ELC590: ENGLISH FOR ORAL

PRESENTATIONS

Resource Material 1:
Informative Speech

NOTE: MATERIALS COMPILED ©THE MCGRAW-HILL COMPANIES,

THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING, BY STEPHEN E. LUCAS

COMPILED BY ELC590 RESOURCE TEAM

UPDATED 20 AUGUST 2020
CONTENT
⮚ INFORMATIVE SPEECH
⮚ USING VISUAL AIDS
⮚ Types of visual aids
⮚ Sample Charts & Graphs for ELC590
Informative speech
⮚ USING POWERPOINTS
⮚ SAMPLE INFORMATIVE SPEECH

2
Informative Speech

Designed to convey
knowledge,
understanding

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Informative Speeches

I. Objects

II. Processes

III. Events

IV. Concepts
The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
 Informative Speaking

Guidelines:
• Don’t overestimate what audience
knows
• “never overestimate the
information of the audience,
never underestimate the
intelligence of your audience!”
• Relate subject to audience
The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
 Informative Speaking
Guidelines:
• Don’t be too technical
• Avoid abstractions (“speech ≠ novel”)
• Use descriptions
• Use comparisons
• Use contrast
• Personalize ideas
• Dramatize ideas in human terms
• Be creative

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Visual Aid Advantages
Clarity

Interest

Retention

Credibility

Persuasiveness
The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Kinds of Visual Aids
Objects & models

Photos & drawings

Graphs
To be used for
ELC590 Informative
Charts Speech

Video

The speaker

PowerPoint

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Photos & Drawings

Enlarge for audience

Avoid passing
Display with
PowerPoint
The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Photos & Drawings

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
 Graphs
(To be used for ELC590 Info Sp.)

Show statistical trends

& patterns

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Ex. Line Graph

Uses one or more

lines to show
changes over time

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Line Graph

Source: Richards E. (2009) Economics of Spending

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Ex. Pie Graph

Highlights segments
of circle to show
distribution patterns

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Pie Graph

Source: Martin R. (2010) Modern Women

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Ex. Bar Graph

Uses vertical or
horizontal bars to show
comparisons

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Bar Graph

Source: www.stats.gov

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
 Charts
(To be used for ELC590 Info Sp.)

Summarize large block

of info, usually as list

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Charts

Source: www.stats.gov
The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
 Charts

Help listeners visualize info

Show steps of process

Keep simple & clear

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Video

Keep short

Cue to start of clip

Integrate smoothly

Avoid low-resolution
The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
The Speaker

Use body to
demonstrate
procedure

Practice to
coordinate
words & actions
The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
PowerPoint

Combines
several audio-
visual
materials

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
PowerPoint

Use strategically

Use to enhance specific points

Don’t overpower presentation

Don’t read from screen

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Preparing Visual Aids

Prepare well in advance

Keep simple

Make large enough

Limit amount of text

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Preparing Visual Aids

Use fonts effectively

Use color effectively

Use images strategically

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Limited Text

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Effective Fonts
Clear, easy to read

Normal case

Two per slide

Standardized across slides

Properly sized titles, body text

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Effective Fonts

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Effective Colors

High contrast

Easy to see

Limited number

Consistent across slides

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Strategic Images

Large enough

High-resolution

Clear, simple

Title included on slide

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Presenting Visual Aids

Display where listeners can see

Avoid passing

Display only while discussing

Explain clearly, concisely

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Presenting Visual Aids

Talk to audience, not to visual

aid

Practice with visual aids

Check room & equipment

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
Exercise
Consider how you might use visual aids to explain each of the
following:

a) How to perform the Heimlich maneuver to help a choking

victim.
b) Where to obtain information about student loans.
c) The wing patterns of various species of butterflies.
d) The increase in the amount of money spent by Americans
on health care since 1985.
e) How to change a bicycle tire.
f) The basic equipment and techniques of rock climbing.

The McGraw-Hill Companies ∙ The Art of Public Speaking, 11th Edition © 2012 Stephen E. Lucas. All rights reserved.
 SAMPLE INFORMATIVE SPEECH
FOR ELC590: MENTAL ILLNESS

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience

about the prevalence of mental illness

Central Idea: Mental illness disorder can

become less prevalent with proper
medical care and professional treatments.

Method of Organization: Topical 35

SAMPLE INFORMATIVE SPEECH
FOR ELC590: MENTAL ILLNESS

Speech topic: Mental Illness (4:35 mins.)

© APB, UiTM

36