informative speech on photography

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A speech on Photography for my speech class

• Thread starter wgilles
• Start date Oct 7, 2008

• Oct 7, 2008

I am giving a speech tomorrow in my speech class about photography in my life. I thought I would share it with you. It was hell to write though because I have 2 broken fingers. Enjoy. It was in outline form, so the flow might be kinda weird. Also keep in mind that this is for a class that knows nothing about photography. *Take a picture of the class* All of you had a different reaction to me taking that picture. As I expected, some of you modeled for it, some of you slightly changed your facial expression, and some of you didn’t have much of an expression at all. Maybe you weren’t ready for a photo today. Almost everyone here interacts with photography on a daily basis, whether you take pictures for a family event, at a concert, or the ever-popular party pictures many of us college students post on Facebook. Today I would like to talk to you about my motivation for photography. I will share why and how I became interested in photography, how my interest in photography has made me see the world differently and where I see this hobby taking me in the future. My interest in photography actually began with the camera I just took a picture of all of you with. I have been taking pictures for as long as I can remember. I have owned several basic digital cameras. I was never very serious about the pictures I took. They were snap shot type photos that lacked composition and creativity. You may be wondering how I upgraded from a basic camera to the one I use today. It was not because I saved up enough money; I actually won this camera in a raffle. I figured if I have this fancy camera; I should be taking pictures with it. I started by experimenting with the camera, using it for basic snap shots, and I learned how to navigate the different features of the camera. My interest further developed as I began to browse different pictures on the Internet. I hoped this would inspire me to learn more about photography and my new camera. Pictures like this one did begin to inspire me. *Show Picture* I thought that this rarely seen portrayal of nature was so amazing. I wanted to try and create something as beautiful as this picture is. I had never seen anything quite like this before and I did not even know something like this was possible with a camera. I thought that it was a computer-generated image. If I hadn’t won this camera it would have taken me a long time to save enough money to buy a camera like this. I might have lost interest during this time. After I became inspired to learn more, I couldn’t take enough pictures or learn enough about how my camera worked. I took pictures of almost everything I saw, I would walk around my front yard and just take pictures of anything that interested me. Photography began to allow me to see the world differently. I often look to the advice of Bryan Peterson, my favorite professional photographer. He’s my favorite because of the way he uses such vibrant colors in his images. Bryan Peterson said, “the human eye sees much the same way as 50mm lens” (Learning to See Creatively, 14). He calls seeing the way your camera lens sees, “seeing through the lens.” I’ve learned to see the world the way my lenses see them through various exercises that have trained my eye into a creativity machine. For example, I would walk around with the camera pasted to my eye and only view things through the camera. I would also take a picture of the same subject at different distances, focal lengths, and stances. It took me a lot of time and practice, but it really has helped me become a better photographer. I notice things that I never did before. For example, I notice the way twisted lines from the bark on a tree create an image to lead the viewer into the photograph. *Show picture* And I was finally able to reproduce the creamy effect of flowing water *Show picture* I am now able to see the makeup of a good photograph before I even take it. I am able to arrange subjects in my head before the camera even meets my eye. I can also see how to move certain things around in order to make a good photograph great. I do use Photoshop, a popular image-editing program, but I try to avoid it. I like to capture the world for what it is, not as Photoshop can make it. I only do minor color adjustments or convert to black and white. Now you may be asking, “Will, now that you have this fancy gear and an incredible talent, what do you plan to do with it?” That’s probably the question I get asked the most from my friends and family They usually want to know if I will be making a career as a professional photographer. Unfortunately, it is one of the most competitive job markets According to Ken Rockwell, a well-established professional photographer, most professional photographers do other things not related to photography as their day job. Photography is just a supplement and a hobby (Kenrockwell.com). Bryan Peterson says that most professional photographers start out their career as wedding photographers because it provides good money to buy professional gear (Learning to See Creatively, 155). However, I really don’t want to shoot weddings; I don’t think I could deal with all those crazy brides. If I had my way, I would like to teach it at a college level. I enjoy teaching people the things I know and in my photography club, my fellow members say the enjoy my lessons and I’ve even had a professor compliment me on my teaching skills. If I did end up teaching, I would want to shoot for about ten years first and build a solid portfolio packed with pictures I could sell to make some extra money on the side. Bryan Peterson also said that having a strong portfolio was the real key for being taken seriously as a photographer (Learning to see Creatively, 156). If you’d all like to help me start building this extra money, please feel free to contact me to purchase one of my pictures. Just kidding. In all seriousness, I hope you all understand why photography is now my favorite hobby. I really became so interested in taking pictures because I got lucky and won a really nice camera. I used this luck to become inspired by the work of other photographers and eventually of my own. I continue to learn and grow as a photographer everyday and can’t wait to see where this hobby takes me. I will leave you with a quote from Ansel Adams, another photographer I like. He said, “I found that while the camera does not express the soul, perhaps a photograph can” (Adams).  

Kudos! It was a high-school speech class presentation that introduced me to recorders (the musical instrument, not the recording devices). I am not at all a musician (though I've had some accordion lessons). Today I own a bass, treble, alto, and soprano recorder simply because the speaker described and showed to me the pleasure I could have from them. And as I acquired them, I found that pleasure. :smile: <technical>I don't know the time restraints for your talk. But I do think that if you try to cram too many words into a short duration that you'll be less effective than if you pick your best points and speak them "deliberately". </technical> My spousal-unit is a professional instructor. He adds: "Show them some of your photos. If you give them something to read about it, they'll get 10% of it. If you tak to them about it, they'll get 30% of it. If you show them something, they'll get 70% of it. If you give them all three, they'll 'get' it."  

• Oct 8, 2008

It's a 5 min speech and has to have 3 points so I had to cram  

A Risen Fury

It sounds pretty good so far. I had a speech class last semester with some pretty strict guidelines. Nothing could be written out except an outline and one was to be informative, the second persuasive and the last either/or of your choice and all 3 had to be 8 minutes. I did photography for my first one as an informative topic. Overall I did a pretty good job on it, however I really got nailed for not relating more to the audience. Meaning I didn't really capture the attention of the basic P&S shooter and some technical phrases I didn't explain enough. That would be the same tips I pass on to you, I think it's well written but try to involve the audience more and also give them something to relate to a bit more throughout the speech. I think taking a picture of them is a GREAT intro and I regret not doing that for mine. If you guys get to use visual aid I'd plug the camera into the computer and bring up the picture in the beginning or later on when you refer to wanting to get better pictures. Also if you can get away from writing it out all together and just break it down into an outline to keep you on track with where you are and what you need to cover it will definitely come out more natural and not be has harsh/monotonous to listen to as when hearing something that was written and and then read.  

oooh, I just took a speech class spring '08 semester. Talk about TERRIFYING. But it does get better. We had to do an informative, a demonstration, and a persuasive speech. I take it this is your informative speech? I like it, but I'd want to do photography for my demonstration speech. That way you can fill in your time with pictures you've taken, explain how your (or a) camera works, and explain lighting. You could easily fill in 15 minutes with that.  

Will - I really like it, you can see the passion you have for photography come across. I would agree with some of the other posts that "less is more" when it comes to words - and add lots of your great images I also think that audience participation/involvement is critical to a successful speech. Maybe add a question or two and have them raise their hands. Or ask everyone to stand and then sit if they answer yes to the question. It raises the energy level and gets people involved. Maybe make them a brief but simple handout on "Top 10 tips for getting better photos" Good luck - I think this will be a huge success!  

Haha typical college class. Everyone's like "***?" Glad you did a good job!  

wgilles said: Well I had my speech today, it went great. My prof said I got an A. Here is the picture I took from the beginning of the speech...unfortunately I didn't have my wide angle lens, so this is what you get .xb-attach{ text-align:center; display:inline-block; *display: inline; clear:both; max-width:100% } .lbContainer.lbContainer--canZoom .lbContainer-zoomer { bottom: 24px; } Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available) Click to expand...

Well done! I just came across this the other day, and your post reminded me of it. I probably would have added a few of these cinematographers comments to the speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBH7kjQISks  

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1 Minute Speech on Photography In English

A very good morning to one and all present here. Today, I will be giving a short speech on the topic of ‘Photography.’ 

Wikipedia defines the term ‘photography’ to be “the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film.”

In layman’s terms, photography is the simple act of clicking a photograph or, as we like to colloquially say, pictures! In the broader sense, photography, as Google aptly points out, also involves “the art or practice of taking and processing photographs” as well.

Broadly, photography can be categorized into 7 broad divisions. They are Portrait Photography, Photojournalism, Fashion Photography, Sports Photography, Still Life Photography, Editorial Photography, and Architectural Photography. Among these, portrait photography is considered to be one of the most popular types of photography across the world. 

Today, photography is an upcoming field of work many youngsters are keen to pursue. 

Thank you. 

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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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How to Write an Informative Speech

Last Updated: October 6, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,388,379 times.

An informative speech tells an audience about a process, event, or concept. Whether you’re explaining how to grow a garden or describing a historical event, writing an informative speech is pretty straightforward. Knowing the topic inside and out is key, so start by conducting thorough research. Organize your speech logically so your audience can easily follow, and keep your language clear. Since speeches are recited out loud, be sure to set aside time after writing to perfect your delivery.

Researching the Topic

• Suppose your prompt instructs you to inform the audience about a hobby or activity. Make a list of your clubs, sports, and other activities, and choose the one that interests you most. Then zoom in on one particular aspect or process to focus on in your speech.
• For instance, if you like tennis, you can’t discuss every aspect of the sport in a single speech. Instead, you could focus on a specific technique, like serving the ball.

• For example, if your speech is about a historical event, find primary sources, like letters or newspaper articles published at the time of the event. Additionally, include secondary sources, such as scholarly articles written by experts on the event.
• If you’re informing the audience about a medical condition, find information in medical encyclopedias, scientific journals, and government health websites.

Tip: Organize your sources in a works cited page. Even if the assignment doesn’t require a works cited page, it’ll help you keep track of your sources. [3] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

• For instance, if your speech is on growing plants from seeds, explain the process step-by-step to a friend or relative. Ask them if any parts in your explanation seemed muddy or vague.
• Break down the material into simple terms, especially if you’re addressing a non-expert audience. Think about how you’d describe the topic to a grandparent or younger sibling. If you can’t avoid using jargon, be sure to define technical words in clear, simple terms.

• For example, if your speech is on the poet Charles Baudelaire, a strong thesis would be, “I am here to explain how city life and exotic travel shaped the key poetic themes of Charles Baudelaire’s work.”
• While the goal of an informative speech isn't to make a defensible claim, your thesis still needs to be specific. For instance, “I’m going to talk about carburetors” is vague. “My purpose today is to explain how to take apart a variable choke carburetor” is more specific.

• For instance, a speech meant to persuade an audience to support a political stance would most likely include examples of pathos, or persuasive devices that appeal to the audience's emotions.
• On the other hand, an informative speech on how to grow pitcher plants would present clear, objective steps. It wouldn't try to argue that growing pitcher plants is great or persuade listeners to grow pitcher plants.

Drafting Your Speech

• Delivering memorized remarks instead of reading verbatim is more engaging. A section of a speaking outline would look like this: III. YMCA’s Focus on Healthy Living  A. Commitment to overall health: both body and mind  B. Programs that support commitment   1. Annual Kid’s Day   2. Fitness facilities   3. Classes and group activities

• For example, you could begin with, “Have you ever wondered how a figure skater could possibly jump, twist, and land on the thin blade of an ice skate? From proper technique to the physical forces at play, I’ll explain how world-class skaters achieve jaw-dropping jumps and spins.”
• Once you've established your purpose, preview your speech: “After describing the basic technical aspects of jumping, I’ll discuss the physics behind jumps and spins. Finally, I’ll explain the 6 types of jumps and clarify why some are more difficult than others.”
• Some people prefer to write the speech's body before the introduction. For others, writing the intro first helps them figure out how to organize the rest of the speech.

• For instance, if your speech is about the causes of World War I, start by discussing nationalism in the years prior to the war. Next, describe the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, then explain how alliances pulled the major players into open warfare.
• Transition smoothly between ideas so your audience can follow your speech. For example, write, “Now that we’ve covered how nationalism set the stage for international conflict, we can examine the event that directly led to the outbreak of World War I: the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. [11] X Research source

• For instance, your conclusion could point out, “Examining the factors that set the stage for World War I shows how intense nationalism fueled the conflict. A century after the Great War, the struggle between nationalism and globalism continues to define international politics in the twenty-first century.”

• Typically, speeches aren’t read verbatim. Instead, you’ll memorize the speech and use a bare bones outline to stay on track.

Avoid information overload: When you compose your speech, read out loud as you write. Focus on keeping your sentence structures simple and clear. Your audience will have a hard time following along if your language is too complicated. [14] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source

Perfecting Your Delivery

• While it’s generally okay to use slightly different phrasing, try to stick to your complete outline as best you can. If you veer off too much or insert too many additional words, you could end up exceeding your time limit.
• Keep in mind your speaking outline will help you stay focused. As for quotes and statistics, feel free to write them on your notecards for quick reference.

Memorization tip: Break up the speech into smaller parts, and memorize it section by section. Memorize 1 sentence then, when you feel confident, add the next. Continue practicing with gradually longer passages until you know the speech like the back of your hand.

• Instead of slouching, stand up tall with your shoulders back. In addition to projecting confidence, good posture will help you breathe deeply to support your voice.

• Have them point out any spots that dragged or seemed disorganized. Ask if your tone was engaging, if you used body language effectively, and if your volume, pitch, and pacing need any tweaks.

• If you keep exceeding the time limit, review your complete sentence outline. Cut any fluff and simplify complicated phrases. If your speech isn’t long enough, look for areas that could use more detail or consider adding another section to the body.
• Just make sure any content you add is relevant. For instance, if your speech on nationalism and World War I is 2 minutes too short, you could add a section about how nationalism manifested in specific countries, including Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Serbia.

Sample Informative Speeches

Expert Q&A

• You're probably much better at informative speeches than you think! If you have ever told your parents about your day at school or explained to a friend how to make chicken noodle soup, you already have experience giving an informative speech! Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• If you get nervous, try to relax, take deep breaths, and visualize calming scenery. Remember, there’s nothing to worry about. Just set yourself up for success by knowing the material and practicing. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• When composing your speech, take your audience into consideration, and tailor your speech to the people you’re addressing. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-realworldcomm/chapter/11-1-informative-speeches/
• ↑ https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s11-01-informative-speeches.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_page_basic_format.html
• ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/11-1-informative-speeches/
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/informative-speaking
• ↑ https://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/337550
• ↑ Lynn Kirkham. Public Speaking Coach. Expert Interview. 20 November 2019.
• ↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/oralcommunication/guides/how-to-outline-a-speech
• ↑ https://wac.colostate.edu/resources/writing/guides/informative-speaking/
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/structuring-speech
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/speeches/
• ↑ https://www.speechanddebate.org/wp-content/uploads/High-School-Competition-Events-Guide.pdf
• ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/10-4-physical-delivery/

About This Article

To write an informative speech, start with an introduction that will grab your audience's attention and give them an idea of where the rest of your speech is headed. Next, choose 3 important points that you want to make to form the body of your speech. Then, organize the points in a logical order and write content to address each point. Finally, write a conclusion that summarizes the main points and ends with a message that you want your audience to take away from it. For tips on researching topics for an informative speech, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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11.1 Informative Speeches

Learning objectives.

• Identify common topic categories for informative speeches.
• Identify strategies for researching and supporting informative speeches.
• Explain the different methods of informing.
• Employ strategies for effective informative speaking, including avoiding persuasion, avoiding information overload, and engaging the audience.

Many people would rather go see an impassioned political speech or a comedic monologue than a lecture. Although informative speaking may not be the most exciting form of public speaking, it is the most common. Reports, lectures, training seminars, and demonstrations are all examples of informative speaking. That means you are more likely to give and listen to informative speeches in a variety of contexts. Some organizations, like consulting firms, and career fields, like training and development, are solely aimed at conveying information. College alumni have reported that out of many different speech skills, informative speaking is most important (Verderber, 1991). Since your exposure to informative speaking is inevitable, why not learn how to be a better producer and consumer of informative messages?

Creating an Informative Speech

As you’ll recall from Chapter 9 “Preparing a Speech” , speaking to inform is one of the three possible general purposes for public speaking. The goal of informative speaking is to teach an audience something using objective factual information. Interestingly, informative speaking is a newcomer in the world of public speaking theorizing and instruction, which began thousands of years ago with the ancient Greeks (Olbricht, 1968). Ancient philosophers and statesmen like Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian conceived of public speaking as rhetoric, which is inherently persuasive. During that time, and until the 1800s, almost all speaking was argumentative. Teaching and instruction were performed as debates, and even fields like science and medicine relied on argumentative reasoning instead of factual claims.

Until the 1800s, even scientific fields and medicine relied on teaching that was based on debate and argument rather than the informative-based instruction that is used today.

Monash University – Surgery Workshop 2012 – CC BY-NC 2.0.

While most instruction is now verbal, for most of modern history, people learned by doing rather than listening, as apprenticeships were much more common than classroom-based instruction. So what facilitated the change from argumentative and demonstrative teaching to verbal and informative teaching? One reason for this change was the democratization of information. Technical information used to be jealously protected by individuals, families, or guilds. Now society generally believes that information should be shared and made available to all. The increasing complexity of fields of knowledge and professions also increased the need for informative speaking. Now one must learn a history or backstory before actually engaging with a subject or trade. Finally, much of the information that has built up over time has become commonly accepted; therefore much of the history or background information isn’t disputed and can now be shared in an informative rather than argumentative way.

Choosing an Informative Speech Topic

Being a successful informative speaker starts with choosing a topic that can engage and educate the audience. Your topic choices may be influenced by the level at which you are speaking. Informative speaking usually happens at one of three levels: formal, vocational, and impromptu (Verderber, 1991). Formal informative speeches occur when an audience has assembled specifically to hear what you have to say. Being invited to speak to a group during a professional meeting, a civic gathering, or a celebration gala brings with it high expectations. Only people who have accomplished or achieved much are asked to serve as keynote speakers, and they usually speak about these experiences. Many more people deliver informative speeches at the vocational level, as part of their careers. Teachers like me spend many hours lecturing, which is a common form of informative speaking. In addition, human resources professionals give presentations about changes in policy and provide training for new employees, technicians in factories convey machine specifications and safety procedures, and servers describe how a dish is prepared in their restaurant. Last, we all convey information daily in our regular interactions. When we give a freshman directions to a campus building, summarize the latest episode of American Idol for our friend who missed it, or explain a local custom to an international student, we are engaging in impromptu informative speaking.

Whether at the formal, vocational, or impromptu level, informative speeches can emerge from a range of categories, which include objects, people, events, processes, concepts, and issues. An extended speech at the formal level may include subject matter from several of these categories, while a speech at the vocational level may convey detailed information about a process, concept, or issue relevant to a specific career.

Subjects of informative speaking at the vocational level usually relate to a speaker’s professional experience or expertise.

Peter Long – Business Meeting – CC BY 2.0.

Since we don’t have time to research or organize content for impromptu informative speaking, these speeches may provide a less detailed summary of a topic within one of these categories. A broad informative speech topic could be tailored to fit any of these categories. As you draft your specific purpose and thesis statements, think about which category or categories will help you achieve your speech goals, and then use it or them to guide your research. Table 11.1 “Sample Informative Speech Topics by Category” includes an example of how a broad informative subject area like renewable energy can be adapted to each category as well as additional sample topics.

Table 11.1 Sample Informative Speech Topics by Category

Speeches about objects convey information about any nonhuman material things. Mechanical objects, animals, plants, and fictional objects are all suitable topics of investigation. Given that this is such a broad category, strive to pick an object that your audience may not be familiar with or highlight novel relevant and interesting facts about a familiar object.

Speeches about people focus on real or fictional individuals who are living or dead. These speeches require in-depth biographical research; an encyclopedia entry is not sufficient. Introduce a new person to the audience or share little-known or surprising information about a person we already know. Although we may already be familiar with the accomplishments of historical figures and leaders, audiences often enjoy learning the “personal side” of their lives.

Speeches about concepts are less concrete than speeches about objects or people, as they focus on ideas or notions that may be abstract or multifaceted. A concept can be familiar to us, like equality, or could literally be a foreign concept like qi (or chi ), which is the Chinese conception of the energy that flows through our bodies. Use the strategies discussed in this book for making content relevant and proxemic to your audience to help make abstract concepts more concrete.

Speeches about events focus on past occasions or ongoing occurrences. A particular day in history, an annual observation, or a seldom occurring event can each serve as interesting informative topics. As with speeches about people, it’s important to provide a backstory for the event, but avoid rehashing commonly known information.

Informative speeches about processes provide a step-by-step account of a procedure or natural occurrence. Speakers may walk an audience through, or demonstrate, a series of actions that take place to complete a procedure, such as making homemade cheese. Speakers can also present information about naturally occurring processes like cell division or fermentation.

Informative speeches about processes provide steps of a procedure, such as how to make homemade cheese.

Joel Kramer – curdle – CC BY 2.0.

Last, informative speeches about issues provide objective and balanced information about a disputed subject or a matter of concern for society. It is important that speakers view themselves as objective reporters rather than commentators to avoid tipping the balance of the speech from informative to persuasive. Rather than advocating for a particular position, the speaker should seek to teach or raise the awareness of the audience.

Researching an Informative Speech Topic

Having sharp research skills is a fundamental part of being a good informative speaker. Since informative speaking is supposed to convey factual information, speakers should take care to find sources that are objective, balanced, and credible. Periodicals, books, newspapers, and credible websites can all be useful sources for informative speeches, and you can use the guidelines for evaluating supporting materials discussed in Chapter 9 “Preparing a Speech” to determine the best information to include in your speech. Aside from finding credible and objective sources, informative speakers also need to take time to find engaging information. This is where sharp research skills are needed to cut through all the typical information that comes up in the research process to find novel information. Novel information is atypical or unexpected, but it takes more skill and effort to locate. Even seemingly boring informative speech topics like the history of coupons can be brought to life with information that defies the audience’s expectations. A student recently delivered an engaging speech about coupons by informing us that coupons have been around for 125 years, are most frequently used by wealthier and more educated households, and that a coupon fraud committed by an Italian American businessman named Charles Ponzi was the basis for the term Ponzi scheme , which is still commonly used today.

As a teacher, I can attest to the challenges of keeping an audience engaged during an informative presentation. While it’s frustrating to look out at my audience of students and see glazed-over eyes peering back at me, I also know that it is my responsibility to choose interesting information and convey it in a way that’s engaging. Even though the core content of what I teach hasn’t change dramatically over the years, I constantly challenge myself to bring that core information to life through application and example. As we learned earlier, finding proxemic and relevant information and examples is typically a good way to be engaging. The basic information may not change quickly, but the way people use it and the way it relates to our lives changes. Finding current, relevant examples and finding novel information are both difficult, since you, as the researcher, probably don’t know this information exists.

Here is where good research skills become necessary to be a good informative speaker. Using advice from Chapter 9 “Preparing a Speech” should help you begin to navigate through the seas of information to find hidden treasure that excites you and will in turn excite your audience.

To avoid boring an audience, effective informative speakers possess good research skills and the ability to translate information to be engaging and relevant for an audience.

Niall Kennedy – Sleep – CC BY-NC 2.0.

As was mentioned earlier, the goal for informative speaking is to teach your audience. An audience is much more likely to remain engaged when they are actively learning. This is like a balancing act. You want your audience to be challenged enough by the information you are presenting to be interested, but not so challenged that they become overwhelmed and shut down. You should take care to consider how much information your audience already knows about a topic. Be aware that speakers who are very familiar with their speech topic tend to overestimate their audience’s knowledge about the topic. It’s better to engage your topic at a level slightly below your audience’s knowledge level than above. Most people won’t be bored by a brief review, but many people become lost and give up listening if they can’t connect to the information right away or feel it’s over their heads.

A good informative speech leaves the audience thinking long after the speech is done. Try to include some practical “takeaways” in your speech. I’ve learned many interesting and useful things from the informative speeches my students have done. Some of the takeaways are more like trivia information that is interesting to share—for example, how prohibition led to the creation of NASCAR. Other takeaways are more practical and useful—for example, how to get wine stains out of clothing and carpet or explanations of various types of student financial aid.

Organizing and Supporting an Informative Speech

You can already see that informing isn’t as easy as we may initially think. To effectively teach, a speaker must present quality information in an organized and accessible way. Once you have chosen an informative speech topic and put your research skills to the test in order to locate novel and engaging information, it’s time to organize and support your speech.

Organizational Patterns

Three organizational patterns that are particularly useful for informative speaking are topical, chronological, and spatial. As you’ll recall, to organize a speech topically, you break a larger topic down into logical subdivisions. An informative speech about labor unions could focus on unions in three different areas of employment, three historically significant strikes, or three significant legal/legislative decisions. Speeches organized chronologically trace the development of a topic or overview the steps in a process. An informative speech could trace the rise of the economic crisis in Greece or explain the steps in creating a home compost pile. Speeches organized spatially convey the layout or physical characteristics of a location or concept. An informative speech about the layout of a fire station or an astrology wheel would follow a spatial organization pattern.

Methods of Informing

Types of and strategies for incorporating supporting material into speeches are discussed in Chapter 9 “Preparing a Speech” , but there are some specific ways to go about developing ideas within informative speeches. Speakers often inform an audience using definitions, descriptions, demonstrations, and explanations. It is likely that a speaker will combine these methods of informing within one speech, but a speech can also be primarily organized using one of these methods.

Informing through Definition

Informing through definition entails defining concepts clearly and concisely and is an important skill for informative speaking. There are several ways a speaker can inform through definition: synonyms and antonyms, use or function, example, and etymology (Verderber, 1991). Defining a concept using a synonym or an antonym is a short and effective way to convey meaning. Synonyms are words that have the same or similar meanings, and antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. In a speech about how to effectively inform an audience, I would claim that using concrete words helps keep an audience engaged. I could enhance your understanding of what concrete means by defining it with synonyms like tangible and relatable . Or I could define concrete using antonyms like abstract and theoretical .

Identifying the use or function of an object, item, or idea is also a short way of defining. We may think we already know the use and function of most of the things we interact with regularly. This is true in obvious cases like cars, elevators, and smartphones. But there are many objects and ideas that we may rely on and interact with but not know the use or function. For example, QR codes (or quick response codes) are popping up in magazines, at airports, and even on t-shirts (Vuong, 2011). Many people may notice them but not know what they do. As a speaker, you could define QR codes by their function by informing the audience that QR codes allow businesses, organizations, and individuals to get information to consumers/receivers through a barcode-like format that can be easily scanned by most smartphones.

An informative speaker could teach audience members about QR codes by defining them based on their use or function.

Douglas Muth – My QR Code – CC BY-SA 2.0.

A speaker can also define a topic using examples, which are cited cases that are representative of a larger concept. In an informative speech about anachronisms in movies and literature, a speaker might provide the following examples: the film Titanic shows people on lifeboats using flashlights to look for survivors from the sunken ship (such flashlights weren’t invented until two years later) (The Past in Pictures, 2012); Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar includes a reference to a clock, even though no mechanical clocks existed during Caesar’s time (Scholasticus K., 2012). Examples are a good way to repackage information that’s already been presented to help an audience retain and understand the content of a speech. Later we’ll learn more about how repackaging information enhances informative speaking.

Etymology refers to the history of a word. Defining by etymology entails providing an overview of how a word came to its current meaning. The Oxford English Dictionary is the best source for finding etymology and often contains interesting facts that can be presented as novel information to better engage your audience. For example, the word assassin , which refers to a person who intentionally murders another, literally means “hashish-eater” and comes from the Arabic word hashshashin . The current meaning emerged during the Crusades as a result of the practices of a sect of Muslims who would get high on hashish before killing Christian leaders—in essence, assassinating them (Oxford English Dictionary Online, 2012).

Informing through Description

As the saying goes, “Pictures are worth a thousand words.” Informing through description entails creating verbal pictures for your audience. Description is also an important part of informative speeches that use a spatial organizational pattern, since you need to convey the layout of a space or concept. Good descriptions are based on good observations, as they convey what is taken in through the senses and answer these type of questions: What did that look like? Smell like? Sound like? Feel like? Taste like? If descriptions are vivid and well written, they can actually invoke a sensory reaction in your audience. Just as your mouth probably begins to salivate when I suggest that you imagine biting into a fresh, bright yellow, freshly cut, juicy lemon wedge, so can your audience be transported to a setting or situation through your descriptions. I once had a student set up his speech about the history of streaking by using the following description: “Imagine that you are walking across campus to your evening class. You look up to see a parade of hundreds upon hundreds of your naked peers jogging by wearing little more than shoes.”

Informing through Demonstration

When informing through demonstration , a speaker gives verbal directions about how to do something while also physically demonstrating the steps. Early morning infomercials are good examples of demonstrative speaking, even though they are also trying to persuade us to buy their “miracle product.” Whether straightforward or complex, it’s crucial that a speaker be familiar with the content of their speech and the physical steps necessary for the demonstration. Speaking while completing a task requires advanced psycho-motor skills that most people can’t wing and therefore need to practice. Tasks suddenly become much more difficult than we expect when we have an audience. Have you ever had to type while people are reading along with you? Even though we type all the time, even one extra set of eyes seems to make our fingers more clumsy than usual.

Television chefs are excellent examples of speakers who frequently inform through demonstration. While many of them make the process of speaking while cooking look effortless, it took much practice over many years to make viewers think it is effortless.

Television chefs inform through demonstration. Although they make it seem easy, it is complex and difficult.

Gordonramsaysubmissions – gordon ramsay 7 – CC BY 2.0.

Part of this practice also involves meeting time limits. Since television segments are limited and chefs may be demonstrating and speaking live, they have to be able to adapt as needed. Demonstration speeches are notorious for going over time, especially if speakers haven’t practiced with their visual aids / props. Be prepared to condense or edit as needed to meet your time limit. The reality competition show The Next Food Network Star captures these difficulties, as many experienced cooks who have the content knowledge and know how to physically complete their tasks fall apart when faced with a camera challenge because they just assumed they could speak and cook at the same time.

Tips for Demonstration Speeches

• Include personal stories and connections to the topic, in addition to the “how-to” information, to help engage your audience.
• Ask for audience volunteers (if appropriate) to make the demonstration more interactive.
• Include a question-and-answer period at the end (if possible) so audience members can ask questions and seek clarification.
• Follow an orderly progression. Do not skip around or backtrack when reviewing the steps.
• Use clear signposts like first , second , and third .
• Use orienting material like internal previews and reviews, and transitions.
• Group steps together in categories, if needed, to help make the information more digestible.
• Assess the nonverbal feedback of your audience. Review or slow down if audience members look lost or confused.
• Practice with your visual aids / props many times. Things suddenly become more difficult and complicated than you expect when an audience is present.
• Practice for time and have contingency plans if you need to edit some information out to avoid going over your time limit.

Informing through Explanation

Informing through explanation entails sharing how something works, how something came to be, or why something happened. This method of informing may be useful when a topic is too complex or abstract to demonstrate. When presenting complex information make sure to break the topic up into manageable units, avoid information overload, and include examples that make the content relevant to the audience. Informing through explanation works well with speeches about processes, events, and issues. For example, a speaker could explain the context surrounding the Lincoln-Douglas debates or the process that takes place during presidential primaries.

“Getting Plugged In”

TED Talks as a Model of Effective Informative Speaking

Over the past few years, I have heard more and more public speaking teachers mention their use of TED speeches in their classes. What started in 1984 as a conference to gather people involved in Technology, Entertainment, and Design has now turned into a worldwide phenomenon that is known for its excellent speeches and presentations, many of which are informative in nature. [1] The motto of TED is “Ideas worth spreading,” which is in keeping with the role that we should occupy as informative speakers. We should choose topics that are worth speaking about and then work to present them in such a way that audience members leave with “take-away” information that is informative and useful. TED fits in with the purpose of the “Getting Plugged In” feature in this book because it has been technology focused from the start. For example, Andrew Blum’s speech focuses on the infrastructure of the Internet, and Pranav Mistry’s speech focuses on a new technology he developed that allows for more interaction between the physical world and the world of data. Even speakers who don’t focus on technology still skillfully use technology in their presentations, as is the case with David Gallo’s speech about exotic underwater life. Here are links to all these speeches:

• Andrew Blum’s speech: What Is the Internet, Really? http://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_blum_what_is_the_internet_really.html
• Pranav Mistry’s speech: The Thrilling Potential of Sixth Sense Technology. http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html
• David Gallo’s speech: Underwater Astonishments. http://www.ted.com/talks/david_gallo_shows_underwater_astonishments.html
• What can you learn from the TED model and/or TED speakers that will help you be a better informative speaker?
• In what innovative and/or informative ways do the speakers reference or incorporate technology in their speeches?

Effective Informative Speaking

There are several challenges to overcome to be an effective informative speaker. They include avoiding persuasion, avoiding information overload, and engaging your audience.

Avoiding Persuasion

We should avoid thinking of informing and persuading as dichotomous, meaning that it’s either one or the other. It’s more accurate to think of informing and persuading as two poles on a continuum, as in Figure 11.1 “Continuum of Informing and Persuading” (Olbricht, 1968). Most persuasive speeches rely on some degree of informing to substantiate the reasoning. And informative speeches, although meant to secure the understanding of an audience, may influence audience members’ beliefs, attitudes, values, or behaviors.

Figure 11.1 Continuum of Informing and Persuading

Speakers can look to three areas to help determine if their speech is more informative or persuasive: speaker purpose, function of information, and audience perception (Verderber, 1991). First, for informative speaking, a speaker’s purpose should be to create understanding by sharing objective, factual information. Specific purpose and thesis statements help establish a speaker’s goal and purpose and can serve as useful reference points to keep a speech on track. When reviewing your specific purpose and thesis statement, look for words like should / shouldn’t , good / bad , and right / wrong , as these often indicate a persuasive slant in the speech.

Second, information should function to clarify and explain in an informative speech. Supporting materials shouldn’t function to prove a thesis or to provide reasons for an audience to accept the thesis, as they do in persuasive speeches. Although informative messages can end up influencing the thoughts or behaviors of audience members, that shouldn’t be the goal.

Third, an audience’s perception of the information and the speaker helps determine whether a speech is classified as informative or persuasive. The audience must perceive that the information being presented is not controversial or disputed, which will lead audience members to view the information as factual. The audience must also accept the speaker as a credible source of information. Being prepared, citing credible sources, and engaging the audience help establish a speaker’s credibility. Last, an audience must perceive the speaker to be trustworthy and not have a hidden agenda. Avoiding persuasion is a common challenge for informative speakers, but it is something to consider, as violating the speaking occasion may be perceived as unethical by the audience. Be aware of the overall tone of your speech by reviewing your specific purpose and thesis to make sure your speech isn’t tipping from informative to persuasive.

Words like should / shouldn’t , good / bad , and right / wrong in a specific purpose and/or thesis statement often indicate that the speaker’s purpose is tipping from informative to persuasive.

Hans Splinter – balance – CC BY-ND 2.0.

Avoiding Information Overload

Many informative speakers have a tendency to pack a ten-minute speech with as much information as possible. This can result in information overload , which is a barrier to effective listening that occurs when a speech contains more information than an audience can process. Editing can be a difficult task, but it’s an important skill to hone, because you will be editing more than you think. Whether it’s reading through an e-mail before you send it, condensing a report down to an executive summary, or figuring out how to fit a client’s message on the front page of a brochure, you will have to learn how to discern what information is best to keep and what can be thrown out. In speaking, being a discerning editor is useful because it helps avoid information overload. While a receiver may not be attracted to a brochure that’s covered in text, they could take the time to read it, and reread it, if necessary. Audience members cannot conduct their own review while listening to a speaker live. Unlike readers, audience members can’t review words over and over (Verderber, 1991). Therefore competent speakers, especially informative speakers who are trying to teach their audience something, should adapt their message to a listening audience. To help avoid information overload, adapt your message to make it more listenable.

Although the results vary, research shows that people only remember a portion of a message days or even hours after receiving it (Janusik, 2012). If you spend 100 percent of your speech introducing new information, you have wasted approximately 30 percent of your time and your audience’s time. Information overload is a barrier to effective listening, and as good speakers, we should be aware of the limitations of listening and compensate for that in our speech preparation and presentation. I recommend that my students follow a guideline that suggests spending no more than 30 percent of your speech introducing new material and 70 percent of your speech repackaging that information. I specifically use the word repackaging and not repeating . Simply repeating the same information would also be a barrier to effective listening, since people would just get bored. Repackaging will help ensure that your audience retains most of the key information in the speech. Even if they don’t remember every example, they will remember the main underlying point.

Avoiding information overload requires a speaker to be a good translator of information. To be a good translator, you can compare an unfamiliar concept with something familiar, give examples from real life, connect your information to current events or popular culture, or supplement supporting material like statistics with related translations of that information. These are just some of the strategies a good speaker can use. While translating information is important for any oral presentation, it is especially important when conveying technical information. Being able to translate complex or technical information for a lay audience leads to more effective informing, because the audience feels like they are being addressed on their level and don’t feel lost or “talked down to.” The History Channel show The Universe provides excellent examples of informative speakers who act as good translators. The scientists and experts featured on the show are masters of translating technical information, like physics, into concrete examples that most people can relate to based on their everyday experiences.

Comparing the turbulent formation of the solar system to the collisions of bumper bars and spinning rides at an amusement park makes the content more concrete.

Alexander Svensson – Ferris Wheel – CC BY 2.0.

Following the guidelines established in Chapter 9 “Preparing a Speech” for organizing a speech can also help a speaker avoid information overload. Good speakers build in repetition and redundancy to make their content more memorable and their speech more consumable. Preview statements, section transitions, and review statements are some examples of orienting material that helps focus an audience’s attention and facilitates the process of informing (Verderber, 1991).

Engaging Your Audience

As a speaker, you are competing for the attention of your audience against other internal and external stimuli. Getting an audience engaged and then keeping their attention is a challenge for any speaker, but it can be especially difficult when speaking to inform. As was discussed earlier, once you are in the professional world, you will most likely be speaking informatively about topics related to your experience and expertise. Some speakers fall into the trap of thinking that their content knowledge is enough to sustain them through an informative speech or that their position in an organization means that an audience will listen to them and appreciate their information despite their delivery. Content expertise is not enough to be an effective speaker. A person must also have speaking expertise (Verderber, 1991). Effective speakers, even renowned experts, must still translate their wealth of content knowledge into information that is suited for oral transmission, audience centered, and well organized. I’m sure we’re all familiar with the stereotype of the absentminded professor or the genius who thinks elegantly in his or her head but can’t convey that same elegance verbally. Having well-researched and organized supporting material is an important part of effective informative speaking, but having good content is not enough.

Audience members are more likely to stay engaged with a speaker they view as credible. So complementing good supporting material with a practiced and fluent delivery increases credibility and audience engagement. In addition, as we discussed earlier, good informative speakers act as translators of information. Repackaging information into concrete familiar examples is also a strategy for making your speech more engaging. Understanding relies on being able to apply incoming information to life experiences.

Repackaging information is also a good way to appeal to different learning styles, as you can present the same content in various ways, which helps reiterate a point. While this strategy is useful with any speech, since the goal of informing is teaching, it makes sense to include a focus on learning within your audience adaptation. There are three main learning styles that help determine how people most effectively receive and process information: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (Fleming, 2012). Visual learners respond well to information presented via visual aids, so repackage information using text, graphics, charts and other media. Public speaking is a good way to present information for auditory learners who process information well when they hear it. Kinesthetic learners are tactile; they like to learn through movement and “doing.” Asking for volunteers to help with a demonstration, if appropriate, is a way to involve kinesthetic learners in your speech. You can also have an interactive review activity at the end of a speech, much like many teachers incorporate an activity after a lesson to reinforce the material.

“Getting Real”

Technical Speaking

People who work in technical fields, like engineers and information technology professionals, often think they will be spared the task of public speaking. This is not the case, however, and there is actually a branch of communication studies that addresses public speaking matters for “techies.” The field of technical communication focuses on how messages can be translated from expert to lay audiences. I actually taught a public speaking class for engineering students, and they basically had to deliver speeches about the things they were working on in a way that I could understand. I ended up learning a lot more about jet propulsion and hybrid car engines than I ever expected!

Have you ever been completely lost when reading an instruction manual for some new product you purchased? Have you ever had difficulty following the instructions of someone who was trying to help you with a technical matter? If so, you’ve experienced some of the challenges associated with technical speaking. There are many careers where technical speaking skills are needed. According to the Society for Technical Communication, communicating about specialized or technical topics, communicating by using technology, and providing instructions about how to do something are all examples of technical speaking (Society for Technical Communication, 2012). People with technical speaking skills offer much to organizations and businesses. They help make information more useable and accessible to customers, clients, and employees. They can help reduce costs to a business by reducing unnecessary work that results from misunderstandings of instructions, by providing clear information that allows customers to use products without training or technical support and by making general information put out by a company more user friendly. Technical speakers are dedicated to producing messages that are concise, clear, and coherent (Society for Technical Communication, 2012). Such skills are used in the following careers: technical writers and editors, technical illustrators, visual designers, web designers, customer service representatives, salespeople, spokespeople, and many more.

• What communication skills that you’ve learned about in the book so far do you think would be important for a technical speaker?
• Identify instances in which you have engaged in technical speaking or received information from a technical speaker. Based on what you have learned in this chapter, were the speakers effective or not, and why?

Sample Informative Speech

Title: Going Green in the World of Education

General purpose: To inform

Specific purpose: By the end of my speech, the audience will be able to describe some ways in which schools are going green.

Thesis statement: The green movement has transformed school buildings, how teachers teach, and the environment in which students learn.

Introduction

Attention getter: Did you know that attending or working at a green school can lead students and teachers to have less health problems? Did you know that allowing more daylight into school buildings increases academic performance and can lessen attention and concentration challenges? Well, the research I will cite in my speech supports both of these claims, and these are just two of the many reasons why more schools, both grade schools and colleges, are going green.

Introduction of topic: Today, I’m going to inform you about the green movement that is affecting many schools.

Credibility and relevance: Because of my own desire to go into the field of education, I decided to research how schools are going green in the United States. But it’s not just current and/or future teachers that will be affected by this trend. As students at Eastern Illinois University, you are already asked to make “greener” choices. Whether it’s the little signs in the dorm rooms that ask you to turn off your lights when you leave the room, the reusable water bottles that were given out on move-in day, or even our new Renewable Energy Center, the list goes on and on. Additionally, younger people in our lives, whether they be future children or younger siblings or relatives, will likely be affected by this continuing trend.

Preview statement: In order to better understand what makes a “green school,” we need to learn about how K–12 schools are going green, how college campuses are going green, and how these changes affect students and teachers.

Transition: I’ll begin with how K–12 schools are going green.

• In order to garner support for green initiatives, the article recommends that local leaders like superintendents, mayors, and college administrators become involved in the green movement.
• Once local leaders are involved, the community, students, parents, faculty, and staff can be involved by serving on a task force, hosting a summit or conference, and implementing lessons about sustainability into everyday conversations and school curriculum.
• The US Green Building Council’s website also includes a tool kit with a lot of information about how to “green” existing schools.
• For example, Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Colorado, was built in 2006 and received LEED certification because it has automatic light sensors to conserve electricity and uses wind energy to offset nonrenewable energy use.
• To conserve water, the school uses a pond for irrigation, has artificial turf on athletic fields, and installed low-flow toilets and faucets.
• According to the 2006 report by certified energy manager Gregory Kats titled “Greening America’s Schools,” a LEED certified school uses 30–50 percent less energy, 30 percent less water, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent compared to a conventional school.
• Many new building materials, carpeting, and furniture contain chemicals that are released into the air, which reduces indoor air quality.
• So green schools purposefully purchase materials that are low in these chemicals.
• Natural light and fresh air have also been shown to promote a healthier learning environment, so green buildings allow more daylight in and include functioning windows.

Transition: As you can see, K–12 schools are becoming greener; college campuses are also starting to go green.

• According to the Sturm College of Law’s website, the building was designed to use 40 percent less energy than a conventional building through the use of movement-sensor lighting; high-performance insulation in the walls, floors, and roof; and infrared sensors on water faucets and toilets.
• Electric car recharging stations were also included in the parking garage, and the building has extra bike racks and even showers that students and faculty can use to freshen up if they bike or walk to school or work.
• Some of the dining halls on campus have gone “trayless,” which according to a 2009 article by Calder in the journal Independent School has the potential to dramatically reduce the amount of water and chemical use, since there are no longer trays to wash, and also helps reduce food waste since people take less food without a tray.
• The Renewable Energy Center uses slow-burn technology to use wood chips that are a byproduct of the lumber industry that would normally be discarded.
• This helps reduce our dependency on our old coal-fired power plant, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
• The project was the first known power plant to be registered with the US Green Building Council and is on track to receive LEED certification.

Transition: All these efforts to go green in K–12 schools and on college campuses will obviously affect students and teachers at the schools.

• Many schools are literally going green by including more green spaces such as recreation areas, gardens, and greenhouses, which according to a 2010 article in the Journal of Environmental Education by University of Colorado professor Susan Strife has been shown to benefit a child’s cognitive skills, especially in the areas of increased concentration and attention capacity.
• Additionally, the report I cited earlier, “Greening America’s Schools,” states that the improved air quality in green schools can lead to a 38 percent reduction in asthma incidents and that students in “green schools” had 51 percent less chance of catching a cold or the flu compared to children in conventional schools.
• The report “Greening America’s Schools” notes that a recent synthesis of fifty-three studies found that more daylight in the school building leads to higher academic achievement.
• The report also provides data that show how the healthier environment in green schools leads to better attendance and that in Washington, DC, and Chicago, schools improved their performance on standardized tests by 3–4 percent.
• According to the article in Education Week that I cited earlier, the Sustainability Education Clearinghouse is a free online tool that provides K–12 educators with the ability to share sustainability-oriented lesson ideas.
• The Center for Green Schools also provides resources for all levels of teachers, from kindergarten to college, that can be used in the classroom.
• The report “Greening America’s Schools” claims that the overall improved working environment that a green school provides leads to higher teacher retention and less teacher turnover.
• Just as students see health benefits from green schools, so do teachers, as the same report shows that teachers in these schools get sick less, resulting in a decrease of sick days by 7 percent.

Transition to conclusion and summary of importance: In summary, the going-green era has impacted every aspect of education in our school systems.

Review of main points: From K–12 schools to college campuses like ours, to the students and teachers in the schools, the green movement is changing the way we think about education and our environment.

Closing statement: As Glenn Cook, the editor in chief of the American School Board Journal , states on the Center for Green Schools’s website, “The green schools movement is the biggest thing to happen to education since the introduction of technology to the classroom.”

Ash, K. (2011). “Green schools” benefit budgets and students, report says. Education Week , 30 (32), 10.

Calder, W. (2009). Go green, save green. Independent School , 68 (4), 90–93.

The Center for Green Schools. (n.d.). K–12: How. Retrieved from http://www.centerforgreenschools.org/main-nav/k-12/buildings.aspx

Eastern Illinois University. (n.d.). Renewable Energy Center. Retrieved from http://www.eiu.edu/sustainability/eiu_renewable.php

Kats, G. (2006). Greening America’s schools: Costs and benefits. A Capital E Report. Retrieved from http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=2908

Strife, S. (2010). Reflecting on environmental education: Where is our place in the green movement? Journal of Environmental Education , 41 (3), 179–191. doi:10.1080/00958960903295233

Sturm College of Law. (n.d.). About DU law: Building green. Retrieved from http://www.law.du.edu/index.php/about/building-green

USGBC. (n.d.). About us. US Green Building Council . Retrieved from https://new.usgbc.org/about

Key Takeaways

• Getting integrated: Informative speaking is likely the type of public speaking we will most often deliver and be audience to in our lives. Informative speaking is an important part of academic, professional, personal, and civic contexts.
• Informative speeches teach an audience through objective factual information and can emerge from one or more of the following categories: objects, people, concepts, events, processes, and issues.
• Effective informative speaking requires good research skills, as speakers must include novel information, relevant and proxemic examples, and “take-away” information that audience members will find engaging and useful.

The four primary methods of informing are through definition, description, demonstration, or explanation.

• Informing through definition entails defining concepts clearly and concisely using synonyms and antonyms, use or function, example, or etymology.
• Informing through description entails creating detailed verbal pictures for your audience.
• Informing through demonstration entails sharing verbal directions about how to do something while also physically demonstrating the steps.
• Informing through explanation entails sharing how something works, how something came to be, or why something happened.
• An effective informative speaker should avoid persuasion by reviewing the language used in the specific purpose and thesis statements, using objective supporting material, and appearing trustworthy to the audience.
• An effective informative speaker should avoid information overload by repackaging information and building in repetition and orienting material like reviews and previews.
• An effective informative speaker engages the audience by translating information into relevant and concrete examples that appeal to different learning styles.
• Getting integrated: How might you use informative speaking in each of the following contexts: academic, professional, personal, and civic?
• Brainstorm potential topics for your informative speech and identify which topic category each idea falls into. Are there any risks of persuading for the topics you listed? If so, how can you avoid persuasion if you choose that topic?
• Of the four methods of informing (through definition, description, demonstration, or explanation), which do you think is most effective for you? Why?

Fleming, N., “The VARK Helpsheets,” accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=helpsheets .

Janusik, L., “Listening Facts,” accessed March 6, 2012, http://d1025403.site.myhosting.com/files.listen.org/Facts.htm .

Olbricht, T. H., Informative Speaking (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1968), 1–12.

Oxford English Dictionary Online, accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.oed.com .

The Past in Pictures, “Teaching Using Movies: Anachronisms!” accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.thepastinthepictures.wildelearning.co.uk/Introductoryunit!.htm .

Scholasticus K, “Anachronism Examples in Literature,” February 2, 2012, accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.buzzle.com/articles/anachronism-examples-in-literature.html .

Society for Technical Communication, “Defining Technical Communication,” accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.stc.org/about-stc/the-profession-all-about-technical-communication/defining-tc .

Verderber, R., Essentials of Informative Speaking: Theory and Contexts (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1991), 3.

Vuong, A., “Wanna Read That QR Code? Get the Smartphone App,” The Denver Post , April 18, 2011, accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_17868932 .

• “About TED,” accessed October 23, 2012, http://www.ted.com/pages/about . ↵

Communication in the Real World Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

194 Photography Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best photography topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on photography, 🎓 simple & easy photography essay titles, 💡 most interesting photography topics to write about, 🔍 interesting topics to write about photography, ❓ photography essay questions.

• Photography as a Career It is of essence to note that a number of variations exist in the field of photography, for example, self-employment and commercial photographing are just some of the ways one can successfully earn a living […]
• Evolution of Photography: Trying to Seize the Moment In his book A Concise History of Photography, Helmut Gernsheim takes the reader onto a time travel, explaining the origins of photography and telling about the opportunities that photography offers. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• The Exhibit Twilight Visions at the International Center of Photography The medium of photography in the post World War I period was almost too deliciously convenient a vehicle for certain proponents of the Dadaists and the Surrealists.
• Social Uses of Photography: Post-Mortem Photographs The art of photography was invented by Louis Daguerre in the 18th century; this invention promoted the representatives of the middle class family with an opportunity to memorize the events and people and not to […]
• Photographer – Robert Frank This element is evidenced by Rodeo which was taken in 1954 in New York city because one can not identify the face of the guy who is leaning on the dustbin but since Robert’s photos […]
• Photography: Jimmy Nelson’s Piece of Art According to Nelson, the Maasai are part of the few tribes in the world that are quickly fading due to civilization and the increasing need for the world to form a global community.
• Gordon Parks, an American Photographer After the death of his mother in 1926, Parks was forced to move to Minneapolis, where he made a living by affiliating himself with a number of odd jobs, such as the job of a […]
• Concept of Documentary Photography The purpose of composition in this case is to bring out a distinction between the different elements of a work that is being portrayed in such a manner that the elements of the work that […]
• Photography Art in 20th Century In its turn, this reflected the fact that during the course of the 20th century’s initial phase, the classical conventions of physics have been thoroughly revised, due to the emergence of the Theory of Relativity.
• Photographer Jeff Wall and His Paintings The room is clearly in a state of disarray as the dishes and several other things in the room are unattended to.
• Exhibitions at the International Center of Photography Focusing on the photographs by Chim, it is possible to feel as the part of the European society between the 1930s and 1950s.
• Critique of a Photographer, Tom Williams The major point is that the works of Tom Williams can be found in both private and public collections, this is why the popularity of his works raises day by day, and, it is quite […]
• The Art of Photography: Seizing the Moment Flying The vividness of the gender stereotypes which the art of photography disclosed was incredible, because of the new ideas of gender gap and the gender prejudices which the boldest photographers dared to take picture of.
• Impacts of Photography on Advertising So as to discuss this topic, this paper shall: trace the development of photography on advertising; discuss the positive impacts of photography on advertising; and discuss the negative impacts of photography on advertising.
• Surrealism in Photography Surrealism, which started after the World War I, in photography is one of the indicators of most important revolutions that have taken place over the history in the area of photography.
• “Escaping to Reality: Fashion Photography in the 1990s” by Elliot Smedley Written by Elliot Smedley, “Escaping to Reality: Fashion Photography in the 1990s” explores how contemporary fashion photography is adopting realistic styles by using realistic activities contrary to ideal styles that had dominated art and photography […]
• The Development of Lithography and Photography in the Nineteenth Century For this reason, when the reproduction techniques of lithography and photography came up, most of the artists at the time viewed this as a gold mine. As to whether lithography and photography resulted in a […]
• Critical Analysis of Barthes’s Camera Lucida-Reflections on Photography He maintained that a picture has a potential to create deceitfulness in the fantasy of ‘what is’, where the description of ‘What was’ is so specific.
• History of Photography Culture Thus, as a result of the credibility, reliability and realism of photography, the development of photography was closely related to the industrial revolution, the scientific revolution and advancement in philosophy.
• Mads Nissen, a Danish Documentary Photographer He has helped in expressing the plight of the minority groups in the society and also in championing of human rights of the people all over the world.
• Weegee and Goldin’s Photography This paper compares Weegee and Goldin’s photography to address the connection between the middle years of the twentieth century, when photography began to expose realities in life, and the modern distrustful era.
• The Impact of Nineteenth Century Photography on Visual Representation and the Development of Visual Culture The essay concludes with a showcasing of a number of nineteenth century photographs that illustrate the wide range of uses, particularly in the realm of portraiture, that photographers of the nineteenth century employed the photographic […]
• Eastman Kodak and Photographic Film Industry Major Changes This kind of study enables the marketer to evaluate the performance of the company in the market. Therefore, the application of the model is inevitable in case the market is to understand the performance of […]
• Photography’s Impact on Society The pictures taken from scenes of dying soldiers in the American civil war are some of the reasons that evoked strong emotions, which led to the end of the war.
• Jack Dykinga’s Outdoor Photography The works of Jack Dykinga have longed appealed to because this photographer is always able to emphasize the beauty of nature by paying attention to color patterns and space.
• The Description of Nature in Jack Dykinga’ Photographs There are several aspects of these photographs that I would like to discuss, namely the interplay of light and shadow and structured space. This is the main lesson that I learned from the works of […]
• Photography of High-End Art However, in order to capture the beauty and uniqueness of the original artwork, as well as incorporate a range of innuendoes concerning the artist, the era that the art was created in, etc, very specific […]
• A Comparison of Photographic Approaches Towards American Culture Siskind, on the other hand, used photography as a skylight into the subconscious minds of Americans and a technique to react to the dirty happenings experienced in World War II.
• Photographic Approaches Towards Landscapes: Peter Henry Emerson He insisted that science was a core part of art and photography and thus, he endeavored to prove how the two were completely dependent. He was able to capture the economical effects of the depression […]
• Araki Nobuyoshi and Photography He promoted a new genre of art which is up to date cherished in Japan and other parts of the world.
• Privacy and Photography in Public Places According to the protectors of privacy, it is inappropriate to take photographs and circulate them without the consent of the individuals.
• Photography and Beauty Perception His resistance stemmed from the fact that in the early decades of photography, photographs were meant to idealize images and for a picture to be considered beautiful, its subject had to be something beautiful.
• Surrealist Photography and Experimental Photography These two techniques showcase objects in an in-depth manner, concentrating specifically on the surroundings of the image and creation of an abstract form of art that shaped the history of photography.
• Reflection of Photographic Arts The knowledge influences the choice of image and the position of the subject in the photograph. The knowledge of the fundamentals of photographic arts creates a world of possibilities.
• Photographic Approaches for Manuel Alvarez Bravo and Ann Parker In this review, a comparison is made of the photographic approaches of Ann Parker and Manuel Alvarez Bravo, looking for similarities and differences in their art.
• The Photographic Approaches Towards American Culture of Robert Frank and Gary Winogrand Frank practiced many forms of photography and he did photography both for the commercial and fashion purposes and was considered an influential American photographer who was also a mentor to many young American artists.
• Melancholy Objects in Photography The purpose of this paper is to develop a critical evaluation of Sontag’s claim of melancholy and Photography, with reference to a photograph taken for a tombstone in a cemetery. In fact, the grave looks […]
• Photography: Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Therefore, the beauty that the photo represents is largely derived from the actual object. While Sontang acknowledges that the close-up is a reflection of truth, it is still subject to the photographer’s viewpoint.
• Photograph Discussion: Physical Elements and Content Telling from the photograph, the three boys were part of the group playing games in the background and were called to attention by the photographer.
• The Photography of the Arctic Ice Panoramic View The vivid play of light and color in the picture brings out the striking separation of the detached mass from the main iceberg.
• The Pool’ Pictures Balance in Photography Because of the unique combination of urban background and the green elements, as well as the presence of such details as the cast iron, the change in the pictures of the pool not only shows […]
• Photography in Arabic Countries New and new tendencies and fashion took over the generations of European and American photographers, while for the photographers of Arabic and Middle Eastern countries the art of taking pictures was still new.
• Photographic Representation of War Photography captures the moments that are gone, portrays the reality of the past, and preserves the images that used to be real at the second when the photo was taken.
• Technologies: Amateur Film vs. Cell Phone Photography An analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the two forms of photography concludes the paper. Cellphone and film cameras have apertures that regulate the quantity of light passing to the sensor and film, respectively.
• Lewis Hine’s Photography Art Being born at the age of great changes and stresses, Lewis since his childhood was interested in the imprinting of some great moments of the history of American society.
• Photography as a Mass Medium To demonstrate this fact, the study explores the works of Sontag in her article titled, On Photography, and shows how digital photography changes her analysis about the “photographic way of seeing” life.
• Andy Goldsworthy: Sculptor and Photographer Besides, the vast majority of artworks of this sculptor are installed in nature in the woods, fields, plains, at the ponds, or rivers.
• The Basic Critical Theory for Photography According to Berger, images depend on the way of seeing of the person who has taken them. Berger insists that ‘publicity images’ and ‘advertising images’ have the same meanings.
• Melbourne’ Keith Gallery: Photography Analysis However, at the entrance of the gallery, I took a picture that shows the entry of the gallery that has photos on it.
• The Photography Gallery in Melbourne The photos are mounted on glass and owing to the fact that the setting is indoor, a lot of lighting is applied to prevent any darkness.
• Hine’s Indianapolis and Kruger’s Help! Photography Nevertheless, unlike Lewis Hine, Barbara Kruger chooses to combine different media, and in this way, she departs from the canons of the modernist art. Overall, this comparison indicates that the works of Lewis Hine and […]
• Social Documentary Photography Then and Now In the first place, he tried to inform people about the diversity of life in the city, which was a common trend for the beginning of the twentieth century.
• Child Labor, Great Depression and World War II in Photographs The impression is of isolation and yearning for daylight, freedom, and a childhood foregone, in the midst of a machine-dominated world.
• Steve McCurry’s Photographs This approach has revealed the impacts of war on the lives of many people across the globe. McCurry had the opportunity to capture the portrait of a monk in Tibet.
• Photography Company’s Public Relations Campaign The accomplishment of each aim will be performed following the specificity of the targeted audience that is supposed to be composed of the middle-class population of the Seattle Area. In the meantime, they expect that […]
• The Photograph Description and Criticism In this picture, the foreground is where the woman is seated and the background depicts transparent window of the apartment The photograph was likely taken in a broad daylight since outside the apartment to be […]
• The “We Are All Equal” Photography by Haley Bell In spite of the fact that the photograph is rather straightforward in its message, it is important to focus on this image of a young white woman’s hand with words saying that we are all […]
• Photography Ethics, Reliability, and Principles As a result, it is often possible to guarantee that the photo provided in the news is not a product of Photoshop.
• Pathos, Ethos, and Logos in Photography The audience’s personal experiences affects its interpretation of what the picture depicts, it might be close to the communication the photographer had wished to convey or a totally different perspective.
• Timothy Hogan’s Photography Taking into consideration the infinite backing from the greatest producers, retouchers, and workshops in the professional photography niche, it is quite reasonable that Hogan and his team managed to furnace the lifelong contacts that provide […]
• Photography: The Art of Seeing The images that she deals with are associated with saucer magnolia blossoms and she aims to capture the exquisiteness of trees hence bringing-forth that magnificence to the attention of her audience.
• Fascination With Crime Through the Art of Photography The image is not for the faint of heart; however, it is fascinating in a way it is shot. It is evident that the robber fired a bullet into the camera to hide his identity.
• The History of War Photography The purpose of this report is to identify basic trends in the development of war photography and determine the conceptual, stylistic, and technical changes observed in the course of its formation.
• “Film und Foto” Exhibition and Surrealism in Photography Surrealism is considered to be a cultural movement of the early twentieth century and is commonly reflected in the works of art and writings.
• Perspectives on Photography In his essay, John Berger states that the war in Vietnam was one of the most influential transformations of the world.
• Photographs in a Written Society Visual literature requires one to have the ability to analyze, interpret, and understand images with the aim of acquiring meaning through the cultural context in which the image exists.
• Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Photography Duchamp and his work have a connection through the refusal to accept the views of the majority of artists and art lovers.
• Michael Lesy’s Wisconsin Death Trip: Photograph Analysis As highlighted by the focus of the light and the enlargement of the image, this makes the ribs of the horse to be the photo’s point of focus.
• Photography and Its History This is termed as documentary photography in which a value of a photograph is measured by its worth of objectivity, which depends on the subject matter, the perception of why it is taken, and the […]
• Photography and Society Through History: Political and Ideological Functions Another example of a thoroughly politicized photo, which during the course of the thirties was meant to promote the cause of Communism, is Alexander Rodchenko’s Pioneer with Trumpet:
• “Memorial Day” by Anthony Suau: Photography Analysis The background of the image is blurry, indicating that when Suau took the photograph, he had one central area of focus and opted to indiscriminately isolate the other items in the shot.
• Hector Mediavilla Photographic Series “The Congolese Sape” The photographer’s decision to organize the order of photographs influences the viewer’s interpretation of the image. The photographer captures an image from a focal position; the decision to capture the image is influenced by the […]
• Richard Drew’s Photography: Visualizing September 11 This would have ensured that I had accommodated the rights of media, clients, society, and other stakeholders while still adhering to media ethics.
• A Critique of a Photographer’s Works: Matthew Abbott Matthew Abbott underlines one simple fact that Istanbul is the only place where East has all chances to meet West, this is why it is hard to predict the traditions and interests of Turkish people, […]
• Photography: A Cultural History In the middle of the 1850s, there were many photographers, whose projects caused people’s admiration, and the works of Edouard Baldus, Imperial Library of the Louvre, and Roger Fenton, Rievaulx Abbey, may be considered as […]
• Personal Interest in Photography Most of Cotton’s photographs were devoted to the exploration of the serenity and beauty in the natural world, as can be seen in the photographs below.
• Photography: Is It Possible to Recapture the Past? The problem of photography is twofold: the problem of representation, and the presumption of reality that the photographic images elicits in the viewer the pervasive belief that a photograph depicts a referent, a real “how […]
• Nature and Animals in Photographs In the picture, a viewer sees the glassy and smooth water surface, the banks and fir trees covered with snow, and a high dome of the mountain in the center of the photograph.
• Andreas Gursky’s “The Rhine II” Photography In The Rhine II, the photographer attempts to deliver “an accurate image of a modern river” and invites viewers to see the river enclosed in the deep-colored stripes of grass, concrete, and the clouded sky.
• Moholy Nagy’s “Laci and Lucia” Photography In order to make it fit the life in the 21st century, the famous quote by Laszlo Moholy Nagy can be rewritten in the following way: “The illiterate of the future will be the one […]
• A Distinct Camera Vision in Jacques-Henri Lartigue’s Photograph Also, there is no focus on the man’s feet because the camera concentrated on the leap in water, and the feet remain out of the water.
• Photography Changes Who We Think We Might Be This essay is interesting and was chosen because Bergen is famous for her acting and not for photography, yet she clearly has a passion for this trade.
• “The Valley of the Shadow of Death” the Photography by Roger Fenton Finally, from the standpoint of war, such a large number of cannonballs on the road testifies to the scale of the hostilities, which also makes one wonder about the alarming consequences of attacks. Therefore, the […]
• Robinson, Emerson, and Photography as an Art Both of them viewed the newly created form of image capture as a medium for the expression of art, but their views on the nature of the movement were radically different.
• Photographs and Danto’s View on Art This argument comes from the idea of the philosophic meaning of art and its ability to impact viewers by representing some objects of reality in unusual ways.
• Philosophy of Photography as an Art In conclusion, it is necessary to stress that photography is a specific form of art that involves the use of technology.
• ”Preferences for Photographic Art Among Hospitalized Patients With Cancer” by Hanson ET Al. The opinions of stakeholders, who are patients and nursing staff, as well as the outcomes of treatment, are factors that influence the response to the research question.
• Photography & Folk Art: America in the 1930s Exhibition The exhibition “Photography + Folk Art: Looking for America in the 1930s” is a remarkable venue where visitors can see and even feel the atmosphere of the years of the Great Depression in the United […]
• Edward Weston’s Modernist Photographs More attention should be paid to the analysis of Weston’s photographs and the comparison of their style to my photographs. The object in my black-and-white photograph looks like a kind of tubes, which texture is […]
• Imogen Cunningham, an American Female Photographer The high contrast and neutral tones of the image bring to the viewer’s attention a variety of details, including the woman’s hair, her wrinkles, and the unevenness of her skin.
• Publishing Controversial Photographs: To Be or Not To Be? Harte took some pictures of the rescue operation, including an image capturing the moment when the rescuers found the body of a drowned boy and showed it to the family.
• Snapshot vs. Fine-Art Photography in Digital Age The scale of distribution of everyday photography is associated with the improvement of photographic technology and the spread of electronic and digital technologies, making exploring snapshot photography particularly relevant. To analyse the functions of snapshot […]
• History of Photography: Road and Poplar Trees Analysis The picture artistically depicts the distance between the poplar trees making the trees on the right side to be smaller than the left side.
• History of Photography: Brief Overview of the Most Exciting and Impressive Ways of Cultural Representation Photography is one of the most interesting and impressive ways and techniques of culture representation. For instance, photography documented the culture of the 1920s and world wars, the Great Depression-era, and the liberation movement.
• Contribution of Modernity to Photography and Film Movements Modernity in visual arts and cinema is part of the ever-changing world, wherein the establishment of ideas, different people in the world of art participates in experimenting with the forms and styles of art, thus […]
• Edward Steichen in History of Photography Edward Steichen is one of the central figures in the history of photos. The astonishing sale charge of the print is, in part, featured to its one-of-a-kind personality and to its curiosity.
• Photographic Pioneer: Paul Strand One of her eyes is a stone eye and with the other eye she is trying to view something on her left side.
• Visual Art and Photography Ice Sculpting is truly an art of its own, and even though this style of art is not permanent, unless a person were to place the item into the freezer, this would still be categorized […]
• Photography: Brief History of Invention At that time all images produced were in black and white and eventually all masters of the art came to believe that the only artistic way to record photographic images was in black and white. […]
• Atta Kim: Presentation of a Photographer While many techniques Atta uses are not new, in some context the works of Atta can be considered as a philosophical opinion that was visualized using photography.
• “China and Its People in Early Photographs” by John Thompson In spite of the fact the majority of his works are believed to be documentaries, Johnson is often referred to a photojournalist, because he often focused attention on the social aspect of human relationships, it […]
• Yosemite National Park and Connecting With the History of Photography By the time the Yosemite series was started, Carleton Watkins was a famous master of the so called wet-collodion technique that made use of the “mammoth” plates made of glass to allow for the better […]
• Invention of Photography and Its Social Impact Although photography was invented in its full form only in 1835, an understanding of the social impact that was a result of the invention of photography is rightly portrayed by Azoulay in his article “The […]
• The Exhibition “The Arlen Ness Photographic Exhibition” Watching the landscape in reality and the same view on the photo, the viewer may not notice the difference as the professional photographer, the artist tries to make his/her photos so realistic and inconceivable that […]
• Photographic Exhibition in Melbourne Australia The concept of space in the exhibit depicts that of loose and un-articulated. But nowhere in the exhibit were photos shown of men or women building gabions baskets, or showing the river.
• Photo Art: Photographic Exhibition This is the photo produced by Samantha Everton in 2009 as a part of her Vintage Dolls series: The photo is installed in a frame during the exhibition to ensure the considerable attention the viewers […]
• Three Questions About Photography If they do, it is through the main webpage where it is displayed and the user is not allowed to copy the image.
• Pia Johnson’s Photography Exhibition The main aim of the photographer is to stop the time and to make people to be delighted by the beauty of the picture, as the time is the substance which flows fast and the […]
• Photography Exhibition “Threads” in Melbourne The subject matter of the photograph under consideration is the nature of identity or, to be more exact, the exploration of it.
• Photograph Description: Nature The photograph reflects a marvelous landscape combining the elements of human interference in the form of buildings; it is necessary to underline the fact that the picture is to be referred to as representational […]
• Evaluating Evidence: Paperwork and Photographs The paperwork evidence is one of the main evidence, as it is the prejudicial evidence of the witness, who walked the cemetery and saw the act of vandalism of the tomb.
• Photograph Works by Laura McPhee This particular feature in the works of Laura McPhee impresses the viewer owing to the mastership of the photographer in playing with the background and foreground.
• Sports Photography and Its Evolution The death of Niepce was announced in 1833, but the experiment was still been performed by Daguerre and he succeeded in the development of the daguerreotype finally in 1837.
• Has Digital Technology Improved the Quality of Photographs? In the case of our apple, most of the wavelengths are absorbed with the exception of those that lie on the red end of the spectrum.
• Ansel Adams and John Sexton: World Photography The first assumption that we can make about these works is that both of them achieve an effect of optical illusion and this is one of the most difficult tasks for a photographer to carry […]
• Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography The photographs in Without Sanctuary provide a record of the intolerance and racism that was standard in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century.
• Knowing Andy Warhol’s Life and Photography The Post-Modernist Movement of pop art and culture in the latter half of the twentieth century was a revolutionary movement and it was started by the American artist Andy Warhol’s very amundane’ looking paintings of […]
• Photography Exhibition: Examples of the Works This is an outstanding piece of art which made me, for instance, think of our world and humanity: first of all I thought about the perfection of the both, and then I passed to contemplations […]
• Horst Wackerbath and His Great Photography This mystic twist in Wackerbath’s work keeps people looking out for more of his works in a bid to try to understand not only how he manages to pull such a delicate feat, but also […]
• Photography: Robin Fox’s Proof of Concept The subject and concept of the exhibition is as unique as it can be and the gallery is the best place where the photos can be exhibited.
• Photography: Critical Analysis The vertical, restive position of the pencil in each of the slides is indicative of a resort to have finished a particular task, presumably that of writing on the foolscap, with the pencil resting in […]
• HDRI and Tonal Mapping in Photography The science of High dynamic range imaging has developed the dynamic range of processing, transmission, and representation of imaging photography beyond the traditional forms.
• History in Abbass Studios Ltd. Fonds’ Photographs The approximate creation date of the collection is mentioned as 1940 the year when the eldest of the Abbass brothers became interested in photography. George was in charge of the office and the studio.
• Julia Margaret Cameron: A British Photographer As the photographer later wrote in her unfinished memoir “Annals of my glass house”, from the moment of the first shot, the camera had become a link to the world of artists, scientists, and writers.
• Nikki S. Lee and Photography Considered to be one of a kind, the unique nature of this exhibition placed her in the limelight. In ‘The Seniors Project’, Lee managed to transform herself to fit the image of an old woman […]
• Margaret Bourke-White: A Historically Significant Photographer Among Bourke-White’s exclusive works are the photos of the First Five-Year Plan in the Soviet Union, the daily struggle of the Allied infantrymen in the Italian campaign, the siege of Moscow, and the conflict between […]
• Jack Dykinga’s Photography In addition, this use of light adds to the beauty of color harmony and color saturation in the picture. Because of the duly chosen perspective and the angle of shooting along with the time of […]
• Chris Hondros: War Photographer This leads the author of the current paper to discovering the key three topics that have to be covered in order to evaluate Hondros’ contribution to war photography during the first decade of the 21st […]
• The Beauty of Photography: An Opinion However, ultimately, I leaned toward the DSLR cameras and still photography rather than the motion of the film. As a result, good photos make one look at the situation from a different angle, capturing a […]
• Photographer Diane Arbus’ Creativity Analysis Therefore, Arbus showed consistency with the portrayed ugliness of the subjects in the photographs. This enabled Arbus to capture moments that genuinely depicted the feelings of the people in their environment.
• Dream Deferred: Timeless Relevance. Poem and Photograph Review The relevance of showcasing social inequality through voices and faces of the Afro-Americans in the United States draws the parallel between the historical and contemporary context.
• Town Photography Studio Online Branding In order to convince our potential customers about the quality of our new product, we need to use attractive images of the new product which can easily capture the attention of our potential customers.
• Macro Photography: Features, Techniques, and Common Mistakes It is customary to call macro photography the shooting of objects comparable in size to the size of a film frame or much smaller than it.
• Photography, Impression and Alfred Stieglitz A striking example of this is the emergence of photography as a category of art after the invention of the camera.
• Photography in the E-Business: Marketing Strategy Business owners or those in the photography business are now thinking of possible and probably the best way to reach a wider market in the most fashionable and quickest way.
• Composing With Light or Color in Photography Light, shadow and color are the components of an image. The balance between each element affects the quality of the image.
• Ethics in the Age of Digital Photography by Long In his article, ‘Ethics in the age of digital photography,’ Long expresses his concern over the problem of “the public…losing faith” in photojournalists.
• The History of Photography of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century They assured the recognition of photography as a kind of art. Alfred Stieglitz created a series of clouds photographs that combined the technical and aesthetic principles of his work.
• Photography: An Artist Statement In the first image, I arranged the details in the composition to guide the observer through the place I captured by the camera. With the help of the play of the light and shadow, I […]
• An Analysis of a Photograph By Mike Wells This spread of technology-enabled many people to document the environment around them and allowed millions of people to relate to stories of others told through photographs.”A Starving Boy and a Missionary” is one of the […]
• Photography: Art Creation & Reflection The thematic connection between the two pieces is based on the illusionary vision of the simple scenes and experimental approach to the art of photography.
• “Tom Torlino Student File” Photograph Analysis The before and after photo of a native American student is vivid evidence of American influence on the disappearing cultural heritage. What was the impact of such boarding schools on the identity and values of […]
• Note-Taking and Crime Scene Photography Concerning the effectiveness of notes, generally, they should contain a high level of detail, and straightforwardness and cover all areas of the crime scene.
• Photographer Lene and The Heart Project Lene has had an opportunity to work in a large variety of creative mediums, utilizing the skills acquired in a number of projects. The use of paint, charcoal, and mosaic in her art creates a […]
• Significance of the Photographs Created by T. Simon and J. Riis In turn, Riis presents a unique perspective on the immorality of the Victorian neighborhoods serving as evidence of erroneous people’s attitudes towards appropriateness.
• Jeff Wall, a Contemporary Photographer and His Works Most of the photographer’s works are staged, depicting everyday scenes related to the problems of representation and the history of art.
• Special Features of the Photography by Luc Delahaye and Ansel Adams The above photograph is one of the works by Ansel Adams, who is recognized as a pioneer in the evolutionary field of expertise.
• Photography Comparison and Contrast The focus on the naked parts of the body, like dirty and scratched hands, necks, and faces, allows for learning about the terror and horror of that period. In my photo, the style differs due […]
• Photography of Global Disasters: Violence or Not? There is a moral dilemma in people’s urge to respond to suffering photographs of others by either just looking at the pictures or doing something to stop the disaster.
• Photographs Depicting Sufferings of Real People Recording reality may run counter to the goals and ideals of the person making the recording. The dilemma of reaction to shocking photographs is often limited by the viewer’s psychological predisposition and internal values.
• The Search for Truth: Early Photography, Realism, and Impressionism European colonialism led to the popularity of ethnography and the emergence of Orientalism the Western representation of the Middle East visually or literary.
• The Ellen Terry Photograph by Julia Margaret Cameron The value of the artwork is that it reminds the world that people are all the same. An interesting fact about the artwork is that the picture was taken during the honeymoon of the actress.
• The Visual Argument in the Photograph The photograph and the remark appeal to pathos, striving to first show the emotions of the child in the picture and then accentuating how the words shown through the hand around the boy’s neck can […]
• The Background of Photography and the History of Racial Strife Overall, Ardizonne argues that Day’s work was destructive to the political discourse, based on an assessment of the pictures and the content of the anthropological section.
• The Connection of History and Photography Overall, photography falls under the visual sources of chronological data that historians can use to understand and write about recorded events.
• Photography as Quick-Paced Creative Medium Photography is interesting since it helps keeps memories alive and prosperous because it freezes a scene that lasts forever. In capturing moments of importance and beauty, photography helps one revisit memories in a way otherwise […]
• Canadian Regional Geography in Photographs Because of the combination of two types of climate and the terrain, there is a wide difference of ecosystems. The second image is likely Atlantic Canada, as there are fishermen on it, while the most […]
• Dharker’s Postcards From God Book and Carter’s Family Photograph Human poverty might have many colors, and the worth of the chosen non-literary work is in the possibility of conveying the struggle in the face of inevitability.
• Walter Benjamin’s Article: The Invention of Photography In “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, Walter Benjamin discusses how the invention of photography and other mechanical reproduction forms has changed how people perceive works of art.
• Is Photography an Art and Why? In brief, photography is an art since it uses a variety of human actions to create aural, visual, or performative artifacts that show the author’s creativity or technical proficiency and are intended to be admired […]
• Matthew Brandt’s Approach to Photography The artist labors over the production of his images, turning the creation of his work into grueling physical labor by utilizing long-forgotten techniques acquired from the earliest photographers in the tradition of photography, making his […]
• The Photograph “Melissa Shook in a Lonely Home” by Elizabeth Hammer Munemura The presentation of the idea of malnourished flowers in the room depicts the state of homelessness in the series. The photograph was taken behind the scenes to familiarize the actors and actresses involved in the […]
• The “Close Enough” Exhibition of Photographs Each of the authors presents their vision of connections and relations in global moments, communities, and individual subjects.”Close Enough” deserves a lot of attention in the context of its importance and significance to the world […]
• Lighting in Painting, Film, and Photography Due to the lack of detail and the unobstructed silhouette lighting, the viewer can witness the anguish of the photography’s subject. Finally, “The Entombment of Christ” is a famous example of chiaroscuro lighting in art.
• What Is the Difference Between Film and Digital Photography?
• What Is the Most Popular Photography Website?
• How Does Photography Affect the Social and Political Arena?
• How Photography Has Changed Our View of the World?
• Why Was Post-Mortem Photography Popular?
• When Was Photography First Invented?
• How Romanticism and Photography Shaped Western Modernitymodern?
• What Was Photography Originally Called?
• How Digital Processes Change Photography?
• What Photography Can and Really Should Document?
• What Is the Best Photography Course for Beginners?
• Why Photography Is an Art?
• What Would the World Be Like Without Photography?
• How Photography Has Changed Changing Business Environment?
• How Did Joseph Nicephore Contribute to the Early Development of Photography?
• What Is the Target Market for Portrait Photography?
• What Are the 4 Styles of Photography?
• How Has Fashion Photography Changed and Developed Over the Years?
• How Did Photography Reflect the Values and Stereotypes That Underlay European Colonialism?
• Why Is Photography So Important?
• How Does Photography Affect Our Lives?
• Which Type of Camera Is Best for Photography?
• Why Is Digital Photography Better Than Traditional?
• How Are Music and Photography Related?
• What Are the 7 Principles of Photography?
• How Did Female Surrealists Aim to Subvert the Male Gaze Within Surrealist Photography?
• How Photography Works and Has Evolved?
• How Have Photography and Photojournalism Transformed Media?
• What Was the Effect of Photography on Painting in the Nineteenth Century?
• What Makes a Good Food Photography?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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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 .

Vote of Thanks Examples

613 Original Argumentative Speech Topics Ideas

15 thoughts on “509 Informative Speech Ideas and Topics”

Demonic Possession

Creativity is the Mother of Invention.

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

2-How to choose your friends: Choose friends with similar values Choose friends with common goals

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.

6-The different types of friendships

7-The history of online dating

the evolution of humans

school doesn’t need to exist

Nice compilations this is helpful

Hamburgers vs hotdogs

Chocolate Caffeine Grass is Greener on the other side April Fools Why teens should have a part time job or not

History of Tobacco

Effects of anxiety on teenage students.

how depression affects people and others around them

peer pressure and its effects on students

Different ways kids handle peer pressure.

depression and how it can effect a students mindset

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50+ Informative Speech Topics to Engage Your Audience

We’ve all been there, staring at a blank page or empty presentation slide, trying to think of a good, informative speech topic that will engage our audience and stop them from staring numbly at their phones. Presentations and speeches can be a difficult task to tackle, especially if you lack a solid idea to get the ball rolling. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Today, we’ll dive into 50+ fresh and creative ideas for informative speech topics to help you capture your audience’s attention and give them something to engage with. Keep reading and you won’t be stuck with a dull speech topic ever again!

Interesting Informative Speech Topics

When it comes to selecting an interesting informative speech topic , there is no shortage of ideas. Choosing a topic that is engaging for both your audience and yourself can make the difference between giving a successful speech or not. There are many topics that have the potential to captivate listeners from politics to health, to relationships, and even to entertainment . The most important thing when deciding on a topic is to pick one that resonates with the interests of your audience, as well as being informative. Interesting topics should be specific enough for the speaker to cover in depth. For example, discussing the history of the American constitution would be too broad for a single speech, whereas discussing the second amendment could provide enough information for a full speech. It is also important to consider controversial topics as these can often be very interesting and engaging for listeners. When debating either side of an argument, it is important to do research and be aware of both sides of the issue. This will ensure that you are properly informed before taking part in any online debates or conversations surrounding the issue at hand. Whether you decide to discuss issues relating to current events or those that focus on more personal interest topics, there is no lack of inspiring ideas out there to create an effective informative speech. No matter what you decide, your goal should be to create an informative, engaging atmosphere that encourages others to learn from and appreciate your message.

What are some good topics for an informative speech?

1. The History of Space Exploration: Discuss the timeline from the first satellite in space to present day space exploration missions and their significance. 2. Advances in Artificial Intelligence: Examine how knowledge processing tools such as machine learning and neural networks have changed society. 3. Plastic Pollution: Outline the types of plastic pollution, explain their effects on ocean life, and provide solutions for reducing plastic waste. 4. Eating Disorders: Explain types of eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, their psychological impacts, and methods of treatment. 5. Alternative Energy Sources: Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of using renewable energy sources (e.g., solar power), future potential developments, and environmental issues associated with traditional methods of generating electricity. 6. Cancer Research: Explore modern cancer detection techniques, how genetics play a role in cancer development, and advances in research leading to new treatments or cures. 7. Food Waste Reduction: Describe current levels of food waste, its environmental costs, innovative strategies being employed to reduce waste production, and practical steps individuals can take to conserve resources. 8. Online Privacy: Investigate data security threats posed by technology companies or other entities and discuss strategies for protecting personal information online. 9. Climate Change: Review current scientific evidence demonstrating the accelerating rate of global climate change, discuss possible societal implications if warming trends continue unabated, and present potential solutions that would limit global temperature increases going forward.

10. The benefits and challenges of sustainable living 11. The history and significance of the world’s ancient wonders 12. The psychology of decision making and how to improve it 13. The evolution and impact of social media on our society 14. The importance of mental health and strategies for self-care 15. The benefits and potential risks of artificial intelligence 16. The role of technology in modern education 17. The history and significance of the Olympic games 18. The science behind climate change and solutions for a sustainable future 19. The benefits and drawbacks of globalization on culture and economy. 20. The art and science of lucid dreaming and how it can be used for personal growth and problem-solving.

Popular Informative Speech Topics

When it comes to giving an informative speech, the most important thing is to pick a topic that will capture your audience’s attention. Some of the more popular topics people are interested in include those related to current events, history, media and technology, health and nutrition, psychology and education. For example, a debate surrounding current events might focus on issues such as immigration policy or global warming. When speaking about historical topics, consider discussing famous leaders or pivotal moments throughout history. If you’re looking for trending topics that are related to media, you may want to cover topics like censorship or virtual reality . When picking out health-related topics, consider exploring areas like medical cannabis or the impact of stress on our bodies. As for psychology and education, you may consider diving deeper into the role of learning styles in education or analyze the effects of bullying on adolescents. No matter what type of informative speech topic you choose to present on, be sure to do thorough research beforehand so that you can present a well-rounded argument. This will help ensure that your audience is engaged throughout your entire presentation and leave feeling informed.

Examples of Popular Informative Speech Topics

21. The history and evolution of the internet and its impact on society 22. The causes and effects of global warming and climate change 23. The importance of a healthy lifestyle and fitness 24. The benefits and drawbacks of social media on communication and relationships 25. The impact of technology on modern business and entrepreneurship 26. The history and impact of the civil rights movement in the United States 27. The effects and potential solutions to the opioid epidemic in America 28. The importance of mental health and strategies for managing stress and anxiety 29. The science behind vaccinations and their importance in public health 30. The history and cultural significance of different types of music, such as jazz, rock, and hip-hop.

Here are 10 more:

31. The benefits and potential drawbacks of renewable energy sources 32. The impact of globalization on international trade and commerce 33. The science behind space exploration and the potential for human colonization of other planets 34. The history and significance of different forms of art, such as painting, sculpture, and photography 35. The effects of social inequality and strategies for promoting diversity and inclusion 36. The history and cultural significance of different types of food, such as sushi, pizza, and tacos 37. The importance of financial literacy and strategies for managing personal finances 38. The impact of technology on the entertainment industry, such as movies, television, and video games 39. The history and significance of different world religions, such as Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism 40. The impact of artificial intelligence on the future of work and the economy.

Reasons to Give an Informative Speech

Informative speeches are often challenging and rewarding to give, as they not only require that the speaker become knowledgable about the topic at hand, but also that they also have the ability to persuade and engage with their audience. Informative speeches are essential elements in both education and industry, helping to promote engagement with a structured presentation and specialized topic or topics. On the one hand, giving an informative speech is beneficial for both the speaker and the audience being addressed. It gives the speaker an opportunity to sharpen their public speaking skills through research and careful preparation of the information being shared. Similarly, the audience members gain knowledge into a specialty field or area of interest, learning more about what they already knew or studying something completely new. Exploring abstract concepts while uncovering hidden facts can also be an invigorating experience for both parties involved in a discussion on an informative topic. However, some may argue that giving an informative speech is burdensome for the speaker for various reasons. Researching for a subject matter can prove difficult when there is limited access to factual information available online or offline. Additionally, informatic speakers must take into account the attention span of their audiences which often means having to parse down large amounts of data quickly or risk having a struggling audience lost in information overload. Despite potential obstacles associated with preparing and delivering an informative speech, opportunities abound when it comes to discovering new conversations and stimulating dialogue among participants. As such, it’s important for speakers to capitalize on these chances by researching thoroughly and honing in on key cornerstones of each topic that bring out its beauty and complexity. With this in mind, we will now move on to exploring best practices for researching an informing speech in the next section.

10 More Unique Informative Speech Topics: 41. The science and psychology of addiction and recovery 42. The history and cultural significance of tattoos in different societies 43. The benefits and challenges of homeschooling versus traditional education 44. The history and significance of different forms of dance, such as ballet, salsa, and hip hop 45. The impact of mindfulness and meditation on mental health and well-being 46. The role of music therapy in improving physical and emotional health 47. The science behind sleep and the importance of a good night’s rest 48. The history and cultural significance of different types of martial arts, such as karate, judo, and kung fu 49. The benefits and drawbacks of remote work and how it’s changing the way we work 50. The science behind alternative medicine and its effectiveness in treating different health conditions.

How to Research for an Informative Speech

When researching for an informative speech, it is important to equip yourself with accurate and trusted sources in order to effectively convey trustworthy information to your audience. It’s important to seek out authoritative sources who possess the most up-to-date details and facts about the chosen topic in order to give an informed and enlightening talk. Resources such as journals, books, websites are all valid places. For example, researching scientific topics may require more reliable resources such as scholarly articles or medical journals instead of online blog posts. It is also recommended that speakers research both sides of an argument if possible before forming their opinion and presenting it on a matter. That way you are well versed in understanding points beyond your own perspective and can provide insight into those perspectives as well. After compiling sufficient data, the next step is organizing them into a coherent message that can be easily digested by your audience. This includes preparing visual aids such as PowerPoint slides or props to both help audiences retain information better but also make the presentation more engaging than solely speaking alone. Questions throughout the presentation can also prompt your audience to become interactive while giving yourself a chance to gauge how well they understand the material presented. Now that you are armed with data from credible sources along with potential organizational tools, you are now ready for the final step which is presenting an informative speech.

How to Present an Informative Speech

When delivering an informative speech, it’s important to provide the audience with an engaging and interactive experience. To do this, speakers should focus on effective structure , clear speaking, and relevant content. Structuring an Informative Speech: Beginning with a strong introduction is essential for getting the attention of the audience. A powerful opening can be done with a joke, story, or quote. It’s also important to end the introduction with a “hook” that entices the audience to want to continue listening. The body of the speech should contain facts, evidence, and statistics to back up the content. Finally, conclude with a memorable statement that reinforces the main idea and encourages thought in the audience. Delivering an Informative Speech: When giving an informative speech, confidence is key. Strive to appear self-assured so that you can persuade your audience into listening. It’s also important to keep a steady pace while addressing the points rather than racing through them quickly – doing so will ensure that the listeners fully comprehend all of your information. Also make sure to clearly articulate each word and pause when necessary in order for certain points to set in before continuing on with other details. Utilizing Relevant Content: When selecting material for your informative speech be sure to pick topics that are not too mundane or complicated…you don’t want this presentation turn into a snooze-fest session! Keep your message lighthearted but still intriguing by offering anecdotes and examples of how this issue has been brought up in life experiences or news stories outside of its primary context. Although using humor is great for captivating an audience make sure you avoid offending anyone since this will not reflect positively on your talk. Lastly, strive to select a subject area that can prompt interesting conversations between you and your attendees. In conclusion, when crafting and delivering an informative speech remember that organization and confident delivery are two key components to getting across your message effectively. Supporting facts and data should also be included within your talk as well as relevant material related to the topic at hand which will allow listeners easily connect with what you are saying and receive value from it.

Creative Ideas to Grab the Audience’s Attention

When giving an informative speech, it is important to grab the audience’s attention right away. This can be done through creative and unique ideas that make the speech more interesting. To start, it is important to create a powerful opening by calling out common myths or misconceptions in the industry that are relevant to your topic. Focusing on one compelling fact can also help introduce the subject and get the listener engaged with your talk. Additionally, you can use personal stories or anecdotes that relate to the topic being discussed in order to draw your audience in and give them further context. Humor is also a great way to engage with an audience. Using jokes or funny stories can lighten any tense conversations and keep listeners engaged throughout the duration of the speech. By making your narrative relatable, instead of focusing on complex ideas, it will help break down difficult concepts and make people relate more closely to your experience and thoughts pertaining to the topic. A simple idea such as this could develop into an interactive experience for all in attendance. Furthermore, using visuals aids like graphics, images and videos can help tell a story for harder-to-grasp topics . This helps break up long passages of text and creates lasting impressions among viewers so they remember the points being put forth more easily. Providing visual representations from different angles of a specific concept makes abstract matters easier to comprehend since they are able to retain those visuals better than long sentences of words alone. These creative ideas should be used strategically so as not to move too far away from the main focus of an informative speech; however, they can be effective tools in engaging an audience when used correctly.

Responses to Common Questions with Explanations

How can i make an informative speech interesting.

Making an informative speech interesting starts with thoroughly researching the topic and understanding what areas of the topic will be most engaging for your audience. Take time to practice delivering the content, paying attention to how you present and pace your speech – vary the speed and style for different points in your presentation. Use humor and storytelling to liven up your delivery and make it more relatable. Incorporate visuals , as well as sound effects or music, to emphasize key points of your speech. Lastly, if you show enthusiasm when you speak and are truly passionate about what you’re presenting, that energy and emotion will be picked up on by your audience and will likely make them more engaged with your speech.

What are the best strategies for research for an informative speech?

The best strategies for research for an informative speech are to start by gathering as much reliable and accurate information as possible. It is essential to have sufficient evidence and facts to back up your claims. Therefore, begin by reading the latest reports on the topic available in books , journals, and articles. Additionally, consider conducting interviews with experts or people who can provide insight into the topic. When you’re researching, make sure you take notes accurately and quickly and that your material is properly organized for easy reference when writing your speech. Also, ensure all sources are up-to-date, credible, and unbiased. To ensure accuracy, cross-check the facts from other sources such as articles from reputable news outlets or interviews with knowledgeable professionals. Finally, anticipate counterarguments and understand different points of view that may exist about the topic. This will ensure you are able to effectively address potential debates during your presentation.

How can I effectively structure an informative speech?

When structuring an informative speech, it is important to keep in mind the goal of providing detailed and accurate information. This begins by understanding your audience and then narrowing the focus of your speech. Here are some key tips to help you effectively structure your informative speech: 1. Create an outline – Start by writing down a few main points you want to get across in your speech. Be sure you know what information each point covers and how it supports your overall message. 2. Make an introduction – Introduce yourself and the topic of your speech, as well as any relevant background information that the audience needs to understand the topic better. 3. Present facts and evidence – Use facts and evidence to support the points you make in your speech. Be sure to cite any sources used for accuracy. 4. Speak clearly – Speak at a steady pace and with a clear, strong voice so that everyone can hear you and understand what you are saying. 5. Reiterate main points – Remind the audience of the main points at least once during the speech, so that they remember them when they think back on what they have heard later on. 6. End with a summary – Summarize the main points of your speech quickly before signing off, again so that everyone remembers them before they leave the room..

Are there any tips for selecting an informative speech topic?

Yes, there are many tips for selecting an informative speech topic. First, pick something that interests you. When the topic is something that you find fascinating or enjoyable to research, it will make it easier to stay motivated while preparing your speech . Second, think of a topic that is broad enough to explore in detail but narrow enough to cover in the allotted time. If your topic is too vague or too specific, you may have difficulty finding information and sticking within the given time limit. Third, aim for a current topic so your speech remains relevant and engaging to your audience. But be sure not to go over topics that are too technical or complex—remember to keep your language accessible. Finally, do some research into any existing material available on the subject so you can avoid repeating information that has already been covered. This will also give you an opportunity to look at the different ways the subject has already been explored and form your own unique angle for presentation.

Planning and Presenting an Informative Speech

In this guide, you can learn about the purposes and types of informative speeches, about writing and delivering informative speeches, and about the parts of informative speeches.

Purposes of Informative Speaking

Informative speaking offers you an opportunity to practice your researching, writing, organizing, and speaking skills. You will learn how to discover and present information clearly. If you take the time to thoroughly research and understand your topic, to create a clearly organized speech, and to practice an enthusiastic, dynamic style of delivery, you can be an effective "teacher" during your informative speech. Finally, you will get a chance to practice a type of speaking you will undoubtedly use later in your professional career.

The purpose of the informative speech is to provide interesting, useful, and unique information to your audience. By dedicating yourself to the goals of providing information and appealing to your audience, you can take a positive step toward succeeding in your efforts as an informative speaker.

Major Types of Informative Speeches

In this guide, we focus on informative speeches about:

These categories provide an effective method of organizing and evaluating informative speeches. Although they are not absolute, these categories provide a useful starting point for work on your speech.

In general, you will use four major types of informative speeches. While you can classify informative speeches many ways, the speech you deliver will fit into one of four major categories.

Speeches about Objects

Speeches about objects focus on things existing in the world. Objects include, among other things, people, places, animals, or products.

Because you are speaking under time constraints, you cannot discuss any topic in its entirety. Instead, limit your speech to a focused discussion of some aspect of your topic.

Some example topics for speeches about objects include: the Central Intelligence Agency, tombstones, surgical lasers, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the pituitary gland, and lemmings.

To focus these topics, you could give a speech about Franklin Delano Roosevelt and efforts to conceal how he suffered from polio while he was in office. Or, a speech about tombstones could focus on the creation and original designs of grave markers.

Speeches about Processes

Speeches about processes focus on patterns of action. One type of speech about processes, the demonstration speech, teaches people "how-to" perform a process. More frequently, however, you will use process speeches to explain a process in broader terms. This way, the audience is more likely to understand the importance or the context of the process.

A speech about how milk is pasteurized would not teach the audience how to milk cows. Rather, this speech could help audience members understand the process by making explicit connections between patterns of action (the pasteurization process) and outcomes (a safe milk supply).

Other examples of speeches about processes include: how the Internet works (not "how to work the Internet"), how to construct a good informative speech, and how to research the job market. As with any speech, be sure to limit your discussion to information you can explain clearly and completely within time constraints.

Speeches about Events

Speeches about events focus on things that happened, are happening, or will happen. When speaking about an event, remember to relate the topic to your audience. A speech chronicling history is informative, but you should adapt the information to your audience and provide them with some way to use the information. As always, limit your focus to those aspects of an event that can be adequately discussed within the time limitations of your assignment.

Examples of speeches about events include: the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, Groundhog's Day, the Battle of the Bulge, the World Series, and the 2000 Presidential Elections.

Speeches about Concepts

Speeches about concepts focus on beliefs, ideas, and theories. While speeches about objects, processes, and events are fairly concrete, speeches about concepts are more abstract. Take care to be clear and understandable when creating and presenting a speech about a concept. When selecting a concept, remember you are crafting an informative speech. Often, speeches about concepts take on a persuasive tone. Focus your efforts toward providing unbiased information and refrain from making arguments. Because concepts can be vague and involved, limit your speech to aspects that can be readily explained and understood within the time limits.

Some examples of topics for concept speeches include: democracy, Taoism, principles of feminism, the philosophy of non-violent protest, and the Big Bang theory.

Strategies for Selecting a Topic

In many cases, circumstances will dictate the topic of your speech. However, if the topic has not been assigned or if you are having difficulty figuring out how to frame your topic as an informative speech,the following may be useful.

Begin by thinking of your interests. If you have always loved art, contemplate possible topics dealing with famous artists, art works, or different types of art. If you are employed, think of aspects of your job or aspects of your employer's business that would be interesting to talk about. While you cannot substitute personal experience for detailed research, your own experience can supplement your research and add vitality to your presentation. Choose one of the items below to learn more about selecting a topic.

Learn More about an Unfamiliar Topic

You may benefit more by selecting an unfamiliar topic that interests you. You can challenge yourself by choosing a topic you'd like to learn about and to help others understand it. If the Buddhist religion has always been an interesting and mysterious topic to you, research the topic and create a speech that offers an understandable introduction to the religion. Remember to adapt Buddhism to your audience and tell them why you think this information is useful to them. By taking this approach, you can learn something new and learn how to synthesize new information for your audience.

Think about Previous Classes

You might find a topic by thinking of classes you have taken. Think back to concepts covered in those classes and consider whether they would serve as unique, interesting, and enlightening topics for the informative speech. In astronomy, you learned about red giants. In history, you learned about Napoleon. In political science, you learned about The Federalist Papers. Past classes serve as rich resources for informative speech topics. If you make this choice, use your class notes and textbook as a starting point. To fully develop the content, you will need to do extensive research and perhaps even a few interviews.

Talk to Others

Topic selection does not have to be an individual effort. Spend time talking about potential topics with classmates or friends. This method can be extremely effective because other people can stimulate further ideas when you get stuck. When you use this method, always keep the basic requirements and the audience in mind. Just because you and your friend think home-brew is a great topic does not mean it will enthrall your audience or impress your instructor. While you talk with your classmates or friends, jot notes about potential topics and create a master list when you exhaust the possibilities. From this list, choose a topic with intellectual merit, originality, and potential to entertain while informing.

Framing a Thesis Statement

Once you settle on a topic, you need to frame a thesis statement. Framing a thesis statement allows you to narrow your topic, and in turns allows you to focus your research in this specific area, saving you time and trouble in the process.

Selecting a topic and focusing it into a thesis statement can be a difficult process. Fortunately, a number of useful strategies are available to you.

Thesis Statement Purpose

The thesis statement is crucial for clearly communicating your topic and purpose to the audience. Be sure to make the statement clear, concise, and easy to remember. Deliver it to the audience and use verbal and nonverbal illustrations to make it stand out.

Strategies For Framing a Thesis Statement

Focus on a specific aspect of your topic and phrase the thesis statement in one clear, concise, complete sentence, focusing on the audience. This sentence sets a goal for the speech. For example, in a speech about art, the thesis statement might be: "The purpose of this speech is to inform my audience about the early works of Vincent van Gogh." This statement establishes that the speech will inform the audience about the early works of one great artist. The thesis statement is worded conversationally and included in the delivery of the speech.

Thesis Statement and Audience

The thesis appears in the introduction of the speech so that the audience immediately realizes the speaker's topic and goal. Whatever the topic may be, you should attempt to create a clear, focused thesis statement that stands out and could be repeated by every member of your audience. It is important to refer to the audience in the thesis statement; when you look back at the thesis for direction, or when the audience hears the thesis, it should be clear that the most important goal of your speech is to inform the audience about your topic. While the focus and pressure will be on you as a speaker, you should always remember that the audience is the reason for presenting a public speech.

Avoid being too trivial or basic for the average audience member. At the same time, avoid being too technical for the average audience member. Be sure to use specific, concrete terms that clearly establish the focus of your speech.

Thesis Statement and Delivery

When creating the thesis statement, be sure to use a full sentence and frame that sentence as a statement, not as a question. The full sentence, "The purpose of this speech is to inform my audience about the early works of Vincent van Gogh," provides clear direction for the speech, whereas the fragment "van Gogh" says very little about the purpose of the speech. Similarly, the question "Who was Vincent van Gogh?" does not adequately indicate the direction the speech will take or what the speaker hopes to accomplish.

If you limit your thesis statement to one distinct aspect of the larger topic, you are more likely to be understood and to meet the time constraints.

Researching Your Topic

As you begin to work on your informative speech, you will find that you need to gather additional information. Your instructor will most likely require that you locate relevant materials in the library and cite those materials in your speech. In this section, we discuss the process of researching your topic and thesis.

Conducting research for a major informative speech can be a daunting task. In this section, we discuss a number of strategies and techniques that you can use to gather and organize source materials for your speech.

Gathering Materials

Gathering materials can be a daunting task. You may want to do some research before you choose a topic. Once you have a topic, you have many options for finding information. You can conduct interviews, write or call for information from a clearinghouse or public relations office, and consult books, magazines, journals, newspapers, television and radio programs, and government documents. The library will probably be your primary source of information. You can use many of the libraries databases or talk to a reference librarian to learn how to conduct efficient research.

Taking Notes

While doing your research, you may want to carry notecards. When you come across a useful passage, copy the source and the information onto the notecard or copy and paste the information. You should maintain a working bibliography as you research so you always know which sources you have consulted and so the process of writing citations into the speech and creating the bibliography will be easier. You'll need to determine what information-recording strategies work best for you. Talk to other students, instructors, and librarians to get tips on conducting efficient research. Spend time refining your system and you will soon be able to focus on the information instead of the record-keeping tasks.

Citing Sources Within Your Speech

Consult with your instructor to determine how much research/source information should be included in your speech. Realize that a source citation within your speech is defined as a reference to or quotation from material you have gathered during your research and an acknowledgement of the source. For example, within your speech you might say: "As John W. Bobbitt said in the December 22, 1993, edition of the Denver Post , 'Ouch!'" In this case, you have included a direct quotation and provided the source of the quotation. If you do not quote someone, you might say: "After the first week of the 1995 baseball season, attendance was down 13.5% from 1994. This statistic appeared in the May 7, 1995, edition of the Denver Post ." Whatever the case, whenever you use someone else's ideas, thoughts, or words, you must provide a source citation to give proper credit to the creator of the information. Failure to cite sources can be interpreted as plagiarism which is a serious offense. Upon review of the specific case, plagiarism can result in failure of the assignment, the course, or even dismissal from the University. Take care to cite your sources and give credit where it is due.

Creating Your Bibliography

As with all aspects of your speech, be sure to check with your instructor to get specific details about the assignment.

Generally, the bibliography includes only those sources you cited during the speech. Don't pad the bibliography with every source you read, saw on the shelf, or heard of from friends. When you create the bibliography, you should simply go through your complete sentence outline and list each source you cite. This is also a good way to check if you have included enough reference material within the speech. You will need to alphabetize the bibiography by authors last name and include the following information: author's name, article title, publication title, volume, date, page number(s). You may need to include additional information; you need to talk with your instructor to confirm the required bibliographical format.

Some Cautions

When doing research, use caution in choosing your sources. You need to determine which sources are more credible than others and attempt to use a wide variety of materials. The broader the scope of your research, the more impressive and believable your information. You should draw from different sources (e.g., a variety of magazines-- Time, Newsweek, US News & World Report, National Review, Mother Jones ) as well as different types of sources (i.e., use interviews, newspapers, periodicals, and books instead of just newspapers). The greater your variety, the more apparent your hard work and effort will be. Solid research skills result in increased credibility and effectiveness for the speaker.

Structuring an Informative Speech

Typically, informative speeches have three parts:

Introduction

In this section, we discuss the three parts of an informative speech, calling attention to specific elements that can enhance the effectiveness of your speech. As a speaker, you will want to create a clear structure for your speech. In this section, you will find discussions of the major parts of the informative speech.

The introduction sets the tone of the entire speech. The introduction should be brief and to-the-point as it accomplishes these several important tasks. Typically, there are six main components of an effective introduction:

Attention Getters

Thesis statement, audience adaptation, credibility statement, transition to the body.

As in any social situation, your audience makes strong assumptions about you during the first eight or ten seconds of your speech. For this reason, you need to start solidly and launch the topic clearly. Focus your efforts on completing these tasks and moving on to the real information (the body) of the speech. Typically, there are six main components of an effective introduction. These tasks do not have to be handled in this order, but this layout often yields the best results.

The attention-getter is designed to intrigue the audience members and to motivate them to listen attentively for the next several minutes. There are infinite possibilities for attention-getting devices. Some of the more common devices include using a story, a rhetorical question, or a quotation. While any of these devices can be effective, it is important for you to spend time strategizing, creating, and practicing the attention-getter.

Most importantly, an attention-getter should create curiosity in the minds of your listeners and convince them that the speech will be interesting and useful. The wording of your attention-getter should be refined and practiced. Be sure to consider the mood/tone of your speech; determine the appropriateness of humor, emotion, aggressiveness, etc. Not only should the words get the audiences attention, but your delivery should be smooth and confident to let the audience know that you are a skilled speaker who is prepared for this speech.

The crowd was wild. The music was booming. The sun was shining. The cash registers were ringing.

This story-like re-creation of the scene at a Farm Aid concert serves to engage the audience and causes them to think about the situation you are describing. Touching stories or stories that make audience members feel involved with the topic serve as good attention-getters. You should tell a story with feeling and deliver it directly to the audience instead of reading it off your notecards.

Example Text : One dark summer night in 1849, a young woman in her 20's left Bucktown, Maryland, and followed the North Star. What was her name? Harriet Tubman. She went back some 19 times to rescue her fellow slaves. And as James Blockson relates in a 1984 issue of National Geographic , by the end of her career, she had a $40,000.00 price on her head. This was quite a compliment from her enemies (Blockson 22).

Rhetorical Question

Rhetorical questions are questions designed to arouse curiosity without requiring an answer. Either the answer will be obvious, or if it isn't apparent, the question will arouse curiosity until the presentation provides the answer.

An example of a rhetorical question to gain the audiences attention for a speech about fly-fishing is, "Have you ever stood in a freezing river at 5 o'clock in the morning by choice?"

Example Text: Have you ever heard of a railroad with no tracks, with secret stations, and whose conductors were considered criminals?

A quotation from a famous person or from an expert on your topic can gain the attention of the audience. The use of a quotation immediately launches you into the speech and focuses the audience on your topic area. If it is from a well-known source, cite the author first. If the source is obscure, begin with the quote itself.

Example Text : "No day dawns for the slave, nor is it looked for. It is all night--night forever . . . ." (Pause) This quote was taken from Jermain Loguen, a fugitive who was the son of his Tennessee master and a slave woman.

Unusual Statement

Making a statement that is unusual to the ears of your listeners is another possibility for gaining their attention.

Example Text : "Follow the drinking gourd. That's what I said, friend, follow the drinking gourd." This phrase was used by slaves as a coded message to mean the Big Dipper, which revealed the North Star, and pointed toward freedom.

You might chose to use tasteful humor which relates to the topic as an effective way to attract the audience both to you and the subject at hand.

Example Text : "I'm feeling boxed in." [PAUSE] I'm not sure, but these may have been Henry "Box" Brown's very words after being placed on his head inside a box which measured 3 feet by 2 feet by 2 1\2 feet for what seemed to him like "an hour and a half." He was shipped by Adams Express to freedom in Philadelphia (Brown 60,92; Still 10).

Shocking Statistic

Another possibility to consider is the use of a factual statistic intended to grab your listener's attention. As you research the topic you've picked, keep your eyes open for statistics that will have impact.

Example Text : Today, John Elway's talents are worth millions, but in 1840 the price of a human life, a slave, was worth $1,000.00.

Example Text : Today I'd like to tell you about the Underground Railroad.

In your introduction, you need to adapt your speech to your audience. To keep audience members interested, tell them why your topic is important to them. To accomplish this task, you need to undertake audience analysis prior to creating the speech. Figure out who your audience members are, what things are important to them, what their biases may be, and what types of subjects/issues appeal to them. In the context of this class, some of your audience analysis is provided for you--most of your listeners are college students, so it is likely that they place some value on education, most of them are probably not bathing in money, and they live in Colorado. Consider these traits when you determine how to adapt to your audience.

As you research and write your speech, take note of references to issues that should be important to your audience. Include statements about aspects of your speech that you think will be of special interest to the audience in the introduction. By accomplishing this task, you give your listeners specific things with which they can identify. Audience adaptation will be included throughout the speech, but an effective introduction requires meaningful adaptation of the topic to the audience.

You need to find ways to get the members of your audience involved early in the speech. The following are some possible options to connect your speech to your audience:

Reference to the Occasion

Consider how the occasion itself might present an opportunity to heighten audience receptivity. Remind your listeners of an important date just passed or coming soon.

Example Text : This January will mark the 130th anniversary of a "giant interracial rally" organized by William Still which helped to end streetcar segregation in the city of Philadelphia (Katz i).

Reference to the Previous Speaker

Another possibility is to refer to a previous speaker to capitalize on the good will which already has been established or to build on the information presented.

Example Text : As Alice pointed out last week in her speech on the Olympic games of the ancient world, history can provide us with fascinating lessons.

The credibility statement establishes your qualifications as a speaker. You should come up with reasons why you are someone to listen to on this topic. Why do you have special knowledge or understanding of this topic? What can the audience learn from you that they couldn't learn from someone else? Credibility statements can refer to your extensive research on a topic, your life-long interest in an issue, your personal experience with a thing, or your desire to better the lives of your listeners by sifting through the topic and providing the crucial information.

Remember that Aristotle said that credibility, or ethos, consists of good sense, goodwill, and good moral character. Create the feeling that you possess these qualities by creatively stating that you are well-educated about the topic (good sense), that you want to help each member of the audience (goodwill), and that you are a decent person who can be trusted (good moral character). Once you establish your credibility, the audience is more likely to listen to you as something of an expert and to consider what you say to be the truth. It is often effective to include further references to your credibility throughout the speech by subtly referring to the traits mentioned above.

Show your listeners that you are qualified to speak by making a specific reference to a helpful resource. This is one way to demonstrate competence.

Example Text : In doing research for this topic, I came across an account written by one of these heroes that has deepened my understanding of the institution of slavery. Frederick Douglass', My Bondage and My Freedom, is the account of a man whose master's kindness made his slavery only more unbearable.

Your listeners want to believe that you have their best interests in mind. In the case of an informative speech, it is enough to assure them that this will be an interesting speech and that you, yourself, are enthusiastic about the topic.

Example Text : I hope you'll enjoy hearing about the heroism of the Underground Railroad as much as I have enjoyed preparing for this speech.

Preview the Main Points

The preview informs the audience about the speech's main points. You should preview every main body point and identify each as a separate piece of the body. The purpose of this preview is to let the audience members prepare themselves for the flow of the speech; therefore, you should word the preview clearly and concisely. Attempt to use parallel structure for each part of the preview and avoid delving into the main point; simply tell the audience what the main point will be about in general.

Use the preview to briefly establish your structure and then move on. Let the audience get a taste of how you will divide the topic and fulfill the thesis and then move on. This important tool will reinforce the information in the minds of your listeners. Here are two examples of a preview:

Simply identify the main points of the speech. Cover them in the same order that they will appear in the body of the presentation.

For example, the preview for a speech about kites organized topically might take this form: "First, I will inform you about the invention of the kite. Then, I will explain the evolution of the kite. Third, I will introduce you to the different types of kites. Finally, I will inform you about various uses for kites." Notice that this preview avoids digressions (e.g., listing the various uses for kites); you will take care of the deeper information within the body of the speech.

Example Text : I'll tell you about motivations and means of escape employed by fugitive slaves.

Chronological

For example, the preview for a speech about the Pony Express organized chronologically might take this form: "I'll talk about the Pony Express in three parts. First, its origins, second, its heyday, and third, how it came to an end." Notice that this preview avoids digressions (e.g., listing the reasons why the Pony Express came to an end); you will cover the deeper information within the body of the speech.

Example Text : I'll talk about it in three parts. First, its origins, second, its heyday, and third, how it came to an end.

After you accomplish the first five components of the introduction, you should make a clean transition to the body of the speech. Use this transition to signal a change and prepare the audience to begin processing specific topical information. You should round out the introduction, reinforce the excitement and interest that you created in the audience during the introduction, and slide into the first main body point.

Strategic organization helps increase the clarity and effectiveness of your speech. Four key issues are discussed in this section:

Organizational Patterns

Connective devices, references to outside research.

The body contains the bulk of information in your speech and needs to be clearly organized. Without clear organization, the audience will probably forget your information, main points, perhaps even your thesis. Some simple strategies will help you create a clear, memorable speech. Below are the four key issues used in organizing a speech.

Once you settle on a topic, you should decide which aspects of that topic are of greatest importance for your speech. These aspects become your main points. While there is no rule about how many main points should appear in the body of the speech, most students go with three main points. You must have at least two main points; aside from that rule, you should select your main points based on the importance of the information and the time limitations. Be sure to include whatever information is necessary for the audience to understand your topic. Also, be sure to synthesize the information so it fits into the assigned time frame. As you choose your main points, try to give each point equal attention within the speech. If you pick three main points, each point should take up roughly one-third of the body section of your speech.

There are four basic patterns of organization for an informative speech.

• Chronological order
• Spatial order
• Causal order
• Topical order

There are four basic patterns of organization for an informative speech. You can choose any of these patterns based on which pattern serves the needs of your speech.

Chronological Order

A speech organized chronologically has main points oriented toward time. For example, a speech about the Farm Aid benefit concert could have main points organized chronologically. The first main point focuses on the creation of the event; the second main point focuses on the planning stages; the third point focuses on the actual performance/concert; and the fourth point focuses on donations and assistance that resulted from the entire process. In this format, you discuss main points in an order that could be followed on a calendar or a clock.

Spatial Order

A speech organized spatially has main points oriented toward space or a directional pattern. The Farm Aid speech's body could be organized in spatial order. The first main point discusses the New York branch of the organization; the second main point discusses the Midwest branch; the third main point discusses the California branch of Farm Aid. In this format, you discuss main points in an order that could be traced on a map.

Causal Order

A speech organized causally has main points oriented toward cause and effect. The main points of a Farm Aid speech organized causally could look like this: the first main point informs about problems on farms and the need for monetary assistance; the second main point discusses the creation and implementation of the Farm Aid program. In this format, you discuss main points in an order that alerts the audience to a problem or circumstance and then tells the audience what action resulted from the original circumstance.

Topical Order

A speech organized topically has main points organized more randomly by sub-topics. The Farm Aid speech could be organized topically: the first main point discusses Farm Aid administrators; the second main point discusses performers; the third main point discusses sponsors; the fourth main point discusses audiences. In this format, you discuss main points in a more random order that labels specific aspects of the topic and addresses them in separate categories. Most speeches that are not organized chronologically, spatially, or causally are organized topically.

Within the body of your speech, you need clear internal structure. Connectives are devices used to create a clear flow between ideas and points within the body of your speech--they serve to tie the speech together. There are four main types of connective devices:

Transitions

Internal previews, internal summaries.

Within the body of your speech, you need clear internal structure. Think of connectives as hooks and ladders for the audience to use when moving from point-to-point within the body of your speech. These devices help re-focus the minds of audience members and remind them of which main point your information is supporting. The four main types of connective devices are:

Transitions are brief statements that tell the audience to shift gears between ideas. Transitions serve as the glue that holds the speech together and allow the audience to predict where the next portion of the speech will go. For example, once you have previewed your main points and you want to move from the introduction to the body of the Farm Aid speech, you might say: "To gain an adequate understanding of the intricacies of this philanthropic group, we need to look at some specific information about Farm Aid. We'll begin by looking at the administrative branch of this massive fund-raising organization."

Internal previews are used to preview the parts of a main point. Internal previews are more focused than, but serve the same purpose as, the preview you will use in the introduction of the speech. For example, you might create an internal preview for the complex main point dealing with Farm Aid performers: "In examining the Farm Aid performers, we must acknowledge the presence of entertainers from different genres of music--country and western, rhythm and blues, rock, and pop." The internal preview provides specific information for the audience if a main point is complex or potentially confusing.

Internal summaries are the reverse of internal previews. Internal summaries restate specific parts of a main point. To internally summarize the main point dealing with Farm Aid performers, you might say: "You now know what types of people perform at the Farm Aid benefit concerts. The entertainers come from a wide range of musical genres--country and western, rhythm and blues, rock, and pop." When using both internal previews and internal summaries, be sure to stylize the language in each so you do not become redundant.

Signposts are brief statements that remind the audience where you are within the speech. If you have a long point, you may want to remind the audience of what main point you are on: "Continuing my discussion of Farm Aid performers . . . "

When organizing the body of your speech, you will integrate several references to your research. The purpose of the informative speech is to allow you and the audience to learn something new about a topic. Additionally, source citations add credibility to your ideas. If you know a lot about rock climbing and you cite several sources who confirm your knowledge, the audience is likely to see you as a credible speaker who provides ample support for ideas.

Without these references, your speech is more like a story or a chance for you to say a few things you know. To complete this assignment satisfactorily, you must use source citations. Consult your textbook and instructor for specific information on how much supporting material you should use and about the appropriate style for source citations.

While the conclusion should be brief and tight, it has a few specific tasks to accomplish:

Re-assert/Reinforce the Thesis

Review the main points, close effectively.

Take a deep breath! If you made it to the conclusion, you are on the brink of finishing. Below are the tasks you should complete in your conclusion:

When making the transition to the conclusion, attempt to make clear distinctions (verbally and nonverbally) that you are now wrapping up the information and providing final comments about the topic. Refer back to the thesis from the introduction with wording that calls the original thesis into memory. Assert that you have accomplished the goals of your thesis statement and create the feeling that audience members who actively considered your information are now equipped with an understanding of your topic. Reinforce whatever mood/tone you chose for the speech and attempt to create a big picture of the speech.

Within the conclusion, re-state the main points of the speech. Since you have used parallel wording for your main points in the introduction and body, don't break that consistency in the conclusion. Frame the review so the audience will be reminded of the preview and the developed discussion of each main point. After the review, you may want to create a statement about why those main points fulfilled the goals of the speech.

Finish strongly. When you close your speech, craft statements that reinforce the message and leave the audience with a clear feeling about what was accomplished with your speech. You might finalize the adaptation by discussing the benefits of listening to the speech and explaining what you think audience members can do with the information.

Remember to maintain an informative tone for this speech. You should not persuade about beliefs or positions; rather, you should persuade the audience that the speech was worthwhile and useful. For greatest effect, create a closing line or paragraph that is artistic and effective. Much like the attention-getter, the closing line needs to be refined and practiced. Your close should stick with the audience and leave them interested in your topic. Take time to work on writing the close well and attempt to memorize it so you can directly address the audience and leave them thinking of you as a well-prepared, confident speaker.

Outlining an Informative Speech

Two types of outlines can help you prepare to deliver your speech. The complete sentence outline provides a useful means of checking the organization and content of your speech. The speaking outline is an essential aid for delivering your speech. In this section, we discuss both types of outlines.

Two types of outlines can help you prepare to deliver your speech. The complete sentence outline provides a useful means of checking the organization and content of your speech. The speaking outline is an essential aid for delivering your speech.

The Complete Sentence Outline

A complete sentence outline may not be required for your presentation. The following information is useful, however, in helping you prepare your speech.

The complete sentence outline helps you organize your material and thoughts and it serves as an excellent copy for editing the speech. The complete sentence outline is just what it sounds like: an outline format including every complete sentence (not fragments or keywords) that will be delivered during your speech.

Writing the Outline

You should create headings for the introduction, body, and conclusion and clearly signal shifts between these main speech parts on the outline. Use standard outline format. For instance, you can use Roman numerals, letters, and numbers to label the parts of the outline. Organize the information so the major headings contain general information and the sub-headings become more specific as they descend. Think of the outline as a funnel: you should make broad, general claims at the top of each part of the outline and then tighten the information until you have exhausted the point. Do this with each section of the outline. Be sure to consult with your instructor about specific aspects of the outline and refer to your course book for further information and examples.

Using the Outline

If you use this outline as it is designed to be used, you will benefit from it. You should start the outline well before your speech day and give yourself plenty of time to revise it. Attempt to have the final, clean copies ready two or three days ahead of time, so you can spend a day or two before your speech working on delivery. Prepare the outline as if it were a final term paper.

The Speaking Outline

Depending upon the assignment and the instructor, you may use a speaking outline during your presentation. The following information will be helpful in preparing your speech through the use of a speaking outline.

This outline should be on notecards and should be a bare bones outline taken from the complete sentence outline. Think of the speaking outline as train tracks to guide you through the speech.

Many speakers find it helpful to highlight certain words/passages or to use different colors for different parts of the speech. You will probably want to write out long or cumbersome quotations along with your source citation. Many times, the hardest passages to learn are those you did not write but were spoken by someone else. Avoid the temptation to over-do the speaking outline; many speakers write too much on the cards and their grades suffer because they read from the cards.

The best strategy for becoming comfortable with a speaking outline is preparation. You should prepare well ahead of time and spend time working with the notecards and memorizing key sections of your speech (the introduction and conclusion, in particular). Try to become comfortable with the extemporaneous style of speaking. You should be able to look at a few keywords on your outline and deliver eloquent sentences because you are so familiar with your material. You should spend approximately 80% of your speech making eye-contact with your audience.

Delivering an Informative Speech

For many speakers, delivery is the most intimidating aspect of public speaking. Although there is no known cure for nervousness, you can make yourself much more comfortable by following a few basic delivery guidelines. In this section, we discuss those guidelines.

The Five-Step Method for Improving Delivery

• Read aloud your full-sentence outline. Listen to what you are saying and adjust your language to achieve a good, clear, simple sentence structure.
• Practice the speech repeatedly from the speaking outline. Become comfortable with your keywords to the point that what you say takes the form of an easy, natural conversation.
• Practice the speech aloud...rehearse it until you are confident you have mastered the ideas you want to present. Do not be concerned about "getting it just right." Once you know the content, you will find the way that is most comfortable for you.
• Practice in front of a mirror, tape record your practice, and/or present your speech to a friend. You are looking for feedback on rate of delivery, volume, pitch, non-verbal cues (gestures, card-usage, etc.), and eye-contact.
• Do a dress rehearsal of the speech under conditions as close as possible to those of the actual speech. Practice the speech a day or two before in a classroom. Be sure to incorporate as many elements as possible in the dress rehearsal...especially visual aids.

It should be clear that coping with anxiety over delivering a speech requires significant advanced preparation. The speech needs to be completed several days beforehand so that you can effectively employ this five-step plan.

Anderson, Thad, & Ron Tajchman. (1994). Informative Speaking. Writing@CSU . Colorado State University. https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=52

When the landfill site is closed, discharge water filtration and clarification equipment is installed, the territory is covered with specific material and backfilled. Then many tubes used to purify gas are installed. The greatest danger in landfill restoration is the groundwater contamination. In and around Moscow there are a few dozens of waste deposits, some of which are growing higher than multistoried residential houses standing nearby.

During my work on the project, I visited 7 landfills in Moscow and the Moscow region. Some objects were guarded, and it was so absurd that the guards actually guarded a heap of rubbish.

While in these landfills, I saw that the liquid produced by the rotting waste flows out of the pipes sticking out on the slopes into the nearby rivers. Working on this project I wanted to show the rubbish not in the way everyone is used to see it. What is seen in front of our eyes is hilly landscapes, hiding million tons of consumer waste — a typical view of the contemporary system. We do not always see what is hidden.

Nikita Zhirkov

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