Informative Speech

PURPOSE

The primary objective of this speech is to inform or teach your audience about a topic of interest. You are to share information clearly with your audience so that they receive the information, understand it, and retain it.

DESCRIPTION

The major question your audience should be able to answer after your speech is: Did we learn something new? The topic for this speech may be selected from any area of your knowledge or experience. It can be a topic you already know quite a bit about, and which you can make interesting to your classmates.

You MUST supplement your knowledge with extensive information derived from research. The research must be cited within the speech and listed on your formal outline. You must use 3 different types of research.

Your topic should cover only one major idea that can be thoroughly covered in the time allotted. The key to a successful speech is to carefully choose your topic so that it is narrow enough to cover adequately with the necessary details. Your audience should also know why you think it is worth their time to listen to your presentation.

When preparing and practicing your presentation, ask yourself the following questions:

— Did I spend adequate time in the library researching?

— Did I practice my completed speech with my visual aid, timing myself so that I can feel assured that my speech length is between 5-7 minutes?

— Does my speech increase my audience’s understanding of an object, concept, process, or event?

GUIDELINES

1. This speech should be 5-7 minutes in length. Timing is very important. You will receive time signals from an audience member. Practice until you are sure you will fit within the limits.

1. Use of a visual aid is required. This excludes use of the whiteboard. Be certain your visual aid serves the purpose of your speech focusing attention on the relationship of interacting steps or parts.

1. You may use note cards with an outline on them. DO NOT write your speech word for word. DO NOT use an 81/2 X 11 piece of paper.

1. Prepare a typed Formal Outline of the speech. The outline is due a week before speeches start on Canvas. The outline must be revised and put in the speech assignment on Canvas by the speaking day. Follow the format shown in the syllabus

1. The topic must be one that is of use to an educated audience. You should offer research in support of your ideas. Three resources of different types must be used and cited within the speech. For example, three interviews are not acceptable as the only sources. You could use one magazine article, one web site, and one interview to meet this requirement.

SAMPLE INFORMATIVE OUTLINE

(adapted from Lucas, The Art of Public Speaking 12th ed, 2015)

Topic: India: Land of Diversity

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the diversity of India’s geography and languages.

INTRODUCTION

Attention material: (These are word you will use in your speech to get attention from your audience before actually stating the topic.)

Namaste. Do you know what I just said? I greeted you the way I would in India. The same word, Namaste, is also used when saying goodbye.

Credibility material: (These are the words you say to your audience to demonstrate how YOU know about this particular topic. Why should they see you as credible? Why should they believe you?)

As a first generation Indian-American, I have had firsthand experience with Indian life and culture.

Preview: (This statement includes a specific statement of the main points of the speech.)

Today, I would like to give you a glimpse of India’s diversity by looking at its geography and languages.

(Transition: “Let’s start with geography.”)

BODY

1. India is a land of great geographical diversity.
   1. The northernmost part of India consists of the Himalaya Mountains.
      1. The highest mountain system in the world, the Himalaya separate India from China (Gantzer & Gantzer, 1993).
      2. The Indian Himalaya have many mountains more than 20,000 feet high (Israel & Grewal, 1993).
   2. The central part of India consists of the Northern Plains
      1. About 200 miles wide, the Northern Plains stretch across India from the Arabian Sea on the west to the Bay of Bengal on the east.
      2. Within the Northern Plains, there is considerable diversity (Homer-Dixon, 1996).
         1. There is fertile farmland.
         2. There are major cities such as Delhi and Calcutta.
         3. There is the great Indian Desert.
      3. The southern part of India consists of the Deccan Plateau.
         1. Extending from the edge of the northern Plains to the southern tip of India, the Deccan plateau is more than 1,200 miles long (Homer-Dixon, 1996).
         2. The Deccan plateau includes many geographical features (Israel & Grewal, 1993).
            1. It contains farming and grazing land.
            2. It contains tropical forests.
            3. It contains most of India’s seacoast.

(Transition to second main point: “Now that you know something about the geographical diversity of India, let’s look at its linguistic diversity.”)

1. India is a land of great linguistic diversity.
   1. The official language is Hindi.
      1. Hindi is spoken by 40 percent of the people (Gupta, 1995).
      2. The opening word of my speech, Namaste, is Hindi.
   2. In addition to Hindi, there are fourteen other major languages recognized in the Indian constitution (Gupta, 1995).
      1. These languages are as distinct from each other as English is from French.
      2. Many of these languages have literary traditions that are 2,000 years old.
   3. India also has more than 1,000 minor languages and dialects (Gupta, 1995).
      1. These can change entirely from village to village.
      2. This often makes communication very difficult.
   4. Most educated Indians also speak English.
      1. The use of English comes from 300 years of British rule.
      2. English is spoken by 2 percent of the population.
      3. It is widely used in colleges and universities.
   5. As linguist Kamala Singh has stated, the diversity of India’s language is “unrivaled by any other nation” (Gupta, 1995, para. 2).

(Transition: “In conclusion”)

CONCLUSION

Summary statement: (This statement is a specific restatement of the main points of the speech.)

I hope you can see from India’s geography and languages why it is such a diverse and fascinating country.

Concluding remarks: (This statement is the final thought of the speech.)

Maybe someday you’ll get a chance to experience the wonders of India. Namaste.

References

Chhatre, A., Lakhanpal, S., & Prasanna, S. (2017). Heritage as Weapon: Contested Geographies of Conservation and Culture in the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area, India. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 107(2), 456–464. https://doi-org.csu.ezproxy.switchinc.org/10.1080/…

Rumbach, A. (2017). At the roots of urban disasters: Planning and uneven geographies of risk in Kolkata, India. Journal of Urban Affairs, 39(6), 783–799. https://doi-org.csu.ezproxy.switchinc.org/10.1080/…

Sengupta, P. (2009). Linguistic Diversity and Economic Disparity: An Issue for Multiculturalism in India. International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities & Nations, 9(1), 147–164. https://doi-org.csu.ezproxy.switchinc.org/10.18848…

Mohanty, A. K. (2010). Languages, inequality and marginalization: implications of the double divide in Indian multilingualism. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2010(205), 131–154. https://doi-org.csu.ezproxy.switchinc.org/10.1515/IJSL.2010.042 (Links to an external site.)

Rubric

Informative Speech Outline

Informative Speech Outline

Criteria	Ratings	Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeStudents will select a suitable organizational pattern.	5 pts Exemplary There is a clear, effective outline of the speech using a suitable organizational pattern. 3 pts Proficient There is a clear outline of the content of the speech. 2 pts Basic There is some basic organization of content. 1 pts Minimal There is no organizational pattern evident.	5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeStudents will create an outline using the model provided in class.	5 pts Exemplary The outline is exemplary in its application of the in-class model. 3 pts Proficient The outline follows the model provided in class. 2 pts Basic The outline has elements of the model outline, but is incomplete. 1 pts Minimal The outline does not follow the model provided in class.	5 pts