12.1 What is an Informative Speech?

12.1 What Is an Informative Speech?

Understanding Informative Speeches

An informative speech is a presentation based on factual information. Its primary purpose is to convey knowledge rather than persuade, argue, or advocate for a particular course of action.

People engage in informal versions of informative speaking every day. Examples include giving driving directions, explaining a restaurant’s daily specials, or summarizing a movie plot for friends. In a public-speaking setting, however, informative speeches require careful preparation, organization, and attention to accuracy.

What Makes a Speech Informative?

An informative speech presents information that can be verified through reliable evidence. Consider these examples:

• Two plus two equals four.
• George Washington was the first president of the United States under the U.S. Constitution.

Both statements can be supported by established evidence. However, clarity and precision remain important. For example, John Hanson is sometimes described as the first president of the United States because he served as president of Congress under the Articles of Confederation. That position was different from the presidency established later under the U.S. Constitution.

This example demonstrates why informative speakers must define terms carefully, provide context, and avoid presenting incomplete or potentially misleading information.

Informative and Persuasive Speeches

The primary difference between informative and persuasive speeches is the speaker’s purpose. An informative speech seeks to increase the audience’s knowledge or understanding. A persuasive speech seeks to influence the audience’s beliefs, attitudes, values, or actions.

Informative speeches should not use the speaker’s personal opinions as their foundation. For example, the statement “George Washington was one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history” is an opinion because people may disagree about what makes a president great.

An informative speaker may discuss an expert’s opinion when it is clearly attributed. For example:

Historian Joseph Ellis argues that George Washington was among the most influential presidents in U.S. history.

In this example, the speaker is reporting another person’s interpretation rather than presenting the interpretation as an undisputed fact.

Unlike persuasive speeches, informative speeches should avoid taking sides or presenting information in a way that intentionally directs the audience toward a particular position. Even when discussing a controversial issue, the speaker’s role is to explain the subject accurately, fairly, and clearly.

Audience relevance still matters. The WIIFM principle, meaning “What’s in it for me?”, reminds speakers to connect information to the audience’s interests, experiences, and needs. Relevance helps listeners understand why the information matters without turning the speech into an argument.

Why Informative Speeches Matter

In an age of immediate access to online information, people may question why informative speeches are still necessary. A skilled speaker can select, evaluate, organize, explain, and adapt information for a particular audience. This process can make complicated information easier to understand and remember.

Effective informative speaking is not simply the presentation of a large collection of facts. The speaker must identify the most important information, explain relationships among ideas, define unfamiliar terms, and present the material in a clear and meaningful structure.

Although informative speeches do not directly ask the audience to adopt a belief or take action, information can still have a practical influence. For example, a classmate who explains how to perform the Heimlich maneuver may not be urging the audience to act immediately. However, listeners may later use that information during a choking emergency.

This example illustrates the lasting value of accurate, understandable, and well-delivered information.