THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPEECHES

By: Elizabeth W. Santos

WHAT IS A SPEECH?

• The act (art) of speaking.

• The act (art) of expressing or describing thoughts, feelings, or perceptions by the articulation of words.

• A talk or public address

Why do we have Speeches?

To Inform

To Persuade

To Entertain

PURPOSE

•To draw attention to you and your speech

•To introduce the subject

•To capture your audience’s attention

•Give the audience a reason to listen

•Build up to the main reason(s) for your speech

•Summarize the main idea(s) of your speech.

•Establish your credibility

Some Understandings Only you will know if you look or sound

nervous.

Almost every speaker has some form of nervousness.

Your anxiety can be useful.

Not every word is going to be heard, understood or even thought of.

With exception, the audience does not hinge on every word you say.

They may only hear the beginning and the ending.

You can control the outcome of your speech

How do we prevent anxiety?

Know how to develop a presentation

Know your audience; select an appropriate topic

Be prepared, don’t procrastinate

Practice, practice, practice

Focus on your audience; listen/look for support, clues

Focus on you message, know the intro and conclusion

Think positively, visualize your success, mental pep talk

Anxiety can be useful, channel your nervous energy

Deep breathing and other exercises

Take advantage of speaking opportunities

Get professional help

What is in a speech?

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

THREE MAIN TYPES OF SPEECHES

Informative

Persuasive

Specialoccasion

THE INFORMATIVE SPEECH

As the word “informative”implies, an informative speech“informs” those in attendance byproviding them with information.

THIS COULD BE

Speeches About Objects

Speeches About Events

Speeches About Concepts

Speeches About Processes

SPEECHES ABOUT EVENTS Events are happenings or occurrences, both past

and present, so possible speech topics include the following:

The origins of the holiday known as Halloween

What led to the Salem Witch Trials

The Primary Causes of World War II

SPEECHES ABOUT OBJECTS

Objects are things that are tangible and,thus, recognized through sight, hearing,taste, or touch; so speeches about objectsinclude those about people, places,animals, structures, etc

SPEECHES ABOUT CONCEPTS

Concepts are

ideas,

philosophies,

hypotheses, and

arguments.

SPEECHES ABOUT PROCESSES

A process is how

something is

made, how

something is

done, or how

something works

THE PERSUASIVE SPEECH

A persuasive speech usually

challenges an audience’s beliefs

and/or tries to move those in

attendance to change existing

viewpoints or at least recognize the

validity of opposing viewpoints.

TYPES OF PERSUASIVE

SPEECHES

There are three main types of persuasive speeches

Questions of fact Questions of valueQuestions of policy

SPEECHES FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS

There are myriad special occasions in life, for example, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, christenings, award presentations, retirement dinners, and funerals.

THERE ARE SEVERAL IMPORTANT POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND:

The speech must fit theoccasion. If the occasionis formal, for example,the speech should be aswell; but if the occasionis casual, the speechshould reflect a similarmood.

THERE ARE SEVERAL IMPORTANT POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND:

The speech must meet the allotted time. Speakers should be neither too brief nor too longwinded.

THERE ARE SEVERAL IMPORTANT POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND:

Intended remarks must beaccurate. For example, ifsomeone is presenting anaward and intends tobegin with interestingfacts about the recipient,these facts must be

correct.

Things to use Illustrations

Anecdotes

Startling facts or statistics

Quotations

Humor

Questions

References to historical events

References to recent events

Personal references

References to the occasions

References to previous speeches/speakers

SIMPLY…

An introduction presents a

reason, a grasp onto your

audience from which they will

want to listen to what you have

to say.

BodyThis is the main portion

of your speech, the reason why you are talking, perhaps the

reason why your audience is there.

Developing the body

• Select and narrow your topic

• Determine your purpose

• Develop your central idea

• Develop your main ideas

Selecting your topic

Things to consider:

The audience

The occasion

Yourself

Conclusion

•Summarizes the speech

•Reemphasizes the main idea in a

memorable way

•Motivates the audience

•Provides closure

A little secret

•If there is any part of your speech which you can get away with memorizing,

•It is the introduction and conclusion.

•Whereas when you get in trouble,

•Just give your conclusion.

•No one will know.

How many types of Communication are there?

Verbal

Nonverbal

Verbal

We can control this by:•Volume•Articulation•Dialect•Pronunciation•Pitch•Rate•Pauses

Nonverbal

Different factors to keep in mind:•Eye contact•Gestures•Movement•Posture•Facial expressions•Personal appearance•Audience

Acknowledgement

Public Speaking, An audience-centered approach, 5th edition, Steven and Susan Beebe

Communication, Principles for a lifetime, 2nd Edition, Steven and Susan Beebe, Diana K. Ivy

Communication Works, 8th Edition, Teri and Michael Gamble

Public Speaking, Lions Leadership Institute, Lions Clubs International