{"id":225,"date":"2022-04-25T13:54:23","date_gmt":"2022-04-25T13:54:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/chapter\/types-of-informative-speeches\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T18:16:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T18:16:44","slug":"types-of-informative-speeches","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/chapter\/types-of-informative-speeches\/","title":{"raw":"12.3 Types of Informative Speeches","rendered":"12.3 Types of Informative Speeches"},"content":{"raw":"<div id=\"slug-12-3-types-of-informative-speeches\" class=\"chapter standard\">\r\n<h2 class=\"chapter-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">12.3 Types of Informative Speeches<\/h2>\r\nInformative 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.\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">History<\/h3>\r\nHistorical speeches explain the origin or development of an object, place, event, practice, or idea.\r\n\r\nFor 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.\r\n\r\nA 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.\r\n\r\nHistorical 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.\r\n\r\nHistorical speeches often use a chronological organizational pattern because the order of events helps the audience understand how the subject changed over time.\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Biography<\/h3>\r\nBiographical speeches focus on the life of a person, whether living or deceased.\r\n\r\nFor 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.\r\n\r\nWidely 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.\r\n\r\nBiographical 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.\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Processes<\/h3>\r\nProcess speeches explain how something works or how to complete a task. Speeches that teach the audience how to perform an activity are often called <strong>how-to speeches<\/strong> and may include demonstrations.\r\n\r\nFor example, a speaker could explain how to bake chocolate chip cookies by describing the process from gathering ingredients through baking and cooling the cookies.\r\n\r\nNot every process speech teaches the audience to perform a skill. Some process speeches explain how a system or procedure works. Examples include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>How a bill becomes law.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How a nuclear reactor generates energy.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How a hurricane forms.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How blood moves through the human circulatory system.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nProcess 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.\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Ideas and Concepts<\/h3>\r\nConcept speeches explain abstract ideas that may not have a single physical form. Examples include justice, freedom of speech, equality, sustainability, privacy, and leadership.\r\n\r\nBecause these subjects can be interpreted in different ways, speakers should define important terms carefully and use concrete examples to make the ideas understandable.\r\n\r\nFor example, a speech about justice might:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Define the term.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Explain several philosophical interpretations.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Describe how justice is applied within legal or social systems.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nConcept speeches often use a topical pattern because the speaker may divide the idea into definitions, theories, characteristics, examples, and applications.\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Categories or Divisions<\/h3>\r\nSome 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.\r\n\r\nFor example, a speech about the four C\u2019s of diamonds could explain each of the following characteristics:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Cut.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Carat.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Color.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Clarity.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nOther examples include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Positions in volleyball.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Types of renewable energy.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Categories of financial aid.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Customs to understand when traveling in China.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThese 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.\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Why Identifying the Type Matters<\/h3>\r\nIdentifying the type of informative speech helps a speaker choose an appropriate organizational pattern.\r\n\r\nA 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.\r\n\r\nSpeeches 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.\r\n\r\nThe 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.\r\n\r\nBy 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.\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<h3>Licenses and Attribution<\/h3>\r\n<h4>CC Licensed Content, Original<\/h4>\r\n<em>Speech Communication<\/em> was created by Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres. Independently created original and AI-assisted content developed specifically for this book is licensed under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<\/a>, except where otherwise noted.\r\n\r\nThis educational material includes content generated or revised with the assistance of large language models. Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres reviewed, edited, and take responsibility for the final published content.\r\n<h4>CC Licensed Content, Previously Shared<\/h4>\r\n<h5>Types of Informative Speeches<\/h5>\r\n\u201cTypes of Informative Speeches\u201d is adapted from material in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/louis.pressbooks.pub\/publicspeaking\/\">It\u2019s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century<\/a><\/em> by Douglas Marshall, James Yeargain, June Pulliam, Sara Kim, and Victoria VanNest, published by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network.\r\n\r\nThe source material is licensed under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>. The material was revised, reorganized, expanded, updated, and supplemented with original and AI-assisted content for this edition.\r\n\r\nAdapted portions derived from this source, including revisions to those portions, are licensed under the <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>. Independently created portions developed specifically for <em>Speech Communication<\/em> are licensed under the book\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<\/a>, except where otherwise noted.\r\n<h4>Third-Party References and Links<\/h4>\r\nHistorical figures, organizations, locations, trademarks, entertainment properties, sports organizations, examples, and other third-party materials referenced in this section remain the property of their respective authors, publishers, organizations, and rights holders. References to Abraham Lincoln, Major League Baseball, Walt Disney World, ancient Greece, and other examples are included for instructional purposes.\r\n\r\nThe inclusion of these names, examples, and references does not imply endorsement and does not place the underlying third-party materials under the Creative Commons licenses applied to <em>Speech Communication<\/em>.\r\n\r\nUnless a separate license or public-domain status is specifically identified, third-party content may not be copied, redistributed, or adapted independently of the permissions provided by its copyright holder or applicable law.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div id=\"slug-12-3-types-of-informative-speeches\" class=\"chapter standard\">\n<h2 class=\"chapter-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">12.3 Types of Informative Speeches<\/h2>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">History<\/h3>\n<p>Historical speeches explain the origin or development of an object, place, event, practice, or idea.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Historical speeches often use a chronological organizational pattern because the order of events helps the audience understand how the subject changed over time.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Biography<\/h3>\n<p>Biographical speeches focus on the life of a person, whether living or deceased.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Processes<\/h3>\n<p>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 <strong>how-to speeches<\/strong> and may include demonstrations.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Not every process speech teaches the audience to perform a skill. Some process speeches explain how a system or procedure works. Examples include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How a bill becomes law.<\/li>\n<li>How a nuclear reactor generates energy.<\/li>\n<li>How a hurricane forms.<\/li>\n<li>How blood moves through the human circulatory system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Ideas and Concepts<\/h3>\n<p>Concept speeches explain abstract ideas that may not have a single physical form. Examples include justice, freedom of speech, equality, sustainability, privacy, and leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Because these subjects can be interpreted in different ways, speakers should define important terms carefully and use concrete examples to make the ideas understandable.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a speech about justice might:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Define the term.<\/li>\n<li>Explain several philosophical interpretations.<\/li>\n<li>Describe how justice is applied within legal or social systems.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Concept speeches often use a topical pattern because the speaker may divide the idea into definitions, theories, characteristics, examples, and applications.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Categories or Divisions<\/h3>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a speech about the four C\u2019s of diamonds could explain each of the following characteristics:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Cut.<\/li>\n<li>Carat.<\/li>\n<li>Color.<\/li>\n<li>Clarity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Other examples include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Positions in volleyball.<\/li>\n<li>Types of renewable energy.<\/li>\n<li>Categories of financial aid.<\/li>\n<li>Customs to understand when traveling in China.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Why Identifying the Type Matters<\/h3>\n<p>Identifying the type of informative speech helps a speaker choose an appropriate organizational pattern.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key\">\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<h3>Licenses and Attribution<\/h3>\n<h4>CC Licensed Content, Original<\/h4>\n<p><em>Speech Communication<\/em> was created by Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres. Independently created original and AI-assisted content developed specifically for this book is licensed under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<\/a>, except where otherwise noted.<\/p>\n<p>This educational material includes content generated or revised with the assistance of large language models. Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres reviewed, edited, and take responsibility for the final published content.<\/p>\n<h4>CC Licensed Content, Previously Shared<\/h4>\n<h5>Types of Informative Speeches<\/h5>\n<p>\u201cTypes of Informative Speeches\u201d is adapted from material in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/louis.pressbooks.pub\/publicspeaking\/\">It\u2019s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century<\/a><\/em> by Douglas Marshall, James Yeargain, June Pulliam, Sara Kim, and Victoria VanNest, published by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network.<\/p>\n<p>The source material is licensed under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>. The material was revised, reorganized, expanded, updated, and supplemented with original and AI-assisted content for this edition.<\/p>\n<p>Adapted portions derived from this source, including revisions to those portions, are licensed under the <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>. Independently created portions developed specifically for <em>Speech Communication<\/em> are licensed under the book\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<\/a>, except where otherwise noted.<\/p>\n<h4>Third-Party References and Links<\/h4>\n<p>Historical figures, organizations, locations, trademarks, entertainment properties, sports organizations, examples, and other third-party materials referenced in this section remain the property of their respective authors, publishers, organizations, and rights holders. References to Abraham Lincoln, Major League Baseball, Walt Disney World, ancient Greece, and other examples are included for instructional purposes.<\/p>\n<p>The inclusion of these names, examples, and references does not imply endorsement and does not place the underlying third-party materials under the Creative Commons licenses applied to <em>Speech Communication<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Unless a separate license or public-domain status is specifically identified, third-party content may not be copied, redistributed, or adapted independently of the permissions provided by its copyright holder or applicable law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"menu_order":3,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":["liapicco","mtorres54"],"pb_section_license":"cc-by-nc-sa"},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[61,62],"license":[57],"class_list":["post-225","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","contributor-liapicco","contributor-mtorres54","license-cc-by-nc-sa"],"part":221,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1952,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/225\/revisions\/1952"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/221"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/225\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=225"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=225"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hcfl.edu\/speechcomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}