how to bake a cake informative speech

Sample details

Informative Speech

• Views: 2,250

Related Topics

• Energy drink
• Presentation
• Speech Analysis
• Organic Food
• Healthy Food
• Food security

Informative Speech: How to Bake a Cake from Scratch

In this class, the speaker teaches how to turn a plain cupcake into a work of art. First, they explain how to bake a cake from scratch by combining flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, melted butter, whole milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Then, they teach how to make buttercream frosting by mixing butter, shortening, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and whole milk. Finally, they demonstrate how to use Wilton’s dessert decorator pro to pipe frosting onto the cupcake in a spiral pattern and decorate it with sprinkles or icing decorations. By following these easy steps, one can impress their friends and family by turning a boring cupcake into a work of art.

I want you to imagine that this class room is a bakery. Have you ever wondered how they turned a plain cupcake into a work of art? Well today I’m going to show you how you can turn a plain boring cupcake into a work of art. It’s simple really just follow three easy steps. I should know I’ve been baking since I was three. First I’m going to tell you how to bake a cake from scratch Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 1. 2 ? cups of cake flour 2.? teaspoons of salt 3. 3 teaspoons of baking powder 4. 1 cup of sugar 5.? cup ( 1 stick) of melted butter 6.? cup of whole milk . 2 eggs beaten 8. 1 ? teaspoon of vanilla extract Next, we’re going to combine our ingredients. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir into flour mixture. Fill cupcake liners with batter, 2/3 cups filled Bake in oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or for 10-20 minutes. (Depending on oven and size of cupcakes) Remove from oven and let cupcake cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack face down for 30 minutes.

Secondly I’m going to tell you how to make your own butter cream frosting You will need to gather the following ingredients: 1.? cup ( 1 stick) of salted butter softened 2.? of shorting 3. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 4. 4 cups of powdered sugar 5. 2 tablespoons of whole milk In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer cream butter and shorting on medium speed Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time mixing well on medium speed. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the powdered sugar is blended in.

ready to help you now

Without paying upfront

When powdered sugar is mixed in your frosting will look dry. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time and beat. Place a wet towel over the bowl until ready to use. Finally, you are ready to turn your plain cupcake into a work of art using Wilton’s dessert decorator pro. Pull the plunger up and fill the cylinder with frosting using an angled spatula. Place your M1 aka star tip on the end of the coupler ring and screw on the correct size. Screw the coupler ring onto the bottom of your dessert decorator. Hold dessert decorator by placing your hand around the outer sleeve and position your thumb on the thumb lever.

Since you are using a star tip you want hold your piping back or dessert decorator at a 90 degree angle (straight up and down) 1/8 inch above your cupcake. Push down on the thumb lever and pipe a spiral of frosting onto cupcake. Begin on the outer edge and work inward, stop pressure and pull away. Once finished, if you want you can decorate anyway you want using sprinkles or edible icing decorations. In conclusion I hope the next time you decide to bake cupcakes or cake you will impress your family member and friends by turning a boring cupcake into a work of art. Thank You

Cite this page

https://graduateway.com/informative-speech-how-to-bake-a-cake-from-scratch/

You can get a custom paper by one of our expert writers

• Vegetarianism
• Street Food

Check more samples on your topics

How to bake a cake.

Do you remember your first experience tasting cake? The excitement and anticipation leading up to that moment, combined with the temptation to devour the entire cake. It's remarkable how something so beautiful can be completely consumed because of hunger. Has anyone ever thought about calling the police? It seems like a violent act, continually stabbing

Informative Speech Topics & Example Informative Speeche Ideas

Coming up with the right informative speech topics can be one of the most difficult parts of writing an informative speech.Before you come up with a strong topic, though, it is important to understand the basic premise of an informative speech.(Just looking for topics ideas without the speech-writing guidelines? Jump straight to my list of

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake Short Summary

Today is a day of great sadness in the world of literature. Although I did not have the opportunity to personally know Amy Bender, her writing deeply affected my emotions. The news of her sudden death was incredibly shocking and left me feeling overwhelmed with sorrow. In her novel, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake,

The Carrot Cake Dessert Research Paper

The Carrot Cake Dessert Who would ever think a cake made with a vegetable would turn out to be a delicious dessert that is easy to prepare and serve? My dad’s favorite kind of cake is a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. This cake is now one of my mom’s famous recipes known to

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Trying a new recipe can be an exciting adventure or a daunting task. It can be scary trying something new, but as long as you follow the directions, this Banana Pudding Poke Cake is likely to be an enjoyable dessert. Remember, the most important thing in preparing a new recipe is to be sure you

Ddeok Korean Traditional Rice Cake

Essays Database

Ddeok, also known as Korean traditional rice cakes, plays a significant role in many important Korean traditions and customs as the revered food of the gods. It can be enjoyed all year round, whether it is plain or incorporated into soups and appetizers. Ddeok comes in various forms, such as ceremonial ddeoks, everyday traditional ddeoks,

“To Hell and Back, with Cake” By: Safiya Henderson-Holmes

The title of the poem “To Hell and Back, with Cake” is exactly what the young girl in goes through to get cupcakes, a desirable treat or reward. The poem has a lot to do with racism and discrimination. It is written in first person and as a narrative with many different poetic techniques such

The Tastiest Carrot Cake

Birthdaies have been particular over the old ages. what makes it particular is non balloons or parties. but the desert! Every birthday that I can retrieve I have had a carrot flourless bar. dual bed with rich cocoa frost on the top. Its place made by my ma. she is the the lone individual that

Wedding cake model of criminal justice examples

During he paper I will look at the strengths and weaknesses of a rehabilitative approach. I will also look at the governments Big Society principles, examining if this has any effect on offenders. The Church of England Temperance Society is historically the first probation service to be set up in England and Wales in 1876

Hi, my name is Amy 👋

In case you can't find a relevant example, our professional writers are ready to help you write a unique paper. Just talk to our smart assistant Amy and she'll connect you with the best match.

Module 4: Organizing and Outlining

Organizational styles.

After deciding which main points and sub-points you must include, you can get to work writing up the speech. Before you do so, however, it is helpful to consider how you will organize the ideas. From presenting historical information in chronological order as part of an informative speech to drawing a comparison between two ideas in a persuasive speech to offering up problems and solutions, there are many ways in which speakers can craft effective speeches. These are referred to as organizational styles, or templates for organizing the main points of a speech.

Chronological

“Vintage alarm clock” by peter-rabbit. CC-BY-NC .

When you speak about events that are linked together by time, it is sensible to engage the chronological organization style. In a chronological speech , main points are delivered according to when they happened and could be traced on a calendar or clock. Arranging main points in chronological order can be helpful when describing historical events to an audience as well as when the order of events is necessary to understand what you wish to convey. Informative speeches about a series of events most commonly engage the chronological style, as do many demonstrative speeches (e.g., how to bake a cake or build an airplane). Another time when the chronological style makes sense is when you tell the story of someone’s life or career. For instance, a speech about Oprah Winfrey might be arranged chronologically (see textbox). In this case, the main points are arranged by following Winfrey’s life from birth to the present time. Life events (e.g., birth, her early career, her life after ending the Oprah Winfrey Show) are connected together according to when they happened and highlight the progression of Winfrey’s career. Organizing the speech in this way illustrates the interconnectedness of life events.

Oprah Winfrey (Chronological Arrangement)

Thesis : Oprah’s career can be understood by four key, interconnected life stages.

I. Oprah’s childhood was spent in rural Mississippi, where she endured sexual abuse from family members.

II. Oprah’s early career was characterized by stints on local radio and television networks in Nashville and Chicago.

III. Oprah’s tenure as host of the Oprah Winfrey Show began in 1986 and lasted until 2011, a period of time marked by much success.

IV. Oprah’s most recent media venture is OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, which plays host to a variety of television shows including Oprah’s Next Chapter .

Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment. – Oprah Winfrey

When the main points of your speech center on ideas that are more distinct from one another, a topical organization style may be engaged. In a topical speech , main points are developed separately and are generally connected together within the introduction and conclusion. In other words, the topical style is crafted around main points and sub-points that are mutually exclusive but related to one another by virtue of the thesis. It makes sense to use the topical style when elements are connected to one another because of their relationship to the whole. A topical speech about the composition of a newspaper company can be seen in the following textbox. The main points are linked together by the fact that they are all a part of the same business. Although they are related in that way, the topical style illustrates the ways in which the four different departments function apart from one another. In this example, the topical style is a good fit because the four departments are equally important to the function of the newspaper company.

Composition of a Newspaper Company (Topical Arrangement)

Thesis : The newspaper has four primary departments.

I. The advertising department sells display advertisements to local and national businesses.

II. The editorial department produces the written content of the newspaper, including feature stories.

III. The production department lays out the pages and manages pre- press work such as distilling the pages and processing colors.

IV. The business department processes payments from advertisers, employee paperwork, and the bi-weekly payroll.

Another way to organize the points of a speech is through a spatial speech , which arranges main points according to their physical and geographic relationships. The spatial style is an especially useful organization style when the main point’s importance is derived from its location or directional focus. In other words, when the scene or the composition is a central aspect of the main points, the spatial style is an appropriate way to deliver key ideas. Things can be described from top to bottom, inside to outside, left to right, north to south, and so on. Importantly, speakers using a spatial style should offer commentary about the placement of the main points as they move through the speech, alerting audience members to the location changes. For instance, a speech about The University of Georgia might be arranged spatially; in this example, the spatial organization frames the discussion in terms of the campus layout. The spatial style is fitting since the differences in architecture and uses of space are related to particular geographic areas, making location a central organizing factor. As such, the spatial style highlights these location differences.

University of Georgia (Spatial Arrangement)

Thesis : The University of Georgia is arranged into four distinct sections, which are characterized by architectural and disciplinary differences.

I. In North Campus, one will find the University’s oldest building, a sprawling tree- lined quad, and the famous Arches, all of which are nestled against Athens’ downtown district.

II. In West Campus, dozens of dormitories provide housing for the University’s large undergraduate population and students can regularly be found lounging outside or at one of the dining halls.

III. In East Campus, students delight in newly constructed, modern buildings and enjoy the benefits of the University’s health center, recreational facilities, and science research buildings.

IV. In South Campus, pharmacy, veterinary, and biomedical science students traverse newly constructed parts of campus featuring well-kept landscaping and modern architecture.

Comparative

“Let’s compare apples to oranges” by frankieleon. CC-BY .

When you need to discuss the similarities and differences between two or more things, a comparative organizational pattern can be employed. In comparative speeches , speakers may choose to compare things a couple different ways. First, you could compare two or more things as whole (e.g., discuss all traits of an apple and then all traits of an orange). Second, you could compare these things element by element (e.g., color of each, smell of each, AND taste of each). Some topics that are routinely spoken about comparatively include different cultures, different types of transportation, and even different types of coffee. A comparative speech outline about eastern and western cultures could look like this.

Eastern vs. Western Culture (Comparison Arrangement)

Thesis : There are a variety of differences between Eastern and Western cultures.

I. Eastern cultures tend to be more collectivistic.

II. Western cultures tend to be more individualistic.

III. Eastern cultures tend to treat health issues 
holistically.

IV. Western cultures tend to 
treat health issues more acutely.

In this type of speech, the list of comparisons, which should be substantiated with further evidence, could go on for any number of main points. The speech could also compare how two or more things are more alike than one might think. For instance, a speaker could discuss how singers Madonna and Lady Gaga share many similarities both in aesthetic style and in their music.

Problem-Solution

“ FEMA” by Dave Gatley. Public domain.

Sometimes it is necessary to share a problem and a solution with an audience. In cases like these, the problem-solution speech is an appropriate way to arrange the main points of a speech. One familiar example of speeches organized in this way is the political speeches that presidential hopefuls give in the United States. Often, candidates will begin their speech by describing a problem created by or, at the very least, left unresolved by the incumbent. Once they have established their view of the problem, they then go on to flesh out their proposed solution. The problem- solution style is especially useful when the speaker wants to convince the audience that they should take action in solving some problem. A political candidate seeking office might frame a speech using the problem-solution style (see textbox).

Presidential Candidate’s Speech (Problem-Solution Arrangement)

Thesis : The US energy crisis can be solved by electing me as president since I will devote resources to the production of renewable forms of energy.

I. The United States is facing an energy crisis because we cannot produce enough energy ourselves to sustain the levels of activity needed to run the country. (problem)

II. The current administration has failed to invest enough resources in renewable energy practices. (problem)

III. We can help create a more stable situation if we work to produce renewable forms of energy within the United States. (solution)

IV. If you vote for me, I will ensure that renewable energy creation is a priority. (solution)

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems. – Mahatma Gandhi

This example illustrates the way in which a problem-solution oriented speech can be used to identify both a general problem (energy crisis) and a specific problem (incumbent’s lack of action). Moreover, this example highlights two kinds of solutions: a general solution and a solution that is dependent on the speaker’s involvement. The problem-solution speech is especially appropriate when the speaker desires to promote a particular solution as this offers audience members a way to become involved. Whether you are able to offer a specific solution or not, key to the problem-solution speech is a clear description of both the problem and the solution with clear links drawn between the two. In other words, the speech should make specific connections between the problem and how the solution can be engaged to solve it.

“Domino” by Bro. Jeffrey Pioquinto, SJ. CC-BY .

Similar to a problem-solution speech, a causal speech informs audience members about causes and effects that have already happened. In other words, a causal organization style first addresses some cause and then shares what effects resulted. A causal speech can be particularly effective when the speaker wants to share the relationship between two things, like the creation of a vaccine to help deter disease. An example of how a causal speech about a shingles vaccine might be designed follows:

As the example illustrates, the basic components of the causal speech are the cause and the effect. Such an organizational style is useful when a speaker needs to share the results of a new program, discuss how one act led to another, or discuss the positive/negative outcomes of taking some action.

Shingles Speech (Cause-Effect Arrangement)

Thesis : The prevalence of the disease shingles led to the invention of a vaccine.

• Shingles is a disease that causes painful, blistering rashes in up to one million Americans every year. (cause)
• In 2006, a vaccine for shingles was licensed in the United States and has been shown to reduce the likelihood that people over 60 years old will get shingles. (effect)

Every choice you make has an end result. – Zig Ziglar

Choosing an organizational style is an important step in the speechwriting process. As you formulate the purpose of your speech and generate the main points that you will need to include, selecting an appropriate organizational style will likely become easier. The topical, spatial, causal, comparative and chronological methods of arrangement may be better suited to informative speeches, whereas the refutation pattern may work well for a persuasive speech. Additionally, Chapter 16 offers additional organization styles suited for persuasive speeches, such as the refutation speech and Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. [1] Next, we will look at statements that help tie all of your points together and the formal mode of organizing a speech by using outlines.

• Monroe, A. H. (1949). Principles and types of speech. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company. ↵
• Chapter 8 Organizational Styles. Authored by : Joshua Trey Barnett. Provided by : University of Indiana, Bloomington, IN. Located at : http://publicspeakingproject.org/psvirtualtext.html . Project : The Public Speaking Project. License : CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
• vintage alarm clock. Authored by : peter-rabbit. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/drEszC . License : CC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial
• let's compare apples to oranges. Authored by : frankieleon. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/bscqLn . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Domino. Authored by : Bro. Jeffrey Pioquinto, SJ. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/pA9ftS . License : CC BY: Attribution
• FEMA - 1337 - Photograph by Dave Gatley taken on 03-01-1998 in California. Authored by : Dave Gatley. Provided by : Federal Emergency Management Agency. Located at : http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FEMA_-_1337_-_Photograph_by_Dave_Gatley_taken_on_03-01-1998_in_California.jpg . License : Public Domain: No Known Copyright

Privacy Policy

Jump to navigation

• Inside Writing
• Teacher's Guides
• Student Models
• Writing Topics
• Minilessons
• Shopping Cart
• Inside Grammar
• Grammar Adventures
• CCSS Correlations
• Infographics

Get a free Grammar Adventure! Choose a single Adventure and add coupon code ADVENTURE during checkout. (All-Adventure licenses aren’t included.)

Sign up or login to use the bookmarking feature.

How to Bake a Cake

Assessment model print, strong how-to.

This third-grade explanatory essay explains how to bake a cake.

Title: How to Bake a Cake

Level: Grade 3

Mode: Explanatory Writing

Form: How-To

Completed Rubric: How to Bake a Cake Rubric

Blank Rubric: Explanatory Rubric

View related assessment models:

Student Model

I love to bake cakes because they make a tasty snack. If you are wondering how to bake a cake, and you don’t know how, this is the way to do it.

The first thing you do is go to the store and get the mix, eggs, milk, and oil. Then you drive back to home sweet home. Next you get a large bowl. After that, you pour in the mix, crack the eggs, and add the milk and oil. Then you set the oven to 350º F. Next you stir it for about 2 minutes. After that you pour it into the pan and put it in the oven for 35-45 minutes The last thing you do is let it cook and wait for a yummy surprise.

Teacher Support:

Click to find out more about this resource.

Standards Correlations:

The State Standards provide a way to evaluate your students' performance.

• 110.5.b.12.B
• LAFS.3.W.1.2
• 110.5.b.11.C
• 110.5.b.11.D
• LAFS.3.W.2.5

© 2024 Thoughtful Learning. Copying is permitted.

k12.thoughtfullearning.com

My Speech Class

Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

51 Speech Topic Ideas On Food, Drink, and Cooking

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

• Various types of preparing chili.
• Your favorite and trusted shrimp appetizer recipes.
• Ancient Egyptian recipes for bread specialities.
• Use beans, lentils and peas instead of meat.
• Camping cooking tips for outdoor activities.
• The best of the finest French cheeses.
• Which condiments (sauce and seasoning dressing) when?
• Junk food and its relation to obesity
• Bake, coddle, boil, poach, scramble eggs in minutes.
• Use of herbs and spices.
• How to make marmalade, jelly and jam.
• Frying with meat substitutes.
• The secret of real Italian pasta recipes.
• Tips for safe pressure baking at home.
• Cooking tips on general safety for kids and men (newbies 🙂
• Caesar salad: the salads of salads – how it is made.
• Salads and salad dressings for Thanksgiving dinners.
• Prepare a romantic picnic at the riverside at dawn.
• Learn to shake a cocktail mixed drink.
• Gourmet brings families back to the dinner table.
• Chocolate is a psychoactive food.
• Canning, drying and freezing like Grandma does.
• Why not try a culinary travel trip?
• Different cultures, different desserts.
• History of fondue parties in a nutshell.
• The importance of breakfast.
• The real British sandwiches are the best.
• The origin of the Italian pizza.
• How does a microwave oven work?
• Facts about meat; e.g. the food cycle pyramid.
• Nuts are calory giants.
• Traditional regional soups.
• Fruits and vegetables: eat your colors.
• Kosher food cooking tips.
• Italian cuisine recipes.
• Matching wine to your food – the five perfect matches for a romantic dinner table.
• The basics of wine tasting as it should be.
• A short demonstration speech with a mini-course vinology.
• The great white wine types: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Riesling.
• The great red wines: Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Wine making in Italy and the difference with France, Germany, and California.
• Barbecue tips.
• Indian Food, list some of the myriad regional cuisines.
• White wine should always be served before red wine.
• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
• The relation between livestock welfare and food safety is stronger than we think.
• The pros of eating garlic are greater than the smell the day after.
• The ideal vegetarian barbecue must not include steak sauces.
• Quality control seals is the start of how to control our food chain.
• It is too late to ban genetically modified food.
• Wedding cake origins.

60 Speech Topics on Religion and Spirituality [Persuasive, Informative]

23 Speech Topics On Geography

Leave a Comment

I accept the Privacy Policy

Reach out to us for sponsorship opportunities

Vivamus integer non suscipit taciti mus etiam at primis tempor sagittis euismod libero facilisi.

© 2024 My Speech Class

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• Happiness Hub
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Education and Communications
• Communication Skills
• Public Speaking
• Speechwriting

How to Write an Informative Speech

Last Updated: April 30, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,394,690 times.

An informative speech tells an audience about a process, event, or concept. Whether you’re explaining how to grow a garden or describing a historical event, writing an informative speech is pretty straightforward. Knowing the topic inside and out is key, so start by conducting thorough research. Organize your speech logically so your audience can easily follow, and keep your language clear. Since speeches are recited out loud, be sure to set aside time after writing to perfect your delivery.

Researching the Topic

• Suppose your prompt instructs you to inform the audience about a hobby or activity. Make a list of your clubs, sports, and other activities, and choose the one that interests you most. Then zoom in on one particular aspect or process to focus on in your speech.
• For instance, if you like tennis, you can’t discuss every aspect of the sport in a single speech. Instead, you could focus on a specific technique, like serving the ball.

• For example, if your speech is about a historical event, find primary sources, like letters or newspaper articles published at the time of the event. Additionally, include secondary sources, such as scholarly articles written by experts on the event.
• If you’re informing the audience about a medical condition, find information in medical encyclopedias, scientific journals, and government health websites.

Tip: Organize your sources in a works cited page. Even if the assignment doesn’t require a works cited page, it’ll help you keep track of your sources. [3] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

• For instance, if your speech is on growing plants from seeds, explain the process step-by-step to a friend or relative. Ask them if any parts in your explanation seemed muddy or vague.
• Break down the material into simple terms, especially if you’re addressing a non-expert audience. Think about how you’d describe the topic to a grandparent or younger sibling. If you can’t avoid using jargon, be sure to define technical words in clear, simple terms.

• For example, if your speech is on the poet Charles Baudelaire, a strong thesis would be, “I am here to explain how city life and exotic travel shaped the key poetic themes of Charles Baudelaire’s work.”
• While the goal of an informative speech isn't to make a defensible claim, your thesis still needs to be specific. For instance, “I’m going to talk about carburetors” is vague. “My purpose today is to explain how to take apart a variable choke carburetor” is more specific.

• For instance, a speech meant to persuade an audience to support a political stance would most likely include examples of pathos, or persuasive devices that appeal to the audience's emotions.
• On the other hand, an informative speech on how to grow pitcher plants would present clear, objective steps. It wouldn't try to argue that growing pitcher plants is great or persuade listeners to grow pitcher plants.

Drafting Your Speech

• Delivering memorized remarks instead of reading verbatim is more engaging. A section of a speaking outline would look like this: III. YMCA’s Focus on Healthy Living  A. Commitment to overall health: both body and mind  B. Programs that support commitment   1. Annual Kid’s Day   2. Fitness facilities   3. Classes and group activities

• For example, you could begin with, “Have you ever wondered how a figure skater could possibly jump, twist, and land on the thin blade of an ice skate? From proper technique to the physical forces at play, I’ll explain how world-class skaters achieve jaw-dropping jumps and spins.”
• Once you've established your purpose, preview your speech: “After describing the basic technical aspects of jumping, I’ll discuss the physics behind jumps and spins. Finally, I’ll explain the 6 types of jumps and clarify why some are more difficult than others.”
• Some people prefer to write the speech's body before the introduction. For others, writing the intro first helps them figure out how to organize the rest of the speech.

• For instance, if your speech is about the causes of World War I, start by discussing nationalism in the years prior to the war. Next, describe the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, then explain how alliances pulled the major players into open warfare.
• Transition smoothly between ideas so your audience can follow your speech. For example, write, “Now that we’ve covered how nationalism set the stage for international conflict, we can examine the event that directly led to the outbreak of World War I: the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. [11] X Research source

• For instance, your conclusion could point out, “Examining the factors that set the stage for World War I shows how intense nationalism fueled the conflict. A century after the Great War, the struggle between nationalism and globalism continues to define international politics in the twenty-first century.”

• Typically, speeches aren’t read verbatim. Instead, you’ll memorize the speech and use a bare bones outline to stay on track.

Avoid information overload: When you compose your speech, read out loud as you write. Focus on keeping your sentence structures simple and clear. Your audience will have a hard time following along if your language is too complicated. [14] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source

Perfecting Your Delivery

• While it’s generally okay to use slightly different phrasing, try to stick to your complete outline as best you can. If you veer off too much or insert too many additional words, you could end up exceeding your time limit.
• Keep in mind your speaking outline will help you stay focused. As for quotes and statistics, feel free to write them on your notecards for quick reference.

Memorization tip: Break up the speech into smaller parts, and memorize it section by section. Memorize 1 sentence then, when you feel confident, add the next. Continue practicing with gradually longer passages until you know the speech like the back of your hand.

• Instead of slouching, stand up tall with your shoulders back. In addition to projecting confidence, good posture will help you breathe deeply to support your voice.

• Have them point out any spots that dragged or seemed disorganized. Ask if your tone was engaging, if you used body language effectively, and if your volume, pitch, and pacing need any tweaks.

• If you keep exceeding the time limit, review your complete sentence outline. Cut any fluff and simplify complicated phrases. If your speech isn’t long enough, look for areas that could use more detail or consider adding another section to the body.
• Just make sure any content you add is relevant. For instance, if your speech on nationalism and World War I is 2 minutes too short, you could add a section about how nationalism manifested in specific countries, including Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Serbia.

Sample Informative Speeches

Expert Q&A

• You're probably much better at informative speeches than you think! If you have ever told your parents about your day at school or explained to a friend how to make chicken noodle soup, you already have experience giving an informative speech! Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you get nervous, try to relax, take deep breaths, and visualize calming scenery. Remember, there’s nothing to worry about. Just set yourself up for success by knowing the material and practicing. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• When composing your speech, take your audience into consideration, and tailor your speech to the people you’re addressing. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-realworldcomm/chapter/11-1-informative-speeches/
• ↑ https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s11-01-informative-speeches.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_page_basic_format.html
• ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/11-1-informative-speeches/
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/informative-speaking
• ↑ https://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/337550
• ↑ Lynn Kirkham. Public Speaking Coach. Expert Interview. 20 November 2019.
• ↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/oralcommunication/guides/how-to-outline-a-speech
• ↑ https://wac.colostate.edu/resources/writing/guides/informative-speaking/
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/structuring-speech
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/speeches/
• ↑ https://www.speechanddebate.org/wp-content/uploads/High-School-Competition-Events-Guide.pdf
• ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/10-4-physical-delivery/

About This Article

To write an informative speech, start with an introduction that will grab your audience's attention and give them an idea of where the rest of your speech is headed. Next, choose 3 important points that you want to make to form the body of your speech. Then, organize the points in a logical order and write content to address each point. Finally, write a conclusion that summarizes the main points and ends with a message that you want your audience to take away from it. For tips on researching topics for an informative speech, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Tiffany Caroline

Aug 27, 2019

Did this article help you?

Linda Howard

Sep 9, 2022

Jul 30, 2017

Jasmine Guzman

Jun 4, 2017

Brenden Shelton

Oct 15, 2017

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Get all the best how-tos!

Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter

Demonstrative Speech

Demonstrative speech generator.

Your teacher or superior comes up to you and asks to do a demonstrative speech in front of a big audience. For instance, they may ask you how to demonstrate a certain skill such as writing an investigative news article (if in a journalism class) or ask you to teach judo (if in an martial arts class).

• Examples of Persuasive Speech
• Expository Speeches Example

Either way, you might be an expert on this stuff but it’s different if you’re asked to make a demonstrative speech about it. This type of speeches need more clarity and precision for your audiences to understand since they are expecting to learn from you. This might be a difficult task but by following the guidelines below, writing and delivering this kind of speech will be much easier.

What is a Demonstrative Speech?

Andrew Dlugan described a demonstration speech as a form of informative speech where the speaker’s primary purpose is to teach the audience how to complete a task , and is largely accomplished by demonstrating the task through a series of steps.

Choosing a topic… and how to work it out

There are a wide variety of topics to choose for your demonstrative speech. Choose a hobby, or craft that are not too common. Here are a few examples that can be your main topic in your speech:

• How to be a lumberjack
• How to do pole dancing
• How to be a trainspotter
• How to collect navel fluff
• How to beach comb
• How to do taxidermy
• How to do cosplay
• How to make surveys
• How to read palms
• How to write a limerick
• How to collect stamps
• How to do ice sculpting

Once you’ve figured out what topic you will talk about, assess how long is your speech going to last. If you’re going to teach your audience how to bake a cake, you might need an hour for your presentation since there many different types of cakes. If your presentation is how to bake a lava cake, you may only need a half an hour speech or less. Research on your chosen topic. You can search the internet or your local library for more information. You can also ask experts (if you can) more tidbits or advice about the topic you choose.

If you have too much information on your chosen topic, shorten it by only choosing the essential information vital to your speech. However, if you only found limited information, you can add some fun facts or any related facts in your speech.

Find out who is your audience

Before finalizing your topic for your demonstrative speech, find out first who you will be talking to. If you’re giving a speech to a group of journalists, it’s not the best idea to choose a topic “How to Write News”.You can make your topic more relevant and interesting to them like “How to Battle Fake News in the 21st Century”. The topic “How to Write News” may be more appropriate to students aspiring to become journalists. You also need to determine the age of your audiences. If your audiences are young people, it’s best to give them a mundane and simple topic such as “How to Collect Stamp” or “How to Paint by Numbers”.

Think of how will your audience benefit from your speech

Demonstrating a certain task to your audience is not enough. You need to figure out how will your audience will be motivated to learn from your speech. For example, in networking business, demonstrators usually give speeches on how to earn money by demonstrating certain tasks for the audiences to do such as selling products effectively. The audience are dedicated to learn from the speech because they can benefit to it by knowing how to sell products effectively so they can earn money.

Below are some points you need to consider on how your audiences will benefit greatly by learning the new task you demonstrated in your speech. Will they:

• Earn or save money?
• Get a promotion?
• Improve their skills?
• Make their life easier?
• Provide enjoyment or satisfaction?
• Make them happy?

There are a lot of ways to motivate your audience, but the most effective is to point out how their lives are going to improve with this new knowledge.

Examples of Demonstrative Speech

If you’re not sure how to format your speech, here are some examples on how to write your demonstrative speech:

Sample Demonstration Speech Outline Example

Size: 106 KB

Demonstration Speech Example

Size: 139.8 KB

How to write your speech

Make an outline for your speech. Your outline should only contain three sections: introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Refer to topic outline to familiarize yourself better with writing speeches.

Give a brief overview of the entire process

Before going into specific details about your topic, provide an overview first of what will be the overall task or process in your speech. This will prepare the mindset of your audience as they are going the delve into learning a new skill. This way, your audience can relax since they have an idea of what you are going to demonstrate. You can start your overview along the lines of… “Today, I’m gonna show you how to wrap a wound in three easy steps…”. It’s important to present your outline neatly for your audience to see how the steps will take place later on.

Make the body of your speech

Your body of your speech must contain the actual step processes of performing a certain task. Break each step into manageable ones that can be explained one by one. Explain each step in a sequential order. Try to consider the comprehensiveness of your audience of how they will understand your speech.

It may be helpful to keep the number of steps as low as possible. Having too many steps when doing a demonstration may baffle your audiences and won’t be able to see the point you are trying to make. For every step, you could explain the purpose of the step and how it should be done in a straightforward manner.

If time allows, discuss additional options

When you are doing the demonstration first, you will be explaining the basic and simple way to do the task. If you still have more time in your hands, you can also demonstrate to your audience other variations of doing the task; you can teach them other alternate ways to do it if they don’t like the steps you’ve demonstrated first. Example: If you are explaining how to bake an arctic roll, in this part, you can teach them alternate flavors, ingredients, and other methods of baking the arctic roll.

Allow time for Q&A

If you’ve noticed, many types of speeches are always proceeded by question and answer (Q&A) portion. This part is when the audience can have the privileged to ask clarifications from the speaker if they were confused by certain steps from the speech. Not all Q&A sessions must be at the end of your speech, if you’re feeling confident enough that you can finish your speech on time, you can let the audience ask questions throughout your speech.

Summarize your speech at the conclusion

Once you’re done with your speech and the Q&A session, you can recap your speech by summarizing the process again for further clarifications and mention the benefits the audience can gain from your speech. Now that you’ve written your speech that you think your audience can learn from it, you can add more zing to your speech to make it more engaging.

You may let the audience participate

If you have the time (and funds), you can always provide supplies to your audience so that they can follow the step-by-step demonstration together with you. Audience that are actively engaging in your demonstration will avoid any boredom. They’ll be likely to remember the process the demonstration taught them and it will be also a test for them whether they can achieve the task or not. If you don’t have the opportunity to let all the audience participate, you can ask one to four volunteers to follow the demonstration.

Visuals are excellent in your demonstrative speech

Just to make your speech is memorable. You can add visual props to help you out in your demonstration. Merely speaking is okay, but what if your audience has a hard time catching up? Visuals can be an answer to that issue. You can use:

• Your body. If you’re demonstrating a dance, your body is the best visual. You can’t teach dancing just by standing limply. You need to move in order to demonstrate how to tango. You may invite someone else to do it for you, but it’s best if you also move.
• Use real props. If you’re teaching on how to play the saxophone, you need to bring a real instrument and not just a fake one. This is one way for your audiences to learn effectively from your demonstration.
• Use pictures or diagrams. They can help you go through step by step in your demonstration breezily. Make your visuals eye-catching, neat and organized (if you’re using diagrams or pictures) and visible to your audiences.

Practice Your Speech

Now you’ve prepared your speech and your visuals. Then it’s time for you to practice on delivering your speech. You need to practice before taking the plunge or else your stage fright gets the best of you and leave you stuttering in front of your audience.

Practice delivering your speech alone

Review your speech and notes by standing in front of a mirror and try to speak to it. You can see how will you look while delivering your speech. You can improve the way you talk, move and look while babbling your speech. This way, you can be more aware on how you present your speech and you’ll be able to improve yourself without looking awkward. You can also make some revisions in your speech that may not work while you’re speaking it aloud.

Practice also on how you will handle your visual aides. That way, you can adjust them to make it easier for you to handle once you’ve given your speech. If your props or visuals involves people, let them practice first on how you want them to move during your speech.

Practice delivering your speech with your friends

if you’re satisfied with how you look while you present your speech, invite your family or close friends as your test audience. Choose the people that you trust in giving you constructive criticism when there are things you need to adjust in your speech or give you compliments if you’re feeling too nervous. You need their feedback for you to improve. You can also try asking them specific questions like, do they understand your steps? Or was it too complicated? Once you’ve got their feedback, take note of them. You’re gonna need it to polish your speech.

Demonstrative Speech Outline

Size: 110 KB

Doing a speech, let alone a demonstrative speech is already daunting enough. This guide will help you create a demonstrative speech and give you confidence when you will be doing the demonstration in front of an audience.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Create a Demonstrative Speech on how to bake bread

Generate a Demonstrative Speech on planting a garden

Skip to Main Content

Baking a Cake, Baking Your Paper

February 14, 2020 - 3 minute read

Have you ever tried to bake a cake? Whether you bake a cake from scratch or use a boxed recipe, cakes take a lot of work! From finding and measuring out the ingredients to mixing them together to putting the batter in the oven, cakes take time, patience, and work to make. Writing is similar to the process of baking a cake. Whether it be a poem for your creative writing class, a research paper for your core history class, or even an academic showcase, all forms of writing require these three main ingredients: time, patience, and work. By comparing the process of baking a cake to writing, we can understand the importance of each step in the writing process.

Step 1: Gather your ingredients. Ingredients for cakes may include eggs, flour, and sugar, but ingredients for our papers may include a main idea/argument, a thesis, two body paragraphs, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. Sometimes, the ingredients might be a little different depending on what kind of cake we are baking or what kind of writing we are completing, but that is okay! Just be sure you pay close attention to the recipe and assignment prompt to know what ingredients you will need. When combined, the ingredients for a cake create that spongy goodness we all love, and the ingredients for the paper create an outline for a well-rounded idea or argument.

Step 2: Combine ingredients and bake. After mixing your ingredients together, you put the mixture into an oven. For our writing, this is where we write the final main ideas of our paper and finish our rough draft. At this point, our cake is not decorated and our papers may not have many details, but we have the foundation for adding those details later.

Step 3: Let cool. When you take your cake out of the oven, you have to let the cake sit and cool before you take it out. Otherwise, the cake might collapse and fall apart. When it sits, the cake is allowed to become one solidified unit. We can apply this concept to our writing as well! Sometimes, our writing needs to sit for a day or two in our minds before we begin to edit. We might think to ourselves, “What do I need to possibly change? Are there any necessary ideas I forgot?” That way, we can plan what we will do next.

Step 4: Apply the crumb coat. Now that our cake is out of the oven and our rough drafts are done, it is time to focus on the crumb coat. A crumb coat is when we first frost our cake and the frosting has specks of cake crumbs in it requiring touch-ups. Similarly, in our rough drafts, we may notice organizational issues, ideas that need strengthening, or flaws within the thesis. While addressing these issues may be messy as we move things around and delete or add information, it is necessary to ‘clean up’ our papers and adjust as needed.  

Step 5: Decorate. As we add the final touches to our cake, we can add final touches to our papers. This step will help ensure we fine-tune any lingering issues such as weak sentence structure, poor, word choice, and grammatical errors. While decorating cakes may involve frosting, sprinkles, and candles, final touches for writing include using Grammarly (an online site that identifies grammatical errors within your paper), a thesaurus (helpful for finding synonyms and antonyms), the Purdue OWL (an online website that has explanations and guides for various writing strategies), and handouts from our own Writing Studio here at Concordia University Irvine.

Step 6: Enjoy! Now that our cake is done and we have finished our papers, it is time to eat and relax! The writing process is very similar to baking as there are necessary steps to consider as we transfer our ideas from brain to paper. While some liberties may be taken, having a guideline to follow is always helpful. By having a guideline, you can ensure that your writing goes through various stages to continually develop and mature. Remember, writing is a multi-step process involving both work and time, but it can also be fun and enjoyable. Just like eating a good piece of cake.

Ingrid Becker is a senior at Concordia University Irvine. She is majoring in liberal studies, elementary education with a concentration in Christ College. As an avid procrastinator, she is often reading (her favorite book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë!), hanging out with her friends, grabbing some boba, or going on spontaneous adventures. Writing has always been a passion of hers, and her love for writing led her to join Concordia’s speech team. It gives her great joy to be able to write about and perform topics that are of importance to her. She has experience working with MLA, APA, and CMS formats. She loves tackling papers head on like she’s heading into a battle, so she is here to assist students in any way that she can! 

Join Our Community

• No category

Demonstration Speech Outline Sample How to make “Delicious

Related documents.

Study collections

• demonstration speech
• Cherry cheese cake

Add this document to collection(s)

You can add this document to your study collection(s)

Add this document to saved

You can add this document to your saved list

Suggest us how to improve StudyLib

(For complaints, use another form )

Input it if you want to receive answer

Experience the world of cake decorating like never before with Cake Central Magazine!

When you purchase a digital subscription to Cake Central Magazine, you will get an instant and automatic download of the most recent issue.

Help With My Speech!

Decorating By boygeniusandme Updated 16 Oct 2008 , 8:39pm by indydebi

I'd like to do something about cakes/cake decorating for my informative speech for class. I cannot narrow down an outline. I need 3 main points/topics. I am a beginner/intermediate decorator, and do not use fondant yet. I was thinking something like (1) Find perfect recipe/design/idea that fits with theme of event. (2) Gather all materials/supplies (3) Frost/Decorate. Or maybe (1) Bake cake, (2) Frost cake (Give buttercream recipe, explain how to fill in between layers and ice smoothly), (3) Decorate cake (give examples of common decorations). Any advice appreciated! I need to have posters/props/etc. I was also considering doing a demo of simple Halloween cupcake with grass and spiders piped on (since speech is right before Halloween). Also considering having enough materials for everyone to make a mini Halloween cupcake like the one I demo! Like every 2-3 people share supplies. I do have enough supplies, not too big of a class.

So this is a "how to" of sorts? Just some ideas... Introduction - what you are going to talk about. "I'm going to tell you how to do XYZ to create this final product." Background...how did you get started? Why are you interested in this topic? The following presentation will show you how to get started. Point 1 - Prepare materials and bake (1) Find perfect recipe/design/idea that fits with theme of event. (2) Gather all materials/supplies Point 2 - Tips to get the "perfect cake" ready to decorate. Point 3 - How to ice and decorate. This is where your creativity comes through 2) Frost cake (Give buttercream recipe, explain how to fill in between layers and ice smoothly), (3) Decorate cake (give examples of common decorations). You should also do the hands on demo. Anything interactive makes a great presentation.

Is this your informative speech or your demonstration speech? Or are you combining the two? I like the part about finding the right recipe .... why fondant or carved cakes need a more firm cake. Cake prep ..... how to wrap to properly freeze, how to properly thaw, how to trim the dome to make it flat (my neighbor thought this was GENIUS when I told her that's how we got flat cakes ... duh!!!), how to put a dam between the layers, how to place the dam slightly inside the edge of the cake to prevent bulging. How and why we crumb coat. Icing and smoothing techniques: Melvria, Viva, Hot Knife, drywall scraper, why a turntable is crucial.

Thank you both! There are just sooo many topics I could get into. So many gadgets/techniques to explain. I want to make it pretty specific and not be talking for hours, lol. Also, it is supposed to be an informative speech. Do you think I should not do the demo at all? I really wanted to demo while I talked about the decorating. And I also would like to get the class involved.

Maybe you want to save this topic for your demo speech? Or narrow the focus ..... "Inform" them on why styrofoam and centerpiece cakes are not cheaper, like the magzs say they are. "Inform" them on what's involved in making a Duff cake. Both of these make good demo speeches, but when you can make them understand it in an informative speech, then you've got it nailed!!

Quote by @%username% on %date%

Newsletter Subscribe

Follow us on, login to cake central.

(if this is a private computer)

• Ask questions in the forums
• Add your photos, recipes & tutorials
• Save your favorites
• Comment on recipes, tutorials and photos
• Enter Contests and Win Prizes!

Yes please, register now!

Report This to Moderators?

14 Informative Speeches

Speeches to Educate, Explain, or Describe

In this chapter . . .

In this chapter we examine our first type of public speech, the informative speech. This is used in lectures, briefings, and anytime you want to transmit fact-based information to an audience. We cover what makes an informative speech unique, the types of informative speeches, and how to construct this type of speech.

What is an informative Speech? Defining what an informative speech is can be both straight-forward and somewhat tricky at the same time. Very simply, an informative speech can first be defined as a speech based entirely and exclusively on facts. An informative speech conveys knowledge, a task that every person engages in every day in some form or another. Whether giving someone who is lost driving directions, explaining the specials of the day as a server, or describing the plot of a movie to friends, people engage in forms of informative speaking daily.

An informative speech does not attempt to convince the audience that one thing is better than another. It does not advocate a course of action or incorporate opinion as its basis. This can be the tricky part of developing an informative speech because some opinion statements sound like facts (since they are generally agreed upon by many people) but are really opinions.

For example, in an informative speech on George Washington, you might want to say, “George Washington was one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States.” While this statement may be agreed upon by many people, it’s not irrefutable, meaning someone could argue against this claim. However, you could include this statement in an informative speech if you present the opinion from a reputable source: “Ron Chernow, in his 2011 best-selling biography of George Washington, describes the first president as one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States.” That is an acceptable way of presenting an opinion within the framework of a factual speech. While you may not be able to avoid opinion, you don’t want your central idea, your main points, and most of your supporting material to be opinion or argument in an informative speech.

Additionally, you should never take sides on an issue in an informative speech, nor should you “spin” the facts to influence the opinions of the listeners. Even if you are informing the audience about differences in views on controversial topics, you should simply and clearly explain the issues.

This doesn’t mean that an informative speech will have no effect on the audience. An audience can learn things from an informative speech that will affect what they do or how they think about something—that’s their choice. Your only focus is to provide the clearest and most factual information you can.

Types of Informative Speeches

While the topics to choose from for informative speeches are nearly limitless, they can be categorized according to five broad categories based on the primary goal of the speech. Understanding the type of informative speech that you will be giving can help you to figure out the best way to research and speechwriting.

Type 1: History

An informative speech on the history or development of something. Your focus is to explain to an audience how something came into existence. History speeches can be about objects, places, ideas, or even events. For example, imagine your informative speech was on the history of the football (the object, not the game). Someone at some point in history was the first to develop what is considered the modern football. Who was it? What was it originally made of? How did it evolve into the football that is used by the NFL today? For the history of a place, like a university, you would describe the specific year it opened, the number of students who were initially enrolled, and how it got its name. It’s also possible to provide the history of an idea, like “democracy.” By explaining the civilizations and cultures that adopted forms of democracy throughout history, it’s possible to provide an audience with a better understanding of how the idea has been shaped into what it has become today.

Type 2: Biography

A biographical speech is similar to a history one, but in this case the subject is a person, whether living or deceased. As with histories of objects, places, or ideas, there are specific and irrefutable facts that provide the details of someone’s life. Your focus is to tell the audience about someone’s life.

Type 3: Processes

Process speeches are informative speeches that explain how to do something or how something is achieved. These speeches require you to provide steps that will help your audience understand how to accomplish a specific task or process. We see examples of “how-to” presentations frequently—especially on YouTube. There’s a second type of process speech that focuses not on how the audience can achieve a result, but on how a process is achieved. The goal is understanding of a process instead of the performance of a process. After a speech on how to change a car tire, for example, the audience members could probably do it (they might not want to, but they would know the steps). However, after a speech on how a bill goes through Congress, the audience would understand this important part of democracy but not be ready to serve in Congress. Either way, if your speech aims at teaching the audience how something works, it’s a process speech.

Type 4: Ideas and Concepts

It is possible to have an informative speech about an idea or concept where your primary focus isn’t on the history of the idea, but how it exists now. In the examples above, we have seen two types of speeches about democracy: democracy as the topic of a speech that focuses on its history and democracy in a speech that focuses on a process in democratic legislation. In this fourth type of informative speech, you could focus on the concept of democracy as interpreted, for example, in three different countries. Your speech is neither about history nor about process but focuses on the definition itself.

Type 5: General

Sometimes an informative speech topic doesn’t lend itself to a focus on history, process, or concept. In those cases, the topics tend to fall into the general category of informative speeches. The focus in this type of informative speech is determined by the topic. For example, imagine a speech about customs to know when traveling in Japan. This isn’t a speech about the history of anime , nor a biography of a former emperor. It’s not about the process of planning a trip to Japan, nor is it about the concept of kawaii . Customs of Japan falls into the “general” type of informative speech.

Tips for Informational Speeches

Use the type of speech to determine the structure.

Identifying the type of informative speech being given can help in several ways (conducting research, writing the introduction and conclusion), but the biggest benefit is that the type of informative speech being given will help determine the organizational pattern that is best for a speech.

For example, a How-To speech must be in chronological order (step 1, step 2, step 3). Similarly, most speeches that focus on providing history or biography will be organized chronologically, but not always. It makes sense to use chronology to explain the history of the football from the moment it was first developed to where it’s today, but for an informative speech on Benjamin Franklin a student might choose a topical pattern (idea 1, idea 2, idea 3) as their three main points: 1) His time as a printer, 2) His time as an inventor, 3) His time as a diplomat. These main points are not in strict chronological order because Franklin was a printer, inventor, and diplomat at the same time during periods of his whole life. However, this example would still be one way to inform an audience about him without using the chronological organizational pattern.

As for general informative speeches, since the topics that can be included in this category are so diverse and cover a range of possible subject matter, the way they are organized will be varied as well and may use chronological, spatial, or topical structures. (Refer to Chapter x on speech structure and organization).

Keep Your Topic Specific

One of the biggest and most common mistakes students make is pursuing a topic that is much too broad. Let’s consider the example of a student who proposes the topic “To inform my audience about the Civil War.” The Civil War was, conservatively speaking, four years long, resulted in over 750,000 casualties, and arguably changed the course of human history. To think that it’s possible to cover all of that in a speech is unrealistic. Even a very experienced professor in American history would find it difficult to deliver a one-hour lecture that accomplished that goal.

The better approach in this case is to be as specific as possible. A revised specific purpose for this speech might be something like “To inform my audience about the Gettysburg Address.” This topic is much more compact (the Gettysburg Address is only a few minutes long) and doing research will be easier—although you will still find hundreds of sources on it. An even more specific topic would be “To inform my classmates of the specific places in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that are considered haunted.”

Avoid Fake Informative Speech Topics

Sometimes students think that because something sounds like an informative speech topic, it’s one. This happens a lot with political issues that are usually partisan in nature. Some students may feel that the speech topic “To inform my audience why William Henry Harrison was a bad president” sounds factual, but really this is an opinion—in other words, it’s a fake informational speech because it’s a persuasive speech disguised as an informational speech. Similarly, a few topics that include conspiracy and paranormal subject matter are usually mistaken for good informative topics as well. It is common for a student to propose the topic “To inform my audience about the existence of extraterrestrials,” thinking it’s a good topic. After all, there is plenty of evidence to support the claim, right? There are pictures of unidentified objects in the sky that people claim are from outer space, there are people who claim to have seen extraterrestrials, and most powerful of all, there are people who say that they have been abducted by aliens and taken into space.

The problem here, as you have probably already guessed, is that these facts are not irrefutable. Not every single person who sees something unknown in the sky will agree it’s an alien spacecraft, and there can be little doubt that not everyone who claims to have been abducted by a UFO is telling the truth. This isn’t to say that you can’t still do an informative speech on alien sites. For example, two viable options are “To inform my audience about the SETI Project” or “To inform my audience of the origin of the Area 51 conspiracy.” However, these types of speeches can quickly devolve into opinion if you aren’t careful, which would then make them persuasive speeches. Even if you start by trying to be objective, unless you can present each side equally, it will end up becoming a persuasive speech. Additionally, when a speaker picks such a topic, it’s often because of a hidden desire to persuade the audience about them.

Be Selective about Content

Even if you have chosen a specific and focused topic, you must still make choices about what you can and cannot include. Writing an informative speech isn’t about dumping enormous amounts of information on your audience that you can only get to by speaking at breakneck speed. It’s about carefully choosing what to include, making it interesting and clear, and presenting it to your audience at a comfortable pace. What’s better: too much information that audiences can’t grasp or less information for audiences that hear every word? Regardless of the topic, you will never be able to cover everything that is known about your topic, so don’t try. Select the things that will best help the audience gain a general understanding of the topic that will interest them, and that they hopefully will find valuable.

Be Accurate, Clear, and Interesting

A good informative speech conveys accurate information to the audience clearly and keeps the listener interested in the topic. Achieving all three of these goals—accuracy, clarity, and interest—is the key to being an effective speaker. If information is inaccurate, incomplete, or unclear, it will be of limited usefulness to the audience.

Part of being accurate is making sure that your information is current. Even if you know a great deal about your topic or wrote a good paper on the topic in a high school course, you will need to verify the accuracy and completeness of what you know, especially if it’s medical or scientific information.

What defines “interesting?” In approaching the informative speech, you should keep in mind the good overall principle that the audience is asking, “what’s in it for me?” The audience is either consciously or unconsciously wondering “What in this topic for me? How can I use this information? Of what value is this speech content to me? Why should I listen to it?”

Keep in Mind Audience Diversity

Finally, remember that not everyone in your audience is the same, so an informative speech should be prepared with audience diversity in mind. If the information in a speech is too complex or too simplistic, it will not hold the interest of the listeners. Determining the right level of complexity can be hard. Audience analysis is one important way to do this (see Chapter 2). Do the members of your audience belong to different age groups? Did they all go to public schools in the United States, or are some of them international students? Are they all students majoring in the same subject, or is there a mixture of majors? Never assume that just because an audience is made up of students, they all share a knowledge set.

Learning how to give informative speeches will serve you well in your college career and your future work. Keep in mind the principles in this chapter but also those of the previous chapters: relating to the informational needs of the audience, using clear structure, and incorporating interesting and attention-getting supporting evidence.

Something to Think About

Here are three general topics for informative speeches. Write specific purposes for them and explain how you would answer the WIIFM question.

• Type 1 diabetes
• The psychological effects of using social media

Public Speaking as Performance Copyright © 2023 by Mechele Leon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.