Informative Speech Outline Template (Page 3 of 7) in pdf

Anecdotes:

Anecdotes are brief, often amusing, stories. The purpose of an anecdote is to give

information in a form that an audience will remember. Because anecdotes are often

entertaining, they can help make your speech more interesting and enjoyable as well as

informative.

Statistics:

Statistics are numerical facts: “Only six out of every ten registered voters voted in the

last school election” or “unemployment recently dropped 2 percent.” Citing a few

statistics may make your speech more informative, but giving too many statistics can

be boring or distracting. Use statistics carefully to add interest or to emphasize a

point.

Comparisons:

A comparison is a statement that shows the similarities between people, places, things,

events, or ideas. Comparisons help listeners relate new ideas to familiar concepts.

A figurative comparison imaginatively shows similarities between things that are

essentially not alike. For example, you may say someone is “as slow as molasses in

January” to point out that the person moves slowly.

A literal comparison shows the real similarities between things that are essentially

alike. Example - “Tom runs slower than Jorge.”

Occasionally, a comparison is phrased as a contrast, highlighting the differences

between two things. For instance, you might say, “Unlike last year’s ecology club,

which consisted primarily of seniors, this year’s club has mostly sophomores and

juniors as members.”

Definitions:

A definition explains what a word or a concept means. You should define carefully any

words or concepts your audience may not understand.

Descriptions:

A description is a word picture of a person, place, thing, or event. Accurate

descriptions help people in your audience form mental pictures that correspond to the

actual thing described.

Quotations:

A quotation expresses someone’s exact words. Usually, you express your ideas in your

own words. However, in some cases you will use a quotation to express the opinion of

an authority or to include a particularly well stated idea. When you use quotations, you

must give credit to the source from which the words were taken.

The more convincingly you can show your listeners that you know about your topic, the more

likely they are to pay attention and to remember what you say.

Informative Speech Outline Template Page 3