Informative Versus Persuasive Speeches - Types of Public Speeches

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/ Types of Public Speeches

Informative versus Persuasive Speeches
Many speeches will contain elements of both informative and
persuasive speeches.
KEY POINTS
An informative speech aims to inform the audience about a specic
topic.
A persuasive speech aims to persuade the audience to perform a
certain action or the audience to adopt the belief or
opinion of the speaker.
Many speeches will combine features of informative and persuasive
speeches.
Know the audience: the types of knowledge they possess, the core
beliefs they hold, and what motivates them to undertake actions.
Considering the purpose of the speech will help determine if the
speech should use more of the features of informative or persuasive
speeches
TERMS
pathos
That quality or property of anything which touches the feelings or
excites emotions and passions, esp., that which awakens tender
emotions, such as pity, sorrow, and the like; contagious warmth of
feeling, action, or expression; pathetic quality.
informative
Providing knowledge, especially useful or interesting information.
persuasive
Able to induce to believe by appealing to reason or understanding;
convincing.
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EXAMPLES
The State of the Union is an example of a speech that is instructive,
because the President of the United States is supposed to tell the
members of Congress what the state of the union is, while also being
persuasive, by aiming to persuade citizens to adopt the beliefs of the
President.
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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 certain belief or attitude about said event, topic, or subject?
The focus of the thesis, or the main argument of the speech, often dictates
whether the speech will be mainly informative or persuasive in nature.
However, keep in mind that some speeches will contain a combination of
both types of speech.
Informative speeches describe knowledge about a particular event, process,
object, or concept. The goal of an informative speech is for the audience to
fully comprehend this knowledge. Persuasive speeches are those that seek to
have the audience share a belief or feeling about a particular event, process,
object or concept. The dierence is subtle, and yet mighty.
For example, imagine a topic that could fall into either category, such as
reproductive choice. An informative speech may track the history of
reproductive choice in America. A persuasive speech may discuss the pros
and cons of Rowe v. Wade, or how some groups feel that reproductive choice
is threatened. In the latter instance, using examples from history may bolster
that argument. As noted above, all persuasive speeches will be informational
in nature, but not all informational speeches may be persuasive.
Fully understanding the informational or persuasive purpose of the speech
will help the speaker determine what rhetorical strategies to use in the
pursuit of achieving his or her goal. If the purpose is simply to provide
information, then the speech will likely rely less on pathos and more on
evidence, statistical data, or charts and graphs. If the purpose is have the
audience believe or feel a certain way about the subject, then the speaker
will tailor the evidence and specic data with appeals to emotion to lead the
audience to the desired point of view.
When writing a speech, take into account 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 take into
account not only the audience's familiarity with any technical terms, but also
what sort of pathos her or she may want to use. Some audiences will respond
to certain appeals to emotion, while others might be turned o to the
speaker if he/she makes what is seen as an inappropriate appeal to emotion.
Therefore, always consider the specics of your audience: age, occupation,
beliefs, motivations, and then use these specics to inform the form and
content of the speech.
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 specic
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 condent about the President's handling of the nation
President Truman Delivers his State of the Union to Congress in
1950
The State of the Union is an example of a speech that combines
elements of persuasive and informative speeches.
KEY TERM GLOSSARY
Pathos An appeal to the audience's emotions.
Appears in these related concepts:
Ethical Usage
Producing an Emotional Appeal
Dening Emotional Appeal
audience A group of people within hearing; specically a group of people
listening to a performance, speech etc.; the crowd seeing a stage performance.
Expect Selective Exposure
Components of a Speech
Audience
concept An understanding retained in the mind, from experience,
reasoning and/or imagination; a generalization (generic, basic form), or
abstraction (mental impression), of a particular set of instances or occurrences
(specic, though dierent, recorded manifestations of the concept).
Transitions
Culture
Denitions
Prev
Persuasive Speeches
Next
Special Occasion Speeches
and hopeful about the future. The President will spin data and use emotional
appeals to make his or her case to the American people. This specic speech
makes it clear that a speech can combine the features of informative and
persuasive speeches.
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convince To make someone believe, or feel sure about something,
especially by using logic, argument or evidence.
Summarizing Ideas
Persuasive Speeches on Questions of Policy
The Goals of a Persuasive Speech: Convincing, Actuation, and/or
Stimulation
emotional appeal An an attempt to make the audience feel certain
emotions so that they will be more likely to be engaged by the speech. Also
known as pathos.
Types of Supporting Materials
Using Supporting Materials Eectively
Employ Empathy and Sensitivity
evidence The available body of facts or information indicating whether a
belief or proposition is true or valid.
Persuasive Speeches on Questions of Fact
Why Gather Information?
Dening Evidence
goal A result that one is attempting to achieve.
The Evaluating Stage
The Role of Transitions
The Goals of an Informative Speech
inform To communicate knowledge to others.
Physical and Animate Objects
Static Representations: Images, Drawings, and Graphs
Your Areas of Interest
information The category of information includes facts, gures, and
concepts taken from primary and secondary texts.
The Receiving Stage
The Responding Stage
Why Does Organization Matter?
informative speech An informative speech educates the audience about its
topic.
Types of Informative Speeches
Informative Speeches
Patterns of Organization: Informative, Persuasive, and Commemorative
knowledge Familiarity or understanding of a particular skill, branch of
learning, etc.
Knowledgeability of the Audience about Your Topic
Your Areas of Expertise
Education
motivation Willingness of action especially in behavior
Build Credibility
Motivating Listeners
Don't Expect Too Much
object A thing that has physical existence.
The Remembering Stage
What to Look For
Visual Demonstrations
persuade To successfully convince someone to agree to, accept, or do
something, usually through reasoning and verbal inuence.
Special Occasion Speeches
Persuasive Speeches on Questions of Value
Persuasive Speeches
persuasive speech A persuasive speech makes a convincing case for its
position or viewpoint.
Use Dierent Kinds of Appeals
Deploying Evidence
The Psychology of Persuasion
process A series of events to produce a result, especially as contrasted to
product.
Impromptu Speeches
Causes of Poor Listening: Low Concentration, Trying Too Hard, Jumping
Ahead, and Focusing on Style Rather than Substance
Preparing for Team Presentations
purpose A result that is desired; an intention.
Scope Your Speech
General Purpose
Specic Purpose
specic Explicit or denite.
Dening an Informative Speech
Tailor Complexity to Your Audience
Organizing and Outlining the Speech
strategy A plan of action intended to accomplish a specic goal.
Signaling the Ending and Managing Q&A
What to Do with Your Knowledge
Make It Memorable
subject A particular area of study.
Demonstrate the Relevance of the Topic
Research Tips: Start Early, Use a Bibliography, and Evaluate Material
Critically
Subjects of Informative Speeches
thesis A concise summary of the argument or main points, usually one to
three sentences long.
Dening the Thesis
Favorability of the Audience toward You and Your Topic
The Components of a Speech: Main Points, Introduction, Conclusion, and
Transitions
topic Subject; theme; a category or general area of interest.
Introducing the Topic, Thesis, and Main Points
The Importance of Choosing a Good Topic
Choosing a Topic
understanding The mental (sometimes emotional) process of
comprehension, or the assimilation of knowledge, which is subjective by its
nature.
Analyzing the Who, Why, and Where
The Understanding Stage
Maximize Understanding
SOURCES
Boundless curates and validates high quality, openly licensed
content from around the Internet. This particular unit used the
following sources:
"Photograph of President Truman delivering his State of the Union address to a
joint session of Congress. - NARA - 200188."
http://commons.wikimedia.org
/wiki/File:Photograph_of_President_Truman_delivering_his_State_of_the_Union_address_to_a_joint_session_
_NARA_-_200188.jpg
Wikimedia Public domain.
"Rhetoric and Composition/Oral Presentations."
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Rhetoric_and_Composition
/Oral_Presentations#Preparation
Wikibooks CC BY-SA 3.0.
"pathos."
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pathos
Wiktionary CC BY-SA 3.0.
"informative."
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/informative
Wiktionary CC BY-SA 3.0.
"Boundless."
http://www.boundless.com//communications/denition/persuasive
Boundless Learning CC BY-SA 3.0.
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