Informative Speeches

An informative speech is a speech that aims to provide information to the listeners about some
topic. The goal of an informative speech is not to persuade listeners to change their beliefs or to
actions, but rather the goal is to increase their knowledge and awareness of the topic. There are
four types of informative speeches: speeches about objects, speeches about events, speeches
about processes, and speeches about concepts. We will go over each of the four types in more
detail below.
Examples:

Kim just started her first day at a new high school. After retrieving her schedule and having a
brief meeting with the school's guidance counselor, Kim makes her way to her first class. Kim's
teacher asks her to introduce herself to her classmates. Kim walks to the front of the class,
introduces herself, and tells her fellow students several facts about her life. By doing this, Kim
has just given an informative speech.
Speeches about objects are about tangible things that can be experienced through the five senses
(vision, taste, sound, smell, touch). Speeches about objects are thought to be the most frequently
used type of informative speech. These speeches not only include items such as books or movies
but also people and places. In the example above, the speech Kim gave about herself is a speech
about objects, where Kim is the 'object.' Other examples of object speech topics include speeches
about Martin Luther King, Jr., the characteristics of the Empire State building, sharks, and your
favorite fictional television character (i.e. Sherlock Holmes from the television
show Elementary).

INFORMATIVE SPEECH TOPICS EXAMPLES

Informative Speeches can be about anything: School, work, sports, travel, ecology, reading.
When writing your speech, there aren't any limits to the topic of discussion. Here are some  short
informative speech examples. Our first informative speech sample is a public Centre addressing
the new garbage collection routine:

HOW TO WRITE AN INFORMATIVE SPEECH: SAMPLES AND TIPS

Decide on your Topic

Think about topics you like and things you're good at. Write down a list of subjects like this one:
 Sports
 Arts
 Politics
 Food
 Travel
Then, do some research on all of them. Read articles online and talk to people who share your
excitement. If possible, interview people in the industry (like Chefs or Artists). Get their point of
view and what they've done through their career.
Start with a general subject that is broad and easy to work with. Try to remember things you
found interesting in high school that you would like to learn more about now. The more time you
spend researching, the easier it will be to write your speech. If your speech is good, you will
probably end up giving it or hearing it more than once in the future. Spend enough time writing
and do not take any shortcuts. For instance, if you are going to talk about fishing, make sure you
identify different types of fish and what bait works best on each of them. Even if you think you
know everything about a subject, still do the research. You never know when something new
pops out.

Narrow down your general subjects into topics

Once you've identified some exciting subjects, try to narrow them down as much as you can.
Let's say you're interested in Arts:
Arts - Famous Artists - Famous Paintings - The Mona Lisa
This is just an example, but the process should go something like that. Narrowing down your
subject into more manageable smaller topics is important, so you know what to focus on. Writing
about Art itself will be too grand of an undertaking, and it will take you months of preparation.
Your speech will end up the size of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
As you narrow down the topic, try to find interesting and not so well known facts that you can
include in your final speech. If you focus on general ideas that everyone knows, your whole
speech will be dull and boring.

Informative Speech

1. An informative speech is given for the purpose of providing information about a topic to
the audience. Notice that the purpose of an informative speech is similar to the purpose
for writing an informative essay. The organizational structure and type of information in
an informative speech would be similar to that in an informative essay.
2. 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.

3. Examples of Informative Speech:

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.
4. Pastor teaching a class about the meaning behind Holy Communion in the Christian
Church.
5. Doctor talking to a group about ways to avoid heart disease.
4. Examples of Informative Speeches in Literature or Popular Culture:
Excerpt from Marie Curie's speech on the discovery of radium:
I could tell you many things about radium and radioactivity and it would take a long time.
But as we cannot do that, I shall only give you a short account of my early work about
radium. Radium is no more a baby, it is more than twenty years old, but the conditions of
the discovery were somewhat peculiar, and so it is always of interest to remember them
and to explain them. We must go back to the year 1897. Professor Curie and I worked at
that time in the laboratory of the school of Physics and Chemistry where Professor Curie
held his lectures. I was engaged in some work on uranium rays which had been
discovered two years before by Professor Becquerel.***I spent some time in studying the
way of making good measurements of the uranium rays, and then I wanted to know if
there were other elements, giving out rays of the same kind. So I took up a work about all
known elements, and their compounds and found that uranium compounds are active and
also all thorium compounds, but other elements were not found active, nor were their
compounds. As for the uranium and thorium compounds, I found that they were active in
proportion to their uranium or thorium content.
President George W. Bush's address to the nation as the US attacked Iraq begins as an
informative speech:
 My fellow citizens, at this hour American and coalition forces are in the early stages of
military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave
danger.
On my orders, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance
to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war. These are opening stages of what
will be a broad and concerted campaign.
More than 35 countries are giving crucial support, from the use of naval and air bases, to
help with intelligence and logistics, to the deployment of combat units. Every nation in
this coalition has chosen to bear the duty and share the honor of serving in our common
defense.

LIST OF INFORMATIVE SPEECH TOPICS

1. Why travel is beneficial to education.

2. How to save money on your income taxes.
3. How Many Hours Should You Spend In The Gym?
4. Effective Methods Of Losing Weight Without Straining Your Body
5. The process of buying a house.
6. How To Cure Depression And Anxiety
7. How To Deal With Conflicts In Your Workplace
8. Why lying well can be useful
9. Defining A Computer Virus
10. UFO’s
11. My worst embarrassing experience
12. Psychological tactics in marketing.
13. Which Are The Most Nutritious Fruits Today?
14. The best investment strategies.
15. Bat sleeps upside down: what are the reasons?
16. Dangers Of Nicotine In The Body
17. New technologies
18. How to be the favorite person of everybody
19. The benefits of enterprise resource planning.
20. Have you even compared crocodiles with alligators?
21. How to behave with kids when they are learning to speak?
22. 5 sure-to-impress excuses for not handing in your homework (getting to work on time,
coming home on time…)
23. A thorough discussion on Charles Darwin’s contribution to Biology
24. Long-Term Effects Of Genocide In Rwanda
25. What are Mormon values?
26. Discussion on some of the fascinating facts about Noah’s Ark
27. Decline and fall of the Roman Empire
 28. What factors affect community participation in public meetings?
29. How to create a successful brand.
30. How to successfully fail your exams
31. The three branches of U.S. government
32. The six wives of Henry 8th
33. Roadside attractions
34. How to save money in college.
35. The role of accounting in the control of public expenditures in Nigeria.
36. Biological Warfare And Its Consequences
37. Speeding cameras are meant to provide the government money.

How to Write an Inspirational Speech

by Lisa McQuerrey; Updated August 08, 2018

Public speaking can be nerve wracking for many people, and when you’re asked to deliver an
inspirational speech, you may feel the pressure is heightened. However, this type of speaking
engagement is intended to make the audience feel good, and as such, the approach, language and
delivery can have a more personal feel than a typical business-style presentation.
What Is Your Purpose?

To inspire people, you need to have a clear concept of what the audience needs to hear. This
means that you must know your audience. Before you get started with your writing, consider
who will be listening to your words and what types of ideas might catch and hold their attention.
For example, if you’re speaking to students who are about to enter the workforce, you might
write words of encouragement that urge them to be confident, ambitious and enthusiastic about
their futures. If you’re speaking to colleagues about coping with challenging transitions in the
workplace, you may choose to write about the benefits of having perseverance, and about
embracing change and forging new paths to better things. Understanding your audience will help
you craft your message.

Tell a Story

Telling a story can help illustrate the points you’re making -- and when it’s a story of
overcoming adversity, making a difference or beating the odds -- it can play to people’s emotions
and inspire them to action. The story should be applicable to your overall message and should
demonstrate the challenge, the approach and the outcome. For example:

When company founder William Woods was only 10 years old, he lived with his eight siblings
in a two-room house with no heat or indoor plumbing. His mother worked two jobs to support
the family, and she never complained. In fact, through her words and actions, she demonstrated
that with hard work, you could accomplish anything. Fifty years later, William's mother would
be proud of all he has accomplished. Today, this company is an industry leader in creating
affordable housing for working families.

Tie the Audience to the Big Picture

Writing an inspirational speech that draws your audience in on a personal level can be very
effective. For example, in a business environment, it might mean speaking about the
organization’s achievements, or the impact the audience's work has on the people the company
serves. You might accomplish this by incorporating testimonials or by providing an overview of
statistical information. For example:

Thanks to your individual efforts, more than 100 underprivileged middle school students have
new backpacks, clothes and shoes to start the school year. I’d like to read a few lines from the
Thank You notes the kids sent...

This is the first time I had new shoes for school.

My new backpack is awesome - my old one was falling apart and I hated wearing it to school.

One of my friends said I had the coolest outfit of anyone in the class.

Play on Emotions

An emotional response is a necessary precursor to inspiration. In writing your speech, use

language that paints a picture and elicits a visceral reaction. Examples:

Because of your commitment and dedication...

By coming together in a spirit of collaboration...

Working hand in hand, looking out for each other and supporting one another...

The incredible degree of professionalism, creativity and commitment you each exhibit will make
this possible...

End your speech on a positive note so people will come away with a feel-good sensation that will
encourage them to carry forward whatever mission you encouraged them to go on during your
speech. Issue a call to action, offer a word of thanks, or challenge people to personally embrace
your words and to continue to make a difference.