Chapter 8Using Supporting Materials for Your

Speech

Using supporting materials: Introduction

• Supporting materials are all the different types of information you use during your speech.– Select the best supporting materials for your

main points.– Include materials that show you have done

research and know the topic well.– Use clear and understandable language.

Using supporting materials: An overview

• To get a better understanding of using supporting materials consider:– Why use supporting materials– Types of supporting materials– Guidelines for using supporting materials

Why use supporting materials?Building audience interest

• Using support that:– Relates to your

audience– Motivates them

to listen to what you are saying

Why use supporting materials?Enhancing audience understanding

• For new or complicated topics be sure to use:– accessible

examples – easy to understand

definitions

Why use supporting materials?Winning audience agreement

• Give audience reasons to agree with you by:– Quoting an

expert– presenting a

demonstration– providing

examples

Why use supporting materials?Evoking audience emotion

• Try tapping into audience emotions.

• It’s easier to keep interest during the speech if you get audience to feel something:– Humor– Empathy– Anger– Commitment

Types of supporting materials:Examples

• Samples or instances that support or illustrate a general claim – Brief examples are small pieces of

information.– Extended examples give more detail and

provide a richer picture.

Types of supporting materials:Definitions

• Definitions help your audience understand new and unfamiliar terms.– Dictionary definitions provide the meaning

of a term as it appears in a dictionary.– Expert definitions come from a person who

is a credible source of information.– Etymological definitions explain the

linguistic origin of terms.– Functional definitions explain how

something is used or what it does.

Types of supporting materials:Testimony

• Information provided by others:– Expert testimony: professionals who have in-

depth knowledge of a topic.– Lay testimony: people who have no subject-

matter expertise.

Tips for using testimony

• Tip: Be sure your expert is someone who has credibility with your audience.

• Tip: Use lay testimonies to provide evidence of how regular people would react to something.

Types of supporting materials:Statistics

• Data presented in numerical form

Tips for using statistics

• Tip: Lots of numbers in a speech can be boring, so limit the number of them and use visual aids like charts or graphs if you can.

• Tip: Be sure to provide a context for your statistics that your audience can understand.

Types of supporting materials:Narratives

• Brief real or imaginary stories that support your main point– Use as attention-getters– Use as illustrations of how something plays

out – Use short narratives to recapture the

audience’s attention

Types of supporting materials:Narratives

• Example: Using a narrative to structure main points for a speech on Yellowstone Park– Studying dangerous wildlife before the Yellowstone

trip, to underline the importance of preparation in life.– First sighting the bear, to underline the necessity of

paying attention in all situations.– Walking carefully away from the bear, to emphasize

the value of calmness and self-control.– Being grateful that the bear didn’t tear her head off, to

remind the audience members that there are things larger than ourselves in this world.

Types of supporting materials:Narratives

• Example: Using a narrative to structure main points for a speech on Yellowstone Park

Types of supporting materials:Analogies

• Comparison based on similarities between two things, one of which is familiar to the audience.

• Draw analogies:– to other material previously presented to the

audience– from experiences or traditions common to

your audience

Tips for using analogies

• Tip: Be sure the comparison phenomena is familiar with audience.

• Tip: Try using concepts from previous speeches in your class, that way you know it is familiar.

Types of supporting materials:Re-Cap

Guidelines for using supporting materials: Use a variety

Use different types of supporting materials to clarify, elaborate on, or substantiate different

points in your speech.

Guidelines for using supporting materials:

Appeal to different learning styles• Incorporate visual aids for visual learners.

• Have active learners do something with the supporting materials.

• Have reflective learners think about the supporting materials being presented.

• Ask verbal learners to read or listen to the materials.

Guidelines for using supporting materials: Avoid long lists

– Strings of facts, examples, or statistics with no elaboration are difficult for listeners.

– Select a smaller number of supporting materials, each taking about 15-30 seconds.

Guidelines for using supporting materials: Consider your audience

• Your audience’s knowledge and interests should guide your selection of supporting materials.

• Listeners will respond more effectively to interesting and informative materials to which they can relate.

Guidelines for using supporting materials:

Respect the available time

• Choose supporting materials that fit into your speech’s time frame.

• Short speeches require supporting materials that require little time to present.

Tips for supporting materials

• Tip: Always consider your audience by using supporting material that will get your audience’s attention and keep it. You should make it easy for them to get to the point you are trying to make.

• Tip: Variety is the spice of life… and a good speech. No one wants to see a speech with only statistics, but one with only funny stories will be weak as well.