Pearson Education on Public Speaking ? Part 3
Clarifying the Goal
When asked to speak, there are three major purposes to consider:
Talking to inform
Speaking to entertain
Talking to persuade
For an informative speech, your goal is to present new information for the enlightenment of your audience. Informative talks may include speeches to demonstrate how something works or how to do something. We expect these talks to be balanced and objective. Many university lectures are informative briefings.
Click here to explore what University of Virginia’s professor Ken Elzinga says about lectures. At this site you’ll find “Effective Lectures Start with Details,” an article in the Vanderbilt Register by Amy Pate regarding his theories.
The purpose of a persuasive speech is to provide the audience with good reasons that support a change in attitudes, beliefs, values or behavior.
Common types of persuasive speeches include advocating for a solution to a societal problem, arguing for action on legislative matters, or stating one’s opinion on legal and judicial questions. Political campaign speeches are examples of persuasive talks. The opening and closing statements of attorneys in a trial are also designed to be persuasive.
Click here to explore presidential campaign talks: C-Span’s. From C-Span Series menu at left, click on “American Politics Road to the White House” to view programs involving Presidential campaigns.
From C-Span Radio menu at left, click on “American Political Archive.” From Other C-Span Sights, click on “American Presidents,” then search for your campaign topic.
According to communication experts Grice and Skinner, the purpose of a talk to entertain is to make a point through the creative, organized use of a speaker’s humor. .You want to provoke a pleasurable response from your audience. After-dinner talks are generally talks to entertain.
Radio broadcaster Garrison Keillor is an entertainment speaker and oldf-fashioned story-teller. Check out his speaking at http://www.prairiehome.org/. At top menu choose “Archive” to find old shows in which he meanders at length on a variety of homespun topics, or go to “Last Week’s Show” then click on “Scripts” to view his words.
Check out another entertainer, Jean Shepherd rebroadcasts, at http://www.keyflux.com/shep/. From left menu click on “Articles” for a print version, or on “Broadcasts” for an audio version of the folksy storytelling of this author of the well-known script-turned-holiday movie, “A Christmas Story.”
Click here to explore the purposes of presentations further.
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Theodore Henderson, DTM – Distinguished Toastmaster
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