Stay Informed about Informative Speeches

As you are starting to organize your informative speeches for class, there are a few things to think about when giving your presentation. Think about them as a baking recipe, one where you follow the steps and work towards a delicious chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache topped with ripe strawb.. 
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Anyways, lets take a look at our “recipe” for informative speeches: ​

First, what do I want to inform my audience on? ​

​Choosing your topic can be a tough one, because there are so many directions, routes, detours, pitstops, and paths you can head. Something to ponder over is if you want to use a demonstrative or descriptive approach. 

Demonstrative is your “how-to” informative speech, like walking your audience through the process of making the best chocolate cake! We see wonderful examples of demonstrative speeches on the Food Network, when flight attendants are giving instructions on airplane safety, and even when you need to provide a step-by-step on how to clean dishes for your roommate who seems to think the sink has a never-ending bottom. 
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Descriptive speeches are used to teach and instruct your audience on a specific concept, event, object, person, or place. This informative style is really useful to inform your audience on the Kardashian sisters (of course, starting with the momager herself, Kris) or even the history of Star Wars like this video below! ​

Second, think about how you want to organize your topic ​

This is your blueprint for your speech. A carefully crafted speech uses a pattern of arrangement that best suites the overall floor plan of their outline and presentation.  
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 Whether it’s a chronological order of your favorite artists album releases or it’s the pros and cons of McDonald’s new spicy chicken nuggets, having a clear pattern to your presentation is extremely important. 
I mean, can you imagine me trying to deliver a speech about delicious cake and I used pros and cons? THERE ARE NO CONS! ​

Next, write it out and proofread! ​

Putting pen to paper and writing can be a harrowing task, but all the best chocolate cake recipes are written down so we don’t forget about them! Remember, there are a few resources you can use for finding research, writing your outline, and practicing your speech: 
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• Speaker’s Center: https://www.siucmst.org/speakerscenter.html 
• Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com/ 
• Morris Library: https://lib.siu.edu/ 
• Purdue Owl Writing Lab: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html ​

Lastly, give your recipe for success! ​

After all of the researching, writing, and crumpled pieces of paper that are piled on top of the waste basket, you have your shining recipe for success. It is your time to shine and inform your audience on all of your hard work and, by following these easy steps, people will be jumping out of their seats with applause...or sharpening their pitchforks, because you could give a speech on that too! ​

Want to know more about the Speaker’s Center and its resources for you? Read our previous blog!​

Does Public Speaking TERERIFY You?

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  Madeline Wiles
  Speaker's Center Director 
​  madeline.wiles@siu.edu 

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