Lesson 2: Types of Speeches

Types of Speech According to Purpose

Informative Speech
An informative speech is given for the purpose of providing information about a topic to the audience. To write
an informative speech, you first choose a topic either one that you already know about or one that you are
willing to research and learn about. Then, you outline and draft your informative speech based on the topic,
key points, and details and information you want to give about your topic. Make sure you catch your
audience's attention and that you summarize key points and "take-aways" as you go.
The main types of informative speeches include definition, descriptive, explanatory, and demonstrative.
A definition speech explains the meaning, theory, or philosophy of a specific topic that the audience likely does
not know much about. The topics may be general, such as a sport, or highly specific, like a particular person.
The main goal of this speech is to educate the audience so that they understand the main points regarding this
subject.
A demonstration speech explains how to do something. If you have ever sat through a lecture where a teacher
explained how to create a bibliography, then you have heard a demonstration speech. Like most informative
speeches, a how-to speech will likely use visual examples that show the audience how to move from step to
step through a particular activity. Visualizations help the audience retain what each step looks like, increasing
the likelihood that they will retain the overall information of the speech.
An explanatory speech might give a description of the state of a given topic. As an example, consider the types
of speeches that are given at industry conferences. The goal of these speeches is for the speaker to inform the
audience on a particular part of an industry. Commonly, these will also utilize visualizations that give the
audience a visual representation of the particular data or statistics contained in the speech. This is one way to
condense highly complex information into an easily retainable package for the audience.
A descriptive speech creates a vivid picture in a person's mind regarding an object, person, animal, or place. An
archaeologist who has discovered a new temple in South America or a paleontologist who believes they have
found a new dinosaur may use a descriptive speech to inform an interested audience about their recent
discoveries.
As all of these types make clear, there are many ways that a given set of information can be communicated in a
speech. When deciding what type of informative speech you want to write and deliver, consider what you
want the audience to know about your topic.
Examples:
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
Persuasive Speech
A persuasive speech is given for the purpose of persuading the audience to feel a certain way, to take a certain
action, or to support a specific view or cause. To write a persuasive speech, you choose a topic about which
people disagree or can have differing opinions. Your persuasive argument will be made stronger if you can
demonstrate that you are passionate about the topic and have a strong opinion one way or the other. Then,
you outline and draft your persuasive speech by taking a position on the topic and outlining your support for
your position. It is often helpful to also discuss why the "other side" is incorrect in their beliefs about the topic.
Make sure you catch your audience's attention and that you summarize key points and "take-aways" as you go.
Examples:
1. A teenager attempting to convince her parents that she needs to be able to stay out until 11pm instead of
10pm
2. A student council president trying to convince school administrators to allow the students to have a dance
after the final football game of the season
3. A lawyer giving a closing argument in court, arguing about whether the defendant is innocent or guilty of
the crime
Inspirational Speech
Inspirational Speech is a kind of speech that convinces people they can succeed in life. This speech includes
uplifting stories that the speaker thinks the people listening to it will be moved and inspired to do greater and
better things in their life.
Edmund Chow, a motivational speaker, explained how to structure a motivational or inspirational speech
“For you, you would need to find the monster figures in your life. They could be oppressive colleagues, bosses,
teacher, parents, or other authoritative figures. Ask:
What did they prevent you from doing, or from becoming?
In your pursuit to “slay the dragon” or “overcome this monster”, what steps, strategies, or hacks did you take
with you on your journey? Retrace the steps and find out what you did. Ask:
What did I do at Level 1? And then when it happened again, how did I react and was it successful? What
happened next? How did I become better? Did I run away/ escape from its control? Did I stand up for my own
rights instead?
You see, the things you did are the things that helped develop your values — your inner strength, your
resilience, your determination and your authenticity in becoming who you are. And that’s the inspiring part.
Make the emotional connection for your audience and invite them to take similar actions. This is where you
can motivate them to regain their confidence or faith in themselves or in a higher power. This is also important
in helping them connect with your story heart-to-heart, where they can feel you and can empathize with you.
But, more importantly, because they see that you have done it, they now know that it’s possible for them too.
That’s the positive effect you want in your audience.
Entertainment Speech
The primary purpose of the speech is to entertain, to have the audience relax, smile and enjoy the occasion.
The speech should have a central theme or a focus The sole purpose is to have the audience enjoy the
presentation. There are many ways to entertain the audience. You can tell jokes, tell funny stories, dramatize
an anecdote tell a scary story
Common Forms of Entertainment Topics
There are three basic types of entertaining speeches: the after-dinner speech, the ceremonial speech, and the
inspirational speech. The after-dinner speech is a form of speaking where a speaker takes a serious speech
topic (either informative or persuasive) and injects a level of humor into the speech to make it entertaining.
A ceremonial speech is a type of entertaining speech where the specific context of the speech is the driving
force of the speech. Common types of ceremonial speeches include introductions, toasts, and eulogies.
The final type of entertaining speech is one where the speaker's primary goal is to inspire her or his audience.
Inspirational speeches are based in emotion with the goal to motivate listeners to alter their lives in some
significant way.