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Subject Libguide: Speech Communication: Types of speeches

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A persuasive speech tries to influence or reinforce the attitudes, beliefs, or behavior of an audience.  This type of speech often includes the following elements:

  • appeal to the audience
  • appeal to the reasoning of the audience
  • focus on the relevance of your topic
  • alligns the speech to the audience - ensure they understand the information expressed

An informative speech is one that informs the audience.  These types of speeches can be on a variety of topics:

A informative speech will:

  • define terms to make the information more precise
  • use descriptions to help the audience towards a larger picture
  • include an demonstration
  • explain concept the informative speech is conveying
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1.5: Types of Speeches and Speaking Occasions

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  • Lisa Schreiber and Morgan Hartranft
  • Millersville University via Public Speaking Project

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There are three general purposes for speaking in public. The general purpose of a speech is usually determined by the occasion in which the speech will be presented. The first general purpose is to inform your audience. In an informative speech, the presenter will share information about a particular person, place, object, process, concept, or issue by defining, describing, or explaining. Occasions for which an informative speech would be presented include a report presented to coworkers, a teacher presenting information to his or her class, and a training session for a job. The second purpose for public speaking is to persuade. In a persuasive speech, the presenter will attempt to reinforce or change their audiences’ beliefs, attitudes, feelings, or values. Several occasions where persuasion is used include a sales pitch to potential customers, a politician’s campaign speech, or a debate during a public forum. The last general purpose is to commemorate or entertain. These types of speeches often strengthen the bonds between audience members from recalling a shared experience or intend to amuse audiences through humor, stories, or illustrations. Examples of this purpose include a toast, such as a best man’s speech at a wedding reception; a eulogy to praise the dead; a commencement speech at graduation; or presenting an award. It is important to note that these general purposes may overlap one another. One might wish to use some forms of entertainment while informing or persuading his or her audience.

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A desire presupposes the possibility of action to achieve it; action presupposes a goal which is worth achieving. ~ Ayn Rand

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Chapter 5: Presenting Your Speech Module

Four Types of Speeches

Speeches can be categorized into four broad areas depending on the amount of preparation that is undertaken and depending upon the nature of the occasion.  The four types of speeches are manuscript, memorized, extemporaneous, and impromptu.  Our aim is to acquaint you with these four different modes of delivery, to provide suggestions for when you are asked to make impromptu remarks, and then to focus most your time on the preparation, practice, and presentation of extemporaneous speeches.

Manuscript Speech

When you listen to the President deliver a State of the Union message, you listen to a well-crafted speech being read from a teleprompter. The speech has been polished by a staff of speechwriters and has been practiced many times. The President will know how to anticipate the reaction of the audience and will know when to pause for applause and when to expect laughter. This form of speaking is used when the exact words matter and when much time and energy is expended on getting everything just right. There are times when people who are not leaders of countries deliver manuscript speeches as well. They are used when people testify before Congress, when people read important statements in a public setting, or when people deliver reports at professional meetings. All call for exact words in the correct order.

While the President has access to a staff of speech writers and a teleprompter, most of us do not. If you were given this type of assignment, you would have to read your manuscript speech from printed notes. In that case, you would want to ensure that you had prepared your manuscript carefully, using large fonts so you could read it easily without burying your nose in the pages. Reading the speech does not allow you to skimp on the preparation. Practice the speech many times. This allows you to make changes, if needed, and to select the best words to communicate your exact meaning. Remember to speak clearly and naturally -strive for a conversational tone. It shouldn’t sound read -even if you are reading. Also, remember to speak slowly; there is a natural tendency to speed up when we speak in public. Delivering a speech is not a race; you do not receive bonus points for finishing early.

Unless you are specifically told by your instructor to prepare and deliver a manuscript speech, you should never write out the entire speech. Spend your time developing your outline, organizing your ideas, and determining where you can best insert your supports. Then practice using the outline while speaking.

Memorized Speech

When you were in elementary school, did you ever have to memorize a poem or a part of a speech? If you are like most students, the answer is “Yes. ” There is nothing wrong with memorization. But if you try to memorize a speech, you risk forgetting what you planned to say and coming across as completely unprepared. Memorizing your speech is even worse than reading it. All the objections that apply to the read speech also apply to the memorized speech. Spontaneity is gone. The speech can sound stilted. Often, delivery is too rapid. Concentration is on the words, not the ideas. Sometimes the speech sounds too formal, like a written essay. There is minimal feedback or other contact with the audience. And what happens if your mind goes completely blank or if an audience member interrupts? The entire presentation will likely fall apart. Memorizing a speech puts entirely too much pressure on the speaker.

That said, there are a couple of parts of the speech that you may want to have memorized -or practiced so well that you can deliver them almost as if memorized. These include:

Your introduction:  It sets the stage for the entire speech. The words should be well chosen and rehearsed. You may find that as you repeat this portion of the speech during your rehearsals you do come to memorize it word for word. If so, this is fine. After all, once you have determined the best way of saying something, why not use it? Just make sure the presentation does not sound memorized. Your conclusion:  The summary and call to action are the final words that your audience will hear. As with the introduction, if you practice this repeatedly you will develop the best way to say what you want and you will probably have perfected this portion of the speech.

Impromptu Speech

There will come a time for all of us when we are asked to “say a few words ” without much preparation.  You haven’t prepared any notes, you haven’t practiced what you’ll say, and you’re being asked to “wing it. ” While this may seem incredibly scary, impromptu presentations are the most common type of public speaking. You’re in class and suddenly the professor wants to hear how group projects are going. You, as the leader of your group, are asked to stand and briefly discuss what the group is doing and how much you’ve completed so far. That’s an impromptu speech. You didn’t know when you headed to class that day that you’d be speaking in public, but you did it. No sweat! Or maybe you’re in a meeting at work and the boss announces that he wants you to brief everyone in the meeting on the new equipment being installed that afternoon. Again, no prior planning, no notes, you just do it. That’s impromptu speaking.

Extemporaneous Speech

The focus of most college courses in public speaking is the extemporaneous speech.  This is because this is the type of speech used most in business, education, preaching, and political affairs. Few of us will ever have a professional staff of speechwriters or ever deliver a speech with the aid of a teleprompter. But when you do have a speech or presentation to deliver, you’ll want to sound prepared, authoritative, and clear.

Simply stated, an extemporaneous speech is one where you will have time for preparation and practice but will not be expected to read from a manuscript or to have the speech memorized.  The question most students ask is, “How much time should be spent in preparation and practice? ” Perhaps Mark Twain said it best. When speaking about preparing for an impromptu speech, he noted, “It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech ” (King). While celebrated as a humorist, there is much truth in his words. To appear to be speaking off the cuff, and to do it well, you must prepare thoroughly and practice to perfection. When you speak extemporaneously, it means you’ve had ample time to prepare and research and that you have rehearsed your speech (many times) using an outline or notes to remind you of the progression of ideas you wish to present. You will follow all the normal steps outlined in the earlier chapters. Choose a topic, narrow appropriately, analyze your audience, choose your supports, and create an outline. You will know your speech so well and will amaze your audience!

Fundamentals of Public Speaking Copyright © by Lumen Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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  • Types of speeches

The 4 types of speeches in public speaking

Informative, demonstrative, persuasive and special occasion.

By:  Susan Dugdale  

There are four main types of speeches or types of public speaking.

  • Demonstrative
  • Special occasion or Entertaining

To harness their power a speaker needs to be proficient in all of them: to understand which speech type to use when, and how to use it for maximum effectiveness.

What's on this page:

An overview of each speech type, how it's used, writing guidelines and speech examples:

  • informative
  • demonstrative
  • special occasion/entertaining
  • how, and why, speech types overlap

Graphic: 4 types of speeches: informative, demonstrative, persuasive, special occasion

Return to Top

Informative speeches

An informative speech does as its name suggests: informs. It provides information about a topic. The topic could be a place, a person, an animal, a plant, an object, an event, or a process.

The informative speech is primarily explanatory and educational.

Its purpose is not to persuade or influence opinion one way or the other. It is to provide sufficient relevant material, (with references to verifiable facts, accounts, studies and/or statistics), for the audience to have learned something. 

What they think, feel, or do about the information after they've learned it, is up to them.

This type of speech is frequently used for giving reports, lectures and, sometimes for training purposes. 

Examples of informative speech topics:

  • the number, price and type of dwellings that have sold in a particular suburb over the last 3 months
  • the history of the tooth brush
  • how trees improves air quality in urban areas
  • a brief biography of Bob Dylan
  • the main characteristics of Maine Coon cats
  • the 1945 US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
  • the number of, and the work of local philanthropic institutions
  • the weather over the summer months
  • the history of companion planting 
  • how to set up a new password
  • how to work a washing machine

Image: companion planting - cabbage planted alongside orange flowering calendula. Text: The history of companion planting - informative speech topic possibilities

Click this link if you'd like more informative topic suggestions .  You'll find hundreds of them.

And this link to find out more about the 4 types of informative speeches : definition, description, demonstration and explanation. (Each with an example outline and topic suggestions.)  

Image - label - 4 Informative speech example outlines: definition, description, explanation, demonstration

Demonstration, demonstrative or 'how to' speeches

A demonstration speech is an extension of an informative process speech. It's a 'how to' speech, combining informing with demonstrating.

The topic process, (what the speech is about), could either be demonstrated live or shown using visual aids.

The goal of a demonstrative speech is to teach a complete process step by step.

It's found everywhere, all over the world: in corporate and vocational training rooms, school classrooms, university lecture theatres, homes, cafes... anywhere where people are either refreshing or updating their skills. Or learning new ones.

Knowing to how give a good demonstration or 'how to' speech is a very valuable skill to have, one appreciated by everybody.

Examples of 'how to' speech topics are:

  • how to braid long hair
  • how to change a car tire
  • how to fold table napkins
  • how to use the Heimlich maneuver
  • how to apply for a Federal grant
  • how to fill out a voting form
  • how to deal with customer complaints
  • how to close a sale
  • how to give medicine to your cat without being scratched to bits! 

Image: drawing of a very cute cat. Text: 10 minute demonstration speech topics - How to give a cat medicine without being scratched to bits.

Resources for demonstration speeches

1 . How to write a demonstration speech   Guidelines and suggestions covering:

  • choosing the best topic : one aligning with your own interests, the audience's, the setting for the speech and the time available to you
  • how to plan, prepare and deliver your speech - step by step guidelines for sequencing and organizing your material plus a printable blank demonstration speech outline for you to download and complete  
  • suggestions to help with delivery and rehearsal . Demonstration speeches can so easily lurch sideways into embarrassment. For example: forgetting a step while demonstrating a cake recipe which means it won't turn out as you want it to. Or not checking you've got everything you need to deliver your speech at the venue and finding out too late, the very public and hard way, that the lead on your laptop will not reach the only available wall socket. Result. You cannot show your images.

Image: label saying 'Demonstration speech sample outline. Plus video. How to leave a good voice mail message.

2.  Demonstration speech sample outline   This is a fully completed outline of a demonstration speech. The topic is 'how to leave an effective voice mail message' and  the sample covers the entire step by step sequence needed to do that.

There's a blank printable version of the outline template to download if you wish and a YouTube link to a recording of the speech.

3.  Demonstration speech topics   4 pages of 'how to' speech topic suggestions, all of them suitable for middle school and up.

Images x 3: cats, antique buttons, mannequins in a pond. Text: How to choose a pet, How to make jewelry from antique buttons, How to interpret modern art.

Persuasive speeches

The goal of a persuasive speech is to convince an audience to accept, or at the very least listen to and consider, the speaker's point of view.

To be successful the speaker must skillfully blend information about the topic, their opinion, reasons to support it and their desired course of action, with an understanding of how best to reach their audience.

Everyday examples of persuasive speeches

Common usages of persuasive speeches are:

  • what we say when being interviewed for a job
  • presenting a sales pitch to a customer
  • political speeches - politicians lobbying for votes,
  • values or issue driven speeches e.g., a call to boycott a product on particular grounds, a call to support varying human rights issues: the right to have an abortion, the right to vote, the right to breathe clean air, the right to have access to affordable housing and, so on.

Models of the persuasive process

The most frequently cited model we have for effective persuasion is thousands of years old.  Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, 384–322 BC , explained it as being supported by three pillars: ethos, pathos and logos. 

Image: Fresco from School of Aristotle by Gustav Spangenberg. Text: 3 pillars of persuasion - ethos, logos, pathos

Briefly, ethos is the reliability and credibility of the speaker. How qualified or experienced are they talk on the topic? Are they trustworthy? Should we believe them? Why?

Pathos is the passion, emotion or feeling you, the speaker, bring to the topic. It's the choice of language you use to trigger an emotional connection linking yourself, your topic and the audience together, in a way that supports your speech purpose.

(We see the echo of Pathos in words like empathy: the ability to understand and share the feels of another, or pathetic: to arouse feelings of pity through being vulnerable and sad.)

Logos is related to logic. Is the information we are being presented logical and rational? Is it verifiable? How is it supported? By studies, by articles, by endorsement from suitably qualified and recognized people?

To successfully persuade all three are needed. For more please see this excellent article:  Ethos, Pathos, Logos: 3 Pillars of Public Speaking and Persuasion 

Monroe's Motivated Sequence of persuasion

Another much more recent model is Monroe's Motivated Sequence based on the psychology of persuasion.

Image: a flow chart of the 5 steps of Monroes Motivated Sequence of persuasion.

It consists of five consecutive steps: attention, need, satisfaction, visualization and action and was developed in the 1930s by American Alan H Monroe, a lecturer in communications at Purdue University. The pattern is used extensively in advertising, social welfare and health campaigns.

Resources for persuasive speeches

1.   How to write a persuasive speech Step by step guidelines covering:

  • speech topic selection
  • setting speech goals
  • audience analysis
  • empathy and evidence
  • balance and obstacles
  • 4 structural patterns to choose from

2. A persuasive speech sample outline using Monroe's Motivated Sequence

3. An example persuasive speech written using Monroe's Motivated Sequence  

4.  Persuasive speech topics : 1032+ topic suggestions which includes 105 fun persuasive ideas , like the one below.☺ 

Image: a plate with the remains of a piece of chocolate cake. Text: Having your cake and eating it too is fair.

Special occasion or entertaining speeches

The range of these speeches is vast: from a call 'to say a few words' to delivering a lengthy formal address.

This is the territory where speeches to mark farewells, thanksgiving, awards, birthdays, Christmas, weddings, engagements and anniversaries dwell, along with welcome, introduction and thank you speeches, tributes, eulogies and commencement addresses. 

In short, any speech, either impromptu or painstakingly crafted, given to acknowledge a person, an achievement, or an event belongs here.

You'll find preparation guidelines, as well as examples of many special occasion speeches on my site.

Resources for special occasion speeches

How to prepare:

  • an acceptance speech , with an example acceptance speech 
  • a birthday speech , with ongoing links to example 18th, 40th and 50th birthday speeches
  • an office party Christmas speech , a template with an example speech
  • an engagement party toast , with 5 examples
  • a eulogy or funeral speech , with a printable eulogy planner and access to 70+ eulogy examples
  • a farewell speech , with an example (a farewell speech to colleagues)
  • a golden (50th) wedding anniversary speech , with an example speech from a husband to his wife
  • an impromptu speech , techniques and templates for impromptu speaking, examples of one minute impromptu speeches with a printable outline planner, plus impromptu speech topics for practice
  • an introduction speech for a guest speaker , with an example
  • an introduction speech for yourself , with an example
  • a maid of honor speech for your sister , a template, with an example
  • a retirement speech , with an example from a teacher leaving to her students and colleagues
  • a student council speech , a template, with an example student council president, secretary and treasurer speech
  • a Thanksgiving speech , a template, with an example toast
  • a thank you speech , a template, with an example speech expressing thanks for an award, also a business thank you speech template
  • a tribute (commemorative) speech , with a template and an example speech
  • a welcome speech for an event , a template, an example welcome speech for a conference, plus a printable welcome speech planner
  • a welcome speech for new comers to a church , a template with an example speech
  • a welcome speech for a new member to the family , a template with an example

Speech types often overlap

Because speakers and their speeches are unique, (different content, purposes, and audiences...), the four types often overlap. While a speech is generally based on one principal type it might also have a few of the features belonging to any of the others. 

For example, a speech may be mainly informative but to add interest, the speaker has used elements like a demonstration of some sort, persuasive language and the brand of familiar humor common in a special occasion speech where everybody knows each other well.

The result is an informative 'plus' type of speech. A hybrid! It's a speech that could easily be given by a long serving in-house company trainer to introduce and explain a new work process to employees.  

Related pages:

  • how to write a good speech . This is a thorough step by step walk through, with examples, of the general speech writing process. It's a great place to start if you're new to writing speeches. You'll get an excellent foundation to build on.
  • how to plan a speech - an overview of ALL the things that need to be considered before preparing an outline, with examples
  • how to outline a speech - an overview, with examples, showing how to structure a speech, with a free printable blank speech outline template to download
  • how to make and use cue cards  - note cards for extemporaneous speeches 
  • how to use props (visual aids)    

And for those who would like their speeches written for them:

  • commission me to write for you

Image: woman sitting at a writing desk circa 19th century. Text: Speech writer - a ghost writer who writes someone one's speech for them

speaking out loud 

Subscribe for  FREE weekly alerts about what's new For more see  speaking out loud  

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This aims to provide information to the audience.

Informative

Entertainment

Types of informative that explains a concept, theme or an abstract.

Description

Demonstration

This aims to convince audience to do something.

Aims to amuse or lighten the mood of audience through telling jokes or funny stories.

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Types of informative that creates a clear picture of an object in the minds of the listener.

Uses jokes, exaggerations or puns.

Appeal to audience emotions.

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6.4 Specific Purposes

Learning objectives.

  • Understand the process of extending a general purpose into a specific purpose.
  • Integrate the seven tips for creating specific purposes.

Roma Street Steps

Andrew Sutherland – Roma Street Steps – CC BY-SA 2.0.

Once you have chosen your general purpose and your topic, it’s time to take your speech to the next phase and develop your specific purpose. A specific purpose starts with one of the three general purposes and then specifies the actual topic you have chosen and the basic objective you hope to accomplish with your speech. Basically, the specific purpose answers the who , what , when , where , and why questions for your speech.

Getting Specific

When attempting to get at the core of your speech (the specific purpose), you need to know a few basic things about your speech. First, you need to have a general purpose. Once you know whether your goal is to inform, persuade, or entertain, picking an appropriate topic is easier. Obviously, depending on the general purpose, you will have a range of different types of topics. For example, let’s say you want to give a speech about hygiene. You could still give a speech about hygiene no matter what your general purpose is, but the specific purpose would vary depending on whether the general purpose is to inform (discussing hygiene practices around the globe), to persuade (discussing why people need to adopt a specific hygiene practice), or to entertain (discussing some of the strange and unique hygiene practices that people have used historically). Notice that in each of these cases, the general purpose alters the topic, but all three are still fundamentally about hygiene.

Now, when discussing specific purposes, we are concerned with who, what, when, where, why, and how questions for your speech. Let’s examine each of these separately. First, you want to know who is going to be in your audience. Different audiences, as discussed in the chapter on audience analysis, have differing desires, backgrounds, and needs. Keeping your audience first and foremost in your thoughts when choosing a specific purpose will increase the likelihood that your audience will find your speech meaningful.

Second is the “what” question, or the basic description of your topic. When picking an effective topic, you need to make sure that the topic is appropriate for a variety of constraints or limitations within a speaking context.

Third, you need to consider when your speech will be given. Different speeches may be better for different times of the day. For example, explaining the importance of eating breakfast and providing people with cereal bars may be a great topic at 9:00 a.m. but may not have the same impact if you’re giving it at 4:00 p.m.

Fourth, you need to consider where your speech will be given. Are you giving a speech in front of a classroom? A church? An executive meeting? Depending on the location of your speech, different topics may or may not be appropriate.

The last question you need to answer within your speech is why. Why does your audience need to hear your speech? If your audience doesn’t care about your specific purpose, they are less likely to attend to your speech. If it’s a topic that’s a little more off-the-wall, you’ll really need to think about why they should care.

Once you’ve determined the who , what , when , where , and why aspects of your topic, it’s time to start creating your actual specific purpose. First, a specific purpose, in its written form, should be a short, declarative sentence that emphasizes the main topic of your speech. Let’s look at an example:

In this example, we’ve quickly narrowed a topic from a more general topic to a more specific topic. Let’s now look at that topic in terms of a general purpose and specific purpose:

For the purpose of this example, we used the same general topic area, but demonstrated how you could easily turn the topic into either an informative speech or a persuasive speech. In the first example, the speaker is going to talk about the danger embedded journalists face. In this case, the speaker isn’t attempting to alter people’s ideas about embedded journalists, just make them more aware of the dangers. In the second case, the specific purpose is to persuade a group of journalism students (the audience) to avoid jobs as embedded journalists.

Your Specific Statement of Purpose

To form a clear and succinct statement of the specific purpose of your speech, start by naming your general purpose (to inform, to persuade, or to entertain). Follow this by a capsule description of your audience (my peers in class, a group of kindergarten teachers, etc.). Then complete your statement of purpose with a prepositional phrase (a phrase using “to,” “about,” “by,” or another preposition) that summarizes your topic. As an example, “My specific purpose is to persuade the students in my residence hall to protest the proposed housing cost increase” is a specific statement of purpose, while “My speech will be about why we should protest the proposed housing cost increase” is not.

Specific purposes should be statements, not questions. If you find yourself starting to phrase your specific purpose as a question, ask yourself how you can reword it as a statement. Table 6.3 “My Specific Purpose Is…” provides several more examples of good specific purpose statements.

Table 6.3 My Specific Purpose Is…

Basic Tips for Creating Specific Purposes

Now that we’ve examined what specific purposes are, we are going to focus on a series of tips to help you write specific purposes that are appropriate for a range of speeches.

Audience, Audience, Audience

First and foremost, you always need to think about your intended audience when choosing your specific purpose. In the previous section, we talked about a speech where a speaker is attempting to persuade a group of journalism students to not take jobs as embedded journalists. Would the same speech be successful, or even appropriate, if given in your public speaking class? Probably not. As a speaker, you may think your topic is great, but you always need to make sure you think about your audience when selecting your specific purpose. For this reason, when writing your specific purpose, start off your sentence by including the words “my audience” or actually listing the name of your audience: a group of journalism students, the people in my congregation, my peers in class, and so on. When you place your audience first, you’re a lot more likely to have a successful speech.

Matching the Rhetorical Situation

After your audience, the second most important consideration about your specific purpose pertains to the rhetorical situation of your speech. The rhetorical situation is the set of circumstances surrounding your speech (e.g., speaker, audience, text, and context). When thinking about your specific purpose, you want to ensure that all these components go together. You want to make sure that you are the appropriate speaker for a topic, the topic is appropriate for your audience, the text of your speech is appropriate, and the speech is appropriate for the context. For example, speeches that you give in a classroom may not be appropriate in a religious context and vice versa.

Make It Clear

The specific purpose statement for any speech should be direct and not too broad, general, or vague. Consider the lack of clarity in the following specific purpose: “To persuade the students in my class to drink more.” Obviously, we have no idea what the speaker wants the audience to drink: water, milk, orange juice? Alcoholic beverages? Furthermore, we have no way to quantify or make sense of the word “more.” “More” assumes that the students are already drinking a certain amount, and the speaker wants them to increase their intake. If you want to persuade your listeners to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day, you need to say so clearly in your specific purpose.

Another way in which purpose statements are sometimes unclear comes from the use of colloquial language. While we often use colloquialisms in everyday life, they are often understood only by a limited number of people. It may sound like fun to have a specific purpose like, “To persuade my audience to get jiggy,” but if you state this as your purpose, many people probably won’t know what you’re talking about at all.

Don’t Double Up

You cannot hope to solve the entire world’s problems in one speech, so don’t even try. At the same time, you also want to make sure that you stick to one specific purpose. Chances are it will be challenging enough to inform your audience about one topic or persuade them to change one behavior or opinion. Don’t put extra stress on yourself by adding topics. If you find yourself using the word “and” in your specific topic statement, you’re probably doubling up on topics.

Can I Really Do This in Five to Seven Minutes?

When choosing your specific purpose, it’s important to determine whether it can be realistically covered in the amount of time you have. Time limits are among the most common constraints for students in a public speaking course. Usually speeches early in the term have shorter time limits (three to five minutes), and speeches later in the term have longer time limits (five to eight minutes). While eight minutes may sound like an eternity to be standing up in front of the class, it’s actually a very short period of time in which to cover a topic. To determine whether you think you can accomplish your speech’s purpose in the time slot, ask yourself how long it would take to make you an informed person on your chosen topic or to persuade you to change your behavior or attitudes.

If you cannot reasonably see yourself becoming informed or persuaded during the allotted amount of time, chances are you aren’t going to inform or persuade your audience either. The solution, of course, is to make your topic narrower so that you can fully cover a limited aspect of it.

Key Takeaways

  • Moving from a general to specific purpose requires you to identify the who , what , when , where , and why of your speech.
  • State your specific purpose in a sentence that includes the general purpose, a description of the intended audience, and a prepositional phrase summarizing the topic.
  • When creating a specific purpose for your speech, first, consider your audience. Second, consider the rhetorical situation. Make sure your specific purpose statement uses clear language, and that it does not try to cover more than one topic.
  • Make sure you can realistically accomplish your specific purpose within the allotted time.
  • You’ve been asked to give a series of speeches on the importance of health care in poverty-stricken countries. One audience will consist of business men and women, one audience will consist of religious leaders, and another audience will consist of high school students. How would you need to adjust your speech’s purpose for each of these different audiences? How do these different audiences alter the rhetorical situation?
  • For the following list of topics, think about how you could take the same topic and adjust it for each of the different general purposes (inform, persuade, and entertain). Write out the specific purpose for each of your new speech topics. Here are the three general topic areas to work with: the First Amendment to the US Constitution, iPods, and literacy in the twenty-first century.

Stand up, Speak out Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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  1. Types of Speech According to Purpose Flashcards

    according to purpose and delivery. two classifications of speech. 3 puposes. amount of purposes for speech. Expository/Informative Speech. purpose; 1. given to provide the audience with information regarding a topic or to expand their knowledge about a topic that they were already familiar with. Persuasive Speech.

  2. TYPES OF SPEECH ACCORDING TO PURPOSE Flashcards

    TYPES OF SPEECH ACCORDING TO PURPOSE. Get a hint. EXPOSITORY OR INFORMATIVE SPEECH. Click the card to flip 👆. conveys accurate information in a way that is clear and that keeps the listener interested in the topic. helps listeners acquire information that he does not already possess (but does not encourage him to use that knowledge in any ...

  3. 6.1 General Purposes of Speaking

    Technically speaking, a purpose can be defined as why something exists, how we use an object, or why we make something. For the purposes of public speaking, all three can be applicable. For example, when we talk about a speech's purpose, we can question why a specific speech was given; we can question how we are supposed to use the ...

  4. 10.1: What are the Different Types of Speeches?

    Your instructor will most likely assign you an informative and persuasive speech, and then perhaps one more. The third one might be a special occasion speech, such as a tribute (commemorative), an after-dinner speech, a toast, or a eulogy. These four types of speeches fit into the category of "to inspire" or "to entertain.".

  5. Subject Libguide: Speech Communication: Types of speeches

    A persuasive speech tries to influence or reinforce the attitudes, beliefs, or behavior of an audience. This type of speech often includes the following elements: appeal to the audience. appeal to the reasoning of the audience. focus on the relevance of your topic. alligns the speech to the audience - ensure they understand the information ...

  6. 1.5: Types of Speeches and Speaking Occasions

    The second purpose for public speaking is to persuade. In a persuasive speech, the presenter will attempt to reinforce or change their audiences' beliefs, attitudes, feelings, or values. Several occasions where persuasion is used include a sales pitch to potential customers, a politician's campaign speech, or a debate during a public forum.

  7. Four Types of Speeches

    Four Types of Speeches. Speeches can be categorized into four broad areas depending on the amount of preparation that is undertaken and depending upon the nature of the occasion. The four types of speeches are manuscript, memorized, extemporaneous, and impromptu. Our aim is to acquaint you with these four different modes of delivery, to provide ...

  8. 13 Main Types of Speeches (With Examples and Tips)

    Informative speech. Informative speeches aim to educate an audience on a particular topic or message. Unlike demonstrative speeches, they don't use visual aids. They do, however, use facts, data and statistics to help audiences grasp a concept. These facts and statistics help back any claims or assertions you make.

  9. The 4 types of speeches: overviews, writing guidelines, examples

    An informative speech does as its name suggests: informs. It provides information about a topic. The topic could be a place, a person, an animal, a plant, an object, an event, or a process. The informative speech is primarily explanatory and educational. Its purpose is not to persuade or influence opinion one way or the other.

  10. Quiz #2 Types of Speech According to Purpose

    1. Multiple Choice. The speech context used in delivering speeches in front of an audience. 2. Multiple Choice. A type of speech which provides the audience with a clear understanding and detailed information of concepts. 3. Multiple Choice. Sharing ideas to the class is an example of an ___________________ speech.

  11. Types of Speech According to Purpose Flashcards

    Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like is a form of oral communication where a speaker delivers a message orally to an audience., 2 Types of Speeches, •Defines, explains, describes, or demonstrates • It's purpose is to "provide information" clearly and completely for the audience to understand. and more.

  12. Types of Speech According to Purpose

    Types of Speech According to Purpose. 1. Multiple Choice. This aims to provide information to the audience. 2. Multiple Choice. Types of informative that explains a concept, theme or an abstract. 3. Multiple Choice.

  13. TYPES OF SPEECHES

    This type of speech aims to make the audience relax, enjoy, and even laugh. ... impromptu speech. 6. Multiple Choice. Edit. 10 seconds. 1 pt. The following are types of speeches according to purpose EXCEPT: informative speech. impromptu speech. persuasive speech. ... All are categorized as types of speeches according to delivery, EXCEPT ...

  14. 16.2 Types of Informative Speeches

    Ethnocentrism is the idea that one's own culture is superior to others. Ethnocentrism strongly contributes to positive group identity. Ethnocentrism facilitates the coordination of social activity. Ethnocentrism contributes to a sense of safety within a group. Ethnocentrism becomes harmful when it creates barriers.

  15. 6.4 Specific Purposes

    To form a clear and succinct statement of the specific purpose of your speech, start by naming your general purpose (to inform, to persuade, or to entertain). Follow this by a capsule description of your audience (my peers in class, a group of kindergarten teachers, etc.). Then complete your statement of purpose with a prepositional phrase (a ...

  16. SOLVED: The following are types of speech according to purpose EXCEPT A

    Step 1: Identify the types of speech according to purpose. According to the question, the types of speech according to purpose are: - Informative speech - Persuasive speech - Impromptu speech - Entertainment speech Step 2/3 Step 2: Identify the option that is NOT a type of speech according to purpose. The option that is NOT a type of speech ...

  17. The following are types of speech according to purpose except. a

    The question is about different types of speech according to purpose. Types of speeches usually categorized by their purposes include informative speech (aims to educate and convey knowledge), persuasive speech (intends to convince, stimulate or actuate audience to adopt certain beliefs or behaviors), and entertainment speech (puts emphasis on ...

  18. Types of Speech according to PURPOSE Flashcards

    provide the audiences an information about certain concept or idea. Persuasive. provide Ideas and concepts that can influence the audience's idea and decision. entertainment. To entertain audiences.

  19. 1. The following are types of speech according to purpose EXCEPT

    4. The _____ is a type of speech that aims to make the audience relax, enjoy, and even laugh. A. expository speech C. persuasive speech B. entertainment speech D. informative speech 5. Delivering a speech with the help of short notes and a clear outline is known as _____. A. manuscript speech C. extemporaneous speech B. memorized speech D ...

  20. The following are types of speech according to purpose EXCEPT______.A

    Types of Speech According to Purpose a. informative or expository speech • is mainly performed for the purpose of educating the audience on new or relevant piece of information on a particular topic. b. persuasive speech • is given solely for the purpose of convincing the audience to agree with the speaker's opinion on a particular topic c. entertainment speech • aims to share laughter ...