TYPES OF SPEECHES

P R E S E N T E D B Y: D E B O R A H R A N J I T A B R A H A M
II B.COM – ‘E’
21COME07
The three basic types of speeches are: to inform, to persuade, and to entertain. These
are not mutually exclusive of one another. You may have several purposes in mind
when giving your presentation. For example, you may try to inform in an entertaining
style. Another speaker might inform the audience and try to persuade them to act on
the information.

However, the principle purpose of a speech will generally fall into one of the three
basic types:

1. INFORMATIVE SPEAKING
2. PERSUASIVE SPEAKING
3. SPEAKING ON SPECIAL OCCASSIONS
1. INFORMATIVE SPEAKING :

To inform is to communicate knowledge. An informative speech provides new information, new

insights, or new ways of thinking about a topic. Your speech might be an explanation of a
concept or practice; a description of a person, place, or event; or a physical demonstration of how
something works.

Some tips to keep in mind while giving an informative speech;

 Gain and Sustain Involvement: The audience must be able to recognize, understand and relate
to the information being conveyed.
Subject matter of informative speeches: Informative speeches may be about objects or phenomena,
people, events, processes, concepts, or issues.

Decide how to communicate your information: Typically, speakers communicate information by

defining, describing, demonstrating, and/or explaining. Many speeches, however, employ a
combination of approaches. As you prepare your speech, ask yourself, “By which of these means can I
best convey my ideas?”
1
Take steps to reduce confusion: New information can be hard to grasp, especially when it addresses a
difficult concept or term (such as equilibrium in engineering),etc. therefore we must try to simplify our
facts based on the level of understanding of the audience.

Arrange points in a pattern : Our understanding of a speech is directly linked to how well it is
organized .Example: topical, chronological, spatial, problem-solution, cause-effect, narrative,
comparative advantage, and circular patterns.

Some examples of informative speeches;

1. College professor lecturing on a specific topic during a class.

2. Guest speaker presenting information to a group of students about how to apply for college.

3. Company president presenting information about last quarter's sales to a group of board members.

5. Doctor
1 talking to a group, about ways to avoid heart disease, etc.

2.persuASIVE SPEAKING :

To persuade is to advocate, to ask others to accept your views. The goal of a persuasive speech is to
influence the attitudes, beliefs, values and acts of others. Some persuasive speeches attempt to modify
audience attitudes and values so that they move in the direction of the speaker’s stance. Others aim for an
explicit response, as when a speaker urges listeners to donate money for a cause or to vote for a
candidate. Sometimes a speech will attempt to modify both attitudes and actions.
 Sometimes, persuasive speeches are powerful
enough to modify the attitudes and actions of the
audience.

Some tips to master a Persuasive Speech;

 Focus on Motivation: Success in persuasive

speaking requires attention to human psychology
—to what motivates listeners.
Audience analysis is therefore extremely important in persuasive appeals.

 Balance Reason and Emotion: Persuasion is a complex psychological process of reasoning and emotion, and
effective persuasive speeches target not one but both processes in audience members. Emotion gets the
audience’s attention and stimulates a desire to act; reason provides the justification for the action. Persuasive
speeches are built upon arguments—stated positions, with support, for or against an idea or issue.

 Stress your Credibility : Audiences want more than arguments from a speaker; they want what’s relevant to
them from someone who cares. Audience members’ feelings about your credibility strongly influence how
receptive they will be to your proposals, and studies confirm that attitude change is related directly to the
extent to which listeners perceive speakers to be truthful and competent.

1
Target listener’s needs : Audience members are motivated to act on the basis of their needs; thus, one way to
persuade listeners is to point to some need they want fulfilled and then give them a way to fulfill it.

Construct Sound Arguments: In an argument, you offer a conclusion about some state of affairs, support it
with evidence, and then link the evidence to the claim with reasons. The claim states the speaker’s
conclusion, based on evidence. The evidence substantiates the claim. Reasoning links claims to evidence.

Address Culture: Persuasion depends on appeals to values; culture shapes these values. Thus the audience’s
cultural orientation will significantly affect their responses to persuasion.

Some examples of Persuasive Speeches;

1. Does watching TV shows or movies about teenage suicide encourage it or prevent it?
2. Has the traditional college model become outdated in the age of the Internet?
3. Should working from home be the new standard?
4. Are grades an accurate representation of learning?
5. What could politicians do to appeal to younger generations of voters?
6. Is artificial intelligence a threat?
7. Are social media influencers beneficial or harmful to society?, etc.
3. SPEAKING on special occassions:

A special occasion speech is one that is prepared for a specific occasion and for a purpose dictated by
that occasion. Special occasion speeches can be either informative or persuasive or, often, a mix of
both. However, neither of these functions is the main goal; the underlying function of a special
occasion speech is to entertain, celebrate, commemorate, inspire, or set a social agenda.

Special occasion speeches include speeches of introduction, speeches of acceptance, speeches of

presentation, roasts and toasts, eulogies and other speeches of tribute, after dinner speeches, and
speeches of inspiration.

A. Speeches of Introduction :

The object of a speech of introduction is to prepare or “warm up” the audience for the main speaker—
to heighten audience interest and build the speaker’s credibility. A good speech of introduction
balances four elements: the speaker’s background, the subject of the speaker’s message, the occasion,
and the audience.
B. Speeches of Acceptance:

A speech of acceptance is made in response to receiving an award. Its purpose is to express gratitude
for the honor bestowed on the speaker. The speech should reflect that gratitude.

C. Speeches of Presentation:

The goal of the speech of presentation is twofold: to communicate the meaning of the award and to
explain why the recipient is receiving it.

D. Roasts and Toasts:

A roast is a humorous tribute to a person, one in which a series of speakers jokingly poke fun at him or
her. A toast is a brief tribute to a person or an event being celebrated. Both roasts and toasts call for
short speeches whose goal is to celebrate an individual and his or her achievements.
E. Eulogies and other Tributes:

The word eulogy derives from the Greek word meaning “to praise.” Those delivering eulogies, usually
close friends or family members of the deceased, are charged with celebrating and commemorating the life
of someone while consoling those who have been left behind.

F. After Dinner Speeches:

The contemporary after-dinner speech is just as likely to occur before, during, or after a lunch seminar or
other type of business, professional, or civic meeting as it is to follow a formal dinner. In general, an after-
dinner speech is expected to be lighthearted and entertaining. At the same time, listeners expect to gain
insight into the topic at hand.

G. Speeches of Inspiration:

A speech of inspiration seeks to motivate listeners to positively consider, reflect on, and sometimes act on
the speaker’s words. Effective speeches of inspiration touch on deep feelings in the audience. Through
emotional force, they urge us toward purer motives and harder effort and remind us of a common good.
Thank you!