12.3 Types of Informative Speeches

12.3 Types of Informative Speeches

Informative speech topics are nearly limitless, but most fall into five broad categories. Understanding these types can help you organize your ideas, conduct research, and choose an effective structure for your presentation.

History

Historical speeches explain the origin or development of an object, place, event, practice, or idea.

For example, a speaker might trace the evolution of the baseball by explaining who first developed it, what materials were used, and how it became the modern ball used in Major League Baseball.

A historical speech could also examine the development of Walt Disney World, including its opening in the early 1970s and its expansion into a major entertainment destination.

Historical speeches may also focus on ideas. A speech about democracy, for example, could examine its roots in ancient Greece and explain how democratic principles developed across different societies and historical periods.

Historical speeches often use a chronological organizational pattern because the order of events helps the audience understand how the subject changed over time.

Biography

Biographical speeches focus on the life of a person, whether living or deceased.

For example, a speech about Abraham Lincoln might include his birth in 1809, his presidency from 1861 to 1865, his leadership during the Civil War, and his assassination in 1865. The speech could also examine important achievements, challenges, relationships, or historical influences.

Widely established facts may be easy to verify, but interpretations and analyses from historians should be properly cited. A speaker should also identify the sources of quotations, disputed claims, and less familiar biographical details.

Biographical speeches often follow a chronological pattern, but they may also be organized topically. A speech about Abraham Lincoln, for example, could focus separately on his work as a lawyer, his presidency, and his leadership during wartime.

Processes

Process speeches explain how something works or how to complete a task. Speeches that teach the audience how to perform an activity are often called how-to speeches and may include demonstrations.

For example, a speaker could explain how to bake chocolate chip cookies by describing the process from gathering ingredients through baking and cooling the cookies.

Not every process speech teaches the audience to perform a skill. Some process speeches explain how a system or procedure works. Examples include:

• How a bill becomes law.
• How a nuclear reactor generates energy.
• How a hurricane forms.
• How blood moves through the human circulatory system.

Process speeches generally use a chronological pattern because the steps or stages must be presented in a logical sequence. Presenting the steps out of order could confuse the audience or make the process difficult to understand.

Ideas and Concepts

Concept speeches explain abstract ideas that may not have a single physical form. Examples include justice, freedom of speech, equality, sustainability, privacy, and leadership.

Because these subjects can be interpreted in different ways, speakers should define important terms carefully and use concrete examples to make the ideas understandable.

For example, a speech about justice might:

1. Define the term.
2. Explain several philosophical interpretations.
3. Describe how justice is applied within legal or social systems.

Concept speeches often use a topical pattern because the speaker may divide the idea into definitions, theories, characteristics, examples, and applications.

Categories or Divisions

Some informative speeches explain the categories, classifications, parts, or components of a subject. This type is useful when the topic does not fit neatly into a historical, biographical, process, or concept-based structure.

For example, a speech about the four C’s of diamonds could explain each of the following characteristics:

1. Cut.
2. Carat.
3. Color.
4. Clarity.

Other examples include:

• Positions in volleyball.
• Types of renewable energy.
• Categories of financial aid.
• Customs to understand when traveling in China.

These speeches commonly use a topical pattern because each main point explains a different category or component. A spatial pattern may be more appropriate when the subject involves the physical arrangement of a location or object.

Why Identifying the Type Matters

Identifying the type of informative speech helps a speaker choose an appropriate organizational pattern.

A process speech generally follows chronological order because changing the sequence of the steps may confuse the audience. Historical and biographical speeches also frequently use chronology, although topical organization may be appropriate when the subject is complex or when the speaker wants to emphasize themes instead of dates.

Speeches about categories or divisions often use a topical pattern. Speeches describing physical locations may use a spatial pattern. Concept speeches may be organized around definitions, characteristics, theories, examples, or applications.

The type of speech also influences the research process. A historical speech may require timelines and primary documents, while a biographical speech may rely on biographies, interviews, letters, and archival records. A process speech may require technical sources or demonstrations, while a concept speech may rely on definitions, scholarly interpretations, and real-world examples.

By identifying the type of informative speech and selecting a suitable organizational pattern, speakers can present information in a way that is clear, logical, accurate, and engaging.