Page 303 - Essentials of Human Communication

282 ChaPtEr 13 The Informative Speech

In delivering such a speech, the speaker might begin with this:

A lie is a lie is a lie. True? Well, not exactly. Actually, there are a number of different ways we
can lie. We can lie by concealing the truth. We can lie by falsification, by presenting false in-
formation as if it were true. And we can lie by misdirection, by acknowledging a feeling but
misidentifying its cause.
Let’s look at the first type of lie—the lie of concealment. . . .
Speeches at the Academy Awards
span the range from absolutely
terrible to great. Take a look at speeChes Of deMOnstratIOn
“Academy Speeches” at tcbdevito
.blogspot.com. Select a speech In a speech of demonstration, you show the audience how to do something or how some-
and explain why you think it’s one thing operates Examples of speeches in which you demonstrate how to do something might
of the best (or one of the worst). include how to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, how to drive defensively, how to mix
colors, how to ask for a raise, how to burglarproof your house, or how to use Prezi in busi-
ness meetings. Examples of speeches in which you demonstrate how something operates
might include how the body maintains homeostasis, how perception works, how divorce
Watch the Video “How laws work, how e-mail works, how a hurricane develops, or how a heart bypass operation
to Unlock Your Car if You
Lock Your Keys Inside” at is performed.
MyCommunicationLab
thesis and Main points The thesis for a speech of demonstration identifies what you
will show the audience how to do or how something operates:

E-mail works through a series of electronic connections from one computer to a server
to another computer.
You can burglarproof your house in three different ways.
These guidelines will help you get that raise.
You derive the main points by asking a simple how or what question related to your thesis:
How do these electronic connections work?
What are the things you can do to burglarproof your house?
What are the guidelines for asking for a raise?

support To support each of the main ideas in a speech of demonstra-
tion, you can use a variety of materials. For example, you might show dia-
grams of houses with different burglarproofing arrangements, demonstrate
how various locks work, or show how different security systems are
installed.
Presentation aids are especially helpful in speeches of demonstration.
Signs in restaurants demonstrating the Heimlich maneuver, for example,
demonstrate the sequence of steps with both words and pictures. The com-
bination of verbal and graphic information makes it easy to understand this
important process. In a speech on this topic, however, it would be best to
use only the pictures as aids so that written words would not distract your
audience from your oral explanation.

Organization In most cases, a temporal pattern will work best in
speeches of demonstration. Demonstrate each step in the sequence in which
it is to be performed. In this way, you’ll avoid one of the major difficulties in
ViewpOInts demonstrating a process—backtracking. Don’t skip steps even if you think
description, definition, demonstration they’re familiar to the audience; they may not be. Connect each step to the
Speeches often have three general purposes— next with appropriate transitions. For example, in explaining the Heimlich
description, definition, and demonstration. Can you maneuver, you might say, “Now that you have your arms around the chok-
identify these elements of informative speeches in ing victim’s chest, your next step is to . . .” Assist your listeners by labeling
class lectures, home shopping network shows, the steps clearly: for example, say, “The first step,” “The second step,” and
cooking shows, or social media sites?
so on.