reputable websites, and expert opinions to gather information on a variety of subjects. Make a list of potential topics that align with your audience and your own expertise.

With a list of potential topics in hand, it’s important to narrow down your options to a specific subject that can be covered within the time constraints of your speech. Consider the amount of information available on each topic, as well as the level of detail you can provide in the given timeframe. This will ensure that you can deliver a comprehensive and engaging presentation.

Finally, it’s crucial to evaluate each potential topic to ensure that it is both relevant and engaging for your audience. Ask yourself if the topic is timely, addresses a current issue, or provides valuable information that your audience can apply in their lives. Additionally, consider if the topic is interesting and compelling enough to capture and maintain the attention of your listeners throughout the speech.

By following these steps – identifying your target audience, evaluating your own knowledge and interests, researching potential topics, narrowing down your options, and ensuring the final topic is relevant and engaging – you will be well-equipped to choose a topic for your informative speech that will captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression.

Researching And Gathering Information

When it comes to delivering an informative speech, one of the most important steps is researching and gathering information. This process involves finding reliable sources, evaluating their credibility, and organizing the gathered information effectively. By following effective strategies, utilizing trustworthy sources, and synthesizing the research findings, you can ensure that your speech is well-informed and engaging.

Effective Strategies For Conducting Research

Conducting thorough research is the foundation of an informative speech. To ensure you gather relevant and accurate information, consider implementing the following strategies:

• Identify your topic: Clearly define the subject of your speech and the specific aspects you want to cover.
• Brainstorm keywords: Generate a list of keywords and phrases related to your topic. This will help you when searching for information.
• Utilize search engines: Conduct searches using search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Be sure to use quotation marks around specific phrases to get more precise results.
• Explore online databases: Access academic databases and online libraries such as JSTOR, PubMed, or Google Scholar. These platforms contain a wealth of scholarly articles and research studies.
• Visit libraries and archives: Don’t underestimate the value of offline research. Visit your local library or university library to access books, journals, and other physical resources.
• Interview experts: Reach out to professionals, specialists, or individuals with in-depth knowledge about your topic. Conducting interviews can provide unique insights and firsthand information.

Reliable Sources For Information

As you gather information for your informative speech, it is crucial to utilize reliable sources that provide accurate and trustworthy information. Consider the following sources:

• Academic journals and research papers: These publications undergo rigorous peer-review processes and are written by experts in their respective fields.
• Government websites: Government sources typically provide reliable and up-to-date information, particularly when it comes to statistics and official reports.
• Unbiased news outlets: Look for reputable news organizations that prioritize unbiased reporting and fact-checking.
• Books by reputable authors: Books authored by credible scholars, professionals, or experts can offer in-depth knowledge and analysis on a topic.
• Professional associations and organizations: Websites and publications associated with reputable professional organizations often contain valuable research and expert opinions.

Organizing And Synthesizing Research Findings

Once you have gathered a substantial amount of research material, it is crucial to organize and synthesize your findings to create a coherent and informative speech. Consider the following methods:

• Create an outline: Develop a clear and logical structure for your speech. Outline the main points and arrange them in a logical order.
• Group similar information: Categorize the gathered information based on common themes or subject areas. This will make it easier to synthesize and present your findings.
• Eliminate redundant or irrelevant information: Review your research findings and remove any repetitive or irrelevant content that may distract from your main points.
• Summarize and paraphrase: Avoid directly copying information from your sources. Instead, summarize and paraphrase the information in your own words. Be sure to cite your sources properly.

By following these effective strategies for researching, utilizing reliable sources, and organizing your findings, you can create an informative speech that captivates your audience and provides them with valuable insights.

Structuring Your Informative Speech

Discover the secrets to successfully structuring your informative speech with these 6 essential guidelines. Craft concise sentences, use engaging phrases, and deliver your content in an active voice to captivate your audience and create a memorable impact.

Introduction

When it comes to delivering an informative speech, structuring your content is key to keeping your audience engaged and ensuring that your message comes across effectively. A well-organized speech helps your audience understand and retain the information you’re presenting. In this blog post, we’ll explore the various components of structuring an informative speech, from crafting an attention-grabbing opening to summarizing your main points in the conclusion.

Attention-grabbing Opening

The opening of your informative speech sets the tone and captures your audience’s attention. You want to start off strong, immediately piquing their interest. One way to do this is by sharing a compelling story or anecdote related to your topic. For example, if your speech is about the importance of conserving water, you could begin by recounting a personal experience of witnessing the effects of water scarcity.

Another effective technique is to start with a thought-provoking question or a surprising statistic. This instantly engages your audience and makes them curious to learn more. For instance, if your speech revolves around the benefits of meditation, you might begin by asking, “Did you know that just 10 minutes of meditation a day can significantly reduce stress levels?”

Thesis Statement

After grabbing your audience’s attention, it’s important to clearly state the purpose of your speech with a concise thesis statement. Your thesis statement should communicate the main idea or focus of your speech. Let your audience know what they can expect to learn or gain from your presentation. For example, if your informative speech is about the history of the Olympic Games, your thesis statement may be: “Today, I will take you on a journey through time to explore the fascinating origins and evolution of the modern Olympic Games.”

Preview Of Main Points

Once you’ve established your thesis statement, provide your audience with a preview of the main points you’ll be discussing throughout your speech. This gives them an outline of what to expect, allowing them to mentally organize and follow along. For example, if your speech is about the benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, you might say, “First, we will explore how a plant-based diet can improve your overall health. Then, we will delve into the positive environmental impact of this dietary choice. Finally, we will discuss the ethical considerations of animal agriculture.”

The body of your informative speech is where you provide in-depth information and support for your main points. It’s crucial to organize your main points in a logical manner, ensuring a smooth flow of ideas. To achieve this, you can use various organizational structures such as chronological order, spatial order, or cause and effect. Consider which structure best suits your topic and delivers the information most effectively.

When presenting your main points, make sure to provide supporting evidence and examples to back up your statements. This strengthens your arguments and adds credibility to your speech. Use relevant research studies, statistics, and real-life examples to illustrate your points. For instance, if you’re discussing the impact of social media on mental health, you could share data on the increase in anxiety and depression rates among heavy social media users.

In the conclusion of your informative speech, you want to summarize your main points to reinforce the information you shared. Remind your audience of the key takeaways from your speech, emphasizing the most important aspects. This helps solidify their understanding and memory of the content you presented.

Finally, end your informative speech with a memorable closing statement that leaves a lasting impression on your audience. It could be a call to action, encouraging them to make a change or take further steps related to the topic. For example, if your speech is about the importance of volunteer work, you could end by saying, “Now that you know the power of giving back, I urge you to find a cause you’re passionate about and make a difference in your community.”

Delivery Techniques For Informative Speeches

In order to deliver an effective informative speech, the delivery technique plays a crucial role. Your speech can have great content, but if it is not delivered in a captivating and engaging manner, your audience might lose interest. To ensure the success of your informative speech, it is important to master delivery techniques such as voice modulation and projection, body language and gestures, effective use of visual aids, and engaging the audience through storytelling.

Voice Modulation And Projection

One of the key delivery techniques for informative speeches is voice modulation and projection. Your voice is your most powerful tool when it comes to capturing and retaining the attention of your audience. By varying the pitch, tone, and volume of your voice, you can emphasize important points, create suspense, or convey emotions. Speaking with confidence and clarity will enable your voice to carry across the room, ensuring that every member of your audience can hear you clearly.

Body Language And Gestures

Your body language and gestures can significantly enhance the delivery of your informative speech. Using appropriate and purposeful movements can help to reinforce your message and make it more engaging for the audience. Stand tall, maintain good posture, and use confident gestures to support your points. Eye contact with your audience can create a connection and enhance engagement. When appropriate, move around the stage or use the space to interact with your visual aids or props, ensuring that your body language complements your speech.

Effective Use Of Visual Aids

Incorporating visual aids can greatly enhance the delivery of your informative speech and aid in audience comprehension. Visual aids can include images, charts, graphs, videos, or props that help clarify complex concepts or data. When creating visual aids, ensure they are clear, visually appealing, and easy to understand. Use them strategically throughout your speech to reinforce key points and maintain the interest of your audience.

Engaging The Audience Through Storytelling

Storytelling is one of the most powerful techniques for engaging an audience in an informative speech. By using real-life examples, anecdotes, or personal stories, you can make your content relatable and memorable. Introduce characters, build suspense, and create emotional connections through storytelling. This will not only capture the attention of your audience but also help them understand and retain the information you are presenting.

Tips For A Successful Informative Speech

An informative speech can be a powerful tool for sharing knowledge and educating an audience. However, delivering an effective and engaging informative speech requires careful planning and preparation. In this article, we will provide you with some valuable tips to help you deliver a successful informative speech.

Rehearsing Your Speech

One of the most important aspects of delivering a successful informative speech is rehearsing your content. Practice your speech multiple times to ensure fluency and accuracy. Here are some key points to remember:

• Memorize your opening and closing: By memorizing your opening and closing statements, you can make a strong first impression and leave a lasting impact on your audience.
• Break your content into smaller sections: Divide your speech into smaller sections or chunks. This will not only help you remember the information better but also allow your audience to digest the content more easily.
• Use supportive notes: Instead of memorizing every word, use supportive notes or cue cards to guide you through the speech. This will help you stay on track while allowing for natural delivery.
• Practice timing: Keep track of your speech’s timing during rehearsals to ensure that you stay within the allotted time frame. Speed up or slow down your delivery as necessary.
• Record and review: Record yourself while practicing and review the recordings to identify any areas that need improvement. Pay attention to your tone, pace, and body language.

Managing Nervousness

Nervousness is common when delivering a speech, but with proper techniques, you can manage it effectively. Here are some strategies to help you overcome nervousness:

• Control your breathing: Practice deep breathing exercises before going on stage. This will help calm your nerves and provide a sense of relaxation.
• Visualize success: Spend some time visualizing yourself delivering a successful speech. Visualize the audience’s positive reactions and your confident demeanor.
• Focus on the message: Shift your focus from your nervousness to the value and importance of the information you are presenting. Remember, you are there to educate and inform, and the audience is eager to learn.
• Engage with the audience: Make eye contact and interact with your audience. This will help create a connection and distract you from your nervous feelings.
• Practice relaxation techniques: Explore relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation or mindfulness exercises to help manage anxiety before and during your speech.

Using Visual Aids Effectively

Visual aids can significantly enhance the impact and understanding of your speech. Here are some tips to effectively incorporate visual aids:

• Keep it simple: Use visuals that are easy to understand and not overloaded with information. Clear and concise visuals will better support your speech.
• Highlight key points: Use visuals to highlight key points or important data. This will help your audience grasp the main ideas of your speech.
• Utilize multimedia: Incorporate multimedia elements such as images, videos, or charts to make your speech more engaging and visually appealing.
• Practice with the visuals: Familiarize yourself with the visuals and practice using them during your rehearsals. This will ensure smooth transitions and prevent technical difficulties.
• Position visuals strategically: Place visuals where they can be easily seen by all audience members. Make sure they are large enough to be visible from different parts of the room.

Engaging The Audience Through Interactive Elements

An engaged audience is more likely to retain the information you provide. Incorporating interactive elements can help keep your audience interested and involved throughout your speech. Consider these interactive techniques:

• Ask questions: Pose thought-provoking questions to your audience and encourage them to share their insights or experiences related to the topic.
• Use demonstrations: If applicable, demonstrate a process or technique related to your speech to provide a hands-on experience for your audience.
• Encourage participation: Allow opportunities for your audience to participate actively. This can include group activities, brainstorming sessions, or small discussions.
• Include anecdotes: Share personal stories or anecdotes that relate to your speech. This can help create a connection with your audience and make your content more relatable.
• Engage with technology: Utilize online polling tools or interactive apps to gather audience responses in real-time. This can add an element of excitement and involvement.

Handling Questions And Answers

During your informative speech, you may encounter questions from the audience. Here are some tips to handle questions effectively:

• Active listening: Pay close attention to the question being asked and ensure you fully understand it before responding. If necessary, ask for clarification.
• Stay composed: Remain calm and composed when answering questions, even if you are caught off guard. Take a moment to gather your thoughts before providing a concise and thoughtful response.
• Be respectful: Treat all questions with respect and respond in a professional and courteous manner. Avoid dismissing or belittling any question, regardless of its relevance.
• Encourage interaction: Use questions as an opportunity to engage further with your audience. If the question is relevant to your speech, elaborate on the topic and encourage further discussion.
• Acknowledge limitations: If you are unsure about an answer, admit it honestly. Offer to research the topic further and provide the necessary information later.

Frequently Asked Questions On Informative Speech

What is an informative speech example.

An informative speech example is a presentation that aims to educate and inform the audience about a specific topic. It provides valuable information and facts in a clear and concise manner.

What Are 4 Examples Of Informative Speech?

Four examples of informative speech are: “The Importance of Recycling”, “The Benefits of Exercise”, “Tips for Effective Public Speaking”, and “The History of the Internet. “

What Are The 3 Most Common Types Of Informative Speeches?

The three most common types of informative speeches are persuasive speeches, demonstrative speeches, and informative speeches.

What Is An Informative Speech?

An informative speech is a presentation that aims to educate the audience about a specific topic, providing them with valuable information and insights. It helps the audience to understand a subject better and gain knowledge on a particular subject matter.

This informative speech has provided valuable insights into [topic]. By exploring [key points discussed in the blog post], we have gained a deeper understanding of [topic]. Whether you are a beginner or an expert in [topic], this content has offered valuable information that is both SEO-friendly and easy to understand.

Remember to implement these strategies and tips for your next [topic]-related project to ensure success. Happy learning and implementing!

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16.2 Types of Informative Speeches

Learning objectives.

• Identify several categories of topics that may be used in informative speaking.
• Describe several approaches to developing a topic.

Erica minton – Late Night Dry Erase Board Session – CC BY-NC 2.0.

For some speakers, deciding on a topic is one of the most difficult parts of informative speaking. The following subsections begin by discussing several categories of topics that you might use for an informative presentation. Then we discuss how you might structure your speech to address potential audience difficulties in understanding your topic or information.

The term “objects” encompasses many topics we might not ordinarily consider to be “things.” It’s a category that includes people, institutions, places, substances, and inanimate things. The following are some of these topics:

• Mitochondria
• Dream catchers
• Hubble telescope
• Seattle’s Space Needle
• Silicon chip
• Spruce Goose
• Medieval armor
• DDT insecticide

You will find it necessary to narrow your topic about an object because, like any topic, you can’t say everything about it in a single speech. In most cases, there are choices about how to narrow the topic. Here are some specific purpose statements that reflect ways of narrowing a few of those topics:

• To inform the audience about the role of soy inks in reducing toxic pollution
• To inform the audience about the current uses of the banned insecticide DDT
• To inform the audience about what we’ve learned from the Hubble telescope
• To inform the audience about the role of the NAACP in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• To describe the significance of the gigantic Spruce Goose, the wooden airplane that launched an airline

These specific purposes reflect a narrow, but interesting, approach to each topic. These purposes are precise, and they should help you maintain your focus on a narrow but deep slice of knowledge.

This category applies both to specific individuals and also to roles. The following are some of these topics:

• Dalai Lamas
• Tsar Nicholas II
• Modern midwives
• Catherine the Great
• Navajo code talkers
• Mahatma Gandhi
• Justice Thurgood Marshall
• Madame Curie
• Leopold Mozart
• The Hemlock Society
• Sonia Sotomayor
• Jack the Ripper

There is a great deal of information about each one of these examples. In order to narrow the topic or write a thesis statement, it’s important to recognize that your speech should not be a biography, or time line, of someone’s life. If you attempt to deliver a comprehensive report of every important event and accomplishment related to your subject, then nothing will seem any more important than anything else. To capture and hold your audience’s interest, you must narrow to a focus on a feature, event, achievement, or secret about your human topic.

Here are some purpose statements that reflect a process of narrowing:

• To inform the audience about the training program undergone by the first US astronauts to land on the moon
• To inform the audience about how a young Dalai Lama is identified
• To inform the audience about why Gandhi was regarded as a mahatma, or “great heart”
• To inform the audience about the extensive scientific qualifications of modern midwives

Without a limited purpose, you will find, with any of these topics, that there’s simply too much to say. Your purpose statement will be a strong decision-making tool about what to include in your speech.

An event can be something that occurred only once, or an event that is repeated:

• The murder of Emmett Till
• The Iditarod Dogsled Race
• The Industrial Revolution
• The discovery of the smallpox vaccine
• The Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests
• The Bay of Pigs
• The Super Bowl
• The Academy Awards

Again, we find that any of these topics must be carefully narrowed in order to build a coherent speech. Failure to do so will result in a shallow speech. Here are a few ways to narrow the purpose:

• To explain how the murder of Emmett Till helped energize the civil rights movement
• To describe how the Industrial Revolution affected the lives of ordinary people
• To inform the audience about the purpose of the Iditarod dogsled race

There are many ways to approach any of these and other topics, but again, you must emphasize an important dimension of the event. Otherwise, you run the risk of producing a time line in which the main point gets lost. In a speech about an event, you may use a chronological order , but if you choose to do so, you can’t include every detail. The following is an example:

Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about the purpose of the Iditarod dogsled race.

Central Idea: The annual Iditarod commemorates the heroism of Balto, the sled dog that led a dog team carrying medicine 1150 miles to save Nome from an outbreak of diphtheria.

Main Points:

• Diphtheria broke out in a remote Alaskan town.
• Dogsleds were the only transportation for getting medicine.
• The Iditarod Trail was long, rugged, and under siege of severe weather.
• Balto the dog knew where he was going, even when the musher did not.
• The annual race commemorates Balto’s heroism in saving the lives of the people of Nome.

In this example, you must explain the event. However, another way to approach the same event would describe it. The following is an example:

Specific Purpose: To describe the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Central Idea: It’s a long and dangerous race.

• The 1150-mile, ten- to seventeen-day race goes through wilderness with widely spaced checkpoints for rest, first aid, and getting fresh dogs.
• A musher, or dogsled driver, must be at least fourteen years old to endure the rigors of severe weather, exhaustion, and loneliness.
• A musher is responsible for his or her own food, food for twelve to sixteen dogs, and for making sure they don’t get lost.
• Reaching the end of the race without getting lost, even in last place, is considered honorable and heroic.
• The expense of participation is greater than the prize awarded to the winner.

By now you can see that there are various ways to approach a topic while avoiding an uninspiring time line. In the example of the Iditarod race, you could alternatively frame it as an Alaskan tourism topic, or you could emphasize the enormous staff involved in first aid, search and rescue, dog care, trail maintenance, event coordination, financial management, and registration.

Concepts are abstract ideas that exist independent of whether they are observed or practiced, such as the example of social equality that follows. Concepts can include hypotheses and theories.

• The glass ceiling
• Ethnocentrism
• Honor codes
• Fairness theory
• The American Dream
• Social equality

Here are a few examples of specific purposes developed from the examples:

• To explain why people in all cultures are ethnocentric
• To describe the Hindu concept of karma
• To distinguish the differences between the concepts of wellness and health
• To show the resources available in our local school system for children with autism
• To explain three of Dr. Stephen Suranovic’s seven categories of fairness

Here is one possible example of a way to develop one of these topics:

Specific Purpose: To explain why people in all cultures are ethnocentric.

Central Idea: There are benefits to being ethnocentric.

• Ethnocentrism is the idea that one’s own culture is superior to others.
• Ethnocentrism strongly contributes to positive group identity.
• Ethnocentrism facilitates the coordination of social activity.
• Ethnocentrism contributes to a sense of safety within a group.
• Ethnocentrism becomes harmful when it creates barriers.

In an example of a concept about which people disagree, you must represent multiple and conflicting views as fully and fairly as possible. For instance:

Specific Purpose: To expose the audience to three different views of the American Dream.

Central Idea: The American Dream is a shared dream, an impossible dream, or a dangerous dream, depending on the perspective of the individual.

• The concept of the American Dream describes a state of abundant well-being in which an honest and productive American can own a home; bring up a family; work at a permanent, well-paying job with benefits; and retire in security and leisure.
• Many capitalists support the social pattern of working hard to deserve and acquire the material comforts and security of a comfortable life.
• Many sociologists argue that the American Dream is far out of reach for the 40 percent of Americans at the bottom of the economic scale.
• Many environmentalists argue that the consumption patterns that accompany the American Dream have resulted in the depletion of resources and the pollution of air, water, and soil.

If your speech topic is a process, your goal should be to help your audience understand it, or be able to perform it. In either instance, processes involve a predictable series of changes, phases, or steps.

• Soil erosion
• Cell division
• Physical therapy
• Volcanic eruption
• Paper recycling
• Consumer credit evaluations
• Scholarship money searches
• Navy Seal training
• Portfolio building
• The development of Alzheimer’s disease

For some topics, you will need presentation aids in order to make your meaning clear to your listeners. Even in cases where you don’t absolutely need a presentation aid, one might be useful. For instance, if your topic is evaluating consumer credit, instead of just describing a comparison between two different interest rates applied to the same original amount of debt, it would be helpful to show a graph of the difference. This might also be the sort of topic that would strongly serve the needs of your audience before they find themselves in trouble. Since this will be an informative speech, you must resist the impulse to tell your listeners that one form of borrowing is good and another is bad; you must simply show them the difference in numbers. They can reach their own conclusions.

Organizing your facts is crucially important when discussing a process. Every stage of a process must be clear and understandable. When two or more things occur at the same time, as they might in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, it is important to make it clear that several things are occurring at once. For example, as plaque is accumulating in the brain, the patient is likely to begin exhibiting various symptoms.

Here’s an example of the initial steps of a speech about a process:

Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about how to build an academic portfolio.

Central Idea: A portfolio represents you and emphasizes your best skills.

• A portfolio is an organized selection containing the best examples of the skills you can offer an employer.
• A portfolio should contain samples of a substantial body of written work, print and electronically published pieces, photography, and DVDs of your media productions.
• A portfolio should be customized for each prospective employer.
• The material in your portfolio should be consistent with the skills and experience in your résumé.

In a speech about the process of building a portfolio, there will be many smaller steps to include within each of the main points. For instance, creating separate sections of the portfolio for different types of creative activities, writing a table of contents, labeling and dating your samples, making your samples look attractive and professional, and other steps should be inserted where it makes the most sense, in the most organized places, in order to give your audience the most coherent understanding possible.

You’ve probably noticed that there are topics that could be appropriate in more than one category. For instance, the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helen’s could be legitimately handled as an event or as a process. If you approach the eruption as an event, most of the information you include will focus on human responses and the consequences on humans and the landscape. If you approach the eruption as a process, you will be using visual aids and explanations to describe geological changes before and during the eruption. You might also approach this topic from the viewpoint of a person whose life was affected by the eruption. This should remind you that there are many ways to approach most topics, and because of that, your narrowing choices and your purpose will be the important foundation determining the structure of your informative speech.

Developing Your Topic for the Audience

One issue to consider when preparing an informative speech is how best to present the information to enhance audience learning. Katherine Rowan suggests focusing on areas where your audience may experience confusion and using the likely sources of confusion as a guide for developing the content of your speech. Rowan identifies three sources of audience confusion: difficult concepts or language, difficult-to-envision structures or processes, and ideas that are difficult to understand because they are hard to believe (Rowan, 1995). The following subsections will discuss each of these and will provide strategies for dealing with each of these sources of confusion.

Difficult Concepts or Language

Sometimes audiences may have difficulty understanding information because of the concepts or language used. For example, they may not understand what the term “organic food” means or how it differs from “all-natural” foods. If an audience is likely to experience confusion over a basic concept or term, Rowan suggests using an elucidating explanation composed of four parts. The purpose of such an explanation is to clarify the meaning and use of the concept by focusing on essential features of the concept.

The first part of an elucidating explanation is to provide a typical exemplar, or example that includes all the central features of the concept. If you are talking about what is fruit, an apple or orange would be a typical exemplar.

The second step Rowan suggests is to follow up the typical exemplar with a definition. Fruits might be defined as edible plant structures that contain the seeds of the plant.

After providing a definition, you can move on to the third part of the elucidating explanation: providing a variety of examples and nonexamples. Here is where you might include less typical examples of fruit, such as avocados, squash, or tomatoes, and foods, such as rhubarb, which is often treated as a fruit but is not by definition.

Fourth, Rowan suggests concluding by having the audience practice distinguishing examples from nonexamples. In this way, the audience leaves the speech with a clear understanding of the concept.

Difficult-to-Envision Processes or Structures

A second source of audience difficulty in understanding, according to Rowan, is a process or structure that is complex and difficult to envision. The blood circulation system in the body might be an example of a difficult-to-envision process. To address this type of audience confusion, Rowan suggests a quasi-scientific explanation, which starts by giving a big-picture perspective on the process. Presentation aids or analogies might be helpful in giving an overview of the process. For the circulatory system, you could show a video or diagram of the entire system or make an analogy to a pump. Then you can move to explaining relationships among the components of the process. Be sure when you explain relationships among components that you include transition and linking words like “leads to” and “because” so that your audience understands relationships between concepts. You may remember the childhood song describing the bones in the body with lines such as, “the hip bone’s connected to the thigh bone; the thigh bone’s connected to the knee bone.” Making the connections between components helps the audience to remember and better understand the process.

Difficult to Understand because It’s Hard to Believe

A third source of audience confusion, and perhaps the most difficult to address as a speaker, is an idea that’s difficult to understand because it’s hard to believe. This often happens when people have implicit, but erroneous, theories about how the world works. For example, the idea that science tries to disprove theories is difficult for some people to understand; after all, shouldn’t the purpose of science be to prove things? In such a case, Rowan suggests using a transformative explanation. A transformative explanation begins by discussing the audience’s implicit theory and showing why it is plausible. Then you move to showing how the implicit theory is limited and conclude by presenting the accepted explanation and why that explanation is better. In the case of scientists disproving theories, you might start by talking about what science has proven (e.g., the causes of malaria, the usefulness of penicillin in treating infection) and why focusing on science as proof is a plausible way of thinking. Then you might show how the science as proof theory is limited by providing examples of ideas that were accepted as “proven” but were later found to be false, such as the belief that diseases are caused by miasma, or “bad air”; or that bloodletting cures diseases by purging the body of “bad humors.” You can then conclude by showing how science is an enterprise designed to disprove theories and that all theories are accepted as tentative in light of existing knowledge.

Rowan’s framework is helpful because it keeps our focus on the most important element of an informative speech: increasing audience understanding about a topic.

Honesty and credibility must undergird your presentation; otherwise, they betray the trust of your listeners. Therefore, if you choose a topic that turns out to be too difficult, you must decide what will serve the needs and interests of the audience. Shortcuts and oversimplifications are not the answer.

Being ethical often involves a surprising amount of work. In the case of choosing too ambitious a topic, you have some choices:

• Narrow your topic further.
• Narrow your topic in a different way.
• Reconsider your specific purpose.
• Start over with a new topic.

Your goal is to serve the interests and needs of your audience, whoever they are and whether you believe they already know something about your topic.

Key Takeaways

• A variety of different topic categories are available for informative speaking.
• One way to develop your topic is to focus on areas that might be confusing to the audience. If the audience is likely to be confused about language or a concept, an elucidating explanation might be helpful. If a process is complex, a quasi-scientific explanation may help. If the audience already has an erroneous implicit idea of how something works then a transformative explanation might be needed.
• Choose a topic such as “American Education in the Twenty-First Century.” Write a new title for that speech for each of the following audiences: financial managers, first-year college students, parents of high school students, nuns employed in Roman Catholic schools, psychotherapists, and teamsters. Write a specific purpose for the speech for each of these audiences.
• Think about three potential topics you could use for an informative speech. Identify where the audience might experience confusion with concepts, processes, or preexisting implicit theories. Select one of the topics and outline how you would develop the topic to address the audience’s potential confusion.

Rowan, K. E. (1995). A new pedagogy for explanatory public speaking: Why arrangement should not substitute for invention. Communication Education, 44 , 236–249.

Stand up, Speak out Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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7 Types of Informative Speeches

Learning Objectives

• Distinguish types of general informative speech topics.
• Determine an appropriate informative approach.

Informative Speeches

Now that you know the difference between informative and persuasive approaches, this chapter will explore types of topics and approaches suited well for informative speeches. Again, while any topic can be informative or persuasive, certain topics and approaches will help you to ensure you are delivering an informative speech. As you read the chapter, consider specific topics for each category that you may be able to deliver an informative speech on.

Types of Informative Speech Topics

O’Hair, Stewart, and Rubenstein identified six general types of informative speech topics: objects, people, events, concepts, processes, and issues (O’Hair, et al., 2007).

Objects: Your speech may include how objects are designed, how they function, and what they mean. For example, a student of one of our coauthors gave a speech on the design of corsets, using a mannequin to demonstrate how corsets were placed on women and the amount of force necessary to lace one up. Or you may speak about an artifact and what it means to a certain culture. For instance, the belt (and color of the belt) is significant to the karate culture.

People: People-based speeches tend to be biography-oriented. Such topics could include recounting an individual’s achievements and explaining why the person is important in history. Some speakers, who are famous themselves, will focus on their own lives and how various events shaped who they ultimately became. Dottie Walters is most noted as being the first female in the United States to run an advertising agency. In addition to her work in advertising, Dottie also spent a great deal of time as a professional speaker. She often would tell the story about her early years in advertising when she would push around a stroller with her daughter inside as she went from business to business trying to generate interest in her copywriting abilities. You don’t have to be famous, however, to give a people-based speech. Instead, you could inform your audience about a historical or contemporary hero whose achievements are not widely known.

Events: These are typically either historical or contemporary. For example, you could deliver a speech on a specific battle of World War II or a specific event that changed the course of history. If you’re a history buff, event-oriented speeches may be right up your alley. There are countless historical events that many people aren’t familiar with and would find interesting. You could also inform your audience about a more recent or contemporary event. Some examples include concerts, plays, and arts festivals; athletic competitions; and natural phenomena, such as storms, eclipses, and earthquakes. The point is to make sure that an informative speech is talking about the event (who, what, when, where, and why) and not attempting to persuade people to pass judgment upon the event or its effects.

Concepts:  Concepts are “abstract and difficult ideas or theories” (O’Hair, et al., 2007). For example, you may want to explain a specific communication theory, a religious idea, or inflation. Whether you want to discuss theories related to business, sociology, psychology, religion, politics, art, or any other major area of study, this type of speech can be very useful in helping people to understand complex ideas.

Process: A process speech helps audience members understand how a specific object or system works. For example, you could explain how a bill becomes a law in the United States. There is a very specific set of steps that a bill must go through before it becomes a law, so there is a very clear process that could be explained to an audience.

Issues: This informative speech topic is probably the most difficult for novice public speakers because it requires walking a fine line between informing and persuading. If you attempt to deliver this type of speech, remember the goal is to be balanced when discussing both sides of the issue. You are only explaining an issue, you are not proposing solutions or trying to get your audience to agree with your ideas.

If you are struggling with an informative topic, it helps to brainstorm ideas in each of these categories. Once you have a list of potential ideas, you can begin to narrow your ideas. One way to narrow your ideas is to consider the approach you will use with potential topics.

Approaches to Informative Speeches

Once you have decided on a potential topic, you can help to narrow your focus by determining an informative approach. There are three common informative approaches we will discuss in this section. Those are speeches of definition, description, and explanation.

Definitional Speeches

In definitional speeches the speaker attempts to set forth the meaning of concepts, theories, philosophies, or issues that may be unfamiliar to the audience. In these types of speeches, speakers may begin by giving the historical derivation, classification, or synonyms of terms or the background of the subject. In a speech on “How to identify a sociopath,” the speaker may answer these questions: Where did the word ‘sociopath’ come from? What is a sociopath? How many sociopaths are there in the population? What are the symptoms? Carefully define your terminology to give shape to things the audience cannot directly sense. Describing the essential attributes of one concept compared to another (as through the use of analogies) can increase understanding as well. For a speech on “Elderly Abuse,” the speaker may compare this type of abuse to a child or spousal abuse for contrast.

Regardless of the listeners’ level of knowledge about the subject, it is very important in these types of speeches to show the relevance of the topic to their lives. Often the topics discussed in definitional speeches are abstract—distanced from reality. Speakers need to provide explicit, real-life examples and applications of the subject matter to engage audience members. If you were going to give a speech about civil rights, you would need to go beyond commonly held meanings and show the topic in a new light. In this type of speech, the speaker points out the unique and distinguishing properties or boundaries of a concept in a particular context  (Rinehart, 2002). The meaning of “civil rights” has changed significantly over time. What does it mean today compared to the 1960s? How will knowing this distinction help audience members? What are some specific incidents involving civil rights issues in current news? What changes in civil rights legislation might listeners see in their lifetimes?

DEFINITIONAL EXAMPLE

Title:   “Life is suffering,” and Other Buddhist Teachings  (Thompson, 1999)

Specific Purpose:  At the end of my speech, my audience will understand the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path in Buddhism

Central Idea:  Regardless of your religious beliefs, Buddhist philosophy teaches a number of useful lessons you can apply to your own life.

• All life involves  dukkha  (suffering)
• Suffering is caused by  tanha  (longing for things to be other than they are)
• If this longing stops ( nirodha ), suffering will cease
• The way to eliminate longing is to follow the Eightfold Path
• Right intention
• Right speech
• Right action
• Right livelihood
• Right effort
• Right mindfulness
• Right contemplation

Descriptive Speeches

To gaze in wonder at that magnificent dome and elegant gardens will be a moment that you remember for the rest of your life. The Taj Mahal just takes your breath away. What is immediately striking is its graceful symmetry—geometric lines run through formal gardens ending in a white marble platform. Atop this platform is great white bulbous dome complemented by four towering minarets in each corner. The whole image shimmers in a reflecting pool flanked by beautiful gardens—the effect is magical. The first stretch by the reflecting pool is where most people pose for their photos. But we were impressed by the fresh, green gardens. As you approach through the gardens two mosques come into view flanking the Taj—both exquisitely carved and built of red sandstone.

In the descriptive speech, determine the characteristics, features, functions, or fine points of the topic. What makes the person unique? How did the person make you feel? What adjectives apply to the subject? What kind of material is the object made from? What shape is it? What color is it? What does it smell like? Is it part of a larger system? Can it be seen by the naked eye? What is its geography or location in space? How has it changed or evolved over time? How does it compare to a similar object? When preparing for the speech, try to think of ways to appeal to as many of the senses as possible. As an example, in a speech about different types of curried dishes, you could probably verbally describe the difference between yellow, red, and green curry, but the speech will have more impact if the audience can see, smell, and taste samples.

DESCRIPTIVE EXAMPLE

Specific Purpose:  At the end of my speech, my audience will be able to visualize some of the main attractions on Easter Island.

Central Idea:  Easter Island hosts a number of ancient, mysterious, and beautiful attractions that make it an ideal vacation destination.

• Average 13 feet high; 14 tons
• Play sacred role for Rapa Nui (native inhabitants)
• Central Ahu ceremonial sites
• Snorkeling & Scuba
• Giant crater
• Sheer cliffs to ocean

Explanatory Speeches

An  explanatory speech (also known as a briefing) is similar to a descriptive speech in that they both share the function of clarifying the topic. But explanatory speeches focus on reports of current and historical events, customs, transformations, inventions, policies, outcomes, and options. Whereas descriptive speeches attempt to paint a picture with words so that audiences can vicariously experience it, explanatory speeches focus on the  how  or  why  of a subject and its consequences. Thus, a speaker might give a  descriptive  speech on the daily life of Marie Antoinette, or an  explanatory  speech on how she came to her death. Recall that definitional speeches focus on delineating concepts or issues. In this case, a speaker might give a  definitional  speech about the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, or an  explanatory  speech on why the financial bailout was necessary for U.S. financial stability.

If a manager wanted to inform employees about a new workplace internet use policy, s/he might cover questions like: Why was a policy implemented? How will it help? What happens if people do not follow established policies? Explanatory speeches are less concerned with appealing to the senses than connecting the topic to a series of related other subjects to enhance a deep understanding (McKerrow, Gronbeck, Ehninger, & Monroe, 2000). For example, to explain the custom of the Thai  wai  greeting (hands pressed together as in prayer), you also need to explain how it originated to show one had no weapons, and the ways it is tied to religion, gender, age, and status.

EXPLANATORY EXAMPLE

Title:   Giant Waves, Death, and Devastation: The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami  (National Geographic, 2006)

Specific Purpose:  At the end of my speech, my audience will be aware of the nature of the 2004 Tsunami and the destruction it caused.

Central Idea:  The 2004 Asian Tsunami was one of the worst natural disasters in human history in terms of magnitude, loss of human life, and enduring impact.

• Earthquake epicenter and magnitude
• Tsunami forms (waves reach up to 100 feet)
• Tsunami strikes land of various countries with no warning
• The countries and people involved
• Loss of food, water, hospitals, housing, electricity, and plumbing
• Threat of disease
• Environmental destruction
• Economic devastation
• Psychological trauma

Setting yourself up for a successful informative speech begins in the early stages when you first start thinking about your topic. Remember to consider the type of informative speech topics and the informative approaches you can take as you are selecting a topic.

Key Takeaways

• Six general informative speech topics are objects, people, events, concepts, processes, and issues. Use these general categories to brainstorm ideas for your upcoming informative speech.
• Once you have decided on a potential topic, you can help to narrow down your topic by considering which informative approach you will use. Will you define, describe, or explain your topic?

Licenses and Attributions

Chapter 15 Types of Informative Speeches.  Authored by : Lisa Schreiber, Ph.D..  Provided by : Millersville University, Millersville, PA.  Located at :  http://publicspeakingproject.org/psvirtualtext.html .  Project : Public Speaking Project.  License :  CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives

Taj Mahal, Agra, India.  Authored by : Yann.  Located at :  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal,_Agra,_India.jpg .  License :  CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

Maoi at Rano Raraku.  Authored by : Aurbina.  Located at :  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moai_Rano_raraku.jpg .  License :  Public Domain: No Known Copyright

Public Speaking Copyright © by Dr. Layne Goodman; Amber Green, M.A.; and Various is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Informative and persuasive speeches, 1. informative speeches.

The purpose of an informative speech is to provide knowledge to an audience on a specific topic. The core of an informative speech is the type of information being communicated by the speaker. For an informative speech to be effective, the speaker has to understand the current knowledge level of the audience they are addressing.

There are four categories of topics: objects, processes, events, and concepts. The following table summarizes these categories.

Types of Informative Speeches

term to know Informative Something that communicates knowledge to others.

1a. Speeches About Objects

For the purposes of this type of informative speech, anything that is visible and tangible is considered an object . Whether your object is the human body or the most recent episode of Family Guy , informative object speeches provide a comprehensive overview of your object as a topic.

Object speeches seek to impart knowledge about this object to the audience. Object speeches must have a purpose. It's one thing to spout off facts about an object; there must be an underlying structure or argument for those facts. Using our previous examples, a speaker may discuss the complex, myriad ways in which the endocrine system functions and how it regulates metabolism; similarly, a speaker may describe how Family Guy serves as a modern form of satire in pop culture.

term to know Object A thing that has physical existence.

1b. Speeches About Processes

A process is a series of actions or steps with a defined ending point. An informative speech about a process describes each of these actions or steps in detail.

For example, a speech about a process could describe how the modern electoral college works or how an ice cream sandwich is made on the factory line. Informative process speeches work to help your audience both understand the process and possibly be able to replicate the process for themselves.

term to know Process A series of actions or steps with a defined ending point.

1c. Speeches About Events

An event is an occurrence of importance. A speech about an event, then, describes the occurrence in full: the time, date, location, and circumstances of that occurrence. The event discussed in such a speech can be personal, historical, or even fictional.

Like all informative speeches, event speeches must also serve a purpose. For example, a speaker may talk about how the Battles of Lexington and Concord came to be known as the "shot heard 'round the world," or describe the experience of a person’s first week at college. In either case, a speech about an event must have a purpose.

term to know Event An occurrence of importance.

1d. Speeches About Concepts

A concept is an abstract idea or notion. A speech about a concept discusses such an abstract understanding from the speaker’s experience, reasoning, or imagination.

Whether discussing the theory of the origins of the universe or debating if there's any truth to the phrase "love at first sight," concept speeches break down complex ideas into manageable chunks of understanding for your audience.

When speaking about concepts, you may have to find concrete ideas to make abstract ideas more relatable and tangible to your audience. For example, a speaker discussing the origins of the universe may want to use a physical model or other visual aid to help the audience understand.

term to know Concept An abstract idea or notion.

1e. Crafting an Effective Informative Speech

A narrowly focused speech topic can really hone in on an object, process, event, or concept, thus making it easier for the audience to understand that topic. A broadly chosen topic usually entails lots of different kinds of information, which might complicate the informative quality of a speech and confuse the audience. A narrowed focus also makes research more manageable for the speechwriter and increases their ability to understand that topic thoroughly before presenting it to others.

When writing an informative speech, pick out a few key points on your specific topic that you want the audience to take away from your speech. Use these points to develop an organizational structure for your speech, including an introduction, body, and conclusion.

This structure will provide a trajectory that guides your audience as you elaborate on the key points of information. Having a structure gives you, as the speaker, an opportunity to introduce the key points in the introduction and revisit them in the conclusion, increasing the likelihood that the audience will walk away with the key knowledge about your topic.

2. Persuasive Speeches

The purpose of a persuasive speech is to convince the audience to adopt the speaker's perspective on a given topic. The core of a persuasive speech is a speaker’s use of pathos to appeal to the audience's feelings and emotions.

For the pathos used in a persuasive speech to be effective, the speaker has to understand the audience they are addressing. To be convincing, the speaker has to consider the audience's behavioral motivations and foundational beliefs. Showing empathy for the audience is crucial. Drawing parallels between one’s own experience and what the audience knows to be true reduces the distance between the speaker and the audience, making a speech much more persuasive.

In addition to pathos, persuasive speeches utilize ethos and logos . An appeal to ethos is used to show the character or authority of the speaker and make them appear more credible. For the audience to be persuaded, they must feel that the speaker is credible and worth listening to. An appeal to logos requires the speaker to use logic and support their claims with convincing evidence. Establishing one’s ethos and using logos to persuade an audience demonstrates that the speaker is knowledgeable about a topic and convinces the audience to adopt the speaker’s views.

The following table provides a summary of ethos, pathos, and logos.

terms to know Persuasive Something that successfully convinces someone to agree to, accept, or do something, usually through reasoning and verbal influence. Audience A group of people attending a performance, speech, event, etc. Pathos The quality of something that influences others’ emotions and passions, such as pity, sorrow, anger, etc. Ethos An appeal that emphasizes the character or authority of the speaker and makes them appear more credible to an audience. Logos An appeal that uses logic and evidence to support a speaker’s claims and convince an audience to adopt the speaker’s point of view.

3. Informative vs. Persuasive Speeches

Informative speeches describe knowledge about a particular event, process, object, or concept. The goal of an informative speech is for the audience to comprehend this knowledge fully. Persuasive speeches seek to have the audience share a belief or feeling about a particular event, process, object, or concept.

When choosing between writing an informative or persuasive speech, the speaker should consider the purpose of the speech. Is it to share information about a particular event, topic, or subject? Or is it to persuade the audience to hold a particular belief or attitude about said event, topic, or issue?

The focus of the thesis , or the main argument of the speech, often dictates whether the speech will be mainly informative or persuasive. However, remember that some speeches will combine both types of speech.

Fully understanding the informative or persuasive purpose of the speech will help the speaker determine what rhetorical strategies to use to achieve their goal. If the objective is simply to provide information, then the speech will likely rely less on pathos and more on evidence, statistical data, charts, and graphs. Suppose the purpose is to have the audience believe or feel a certain way about the subject. In that case, the speaker will tailor the evidence and specific data with appeals to emotion to lead the audience to the desired point of view.

When writing a speech, consider the intended audience that will be addressed; never underestimate the importance of knowing the audience. For example, when giving an informative speech, the speaker must consider the audience's familiarity with technical terms and what ethos, pathos, or logos they may want to use.

Some audiences will respond to certain appeals to emotion, logic, or authority, while the speaker’s effort might turn others off. Therefore, always consider the specifics of your audience (age, occupation, beliefs, motivations, etc.) and use these specifics to inform the form and content of the speech.

IN CONTEXT The State of the Union is a good example of a speech that contains elements of informative and persuasive speeches. In the State of the Union, the President of the United States is supposed to inform the members of Congress on the state of the union. Therefore, it commonly contains specific information (for example, the number of jobs created in a certain time period). However, the State of the Union also contains heavy pathos that is intended to make citizens feel confident about the President's handling of the nation and hopeful about the future. The President will spin data and use emotional appeals to make their case to the American people. This specific speech makes it clear that a speech can combine the features of informative and persuasive speeches.

term to know Thesis The main argument of a speech or piece of writing.

Source: THIS TUTORIAL HAS BEEN ADAPTED FROM "BOUNDLESS COMMUNICATIONS" PROVIDED BY BOUNDLESS.COM. ACCESS FOR FREE AT oer commons. LICENSED UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION-SHAREALIKE 4.0 INTERNATIONAL.

A group of people attending a performance, speech, event, etc.

An abstract idea or notion.

An appeal that emphasizes the character or authority of the speaker and makes them appear more credible to an audience.

An occurrence of importance.

Something that communicates knowledge to others.

An appeal that uses logic and evidence to support a speaker’s claims and convince an audience to adopt the speaker’s point of view.

A thing that has physical existence.

The quality of something that influences others’ emotions and passions, such as pity, sorrow, anger, etc.

Something that successfully convinces someone to agree to, accept, or do something, usually through reasoning and verbal influence.

A series of actions or steps with a defined ending point.

The main argument of a speech or piece of writing.

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12.2: Types of Informative Speeches

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While the topics to choose from for informative speeches are nearly limitless, they can generally be pared down into five broad categories. Understanding the type of informative speech that you will be giving can help you to figure out the best way to organize, research, and prepare for it, as will be discussed below.

Type 1: History

A common approach to selecting an informative speech topic is to discuss the history or development of something. With so much of human knowledge available via the Internet, finding information about the origins and

evolution of almost anything is much easier than it has ever been (with the disclaimer that there are quite a few websites out there with false information). With that in mind, some of the areas that a historical informative speech could cover would include:

(Example: the baseball; the saxophone). Someone at some point in history was the first to develop what is considered the modern baseball. Who was it? What was it originally made of? How did it evolve into the baseball that is used by Major League Baseball today?

(Example: your college; DisneyWorld). There is a specific year that you college or university opened, a specific number of students who were initially enrolled, and often colleges and universities have name and mission changes. All of these facts can be used to provide an overall understanding of the college and its history. Likewise, the DisneyWorld of today is different from the DisneyWorld of the early 1970s; the design has developed over the last fifty years.

(Example: democracy; freedom of speech). It is possible to provide facts on an idea, although in some cases the information may be less precise. For example, while no one can definitively point to a specific date or individual who first developed the concept of democracy, it is known to have been conceived in ancient Greece (Raaflaub, Ober, & Wallace, 2007). By looking at the civilizations and cultures that adopted forms of democracy throughout history, it is possible to provide an audience with a better understanding of how the idea has been shaped into what it has become today.

Type 2: Biography

A biography is similar to a history, but in this case the subject is specifically a person, whether living or deceased. For the purposes of this class, biographies should focus on people of some note or fame, since doing research on people who are not at least mildly well-known could be difficult. But again, as with histories, there are specific and irrefutable facts that can help provide an overview of someone’s life, such as dates that President Lincoln was born (February 12, 1809) and died (April 15, 1865) and the years he was in office as president (1861-1865).

This might be a good place to address research and support. The basic dates of Abraham Lincoln’s life could be found in multiple sources and you would not have to cite the source in that case. But it you use the work of a specific historian to explain how Lincoln was able to win the presidency in the tumultuous years before the Civil War, that would need a citation of that author and the publication.

Type 3: Processes

Examples of process speech topics would be how to bake chocolate chip cookies; how to throw a baseball; how a nuclear reactor works; how a bill works its way through Congress.

Process speeches are sometimes referred to as demonstration or “how to” speeches because they often entail demonstrating something. These speeches require you to provide steps that will help your audience understand how to accomplish a specific task or process. However, How To speeches can be tricky in that there are rarely universally agreed upon (i.e. irrefutable) ways to do anything. If your professor asked the students in his or her public speaking class to each bring in a recipe for baking chocolate chip cookies, would all of them be the exact same recipe?

Probably not, but they would all be similar and, most importantly, they would all give you chocolate chip cookies as the end result. Students giving a demonstration speech will want to avoid saying “You should bake the cookies for 12 minutes” since that is not how everyone does it. Instead, the student should say something like:

“You can bake the cookies for 10 minutes.”

“One option is to bake the cookies for 10 minutes.”

“This particular recipe calls for the cookies to be baked for 10 minutes.”

Each of the previous three statements is absolutely a fact that no one can argue or disagree with. While some people may say 12 minutes is too long or too short (depending on how soft or hard they like their cookies), no one can reasonably argue that these statements are not true.

On the other hand, there is a second type of process speech that focuses not on how the audience can achieve a result, such as changing oil in their cars or cooking something, but on how a process is achieved. The goal is understanding and not performance. After a speech on how to change a car tire, the audience members could probably do it (they might not want to, but they would know the steps). However, after a speech on how a bill goes through Congress, the audience would understand this important part of democracy but not be ready to serve in Congress.

Type 4: Ideas and Concepts

Sometimes an informative speech is designed to explain an idea or concept. What does democracy mean? What is justice? In this case, you will want to do two things. First, use the definition methods listed in Chapter 6, such as classification and differentiation. The second is to make your concept concrete, real, and specific for your audience with examples.

Type 5: Categories or divisions

Sometimes an informative speech topic doesn’t lend itself to a specific type of approach, and in those cases the topics tend to fall into a “general” category of informative speeches. For example, if a student wanted to give an informative speech on the four “C’s” of diamonds (cut, carat, color, and clarity), they certainly wouldn’t approach it as if they were providing the history of diamonds, nor would they necessarily be informing anyone on “how to” shop for or buy diamonds or how diamonds are mined. The approach in this case would simply be to inform an audience on the four “C’s” and what they mean. Other examples of this type of informative speech would be positions in playing volleyball or the customs to know when traveling in China.

As stated above, identifying the type of informative speech being given can help in several ways (conducting research, writing the introduction and conclusion), but perhaps the biggest benefit is that the type of informative speech being given will help determine, to some degree, the organizational pattern that will need to be used (see Chapter 6). For example, a How To speech must be in chronological order. There really isn’t a way (or reason) to present a How To speech other than how the process is done in a time sequence. That is to say, for a speech on how to bake chocolate chip cookies, getting the ingredients (Main Point 1) must come before mixing the ingredients (Main Point 2), which must come before baking them (Main Point 3). Putting them in any other order will only confuse the audience.

Similarly, most Histories and Biographies will be organized chronologically, but not always. It makes sense to explain the history of the baseball from when it was first developed to where it is today, but certain approaches to Histories and Biographies can make that irrelevant. For an informative speech on Benjamin Franklin, a student might choose as his or her three main points: 1) His time as a printer, 2) His time as an inventor, 3) His time as a diplomat. These main points are not in strict chronological order because Franklin was a printer, inventor, and diplomat at the same time during periods of his whole life. However, this example would still be one way to inform an audience about him without using the chronological organizational pattern.

As for general informative speeches, since the topics that can be included in this category are very diverse and cover a range of subject matter, the way they are organized will be varied as well. However, if the topic is “types of” something or “kinds of” something, the organizational pattern would be topical; if it were the layout of a location, such as the White House, it would be spatial (refer to Chapter 6 for more on Organization).

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An informative speech teaches so others can learn.  It is a fact-based speech designed to convey knowledge and understanding. Typically these speeches define, explain, or describe.  

Types of Informative Speeches

Speeches About Objects and People

• Self-introduction
• Telling about a place
• Telling about historical events
• Biographical speech

Speeches About Processes

• Explain how something works
• How to make something
• How to apply for something
• How to do something

Speeches About Events

• Describing an event
• Telling what happened at an event
• Inform about the history of an event

Speeches About Concepts

• Tell what a group believes
• Define specific terms
• Explain theories
• Tell about political, religious, or economic concepts

Speeches About Awareness

• Public service announcements
• Teach about safety procedures

Orientation Speeches

• Business process orientation
• New employee orientation
• New product information
• College orientation
• Classroom lectures
• Community lectures

Things to Think About When Giving an Informative Speech

Narrow your topic.

It is better to talk in detail about a smaller aspect than to try to tell everything. For example, I once had a student try to teach us how to build a computer in seven minutes. There were many technical terms and we were overwhelmed. The next week, a student showed up how to replace one component in a computer.  I went home and tried it, and because he explained it clearly, I could do it.  Speech coach, Dale Ware says, “Too many people try to put too much information in one presentation, a big mistake; keep it simple.”

Define Terms

I attended a community lecture on wild edible plants in the Ozarks. The speaker said, “This plant has a cathartic effect” and “I like this for its astringent properties.” I thought I knew what these terms might mean but I wasn’t sure so I looked them up while he was talking. At least I had one of them right. The point is that I missed part of his lecture when I was looking up unclear terms.

Make it Personal

“I want to talk to you today about” is much more personal than saying, “I will explain how”

Use Stories When Possible

When possible, work stories into your speech. Make it personal by telling stories about how the topic relates to you.

There is an entire chapter on stories. 

Key Takeaways

Remember This!

• An informative speech is a fact-based speech designed to convey knowledge and understanding. 
• Always define terms.
• Include a story when possible.

Jeary, T. (1997). Inspire any audience: Proven secrets of the pros for powerful presentations. River Oak.

Tucker, B.  Barton, K., Burger, A., Drye, J. Hunsicker, C.  Mendes, A. and LeHew, M. (2019). Exploring public speaking: 4th Edition .  Communication Open Textbooks.  https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/communication-textbooks/1

Valenzano, J.M., Kuypers, J.A., & Braden, S.W. (2019). The speaker: The tradition and practice of public speaking: 4th edition. Fountain Head.

Public Speaking by Lynn Meade is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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13.1 What is an Informative Speech?

An informative speech can first be defined as a speech based entirely and exclusively on facts. Basically, an informative speech conveys knowledge, a task that every person engages in every day in some form or another. Whether giving someone who is lost driving directions, explaining the specials of the day as a server, or describing the plot of a movie to friends, people engage in forms of informative speaking daily. Secondly, an informative speech does not attempt to convince the audience that one thing is better than another. It does not advocate a course of action.

Consider the following two statements:

George Washington was the first President of the United States.

In each case, the statement made is what can be described as irrefutable, meaning a statement or claim that cannot be argued. In the first example, even small children are taught that having two apples and then getting two more apples will result in having four apples. This statement is irrefutable in that no one in the world will (or should!) argue this: It is a fact.

Similarly, with the statement “George Washington was the first President of the United States,” this again is an irrefutable fact. If you asked one hundred history professors and read one hundred history textbooks, the professors and textbooks would all say the same thing: Washington was the first president. No expert, reliable source, or person with any common sense would argue about this.

(Someone at this point might say, “No, John Hanson was the first president.” However, he was president under the Articles of Confederation for a short period—November 5, 1781, to November 3, 1782—not under our present Constitution. This example shows the importance of stating your facts clearly and precisely and being able to cite their origins.)

Informative Speech is Not a Persuasive Speech

Informative speech is fundamentally different from a persuasive speech in that it does not incorporate opinion as its basis. This can be the tricky part of developing an informative speech, because some opinion statements sometimes sound like facts (since they are generally agreed upon by many people), but are really opinion. For example, in an informative speech on George Washington, you might say, “George Washington was one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States.” While this statement may be agreed upon by most people, it is possible for some people to disagree and argue the opposite point of view. The statement “George Washington was one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States” is not irrefutable, meaning someone could argue this claim. If, however, you present the opinion as an opinion from a source, that is acceptable: it is a fact that someone (hopefully someone with expertise) holds the opinion. You do not want your central idea, your main points, and the majority of your supporting material to be opinion or argument in an informative speech.

Unlike in persuasive speeches, in an informative speech, you should never take sides on an issue, nor should you “spin” the issue in order to influence the opinions of the listeners. Even if you are informing the audience about differences in views on controversial topics, you should simply and clearly describe and explain the issues. This is not to say, however, that the audience’s needs and interests have nothing to do with the informative speech. We come back to the WIIFM principle (“What’s in it for me?”) because even though an informative speech is fact-based, it still needs to relate to people’s lives in order to maintain their attention.

Why Informative Speech Is Important

The question may arise here, “If we can find anything on the Internet now, why bother to give an informative speech?” The answer lies in the unique relationship between audience and speaker found in the public speaking context. The speaker can choose to present information that is of most value to the audience. Secondly, the speaker is not just overloading the audience with data. As we have mentioned before, that’s not really a good idea because audiences cannot remember great amounts of data and facts after listening. The focus of the content is what matters. This is where the specific purpose and central idea come into play. Remember, public speaking is not a good way to “dump data” on the audience, but to make information meaningful.

Finally, although we have stressed that the informative speech is fact-based and does not have the purpose of persuasion, information still has an indirect effect on someone. If a classmate gives a speech on correctly using the Heimlich Maneuver to help a choking victim, the side effect (and probably desired result) is that the audience would use it when confronted with the situation.

It’s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century Copyright © 2022 by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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