how to make informative speech interesting

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How to Write an Informative Speech

Last Updated: October 6, 2022 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 1,378,348 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 2 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 3 Not Helpful 0
• When composing your speech, take your audience into consideration, and tailor your speech to the people you’re addressing. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1

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

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A Guide To Making Your Speech Interesting

Hrideep barot.

• Speech Writing

Everyone knows how to talk, but only a few know how to  speak . 

The words, however clichéd they might sound, are true. 

As is the fact that, even if you know how to  speak , no one’s really going to recognize it unless you manage to spark enough interest to make them actually  listen to  your speech. 

Listen to. Not  hear . 

Just like the words ‘talking’ and ‘speaking’, there’s a subtle but important difference between  listening to  something and merely  hearing  it. 

Delivering a speech that’s both powerful and persuasive is a tricky job. Add  interesting  to the mix and to most people (especially if you’re an introvert by nature) the task begins to sound downright torturous. 

But, worry not! 

The secret to both, delivering an interesting speech and cooking a lip-smacking dish is the same: it’s not a single ingredient, rather an amalgamation of them that makes it magnificent.

An interesting speech needs not only to pique your readers’ interest but also to sustain it. There are a variety of factors that go into its making, ranging from the length and phrasing of your speech to your skill with storytelling techniques and using props.

Still confused? Stick till the end of this article and I guarantee you’ll be out of your quandary. 

What Makes A Speech Boring?

Before we delve into how to deliver a speech that’s going to leave your audience speechless, let’s skim over the other side of the equation: what makes a speech boring?

Continuing with the lip-smacking dish metaphor, a boring speech isn’t the consequence of a single but multiple elements that go into the making of it. A few of them are:

You’ve messed up the beginning

The beginning of the speech is one of its most important components. It’s also where most people tend to mess up.

While introducing yourself is important, you don’t want to spend a quarter of your allotted time providing information about yourself or telling your life story. Try to get to the point as quickly as possible.

Many inexperienced speakers tend to start off their speech by thanking someone. While showcasing your gratitude as a speaker is important, save your thanks for the end of your speech instead of its beginning.

It’s Too Complex

Another factor that makes a speech boring is making it too long or too complex or worse: both. Try to keep your speech to the time limit or slightly under it. Whatever you do, don’t exceed the time limit.

You haven’t structured it properly

Another common ingredient in boring speeches is the structure. Or rather, a lack of structure. A lot of speakers tend to throw points around without tying them together.

Or they might end the speech abruptly, perhaps after realizing that they’ve run out of time, pilfering the audience of a satisfactory conclusion. Just like beginnings, endings matter too, and this is another area where most speakers tend to make mistakes–or downright ignore it.

There’s nothing unique about it

If there’s nothing in your speech that stands out or makes it unique, then the odds are in the favor of your viewers forgetting about the speech the moment you finish delivering it. You can practice your speech a hundred times, but if there’s nothing distinctive about it, then your efforts are for nothing as nobody’s going to be actually hearing it.

So, next time you’re practicing your speech in front of the mirror, ask yourself: what’s different about my speech than the hundreds of other speeches that are delivered everyday?

No Storytelling

Churning out information without giving it some form of a narrative structure is another factor that guarantees for a boring speech. If you’re simply mentioning facts and figures, you’re going to lose your reader’s interest before it’s even piqued. If you wish to captivate your audience’s attention, then one of the best ways to do it is delivering your speech like you’re telling a story.

After all, who doesn’t like a good story?

Steps To Make Your Speech Interesting

If you’ve ever daydreamed through a drab speech delivered by insert-the-name-of-a-random-authoritative-figure in your school days, you know exactly how long a thirty (or if it’s your lucky day,  sixty)  minute talk can be. 

I’ve been there. You’ve been there. We’ve all been there. 

And I’m certain that none of us want to be there again. 

Especially  not if  we’re  the ones delivering the speech. 

To make sure you land on the sweet spot named ‘the-most-interesting-speech-I’ve-ever-heard’ and keep you from stumbling into the deep, deep pit of ‘a lecture’, I’ve listed out some points for you below. 

1. Keep It Short & Sweet

Studies have shown that the optimal attention span for an audience (that is, the attention span that can be retained by an interested human listening to a speaker) is about twenty minutes. 

This doesn’t mean that people will be unerringly focused on your speech for twenty minutes and then promptly lose interest the moment the time is up. What it means is that you need to structure your speech in such a way that you can optimize your audience’s attention span.

Look, I know that most speeches are going to last longer than twenty minutes. However, you don’t have to necessarily speak for twenty minutes non-stop. To get around the 20 minute barrier, you can break your talk into different components, with each constituent lasting for around twenty minutes. 

Make a smooth transition between the different components by giving your audience enough time to relax and then begin to refocus their attention on what you’re saying. 

This way, not only will you be able to hold their interest for longer, but you will also increase the chances of them remembering important bits of your speech long after you’ve finished speaking. 

2. Choose your words wisely 

“ Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” 

These words by Martin Luther King Jr. are a great example of how a sentence doesn’t necessarily have to be long and employ eloquent language to be powerful. 

On the contrary, concise sentences where no word is redundant but rather every character is handpicked so that it adds to the overall meaning have a far greater impact as well as reach.

I’m not asking you to cut down on important points or to use banal words in order to fit the above description. 

Rather, I’m asking you to ask yourself while you’re writing the speech: is there anything that I’ve said in fifty words that could be better said in ten or five words?

Go through your speech multiple times to make sure that no word or sentence is redundant. If you find a paragraph or sentence that you feel doesn’t really add anything impactful to your speech, cut it out. It may actually be taking something away from your speech, and after deleting the extra part, you might find that your speech sounds better. 

You can also take the use of Thesaurus or other online dictionaries to discover new words or phrases that might help you express your ideas more concisely. 

3. Grab Their Attention In The Beginning 

I’ve got a question for you: how do you decide whether you want to buy a particular book? 

Most people (many more than who care to admit it, anyway) either choose the much-denounced path of judging-a-book-by-it’s-cover or they read the synopsis at the back of the cover or skim through the first couple of pages to glean an idea of whether it’s worthwhile to spend their precious time or money on a particular title. 

Because authors/agents are smart, they know that if they can’t hook you in the beginning, you’re going to drift away. This is why the first line in a book is always an attention-grabber. 

The same rule can be transcribed to a public speech: grab their attention in the beginning or stand to lose it before you even reach the end of the beginning. 

Make the opening lines of your speech one of the most—if not the most—intriguing parts of it. There are many ways to do this. 

You could start with an anecdote, for one. Or you could ask your audience a question. You could even go with a joke or a fun-fact. 

What matters is the shock-value. You want to give the audience a taste of what the rest of your speech is going to be like. You want them to feel like the time and/or money that they’ve invested is going to be worthwhile. 

4. Make Them Laugh 

A day without laughter is a day wasted. 

While I certainly agree with Charlie Chaplin’s famous words, I have altered them into my personal motto: a speech without laughter is an opportunity wasted. 

Now, I’m not saying that you want your audience to be rolling on their stomach throughout your speech (unless you’re doing a stand-up comedy). I understand that might be counter-productive. I also understand that sometimes cracking a joke during a speech might not even be encouraged or even appropriate. 

However, if there is nothing to stop you from adding a dose of humor to your speech but uncertainty about your own comic timing, then my friend, you have wasted a glorious opportunity. 

Some of the best speeches in the world, which have been viewed by millions of people all around the globe besides standing the test of time, have humor in them. A majority of the most successful public speakers in the world have natural charisma, charm, and a good sense of humor. 

Take Barack Obama, for instance. Many of his speeches are punctuated with comic jabs and funny anecdotes, and that is a key factor that makes his speeches so interesting to hear, besides making him more relatable—more human, like them—to the audience. 

5. Tell Them Stories  

Who doesn’t love a good story? 

Stories not only help make your speech more interesting, but they might also strike a personal chord with your audience, thus making you more relatable and increasing the chances of cementing your speech in their minds. 

Anecdotes, when used as examples, can also make it easier for your audience to understand a complex message or point. 

Besides, you can use stories as a transition when you’re moving from one important or critical component of your speech to another. This will give your audience a break from the more serious bits of your speech and allow them to return to the next part in a fresher state of mind. 

Stories make you more human in your audience’s mind. Especially if they resonate with the audience’s own experiences, they might make the onlookers think of you as one of  them. 

However, make sure that your transition into storytelling territory is smooth. Don’t randomly add a story to any part of your speech. This will not only make your speech sound awkward but might also throw off your audience and confuse them. 

A good place to add an anecdote is at the beginning of your speech or the end of it (the middle also works, but as I mentioned before, provided that your transition is smooth). If you add a story to the beginning of your speech, it can act as an attention-grabber

If you add it in the end, try to choose something that will resonate with your audience and make your speech linger in their minds long after you’ve finished speaking. 

6. Express Yourself Expressively 

If there’s one thing that’s worse than a sixty-minute uninterrupted speech, it’s a sixty-minute uninterrupted speech with a speaker that is as expressive as a rock. 

Speaking  isn’t the only component of a good speech. 

How  you speak is just as important as  what  you speak. 

Facial gestures, hand movements, body language, the pitch and timbre of your voice…all these are as crucial to the delivering of an interesting speech as the speech itself. 

No matter how intriguing the contents of your speech, if you deliver them monotonously and in an unanimated way, then you can kiss capturing your audience’s attention goodbye. 

To understand, try remembering a speech that really moved you. Now recall the most boring speech you’ve ever heard in your entire life. 

Ask yourself: what makes these two speeches so different? 

Chances are, one of the key points that made the first speech especially interesting and memorable and the second speech especially uninteresting and drab was the manner in which the speaker delivered the talk. 

7. Use Concrete Evidence & Simple Language

An important thing to keep in mind is using concrete evidence. This includes things like numbers, statistics, real-life incidents, facts, photographs, etc. If you don’t ground your story in real life, then it might be too abstract for your audience to connect with. 

While using grandiose language might make you sound impressive, using complex grammar or words plucked from some random page off of a thick dictionary is going to make it difficult—if not impossible—for the general public to connect with you. If they cannot understand what you’re saying, how will they remember it?

Thus, it is always wise to be cognizant of your audience’s intellectual capacity or their familiarity with the particular language you’re going to be delivering your speech in. If your audience is not native to the language, try to keep your word-choice as humble as possible. And even if they are, it’s best not to flaunt your verbosity.

8. Know & Understand Your Audience

What’s your audience going to consist of? Is it going to be mainly comprised of college-going adults or school-going kids? Do a majority of them belong to a minority community or do they share some common privileges?

By doing prior research on your audience, you can structure your speech in such a way as to incorporate things that they are familiar with and will be able to relate to. This will help them formulate a connection with you, the speaker, and thus increase chances of them remembering you in the future.

9. Interact With The Audience

The more involved your audience is in your speech, the greater the chances that they will remember it. People like being made to feel like their opinions—and they—matter. Try to ask questions to your audience, and also to encourage them to ask questions to you. You can do this by adding a question-answer round at the end of your speech.

Tell funny stories and ask them to share their own experiences with you. As mentioned before, cracking jokes is another good way of connecting with your audience. 

10. The Ending Matters Too

The ending of your speech is just as important as the beginning. While the beginning helps set the tone for your speech and give the audience an idea of what to expect from their speaker, the ending is the big takeaway after you’ve finished speaking.

The note that you end your speech at is going to determine whether your audience thinks and discusses about your speech long after you’ve finished speaking or if they mumble a few words and forget about it a couple of moments after it finishes.

Like disappointing book or movie endings, a substandard end to a speech can leave a bitter taste in your mouth—to make matters worse, a bad ending might also ruin everything that came before it. On the contrary, a good ending can have the exact opposite effect and make your story resonate in your audience’s mind long, long after you’ve finished speaking. 

Need some inspiration for a resonant ending? Check out our article on 15 Powerful Speech Ending Lines (And Tips to Create Your Own) for some inspiration!

7 secret ingredients to spice up your speech

“Memory is a strange thing. It doesn’t work as I thought it did.”

These lines, enunciated by the amazing Louise Banks in the movie Arrival, perfectly capture the elusive nature of human memory. We remember things we’re supposed to forget. We forget things we’re supposed to remember (like where you kept those goddamned car keys). The human brain works in mysterious ways, period.

Since we’re not yet smart enough to out-smart our own brain (if that makes any sense), how do we side-step the obstacle of the ever-changing nature of memory and cement your awesome speech in your audience’s mind for years to come?

Well, for starters, the above-listed points are a good means to not only make your speech interesting but also interesting enough to be memorable. But there are a few additional things that you can do to increase the chances of immortalizing (or getting as close to it as possible, anyway) your speech in your audience’s mind.

A few other things you can do to make your speech memorable are:

1. Using Props

The apt use of a well-suited propped can add that extra kick that can catapult your presentation from good to awesome. For example, if you’re giving a speech on environmental degradation, you can take the model of a forest with you to physically demonstrate the effects of the degradation of forests.

However, while using props, you need to keep a few things in mind. Make sure that the prop that you use is relevant to the message. Also, don’t use too many of them. Another thing to keep in mind is that your prop is appropriate for and clearly visible to your audience.

2. Playing a game

Adding a short game round in the middle of your speech is another great way of making yourself stand out, besides giving the audience a chance to promote themselves from mere spectators to active members of the event.

However, just like while using props, make sure that the game you choose is appropriate and relevant to the topic. Another thing to keep in mind is to not make the game too long or complicated. Remember that you want whatever game you chose to add to your speech and not distract your audience from it.

3. How about a video?

While you can certainly include an interesting video or clip that you found on YouTube or from the internet, one way to make your speech stand out is to record something beforehand and include it in during your speech.

The video can comprise anything, from a factual documentary to a short movie to a speech that you’ve given in the past to a personal attempt at stand-up comedy! Not only will it give your audience a break from listening, but it will also allow you a chance to breathe and grab a quick sip of water or just a moment to yourself before you dive into the next part of your speech.

4. Using Different Storytelling Approaches

As mentioned before, telling stories are a great way of engaging your audience. You can also take this advice a step further by specifically incorporating various storytelling techniques in your presentation.

For example, the Rags to Riches Approach is focused on portraying a certain character (generally the protagonist) rise from poverty to achieving, not without a good deal of struggle, wealth, and status.

By inculcating this technique in your speech or presentation, you increase the chances of connecting with your audience, as life struggles are something that most people can resonate with. For more similar techniques, check out our article on 9 Storytelling Approaches For Your Next Speech Or Presentation.

5. Adding Impromptu Activities

An impromptu game is exactly what it sounds like: it’s a spontaneously chosen game that hasn’t been predetermined by you, the speaker. Instead, any time during course of your speech, ask your audience members to pitch in with any game suggestions that come to their mind.

If there are many suggestions, then go with the one that gets the most number of votes. Let the audience be the decision makers for once!  

6. Use Audience Polls

This is another great way to increase increase the audience’s involvement even further! Not only this, but an audience poll can also help you glean an insight into your audience’s mind! You can use the poll to ask a variety of questions. For eg. if you’re delivering a speech about facing racism at workplace, you could ask the audience if any one of them has faced racism in their own workplace before. 

7. Get People To Join You On The Stage

You can do this in two ways. First, you could invite other experts of or people related to your topic.

For instance, if you’re launching a beauty product, you could invite on the stage people who’ve used your product in the past and can vouch for it. Another way to do this is to invite members of the audience to join you on stage!

This will take your audience’s involvement to another level, as you are inviting them to be a part of the space that’s been traditionally reserved for speakers. You could ask them for their feedback, or ask if they’ve got any questions for you, or even if they want to pitch in with a short speech on the topic themselves! 

Examples of Interesting Speeches

I’ve linked below videos to some of the most popular speeches in world history. As you watch them, focus on how the speaker is delivering the speech. Note their body language and facial expressions, their hand-gestures, and intonations. Study the videos and try to inculcate what you learn from them into your own speech. 

1. T he Speech That Made Obama President :

Without a doubt, Barack Obama is one of the most gifted orators of our time. This is one of the best speeches that he delivered.

As you watch it, notice how he interacts with his audience, keeping them engaged throughout the speech and making them feel involved in it.

Use what you learned from your observation of the former president to understand how you can keep your audience involved in your speeches and make it a better experience for them overall.

2. Martin Luther King Jr.: I Have A Dream :

This remains one of the most-watched and admired speeches throughout history. And for good reason! The speech employed flawless rhetoric. Not a word used in this speech was redundant. Although it lasted merely sixteen minutes, it got across more information in that time than speeches that last twice as long. Listen to the words used in the speech very carefully.

For a more in-depth analysis of the language, you can also lookup the transcript of the speech online.

Use the information gleaned from this analysis to learn how to use language more effectively as well as efficiently in your speech.

Check out our article on Drawing Public Speaking Lessons From ‘ I Have A Dream ‘ for a more detailed analysis of the speech.

3. Michelle Obama Final First Lady Speech :

This is one of the best speeches that I’ve heard.

As you watch it, keep an eye on Michelle’s body language and facial expressions throughout the speech. For example, the way she uses hand gestures to emphasize a point, or how her expression changes when she’s talking about something serious versus when the topic is something lighter.

You can use this as a guideline to understand how to effectively employ body-language during your speech to increase it’s impact.

4. Inside The Mind Of A Master Procrastinator :

This is one of the most interactive Ted Talks I’ve come across.

Especially notice how the speaker makes use of comic caricatures and other attractive visual imagery on the screen behind him to make his presentation more engaging.

Also, notice how he keeps involving his audience in his speech, making frequent references to them and mentioning things that are easily relatable, to make it a more lively experience. You, too, can make use of visuals that your audience can easily relate to in order to make it easier for them to connect to what you’re saying.

To sum it up, an interesting speech is a result of a successful combination of factors. These include having a powerful opening as well as ending, the effective employment of language, humor and storytelling techniques, respecting the time limit as well as your audience, and adding sprinkle of uniqueness to make it truly memorable.

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Informative Speeches — Types, Topics, and Examples

What is an informative speech?

An informative speech uses descriptions, demonstrations, and strong detail to explain a person, place, or subject. An informative speech makes a complex topic easier to understand and focuses on delivering information, rather than providing a persuasive argument.

Types of informative speeches

The most common types of informative speeches are definition, explanation, description, and demonstration.

A definition speech explains a concept, theory, or philosophy about which the audience knows little. The purpose of the speech is to inform the audience so they understand the main aspects of the subject matter.

An explanatory speech presents information on the state of a given topic. The purpose is to provide a specific viewpoint on the chosen subject. Speakers typically incorporate a visual of data and/or statistics.

The speaker of a descriptive speech provides audiences with a detailed and vivid description of an activity, person, place, or object using elaborate imagery to make the subject matter memorable.

A demonstrative speech explains how to perform a particular task or carry out a process. These speeches often demonstrate the following:

How to do something

How to make something

How to fix something

How something works

How to write an informative speech

Regardless of the type, every informative speech should include an introduction, a hook, background information, a thesis, the main points, and a conclusion.

Introduction

An attention grabber or hook draws in the audience and sets the tone for the speech. The technique the speaker uses should reflect the subject matter in some way (i.e., if the topic is serious in nature, do not open with a joke). Therefore, when choosing an attention grabber, consider the following:

What’s the topic of the speech?

What’s the occasion?

Who’s the audience?

What’s the purpose of the speech?

Common Attention Grabbers (Hooks)

Ask a question that allows the audience to respond in a non-verbal way (e.g., a poll question where they can simply raise their hands) or ask a rhetorical question that makes the audience think of the topic in a certain way yet requires no response.

Incorporate a well-known quote that introduces the topic. Using the words of a celebrated individual gives credibility and authority to the information in the speech.

Offer a startling statement or information about the topic, which is typically done using data or statistics. The statement should surprise the audience in some way.

Provide a brief anecdote that relates to the topic in some way.

Present a “what if” scenario that connects to the subject matter of the speech.

Identify the importance of the speech’s topic.

Starting a speech with a humorous statement often makes the audience more comfortable with the speaker.

Include any background information pertinent to the topic that the audience needs to know to understand the speech in its entirety.

The thesis statement shares the central purpose of the speech.

Demonstrate

Preview the main ideas that will help accomplish the central purpose. Typically, informational speeches will have an average of three main ideas.

Body paragraphs

Apply the following to each main idea (body) :

Identify the main idea ( NOTE: The main points of a demonstration speech would be the individual steps.)

Provide evidence to support the main idea

Explain how the evidence supports the main idea/central purpose

Transition to the next main idea

Review or restate the thesis and the main points presented throughout the speech.

Much like the attention grabber, the closing statement should interest the audience. Some of the more common techniques include a challenge, a rhetorical question, or restating relevant information:

Provide the audience with a challenge or call to action to apply the presented information to real life.

Detail the benefit of the information.

Close with an anecdote or brief story that illustrates the main points.

Leave the audience with a rhetorical question to ponder after the speech has concluded.

Detail the relevance of the presented information.

Before speech writing, brainstorm a list of informative speech topic ideas. The right topic depends on the type of speech, but good topics can range from video games to disabilities and electric cars to healthcare and mental health.

Informative speech topics

Some common informative essay topics for each type of informational speech include the following:

Informative speech examples

The following list identifies famous informational speeches:

“Duties of American Citizenship” by Theodore Roosevelt

“Duty, Honor, Country” by General Douglas MacArthur

“Strength and Dignity” by Theodore Roosevelt

Explanation

“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” by Patrick Henry

“The Decision to Go to the Moon” by John F. Kennedy

“We Shall Fight on the Beaches” by Winston Churchill

Description

“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Pearl Harbor Address” by Franklin Delano Roosevelt

“Luckiest Man” by Lou Gehrig

Demonstration

The Way to Cook with Julia Child

This Old House with Bob Vila

Bill Nye the Science Guy with Bill Nye

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.

Planning and Presenting an Informative Speech

In this guide, you can learn about the purposes and types of informative speeches, about writing and delivering informative speeches, and about the parts of informative speeches.

Purposes of Informative Speaking

Informative speaking offers you an opportunity to practice your researching, writing, organizing, and speaking skills. You will learn how to discover and present information clearly. If you take the time to thoroughly research and understand your topic, to create a clearly organized speech, and to practice an enthusiastic, dynamic style of delivery, you can be an effective "teacher" during your informative speech. Finally, you will get a chance to practice a type of speaking you will undoubtedly use later in your professional career.

The purpose of the informative speech is to provide interesting, useful, and unique information to your audience. By dedicating yourself to the goals of providing information and appealing to your audience, you can take a positive step toward succeeding in your efforts as an informative speaker.

Major Types of Informative Speeches

In this guide, we focus on informative speeches about:

These categories provide an effective method of organizing and evaluating informative speeches. Although they are not absolute, these categories provide a useful starting point for work on your speech.

In general, you will use four major types of informative speeches. While you can classify informative speeches many ways, the speech you deliver will fit into one of four major categories.

Speeches about Objects

Speeches about objects focus on things existing in the world. Objects include, among other things, people, places, animals, or products.

Because you are speaking under time constraints, you cannot discuss any topic in its entirety. Instead, limit your speech to a focused discussion of some aspect of your topic.

Some example topics for speeches about objects include: the Central Intelligence Agency, tombstones, surgical lasers, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the pituitary gland, and lemmings.

To focus these topics, you could give a speech about Franklin Delano Roosevelt and efforts to conceal how he suffered from polio while he was in office. Or, a speech about tombstones could focus on the creation and original designs of grave markers.

Speeches about Processes

Speeches about processes focus on patterns of action. One type of speech about processes, the demonstration speech, teaches people "how-to" perform a process. More frequently, however, you will use process speeches to explain a process in broader terms. This way, the audience is more likely to understand the importance or the context of the process.

A speech about how milk is pasteurized would not teach the audience how to milk cows. Rather, this speech could help audience members understand the process by making explicit connections between patterns of action (the pasteurization process) and outcomes (a safe milk supply).

Other examples of speeches about processes include: how the Internet works (not "how to work the Internet"), how to construct a good informative speech, and how to research the job market. As with any speech, be sure to limit your discussion to information you can explain clearly and completely within time constraints.

Speeches about Events

Speeches about events focus on things that happened, are happening, or will happen. When speaking about an event, remember to relate the topic to your audience. A speech chronicling history is informative, but you should adapt the information to your audience and provide them with some way to use the information. As always, limit your focus to those aspects of an event that can be adequately discussed within the time limitations of your assignment.

Examples of speeches about events include: the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, Groundhog's Day, the Battle of the Bulge, the World Series, and the 2000 Presidential Elections.

Speeches about Concepts

Speeches about concepts focus on beliefs, ideas, and theories. While speeches about objects, processes, and events are fairly concrete, speeches about concepts are more abstract. Take care to be clear and understandable when creating and presenting a speech about a concept. When selecting a concept, remember you are crafting an informative speech. Often, speeches about concepts take on a persuasive tone. Focus your efforts toward providing unbiased information and refrain from making arguments. Because concepts can be vague and involved, limit your speech to aspects that can be readily explained and understood within the time limits.

Some examples of topics for concept speeches include: democracy, Taoism, principles of feminism, the philosophy of non-violent protest, and the Big Bang theory.

Strategies for Selecting a Topic

In many cases, circumstances will dictate the topic of your speech. However, if the topic has not been assigned or if you are having difficulty figuring out how to frame your topic as an informative speech,the following may be useful.

Begin by thinking of your interests. If you have always loved art, contemplate possible topics dealing with famous artists, art works, or different types of art. If you are employed, think of aspects of your job or aspects of your employer's business that would be interesting to talk about. While you cannot substitute personal experience for detailed research, your own experience can supplement your research and add vitality to your presentation. Choose one of the items below to learn more about selecting a topic.

Learn More about an Unfamiliar Topic

You may benefit more by selecting an unfamiliar topic that interests you. You can challenge yourself by choosing a topic you'd like to learn about and to help others understand it. If the Buddhist religion has always been an interesting and mysterious topic to you, research the topic and create a speech that offers an understandable introduction to the religion. Remember to adapt Buddhism to your audience and tell them why you think this information is useful to them. By taking this approach, you can learn something new and learn how to synthesize new information for your audience.

Think about Previous Classes

You might find a topic by thinking of classes you have taken. Think back to concepts covered in those classes and consider whether they would serve as unique, interesting, and enlightening topics for the informative speech. In astronomy, you learned about red giants. In history, you learned about Napoleon. In political science, you learned about The Federalist Papers. Past classes serve as rich resources for informative speech topics. If you make this choice, use your class notes and textbook as a starting point. To fully develop the content, you will need to do extensive research and perhaps even a few interviews.

Talk to Others

Topic selection does not have to be an individual effort. Spend time talking about potential topics with classmates or friends. This method can be extremely effective because other people can stimulate further ideas when you get stuck. When you use this method, always keep the basic requirements and the audience in mind. Just because you and your friend think home-brew is a great topic does not mean it will enthrall your audience or impress your instructor. While you talk with your classmates or friends, jot notes about potential topics and create a master list when you exhaust the possibilities. From this list, choose a topic with intellectual merit, originality, and potential to entertain while informing.

Framing a Thesis Statement

Once you settle on a topic, you need to frame a thesis statement. Framing a thesis statement allows you to narrow your topic, and in turns allows you to focus your research in this specific area, saving you time and trouble in the process.

Selecting a topic and focusing it into a thesis statement can be a difficult process. Fortunately, a number of useful strategies are available to you.

Thesis Statement Purpose

The thesis statement is crucial for clearly communicating your topic and purpose to the audience. Be sure to make the statement clear, concise, and easy to remember. Deliver it to the audience and use verbal and nonverbal illustrations to make it stand out.

Strategies For Framing a Thesis Statement

Focus on a specific aspect of your topic and phrase the thesis statement in one clear, concise, complete sentence, focusing on the audience. This sentence sets a goal for the speech. For example, in a speech about art, the thesis statement might be: "The purpose of this speech is to inform my audience about the early works of Vincent van Gogh." This statement establishes that the speech will inform the audience about the early works of one great artist. The thesis statement is worded conversationally and included in the delivery of the speech.

Thesis Statement and Audience

The thesis appears in the introduction of the speech so that the audience immediately realizes the speaker's topic and goal. Whatever the topic may be, you should attempt to create a clear, focused thesis statement that stands out and could be repeated by every member of your audience. It is important to refer to the audience in the thesis statement; when you look back at the thesis for direction, or when the audience hears the thesis, it should be clear that the most important goal of your speech is to inform the audience about your topic. While the focus and pressure will be on you as a speaker, you should always remember that the audience is the reason for presenting a public speech.

Avoid being too trivial or basic for the average audience member. At the same time, avoid being too technical for the average audience member. Be sure to use specific, concrete terms that clearly establish the focus of your speech.

Thesis Statement and Delivery

When creating the thesis statement, be sure to use a full sentence and frame that sentence as a statement, not as a question. The full sentence, "The purpose of this speech is to inform my audience about the early works of Vincent van Gogh," provides clear direction for the speech, whereas the fragment "van Gogh" says very little about the purpose of the speech. Similarly, the question "Who was Vincent van Gogh?" does not adequately indicate the direction the speech will take or what the speaker hopes to accomplish.

If you limit your thesis statement to one distinct aspect of the larger topic, you are more likely to be understood and to meet the time constraints.

Researching Your Topic

As you begin to work on your informative speech, you will find that you need to gather additional information. Your instructor will most likely require that you locate relevant materials in the library and cite those materials in your speech. In this section, we discuss the process of researching your topic and thesis.

Conducting research for a major informative speech can be a daunting task. In this section, we discuss a number of strategies and techniques that you can use to gather and organize source materials for your speech.

Gathering Materials

Gathering materials can be a daunting task. You may want to do some research before you choose a topic. Once you have a topic, you have many options for finding information. You can conduct interviews, write or call for information from a clearinghouse or public relations office, and consult books, magazines, journals, newspapers, television and radio programs, and government documents. The library will probably be your primary source of information. You can use many of the libraries databases or talk to a reference librarian to learn how to conduct efficient research.

Taking Notes

While doing your research, you may want to carry notecards. When you come across a useful passage, copy the source and the information onto the notecard or copy and paste the information. You should maintain a working bibliography as you research so you always know which sources you have consulted and so the process of writing citations into the speech and creating the bibliography will be easier. You'll need to determine what information-recording strategies work best for you. Talk to other students, instructors, and librarians to get tips on conducting efficient research. Spend time refining your system and you will soon be able to focus on the information instead of the record-keeping tasks.

Citing Sources Within Your Speech

Consult with your instructor to determine how much research/source information should be included in your speech. Realize that a source citation within your speech is defined as a reference to or quotation from material you have gathered during your research and an acknowledgement of the source. For example, within your speech you might say: "As John W. Bobbitt said in the December 22, 1993, edition of the Denver Post , 'Ouch!'" In this case, you have included a direct quotation and provided the source of the quotation. If you do not quote someone, you might say: "After the first week of the 1995 baseball season, attendance was down 13.5% from 1994. This statistic appeared in the May 7, 1995, edition of the Denver Post ." Whatever the case, whenever you use someone else's ideas, thoughts, or words, you must provide a source citation to give proper credit to the creator of the information. Failure to cite sources can be interpreted as plagiarism which is a serious offense. Upon review of the specific case, plagiarism can result in failure of the assignment, the course, or even dismissal from the University. Take care to cite your sources and give credit where it is due.

Creating Your Bibliography

As with all aspects of your speech, be sure to check with your instructor to get specific details about the assignment.

Generally, the bibliography includes only those sources you cited during the speech. Don't pad the bibliography with every source you read, saw on the shelf, or heard of from friends. When you create the bibliography, you should simply go through your complete sentence outline and list each source you cite. This is also a good way to check if you have included enough reference material within the speech. You will need to alphabetize the bibiography by authors last name and include the following information: author's name, article title, publication title, volume, date, page number(s). You may need to include additional information; you need to talk with your instructor to confirm the required bibliographical format.

Some Cautions

When doing research, use caution in choosing your sources. You need to determine which sources are more credible than others and attempt to use a wide variety of materials. The broader the scope of your research, the more impressive and believable your information. You should draw from different sources (e.g., a variety of magazines-- Time, Newsweek, US News & World Report, National Review, Mother Jones ) as well as different types of sources (i.e., use interviews, newspapers, periodicals, and books instead of just newspapers). The greater your variety, the more apparent your hard work and effort will be. Solid research skills result in increased credibility and effectiveness for the speaker.

Structuring an Informative Speech

Typically, informative speeches have three parts:

Introduction

In this section, we discuss the three parts of an informative speech, calling attention to specific elements that can enhance the effectiveness of your speech. As a speaker, you will want to create a clear structure for your speech. In this section, you will find discussions of the major parts of the informative speech.

The introduction sets the tone of the entire speech. The introduction should be brief and to-the-point as it accomplishes these several important tasks. Typically, there are six main components of an effective introduction:

Attention Getters

Thesis statement, audience adaptation, credibility statement, transition to the body.

As in any social situation, your audience makes strong assumptions about you during the first eight or ten seconds of your speech. For this reason, you need to start solidly and launch the topic clearly. Focus your efforts on completing these tasks and moving on to the real information (the body) of the speech. Typically, there are six main components of an effective introduction. These tasks do not have to be handled in this order, but this layout often yields the best results.

The attention-getter is designed to intrigue the audience members and to motivate them to listen attentively for the next several minutes. There are infinite possibilities for attention-getting devices. Some of the more common devices include using a story, a rhetorical question, or a quotation. While any of these devices can be effective, it is important for you to spend time strategizing, creating, and practicing the attention-getter.

Most importantly, an attention-getter should create curiosity in the minds of your listeners and convince them that the speech will be interesting and useful. The wording of your attention-getter should be refined and practiced. Be sure to consider the mood/tone of your speech; determine the appropriateness of humor, emotion, aggressiveness, etc. Not only should the words get the audiences attention, but your delivery should be smooth and confident to let the audience know that you are a skilled speaker who is prepared for this speech.

The crowd was wild. The music was booming. The sun was shining. The cash registers were ringing.

This story-like re-creation of the scene at a Farm Aid concert serves to engage the audience and causes them to think about the situation you are describing. Touching stories or stories that make audience members feel involved with the topic serve as good attention-getters. You should tell a story with feeling and deliver it directly to the audience instead of reading it off your notecards.

Example Text : One dark summer night in 1849, a young woman in her 20's left Bucktown, Maryland, and followed the North Star. What was her name? Harriet Tubman. She went back some 19 times to rescue her fellow slaves. And as James Blockson relates in a 1984 issue of National Geographic , by the end of her career, she had a $40,000.00 price on her head. This was quite a compliment from her enemies (Blockson 22).

Rhetorical Question

Rhetorical questions are questions designed to arouse curiosity without requiring an answer. Either the answer will be obvious, or if it isn't apparent, the question will arouse curiosity until the presentation provides the answer.

An example of a rhetorical question to gain the audiences attention for a speech about fly-fishing is, "Have you ever stood in a freezing river at 5 o'clock in the morning by choice?"

Example Text: Have you ever heard of a railroad with no tracks, with secret stations, and whose conductors were considered criminals?

A quotation from a famous person or from an expert on your topic can gain the attention of the audience. The use of a quotation immediately launches you into the speech and focuses the audience on your topic area. If it is from a well-known source, cite the author first. If the source is obscure, begin with the quote itself.

Example Text : "No day dawns for the slave, nor is it looked for. It is all night--night forever . . . ." (Pause) This quote was taken from Jermain Loguen, a fugitive who was the son of his Tennessee master and a slave woman.

Unusual Statement

Making a statement that is unusual to the ears of your listeners is another possibility for gaining their attention.

Example Text : "Follow the drinking gourd. That's what I said, friend, follow the drinking gourd." This phrase was used by slaves as a coded message to mean the Big Dipper, which revealed the North Star, and pointed toward freedom.

You might chose to use tasteful humor which relates to the topic as an effective way to attract the audience both to you and the subject at hand.

Example Text : "I'm feeling boxed in." [PAUSE] I'm not sure, but these may have been Henry "Box" Brown's very words after being placed on his head inside a box which measured 3 feet by 2 feet by 2 1\2 feet for what seemed to him like "an hour and a half." He was shipped by Adams Express to freedom in Philadelphia (Brown 60,92; Still 10).

Shocking Statistic

Another possibility to consider is the use of a factual statistic intended to grab your listener's attention. As you research the topic you've picked, keep your eyes open for statistics that will have impact.

Example Text : Today, John Elway's talents are worth millions, but in 1840 the price of a human life, a slave, was worth $1,000.00.

Example Text : Today I'd like to tell you about the Underground Railroad.

In your introduction, you need to adapt your speech to your audience. To keep audience members interested, tell them why your topic is important to them. To accomplish this task, you need to undertake audience analysis prior to creating the speech. Figure out who your audience members are, what things are important to them, what their biases may be, and what types of subjects/issues appeal to them. In the context of this class, some of your audience analysis is provided for you--most of your listeners are college students, so it is likely that they place some value on education, most of them are probably not bathing in money, and they live in Colorado. Consider these traits when you determine how to adapt to your audience.

As you research and write your speech, take note of references to issues that should be important to your audience. Include statements about aspects of your speech that you think will be of special interest to the audience in the introduction. By accomplishing this task, you give your listeners specific things with which they can identify. Audience adaptation will be included throughout the speech, but an effective introduction requires meaningful adaptation of the topic to the audience.

You need to find ways to get the members of your audience involved early in the speech. The following are some possible options to connect your speech to your audience:

Reference to the Occasion

Consider how the occasion itself might present an opportunity to heighten audience receptivity. Remind your listeners of an important date just passed or coming soon.

Example Text : This January will mark the 130th anniversary of a "giant interracial rally" organized by William Still which helped to end streetcar segregation in the city of Philadelphia (Katz i).

Reference to the Previous Speaker

Another possibility is to refer to a previous speaker to capitalize on the good will which already has been established or to build on the information presented.

Example Text : As Alice pointed out last week in her speech on the Olympic games of the ancient world, history can provide us with fascinating lessons.

The credibility statement establishes your qualifications as a speaker. You should come up with reasons why you are someone to listen to on this topic. Why do you have special knowledge or understanding of this topic? What can the audience learn from you that they couldn't learn from someone else? Credibility statements can refer to your extensive research on a topic, your life-long interest in an issue, your personal experience with a thing, or your desire to better the lives of your listeners by sifting through the topic and providing the crucial information.

Remember that Aristotle said that credibility, or ethos, consists of good sense, goodwill, and good moral character. Create the feeling that you possess these qualities by creatively stating that you are well-educated about the topic (good sense), that you want to help each member of the audience (goodwill), and that you are a decent person who can be trusted (good moral character). Once you establish your credibility, the audience is more likely to listen to you as something of an expert and to consider what you say to be the truth. It is often effective to include further references to your credibility throughout the speech by subtly referring to the traits mentioned above.

Show your listeners that you are qualified to speak by making a specific reference to a helpful resource. This is one way to demonstrate competence.

Example Text : In doing research for this topic, I came across an account written by one of these heroes that has deepened my understanding of the institution of slavery. Frederick Douglass', My Bondage and My Freedom, is the account of a man whose master's kindness made his slavery only more unbearable.

Your listeners want to believe that you have their best interests in mind. In the case of an informative speech, it is enough to assure them that this will be an interesting speech and that you, yourself, are enthusiastic about the topic.

Example Text : I hope you'll enjoy hearing about the heroism of the Underground Railroad as much as I have enjoyed preparing for this speech.

Preview the Main Points

The preview informs the audience about the speech's main points. You should preview every main body point and identify each as a separate piece of the body. The purpose of this preview is to let the audience members prepare themselves for the flow of the speech; therefore, you should word the preview clearly and concisely. Attempt to use parallel structure for each part of the preview and avoid delving into the main point; simply tell the audience what the main point will be about in general.

Use the preview to briefly establish your structure and then move on. Let the audience get a taste of how you will divide the topic and fulfill the thesis and then move on. This important tool will reinforce the information in the minds of your listeners. Here are two examples of a preview:

Simply identify the main points of the speech. Cover them in the same order that they will appear in the body of the presentation.

For example, the preview for a speech about kites organized topically might take this form: "First, I will inform you about the invention of the kite. Then, I will explain the evolution of the kite. Third, I will introduce you to the different types of kites. Finally, I will inform you about various uses for kites." Notice that this preview avoids digressions (e.g., listing the various uses for kites); you will take care of the deeper information within the body of the speech.

Example Text : I'll tell you about motivations and means of escape employed by fugitive slaves.

Chronological

For example, the preview for a speech about the Pony Express organized chronologically might take this form: "I'll talk about the Pony Express in three parts. First, its origins, second, its heyday, and third, how it came to an end." Notice that this preview avoids digressions (e.g., listing the reasons why the Pony Express came to an end); you will cover the deeper information within the body of the speech.

Example Text : I'll talk about it in three parts. First, its origins, second, its heyday, and third, how it came to an end.

After you accomplish the first five components of the introduction, you should make a clean transition to the body of the speech. Use this transition to signal a change and prepare the audience to begin processing specific topical information. You should round out the introduction, reinforce the excitement and interest that you created in the audience during the introduction, and slide into the first main body point.

Strategic organization helps increase the clarity and effectiveness of your speech. Four key issues are discussed in this section:

Organizational Patterns

Connective devices, references to outside research.

The body contains the bulk of information in your speech and needs to be clearly organized. Without clear organization, the audience will probably forget your information, main points, perhaps even your thesis. Some simple strategies will help you create a clear, memorable speech. Below are the four key issues used in organizing a speech.

Once you settle on a topic, you should decide which aspects of that topic are of greatest importance for your speech. These aspects become your main points. While there is no rule about how many main points should appear in the body of the speech, most students go with three main points. You must have at least two main points; aside from that rule, you should select your main points based on the importance of the information and the time limitations. Be sure to include whatever information is necessary for the audience to understand your topic. Also, be sure to synthesize the information so it fits into the assigned time frame. As you choose your main points, try to give each point equal attention within the speech. If you pick three main points, each point should take up roughly one-third of the body section of your speech.

There are four basic patterns of organization for an informative speech.

• Chronological order
• Spatial order
• Causal order
• Topical order

There are four basic patterns of organization for an informative speech. You can choose any of these patterns based on which pattern serves the needs of your speech.

Chronological Order

A speech organized chronologically has main points oriented toward time. For example, a speech about the Farm Aid benefit concert could have main points organized chronologically. The first main point focuses on the creation of the event; the second main point focuses on the planning stages; the third point focuses on the actual performance/concert; and the fourth point focuses on donations and assistance that resulted from the entire process. In this format, you discuss main points in an order that could be followed on a calendar or a clock.

Spatial Order

A speech organized spatially has main points oriented toward space or a directional pattern. The Farm Aid speech's body could be organized in spatial order. The first main point discusses the New York branch of the organization; the second main point discusses the Midwest branch; the third main point discusses the California branch of Farm Aid. In this format, you discuss main points in an order that could be traced on a map.

Causal Order

A speech organized causally has main points oriented toward cause and effect. The main points of a Farm Aid speech organized causally could look like this: the first main point informs about problems on farms and the need for monetary assistance; the second main point discusses the creation and implementation of the Farm Aid program. In this format, you discuss main points in an order that alerts the audience to a problem or circumstance and then tells the audience what action resulted from the original circumstance.

Topical Order

A speech organized topically has main points organized more randomly by sub-topics. The Farm Aid speech could be organized topically: the first main point discusses Farm Aid administrators; the second main point discusses performers; the third main point discusses sponsors; the fourth main point discusses audiences. In this format, you discuss main points in a more random order that labels specific aspects of the topic and addresses them in separate categories. Most speeches that are not organized chronologically, spatially, or causally are organized topically.

Within the body of your speech, you need clear internal structure. Connectives are devices used to create a clear flow between ideas and points within the body of your speech--they serve to tie the speech together. There are four main types of connective devices:

Transitions

Internal previews, internal summaries.

Within the body of your speech, you need clear internal structure. Think of connectives as hooks and ladders for the audience to use when moving from point-to-point within the body of your speech. These devices help re-focus the minds of audience members and remind them of which main point your information is supporting. The four main types of connective devices are:

Transitions are brief statements that tell the audience to shift gears between ideas. Transitions serve as the glue that holds the speech together and allow the audience to predict where the next portion of the speech will go. For example, once you have previewed your main points and you want to move from the introduction to the body of the Farm Aid speech, you might say: "To gain an adequate understanding of the intricacies of this philanthropic group, we need to look at some specific information about Farm Aid. We'll begin by looking at the administrative branch of this massive fund-raising organization."

Internal previews are used to preview the parts of a main point. Internal previews are more focused than, but serve the same purpose as, the preview you will use in the introduction of the speech. For example, you might create an internal preview for the complex main point dealing with Farm Aid performers: "In examining the Farm Aid performers, we must acknowledge the presence of entertainers from different genres of music--country and western, rhythm and blues, rock, and pop." The internal preview provides specific information for the audience if a main point is complex or potentially confusing.

Internal summaries are the reverse of internal previews. Internal summaries restate specific parts of a main point. To internally summarize the main point dealing with Farm Aid performers, you might say: "You now know what types of people perform at the Farm Aid benefit concerts. The entertainers come from a wide range of musical genres--country and western, rhythm and blues, rock, and pop." When using both internal previews and internal summaries, be sure to stylize the language in each so you do not become redundant.

Signposts are brief statements that remind the audience where you are within the speech. If you have a long point, you may want to remind the audience of what main point you are on: "Continuing my discussion of Farm Aid performers . . . "

When organizing the body of your speech, you will integrate several references to your research. The purpose of the informative speech is to allow you and the audience to learn something new about a topic. Additionally, source citations add credibility to your ideas. If you know a lot about rock climbing and you cite several sources who confirm your knowledge, the audience is likely to see you as a credible speaker who provides ample support for ideas.

Without these references, your speech is more like a story or a chance for you to say a few things you know. To complete this assignment satisfactorily, you must use source citations. Consult your textbook and instructor for specific information on how much supporting material you should use and about the appropriate style for source citations.

While the conclusion should be brief and tight, it has a few specific tasks to accomplish:

Re-assert/Reinforce the Thesis

Review the main points, close effectively.

Take a deep breath! If you made it to the conclusion, you are on the brink of finishing. Below are the tasks you should complete in your conclusion:

When making the transition to the conclusion, attempt to make clear distinctions (verbally and nonverbally) that you are now wrapping up the information and providing final comments about the topic. Refer back to the thesis from the introduction with wording that calls the original thesis into memory. Assert that you have accomplished the goals of your thesis statement and create the feeling that audience members who actively considered your information are now equipped with an understanding of your topic. Reinforce whatever mood/tone you chose for the speech and attempt to create a big picture of the speech.

Within the conclusion, re-state the main points of the speech. Since you have used parallel wording for your main points in the introduction and body, don't break that consistency in the conclusion. Frame the review so the audience will be reminded of the preview and the developed discussion of each main point. After the review, you may want to create a statement about why those main points fulfilled the goals of the speech.

Finish strongly. When you close your speech, craft statements that reinforce the message and leave the audience with a clear feeling about what was accomplished with your speech. You might finalize the adaptation by discussing the benefits of listening to the speech and explaining what you think audience members can do with the information.

Remember to maintain an informative tone for this speech. You should not persuade about beliefs or positions; rather, you should persuade the audience that the speech was worthwhile and useful. For greatest effect, create a closing line or paragraph that is artistic and effective. Much like the attention-getter, the closing line needs to be refined and practiced. Your close should stick with the audience and leave them interested in your topic. Take time to work on writing the close well and attempt to memorize it so you can directly address the audience and leave them thinking of you as a well-prepared, confident speaker.

Outlining an Informative Speech

Two types of outlines can help you prepare to deliver your speech. The complete sentence outline provides a useful means of checking the organization and content of your speech. The speaking outline is an essential aid for delivering your speech. In this section, we discuss both types of outlines.

Two types of outlines can help you prepare to deliver your speech. The complete sentence outline provides a useful means of checking the organization and content of your speech. The speaking outline is an essential aid for delivering your speech.

The Complete Sentence Outline

A complete sentence outline may not be required for your presentation. The following information is useful, however, in helping you prepare your speech.

The complete sentence outline helps you organize your material and thoughts and it serves as an excellent copy for editing the speech. The complete sentence outline is just what it sounds like: an outline format including every complete sentence (not fragments or keywords) that will be delivered during your speech.

Writing the Outline

You should create headings for the introduction, body, and conclusion and clearly signal shifts between these main speech parts on the outline. Use standard outline format. For instance, you can use Roman numerals, letters, and numbers to label the parts of the outline. Organize the information so the major headings contain general information and the sub-headings become more specific as they descend. Think of the outline as a funnel: you should make broad, general claims at the top of each part of the outline and then tighten the information until you have exhausted the point. Do this with each section of the outline. Be sure to consult with your instructor about specific aspects of the outline and refer to your course book for further information and examples.

Using the Outline

If you use this outline as it is designed to be used, you will benefit from it. You should start the outline well before your speech day and give yourself plenty of time to revise it. Attempt to have the final, clean copies ready two or three days ahead of time, so you can spend a day or two before your speech working on delivery. Prepare the outline as if it were a final term paper.

The Speaking Outline

Depending upon the assignment and the instructor, you may use a speaking outline during your presentation. The following information will be helpful in preparing your speech through the use of a speaking outline.

This outline should be on notecards and should be a bare bones outline taken from the complete sentence outline. Think of the speaking outline as train tracks to guide you through the speech.

Many speakers find it helpful to highlight certain words/passages or to use different colors for different parts of the speech. You will probably want to write out long or cumbersome quotations along with your source citation. Many times, the hardest passages to learn are those you did not write but were spoken by someone else. Avoid the temptation to over-do the speaking outline; many speakers write too much on the cards and their grades suffer because they read from the cards.

The best strategy for becoming comfortable with a speaking outline is preparation. You should prepare well ahead of time and spend time working with the notecards and memorizing key sections of your speech (the introduction and conclusion, in particular). Try to become comfortable with the extemporaneous style of speaking. You should be able to look at a few keywords on your outline and deliver eloquent sentences because you are so familiar with your material. You should spend approximately 80% of your speech making eye-contact with your audience.

Delivering an Informative Speech

For many speakers, delivery is the most intimidating aspect of public speaking. Although there is no known cure for nervousness, you can make yourself much more comfortable by following a few basic delivery guidelines. In this section, we discuss those guidelines.

The Five-Step Method for Improving Delivery

• Read aloud your full-sentence outline. Listen to what you are saying and adjust your language to achieve a good, clear, simple sentence structure.
• Practice the speech repeatedly from the speaking outline. Become comfortable with your keywords to the point that what you say takes the form of an easy, natural conversation.
• Practice the speech aloud...rehearse it until you are confident you have mastered the ideas you want to present. Do not be concerned about "getting it just right." Once you know the content, you will find the way that is most comfortable for you.
• Practice in front of a mirror, tape record your practice, and/or present your speech to a friend. You are looking for feedback on rate of delivery, volume, pitch, non-verbal cues (gestures, card-usage, etc.), and eye-contact.
• Do a dress rehearsal of the speech under conditions as close as possible to those of the actual speech. Practice the speech a day or two before in a classroom. Be sure to incorporate as many elements as possible in the dress rehearsal...especially visual aids.

It should be clear that coping with anxiety over delivering a speech requires significant advanced preparation. The speech needs to be completed several days beforehand so that you can effectively employ this five-step plan.

Anderson, Thad, & Ron Tajchman. (1994). Informative Speaking. Writing@CSU . Colorado State University. https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=52

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

11.1 Informative Speeches

Learning objectives.

• Identify common topic categories for informative speeches.
• Identify strategies for researching and supporting informative speeches.
• Explain the different methods of informing.
• Employ strategies for effective informative speaking, including avoiding persuasion, avoiding information overload, and engaging the audience.

Many people would rather go see an impassioned political speech or a comedic monologue than a lecture. Although informative speaking may not be the most exciting form of public speaking, it is the most common. Reports, lectures, training seminars, and demonstrations are all examples of informative speaking. That means you are more likely to give and listen to informative speeches in a variety of contexts. Some organizations, like consulting firms, and career fields, like training and development, are solely aimed at conveying information. College alumni have reported that out of many different speech skills, informative speaking is most important (Verderber, 1991). Since your exposure to informative speaking is inevitable, why not learn how to be a better producer and consumer of informative messages?

Creating an Informative Speech

As you’ll recall from Chapter 9 “Preparing a Speech” , speaking to inform is one of the three possible general purposes for public speaking. The goal of informative speaking is to teach an audience something using objective factual information. Interestingly, informative speaking is a newcomer in the world of public speaking theorizing and instruction, which began thousands of years ago with the ancient Greeks (Olbricht, 1968). Ancient philosophers and statesmen like Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian conceived of public speaking as rhetoric, which is inherently persuasive. During that time, and until the 1800s, almost all speaking was argumentative. Teaching and instruction were performed as debates, and even fields like science and medicine relied on argumentative reasoning instead of factual claims.

Until the 1800s, even scientific fields and medicine relied on teaching that was based on debate and argument rather than the informative-based instruction that is used today.

Monash University – Surgery Workshop 2012 – CC BY-NC 2.0.

While most instruction is now verbal, for most of modern history, people learned by doing rather than listening, as apprenticeships were much more common than classroom-based instruction. So what facilitated the change from argumentative and demonstrative teaching to verbal and informative teaching? One reason for this change was the democratization of information. Technical information used to be jealously protected by individuals, families, or guilds. Now society generally believes that information should be shared and made available to all. The increasing complexity of fields of knowledge and professions also increased the need for informative speaking. Now one must learn a history or backstory before actually engaging with a subject or trade. Finally, much of the information that has built up over time has become commonly accepted; therefore much of the history or background information isn’t disputed and can now be shared in an informative rather than argumentative way.

Choosing an Informative Speech Topic

Being a successful informative speaker starts with choosing a topic that can engage and educate the audience. Your topic choices may be influenced by the level at which you are speaking. Informative speaking usually happens at one of three levels: formal, vocational, and impromptu (Verderber, 1991). Formal informative speeches occur when an audience has assembled specifically to hear what you have to say. Being invited to speak to a group during a professional meeting, a civic gathering, or a celebration gala brings with it high expectations. Only people who have accomplished or achieved much are asked to serve as keynote speakers, and they usually speak about these experiences. Many more people deliver informative speeches at the vocational level, as part of their careers. Teachers like me spend many hours lecturing, which is a common form of informative speaking. In addition, human resources professionals give presentations about changes in policy and provide training for new employees, technicians in factories convey machine specifications and safety procedures, and servers describe how a dish is prepared in their restaurant. Last, we all convey information daily in our regular interactions. When we give a freshman directions to a campus building, summarize the latest episode of American Idol for our friend who missed it, or explain a local custom to an international student, we are engaging in impromptu informative speaking.

Whether at the formal, vocational, or impromptu level, informative speeches can emerge from a range of categories, which include objects, people, events, processes, concepts, and issues. An extended speech at the formal level may include subject matter from several of these categories, while a speech at the vocational level may convey detailed information about a process, concept, or issue relevant to a specific career.

Subjects of informative speaking at the vocational level usually relate to a speaker’s professional experience or expertise.

Peter Long – Business Meeting – CC BY 2.0.

Since we don’t have time to research or organize content for impromptu informative speaking, these speeches may provide a less detailed summary of a topic within one of these categories. A broad informative speech topic could be tailored to fit any of these categories. As you draft your specific purpose and thesis statements, think about which category or categories will help you achieve your speech goals, and then use it or them to guide your research. Table 11.1 “Sample Informative Speech Topics by Category” includes an example of how a broad informative subject area like renewable energy can be adapted to each category as well as additional sample topics.

Table 11.1 Sample Informative Speech Topics by Category

Speeches about objects convey information about any nonhuman material things. Mechanical objects, animals, plants, and fictional objects are all suitable topics of investigation. Given that this is such a broad category, strive to pick an object that your audience may not be familiar with or highlight novel relevant and interesting facts about a familiar object.

Speeches about people focus on real or fictional individuals who are living or dead. These speeches require in-depth biographical research; an encyclopedia entry is not sufficient. Introduce a new person to the audience or share little-known or surprising information about a person we already know. Although we may already be familiar with the accomplishments of historical figures and leaders, audiences often enjoy learning the “personal side” of their lives.

Speeches about concepts are less concrete than speeches about objects or people, as they focus on ideas or notions that may be abstract or multifaceted. A concept can be familiar to us, like equality, or could literally be a foreign concept like qi (or chi ), which is the Chinese conception of the energy that flows through our bodies. Use the strategies discussed in this book for making content relevant and proxemic to your audience to help make abstract concepts more concrete.

Speeches about events focus on past occasions or ongoing occurrences. A particular day in history, an annual observation, or a seldom occurring event can each serve as interesting informative topics. As with speeches about people, it’s important to provide a backstory for the event, but avoid rehashing commonly known information.

Informative speeches about processes provide a step-by-step account of a procedure or natural occurrence. Speakers may walk an audience through, or demonstrate, a series of actions that take place to complete a procedure, such as making homemade cheese. Speakers can also present information about naturally occurring processes like cell division or fermentation.

Informative speeches about processes provide steps of a procedure, such as how to make homemade cheese.

Joel Kramer – curdle – CC BY 2.0.

Last, informative speeches about issues provide objective and balanced information about a disputed subject or a matter of concern for society. It is important that speakers view themselves as objective reporters rather than commentators to avoid tipping the balance of the speech from informative to persuasive. Rather than advocating for a particular position, the speaker should seek to teach or raise the awareness of the audience.

Researching an Informative Speech Topic

Having sharp research skills is a fundamental part of being a good informative speaker. Since informative speaking is supposed to convey factual information, speakers should take care to find sources that are objective, balanced, and credible. Periodicals, books, newspapers, and credible websites can all be useful sources for informative speeches, and you can use the guidelines for evaluating supporting materials discussed in Chapter 9 “Preparing a Speech” to determine the best information to include in your speech. Aside from finding credible and objective sources, informative speakers also need to take time to find engaging information. This is where sharp research skills are needed to cut through all the typical information that comes up in the research process to find novel information. Novel information is atypical or unexpected, but it takes more skill and effort to locate. Even seemingly boring informative speech topics like the history of coupons can be brought to life with information that defies the audience’s expectations. A student recently delivered an engaging speech about coupons by informing us that coupons have been around for 125 years, are most frequently used by wealthier and more educated households, and that a coupon fraud committed by an Italian American businessman named Charles Ponzi was the basis for the term Ponzi scheme , which is still commonly used today.

As a teacher, I can attest to the challenges of keeping an audience engaged during an informative presentation. While it’s frustrating to look out at my audience of students and see glazed-over eyes peering back at me, I also know that it is my responsibility to choose interesting information and convey it in a way that’s engaging. Even though the core content of what I teach hasn’t change dramatically over the years, I constantly challenge myself to bring that core information to life through application and example. As we learned earlier, finding proxemic and relevant information and examples is typically a good way to be engaging. The basic information may not change quickly, but the way people use it and the way it relates to our lives changes. Finding current, relevant examples and finding novel information are both difficult, since you, as the researcher, probably don’t know this information exists.

Here is where good research skills become necessary to be a good informative speaker. Using advice from Chapter 9 “Preparing a Speech” should help you begin to navigate through the seas of information to find hidden treasure that excites you and will in turn excite your audience.

To avoid boring an audience, effective informative speakers possess good research skills and the ability to translate information to be engaging and relevant for an audience.

Niall Kennedy – Sleep – CC BY-NC 2.0.

As was mentioned earlier, the goal for informative speaking is to teach your audience. An audience is much more likely to remain engaged when they are actively learning. This is like a balancing act. You want your audience to be challenged enough by the information you are presenting to be interested, but not so challenged that they become overwhelmed and shut down. You should take care to consider how much information your audience already knows about a topic. Be aware that speakers who are very familiar with their speech topic tend to overestimate their audience’s knowledge about the topic. It’s better to engage your topic at a level slightly below your audience’s knowledge level than above. Most people won’t be bored by a brief review, but many people become lost and give up listening if they can’t connect to the information right away or feel it’s over their heads.

A good informative speech leaves the audience thinking long after the speech is done. Try to include some practical “takeaways” in your speech. I’ve learned many interesting and useful things from the informative speeches my students have done. Some of the takeaways are more like trivia information that is interesting to share—for example, how prohibition led to the creation of NASCAR. Other takeaways are more practical and useful—for example, how to get wine stains out of clothing and carpet or explanations of various types of student financial aid.

Organizing and Supporting an Informative Speech

You can already see that informing isn’t as easy as we may initially think. To effectively teach, a speaker must present quality information in an organized and accessible way. Once you have chosen an informative speech topic and put your research skills to the test in order to locate novel and engaging information, it’s time to organize and support your speech.

Organizational Patterns

Three organizational patterns that are particularly useful for informative speaking are topical, chronological, and spatial. As you’ll recall, to organize a speech topically, you break a larger topic down into logical subdivisions. An informative speech about labor unions could focus on unions in three different areas of employment, three historically significant strikes, or three significant legal/legislative decisions. Speeches organized chronologically trace the development of a topic or overview the steps in a process. An informative speech could trace the rise of the economic crisis in Greece or explain the steps in creating a home compost pile. Speeches organized spatially convey the layout or physical characteristics of a location or concept. An informative speech about the layout of a fire station or an astrology wheel would follow a spatial organization pattern.

Methods of Informing

Types of and strategies for incorporating supporting material into speeches are discussed in Chapter 9 “Preparing a Speech” , but there are some specific ways to go about developing ideas within informative speeches. Speakers often inform an audience using definitions, descriptions, demonstrations, and explanations. It is likely that a speaker will combine these methods of informing within one speech, but a speech can also be primarily organized using one of these methods.

Informing through Definition

Informing through definition entails defining concepts clearly and concisely and is an important skill for informative speaking. There are several ways a speaker can inform through definition: synonyms and antonyms, use or function, example, and etymology (Verderber, 1991). Defining a concept using a synonym or an antonym is a short and effective way to convey meaning. Synonyms are words that have the same or similar meanings, and antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. In a speech about how to effectively inform an audience, I would claim that using concrete words helps keep an audience engaged. I could enhance your understanding of what concrete means by defining it with synonyms like tangible and relatable . Or I could define concrete using antonyms like abstract and theoretical .

Identifying the use or function of an object, item, or idea is also a short way of defining. We may think we already know the use and function of most of the things we interact with regularly. This is true in obvious cases like cars, elevators, and smartphones. But there are many objects and ideas that we may rely on and interact with but not know the use or function. For example, QR codes (or quick response codes) are popping up in magazines, at airports, and even on t-shirts (Vuong, 2011). Many people may notice them but not know what they do. As a speaker, you could define QR codes by their function by informing the audience that QR codes allow businesses, organizations, and individuals to get information to consumers/receivers through a barcode-like format that can be easily scanned by most smartphones.

An informative speaker could teach audience members about QR codes by defining them based on their use or function.

Douglas Muth – My QR Code – CC BY-SA 2.0.

A speaker can also define a topic using examples, which are cited cases that are representative of a larger concept. In an informative speech about anachronisms in movies and literature, a speaker might provide the following examples: the film Titanic shows people on lifeboats using flashlights to look for survivors from the sunken ship (such flashlights weren’t invented until two years later) (The Past in Pictures, 2012); Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar includes a reference to a clock, even though no mechanical clocks existed during Caesar’s time (Scholasticus K., 2012). Examples are a good way to repackage information that’s already been presented to help an audience retain and understand the content of a speech. Later we’ll learn more about how repackaging information enhances informative speaking.

Etymology refers to the history of a word. Defining by etymology entails providing an overview of how a word came to its current meaning. The Oxford English Dictionary is the best source for finding etymology and often contains interesting facts that can be presented as novel information to better engage your audience. For example, the word assassin , which refers to a person who intentionally murders another, literally means “hashish-eater” and comes from the Arabic word hashshashin . The current meaning emerged during the Crusades as a result of the practices of a sect of Muslims who would get high on hashish before killing Christian leaders—in essence, assassinating them (Oxford English Dictionary Online, 2012).

Informing through Description

As the saying goes, “Pictures are worth a thousand words.” Informing through description entails creating verbal pictures for your audience. Description is also an important part of informative speeches that use a spatial organizational pattern, since you need to convey the layout of a space or concept. Good descriptions are based on good observations, as they convey what is taken in through the senses and answer these type of questions: What did that look like? Smell like? Sound like? Feel like? Taste like? If descriptions are vivid and well written, they can actually invoke a sensory reaction in your audience. Just as your mouth probably begins to salivate when I suggest that you imagine biting into a fresh, bright yellow, freshly cut, juicy lemon wedge, so can your audience be transported to a setting or situation through your descriptions. I once had a student set up his speech about the history of streaking by using the following description: “Imagine that you are walking across campus to your evening class. You look up to see a parade of hundreds upon hundreds of your naked peers jogging by wearing little more than shoes.”

Informing through Demonstration

When informing through demonstration , a speaker gives verbal directions about how to do something while also physically demonstrating the steps. Early morning infomercials are good examples of demonstrative speaking, even though they are also trying to persuade us to buy their “miracle product.” Whether straightforward or complex, it’s crucial that a speaker be familiar with the content of their speech and the physical steps necessary for the demonstration. Speaking while completing a task requires advanced psycho-motor skills that most people can’t wing and therefore need to practice. Tasks suddenly become much more difficult than we expect when we have an audience. Have you ever had to type while people are reading along with you? Even though we type all the time, even one extra set of eyes seems to make our fingers more clumsy than usual.

Television chefs are excellent examples of speakers who frequently inform through demonstration. While many of them make the process of speaking while cooking look effortless, it took much practice over many years to make viewers think it is effortless.

Television chefs inform through demonstration. Although they make it seem easy, it is complex and difficult.

Gordonramsaysubmissions – gordon ramsay 7 – CC BY 2.0.

Part of this practice also involves meeting time limits. Since television segments are limited and chefs may be demonstrating and speaking live, they have to be able to adapt as needed. Demonstration speeches are notorious for going over time, especially if speakers haven’t practiced with their visual aids / props. Be prepared to condense or edit as needed to meet your time limit. The reality competition show The Next Food Network Star captures these difficulties, as many experienced cooks who have the content knowledge and know how to physically complete their tasks fall apart when faced with a camera challenge because they just assumed they could speak and cook at the same time.

Tips for Demonstration Speeches

• Include personal stories and connections to the topic, in addition to the “how-to” information, to help engage your audience.
• Ask for audience volunteers (if appropriate) to make the demonstration more interactive.
• Include a question-and-answer period at the end (if possible) so audience members can ask questions and seek clarification.
• Follow an orderly progression. Do not skip around or backtrack when reviewing the steps.
• Use clear signposts like first , second , and third .
• Use orienting material like internal previews and reviews, and transitions.
• Group steps together in categories, if needed, to help make the information more digestible.
• Assess the nonverbal feedback of your audience. Review or slow down if audience members look lost or confused.
• Practice with your visual aids / props many times. Things suddenly become more difficult and complicated than you expect when an audience is present.
• Practice for time and have contingency plans if you need to edit some information out to avoid going over your time limit.

Informing through Explanation

Informing through explanation entails sharing how something works, how something came to be, or why something happened. This method of informing may be useful when a topic is too complex or abstract to demonstrate. When presenting complex information make sure to break the topic up into manageable units, avoid information overload, and include examples that make the content relevant to the audience. Informing through explanation works well with speeches about processes, events, and issues. For example, a speaker could explain the context surrounding the Lincoln-Douglas debates or the process that takes place during presidential primaries.

“Getting Plugged In”

TED Talks as a Model of Effective Informative Speaking

Over the past few years, I have heard more and more public speaking teachers mention their use of TED speeches in their classes. What started in 1984 as a conference to gather people involved in Technology, Entertainment, and Design has now turned into a worldwide phenomenon that is known for its excellent speeches and presentations, many of which are informative in nature. [1] The motto of TED is “Ideas worth spreading,” which is in keeping with the role that we should occupy as informative speakers. We should choose topics that are worth speaking about and then work to present them in such a way that audience members leave with “take-away” information that is informative and useful. TED fits in with the purpose of the “Getting Plugged In” feature in this book because it has been technology focused from the start. For example, Andrew Blum’s speech focuses on the infrastructure of the Internet, and Pranav Mistry’s speech focuses on a new technology he developed that allows for more interaction between the physical world and the world of data. Even speakers who don’t focus on technology still skillfully use technology in their presentations, as is the case with David Gallo’s speech about exotic underwater life. Here are links to all these speeches:

• Andrew Blum’s speech: What Is the Internet, Really? http://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_blum_what_is_the_internet_really.html
• Pranav Mistry’s speech: The Thrilling Potential of Sixth Sense Technology. http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html
• David Gallo’s speech: Underwater Astonishments. http://www.ted.com/talks/david_gallo_shows_underwater_astonishments.html
• What can you learn from the TED model and/or TED speakers that will help you be a better informative speaker?
• In what innovative and/or informative ways do the speakers reference or incorporate technology in their speeches?

Effective Informative Speaking

There are several challenges to overcome to be an effective informative speaker. They include avoiding persuasion, avoiding information overload, and engaging your audience.

Avoiding Persuasion

We should avoid thinking of informing and persuading as dichotomous, meaning that it’s either one or the other. It’s more accurate to think of informing and persuading as two poles on a continuum, as in Figure 11.1 “Continuum of Informing and Persuading” (Olbricht, 1968). Most persuasive speeches rely on some degree of informing to substantiate the reasoning. And informative speeches, although meant to secure the understanding of an audience, may influence audience members’ beliefs, attitudes, values, or behaviors.

Figure 11.1 Continuum of Informing and Persuading

Speakers can look to three areas to help determine if their speech is more informative or persuasive: speaker purpose, function of information, and audience perception (Verderber, 1991). First, for informative speaking, a speaker’s purpose should be to create understanding by sharing objective, factual information. Specific purpose and thesis statements help establish a speaker’s goal and purpose and can serve as useful reference points to keep a speech on track. When reviewing your specific purpose and thesis statement, look for words like should / shouldn’t , good / bad , and right / wrong , as these often indicate a persuasive slant in the speech.

Second, information should function to clarify and explain in an informative speech. Supporting materials shouldn’t function to prove a thesis or to provide reasons for an audience to accept the thesis, as they do in persuasive speeches. Although informative messages can end up influencing the thoughts or behaviors of audience members, that shouldn’t be the goal.

Third, an audience’s perception of the information and the speaker helps determine whether a speech is classified as informative or persuasive. The audience must perceive that the information being presented is not controversial or disputed, which will lead audience members to view the information as factual. The audience must also accept the speaker as a credible source of information. Being prepared, citing credible sources, and engaging the audience help establish a speaker’s credibility. Last, an audience must perceive the speaker to be trustworthy and not have a hidden agenda. Avoiding persuasion is a common challenge for informative speakers, but it is something to consider, as violating the speaking occasion may be perceived as unethical by the audience. Be aware of the overall tone of your speech by reviewing your specific purpose and thesis to make sure your speech isn’t tipping from informative to persuasive.

Words like should / shouldn’t , good / bad , and right / wrong in a specific purpose and/or thesis statement often indicate that the speaker’s purpose is tipping from informative to persuasive.

Hans Splinter – balance – CC BY-ND 2.0.

Avoiding Information Overload

Many informative speakers have a tendency to pack a ten-minute speech with as much information as possible. This can result in information overload , which is a barrier to effective listening that occurs when a speech contains more information than an audience can process. Editing can be a difficult task, but it’s an important skill to hone, because you will be editing more than you think. Whether it’s reading through an e-mail before you send it, condensing a report down to an executive summary, or figuring out how to fit a client’s message on the front page of a brochure, you will have to learn how to discern what information is best to keep and what can be thrown out. In speaking, being a discerning editor is useful because it helps avoid information overload. While a receiver may not be attracted to a brochure that’s covered in text, they could take the time to read it, and reread it, if necessary. Audience members cannot conduct their own review while listening to a speaker live. Unlike readers, audience members can’t review words over and over (Verderber, 1991). Therefore competent speakers, especially informative speakers who are trying to teach their audience something, should adapt their message to a listening audience. To help avoid information overload, adapt your message to make it more listenable.

Although the results vary, research shows that people only remember a portion of a message days or even hours after receiving it (Janusik, 2012). If you spend 100 percent of your speech introducing new information, you have wasted approximately 30 percent of your time and your audience’s time. Information overload is a barrier to effective listening, and as good speakers, we should be aware of the limitations of listening and compensate for that in our speech preparation and presentation. I recommend that my students follow a guideline that suggests spending no more than 30 percent of your speech introducing new material and 70 percent of your speech repackaging that information. I specifically use the word repackaging and not repeating . Simply repeating the same information would also be a barrier to effective listening, since people would just get bored. Repackaging will help ensure that your audience retains most of the key information in the speech. Even if they don’t remember every example, they will remember the main underlying point.

Avoiding information overload requires a speaker to be a good translator of information. To be a good translator, you can compare an unfamiliar concept with something familiar, give examples from real life, connect your information to current events or popular culture, or supplement supporting material like statistics with related translations of that information. These are just some of the strategies a good speaker can use. While translating information is important for any oral presentation, it is especially important when conveying technical information. Being able to translate complex or technical information for a lay audience leads to more effective informing, because the audience feels like they are being addressed on their level and don’t feel lost or “talked down to.” The History Channel show The Universe provides excellent examples of informative speakers who act as good translators. The scientists and experts featured on the show are masters of translating technical information, like physics, into concrete examples that most people can relate to based on their everyday experiences.

Comparing the turbulent formation of the solar system to the collisions of bumper bars and spinning rides at an amusement park makes the content more concrete.

Alexander Svensson – Ferris Wheel – CC BY 2.0.

Following the guidelines established in Chapter 9 “Preparing a Speech” for organizing a speech can also help a speaker avoid information overload. Good speakers build in repetition and redundancy to make their content more memorable and their speech more consumable. Preview statements, section transitions, and review statements are some examples of orienting material that helps focus an audience’s attention and facilitates the process of informing (Verderber, 1991).

Engaging Your Audience

As a speaker, you are competing for the attention of your audience against other internal and external stimuli. Getting an audience engaged and then keeping their attention is a challenge for any speaker, but it can be especially difficult when speaking to inform. As was discussed earlier, once you are in the professional world, you will most likely be speaking informatively about topics related to your experience and expertise. Some speakers fall into the trap of thinking that their content knowledge is enough to sustain them through an informative speech or that their position in an organization means that an audience will listen to them and appreciate their information despite their delivery. Content expertise is not enough to be an effective speaker. A person must also have speaking expertise (Verderber, 1991). Effective speakers, even renowned experts, must still translate their wealth of content knowledge into information that is suited for oral transmission, audience centered, and well organized. I’m sure we’re all familiar with the stereotype of the absentminded professor or the genius who thinks elegantly in his or her head but can’t convey that same elegance verbally. Having well-researched and organized supporting material is an important part of effective informative speaking, but having good content is not enough.

Audience members are more likely to stay engaged with a speaker they view as credible. So complementing good supporting material with a practiced and fluent delivery increases credibility and audience engagement. In addition, as we discussed earlier, good informative speakers act as translators of information. Repackaging information into concrete familiar examples is also a strategy for making your speech more engaging. Understanding relies on being able to apply incoming information to life experiences.

Repackaging information is also a good way to appeal to different learning styles, as you can present the same content in various ways, which helps reiterate a point. While this strategy is useful with any speech, since the goal of informing is teaching, it makes sense to include a focus on learning within your audience adaptation. There are three main learning styles that help determine how people most effectively receive and process information: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (Fleming, 2012). Visual learners respond well to information presented via visual aids, so repackage information using text, graphics, charts and other media. Public speaking is a good way to present information for auditory learners who process information well when they hear it. Kinesthetic learners are tactile; they like to learn through movement and “doing.” Asking for volunteers to help with a demonstration, if appropriate, is a way to involve kinesthetic learners in your speech. You can also have an interactive review activity at the end of a speech, much like many teachers incorporate an activity after a lesson to reinforce the material.

“Getting Real”

Technical Speaking

People who work in technical fields, like engineers and information technology professionals, often think they will be spared the task of public speaking. This is not the case, however, and there is actually a branch of communication studies that addresses public speaking matters for “techies.” The field of technical communication focuses on how messages can be translated from expert to lay audiences. I actually taught a public speaking class for engineering students, and they basically had to deliver speeches about the things they were working on in a way that I could understand. I ended up learning a lot more about jet propulsion and hybrid car engines than I ever expected!

Have you ever been completely lost when reading an instruction manual for some new product you purchased? Have you ever had difficulty following the instructions of someone who was trying to help you with a technical matter? If so, you’ve experienced some of the challenges associated with technical speaking. There are many careers where technical speaking skills are needed. According to the Society for Technical Communication, communicating about specialized or technical topics, communicating by using technology, and providing instructions about how to do something are all examples of technical speaking (Society for Technical Communication, 2012). People with technical speaking skills offer much to organizations and businesses. They help make information more useable and accessible to customers, clients, and employees. They can help reduce costs to a business by reducing unnecessary work that results from misunderstandings of instructions, by providing clear information that allows customers to use products without training or technical support and by making general information put out by a company more user friendly. Technical speakers are dedicated to producing messages that are concise, clear, and coherent (Society for Technical Communication, 2012). Such skills are used in the following careers: technical writers and editors, technical illustrators, visual designers, web designers, customer service representatives, salespeople, spokespeople, and many more.

• What communication skills that you’ve learned about in the book so far do you think would be important for a technical speaker?
• Identify instances in which you have engaged in technical speaking or received information from a technical speaker. Based on what you have learned in this chapter, were the speakers effective or not, and why?

Sample Informative Speech

Title: Going Green in the World of Education

General purpose: To inform

Specific purpose: By the end of my speech, the audience will be able to describe some ways in which schools are going green.

Thesis statement: The green movement has transformed school buildings, how teachers teach, and the environment in which students learn.

Introduction

Attention getter: Did you know that attending or working at a green school can lead students and teachers to have less health problems? Did you know that allowing more daylight into school buildings increases academic performance and can lessen attention and concentration challenges? Well, the research I will cite in my speech supports both of these claims, and these are just two of the many reasons why more schools, both grade schools and colleges, are going green.

Introduction of topic: Today, I’m going to inform you about the green movement that is affecting many schools.

Credibility and relevance: Because of my own desire to go into the field of education, I decided to research how schools are going green in the United States. But it’s not just current and/or future teachers that will be affected by this trend. As students at Eastern Illinois University, you are already asked to make “greener” choices. Whether it’s the little signs in the dorm rooms that ask you to turn off your lights when you leave the room, the reusable water bottles that were given out on move-in day, or even our new Renewable Energy Center, the list goes on and on. Additionally, younger people in our lives, whether they be future children or younger siblings or relatives, will likely be affected by this continuing trend.

Preview statement: In order to better understand what makes a “green school,” we need to learn about how K–12 schools are going green, how college campuses are going green, and how these changes affect students and teachers.

Transition: I’ll begin with how K–12 schools are going green.

• In order to garner support for green initiatives, the article recommends that local leaders like superintendents, mayors, and college administrators become involved in the green movement.
• Once local leaders are involved, the community, students, parents, faculty, and staff can be involved by serving on a task force, hosting a summit or conference, and implementing lessons about sustainability into everyday conversations and school curriculum.
• The US Green Building Council’s website also includes a tool kit with a lot of information about how to “green” existing schools.
• For example, Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Colorado, was built in 2006 and received LEED certification because it has automatic light sensors to conserve electricity and uses wind energy to offset nonrenewable energy use.
• To conserve water, the school uses a pond for irrigation, has artificial turf on athletic fields, and installed low-flow toilets and faucets.
• According to the 2006 report by certified energy manager Gregory Kats titled “Greening America’s Schools,” a LEED certified school uses 30–50 percent less energy, 30 percent less water, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent compared to a conventional school.
• Many new building materials, carpeting, and furniture contain chemicals that are released into the air, which reduces indoor air quality.
• So green schools purposefully purchase materials that are low in these chemicals.
• Natural light and fresh air have also been shown to promote a healthier learning environment, so green buildings allow more daylight in and include functioning windows.

Transition: As you can see, K–12 schools are becoming greener; college campuses are also starting to go green.

• According to the Sturm College of Law’s website, the building was designed to use 40 percent less energy than a conventional building through the use of movement-sensor lighting; high-performance insulation in the walls, floors, and roof; and infrared sensors on water faucets and toilets.
• Electric car recharging stations were also included in the parking garage, and the building has extra bike racks and even showers that students and faculty can use to freshen up if they bike or walk to school or work.
• Some of the dining halls on campus have gone “trayless,” which according to a 2009 article by Calder in the journal Independent School has the potential to dramatically reduce the amount of water and chemical use, since there are no longer trays to wash, and also helps reduce food waste since people take less food without a tray.
• The Renewable Energy Center uses slow-burn technology to use wood chips that are a byproduct of the lumber industry that would normally be discarded.
• This helps reduce our dependency on our old coal-fired power plant, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
• The project was the first known power plant to be registered with the US Green Building Council and is on track to receive LEED certification.

Transition: All these efforts to go green in K–12 schools and on college campuses will obviously affect students and teachers at the schools.

• Many schools are literally going green by including more green spaces such as recreation areas, gardens, and greenhouses, which according to a 2010 article in the Journal of Environmental Education by University of Colorado professor Susan Strife has been shown to benefit a child’s cognitive skills, especially in the areas of increased concentration and attention capacity.
• Additionally, the report I cited earlier, “Greening America’s Schools,” states that the improved air quality in green schools can lead to a 38 percent reduction in asthma incidents and that students in “green schools” had 51 percent less chance of catching a cold or the flu compared to children in conventional schools.
• The report “Greening America’s Schools” notes that a recent synthesis of fifty-three studies found that more daylight in the school building leads to higher academic achievement.
• The report also provides data that show how the healthier environment in green schools leads to better attendance and that in Washington, DC, and Chicago, schools improved their performance on standardized tests by 3–4 percent.
• According to the article in Education Week that I cited earlier, the Sustainability Education Clearinghouse is a free online tool that provides K–12 educators with the ability to share sustainability-oriented lesson ideas.
• The Center for Green Schools also provides resources for all levels of teachers, from kindergarten to college, that can be used in the classroom.
• The report “Greening America’s Schools” claims that the overall improved working environment that a green school provides leads to higher teacher retention and less teacher turnover.
• Just as students see health benefits from green schools, so do teachers, as the same report shows that teachers in these schools get sick less, resulting in a decrease of sick days by 7 percent.

Transition to conclusion and summary of importance: In summary, the going-green era has impacted every aspect of education in our school systems.

Review of main points: From K–12 schools to college campuses like ours, to the students and teachers in the schools, the green movement is changing the way we think about education and our environment.

Closing statement: As Glenn Cook, the editor in chief of the American School Board Journal , states on the Center for Green Schools’s website, “The green schools movement is the biggest thing to happen to education since the introduction of technology to the classroom.”

Ash, K. (2011). “Green schools” benefit budgets and students, report says. Education Week , 30 (32), 10.

Calder, W. (2009). Go green, save green. Independent School , 68 (4), 90–93.

The Center for Green Schools. (n.d.). K–12: How. Retrieved from http://www.centerforgreenschools.org/main-nav/k-12/buildings.aspx

Eastern Illinois University. (n.d.). Renewable Energy Center. Retrieved from http://www.eiu.edu/sustainability/eiu_renewable.php

Kats, G. (2006). Greening America’s schools: Costs and benefits. A Capital E Report. Retrieved from http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=2908

Strife, S. (2010). Reflecting on environmental education: Where is our place in the green movement? Journal of Environmental Education , 41 (3), 179–191. doi:10.1080/00958960903295233

Sturm College of Law. (n.d.). About DU law: Building green. Retrieved from http://www.law.du.edu/index.php/about/building-green

USGBC. (n.d.). About us. US Green Building Council . Retrieved from https://new.usgbc.org/about

Key Takeaways

• Getting integrated: Informative speaking is likely the type of public speaking we will most often deliver and be audience to in our lives. Informative speaking is an important part of academic, professional, personal, and civic contexts.
• Informative speeches teach an audience through objective factual information and can emerge from one or more of the following categories: objects, people, concepts, events, processes, and issues.
• Effective informative speaking requires good research skills, as speakers must include novel information, relevant and proxemic examples, and “take-away” information that audience members will find engaging and useful.

The four primary methods of informing are through definition, description, demonstration, or explanation.

• Informing through definition entails defining concepts clearly and concisely using synonyms and antonyms, use or function, example, or etymology.
• Informing through description entails creating detailed verbal pictures for your audience.
• Informing through demonstration entails sharing verbal directions about how to do something while also physically demonstrating the steps.
• Informing through explanation entails sharing how something works, how something came to be, or why something happened.
• An effective informative speaker should avoid persuasion by reviewing the language used in the specific purpose and thesis statements, using objective supporting material, and appearing trustworthy to the audience.
• An effective informative speaker should avoid information overload by repackaging information and building in repetition and orienting material like reviews and previews.
• An effective informative speaker engages the audience by translating information into relevant and concrete examples that appeal to different learning styles.
• Getting integrated: How might you use informative speaking in each of the following contexts: academic, professional, personal, and civic?
• Brainstorm potential topics for your informative speech and identify which topic category each idea falls into. Are there any risks of persuading for the topics you listed? If so, how can you avoid persuasion if you choose that topic?
• Of the four methods of informing (through definition, description, demonstration, or explanation), which do you think is most effective for you? Why?

Fleming, N., “The VARK Helpsheets,” accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=helpsheets .

Janusik, L., “Listening Facts,” accessed March 6, 2012, http://d1025403.site.myhosting.com/files.listen.org/Facts.htm .

Olbricht, T. H., Informative Speaking (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1968), 1–12.

Oxford English Dictionary Online, accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.oed.com .

The Past in Pictures, “Teaching Using Movies: Anachronisms!” accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.thepastinthepictures.wildelearning.co.uk/Introductoryunit!.htm .

Scholasticus K, “Anachronism Examples in Literature,” February 2, 2012, accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.buzzle.com/articles/anachronism-examples-in-literature.html .

Society for Technical Communication, “Defining Technical Communication,” accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.stc.org/about-stc/the-profession-all-about-technical-communication/defining-tc .

Verderber, R., Essentials of Informative Speaking: Theory and Contexts (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1991), 3.

Vuong, A., “Wanna Read That QR Code? Get the Smartphone App,” The Denver Post , April 18, 2011, accessed March 6, 2012, http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_17868932 .

• “About TED,” accessed October 23, 2012, http://www.ted.com/pages/about . ↵

Communication in the Real World Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

50 Interesting Informative Speech Topics for College

26 September, 2020

15 minutes read

Author:  Mathieu Johnson

Informative speeches grant speakers a responsible mission of educating people about significant ideas and themes. They’re also about sharing thoughts and opinions on this or that topic, aimed at expanding understanding and providing listeners with relevant insights for further deliberation. Therefore, it’s a particular type of speeches given to put things into sharp focus and offer food for thought. Read up to know which informative speech topics have the most impact.

What is an informative speech?

As mentioned above, it’s a kind of speech that, well, informs the audience about your topic. Sounds simple enough, but simplicity is deceptive, and there are enough secrets behind this science. Specifically, not all people are fully aware of the fact that the “what” question is a key element that needs to be answered, for with informative speeches, you want to choose a topic most likely to be well received.

Of course, you can speak about something you already know, but you can also talk about the topic which is absolutely new to you. In this case, however, you must make sure that the theme will be relatively easy to research and studied before speech delivery. Another important point worth noticing is that organizational requirements and type of information for informative speech usually intertwines with those for an informative essay, for the latter is often an extension of the first.

How to write an informative speech?

So, now it’s time to move from theory to practice and write an informative speech. But where do you start from?

Although there are many different processes involved in the process, we’ll narrow them to essentials to help you better grasp the idea of how a perfect speech should be tailored.

Stage 1. Research and Brainstorming

Think about the topic.

The first and most crucial step is about choosing the right topic. We’ve mentioned before that it’s vital to select the issue you feel free to talk about. However, there are also cases when professors assign a specific task for you. Either way, the point here is to conduct thorough research based on the given or chosen topic.

If you want to explain the history of some company, band or event, for example, make sure to deliver the message clearly, without going here and there. For this, consider talking about particular points which will cover the whole speech and help the audience quickly digest it. Otherwise, your speech will depart from the topic, and listeners will find it challenging to follow your thoughts.

Gather Evidence

Every scholarly work proves its credibility by the inclusion of relevant sources to show both the audience and the instructor that you’ve put enough effort into the work to sound authoritative. This is a great chance to get a good mark, but more importantly, earn trust from listeners. To cite the evidence correctly, you can search for some facts, stats, or numbers in a variety of sources. These include textbooks, books, and encyclopedias (online ones work as well), scholarly articles, reputable news bureaus, and government documents. If these are hard to find for you, think of alternatives, like online journals and magazines. But be careful and don’t use sources from there if they are not credible and reputable. As an example, use The New York Times, The Guardian, Harvard Business Review, SAJE journals, Forbes, etc.

Also, keep in mind that the evidence you’ll use should depend on the subject of your talk. If it’s about science, check scientific publications. If it’s about medicine – embark upon texts on this specific sphere. Finally, don’t forget to create a works cited page at the end of your speech and put all your sources there. Even if your instructor does not specify such a requirement, create a list anyways. This will help you keep references organized, and you will be able to pick a suitable one from the list.

Generate a Nice Thesis

A thesis is the core of impactful speech that tells listeners about its focal points. It also reveals the purpose of your speech and provides the audience with an insight into what the speech is all about. Notably, your thesis should not exceed the length of one-two sentences and be as precise as possible. More so, thesis, like the speech itself, is not about convincing people to take your topic stance immediately. Rather, it’s about informing listeners about significant events or cases which they could analyze and make relevant conclusions themselves. No need to push them or force to change the perspective, just try to be genuine and honest with people you’re talking to. Considering that it’s a scholarly piece of work, there’s no room for appealing to emotions or subjective claims. So in informative speeches, objectivity is the key player.

Informative speech outline

The outline is a skeleton of your speech that briefly explains each of your points. This is basically a list of short sentences which reveal the meaning of your main speech ideas. Remember that this list is not for the audience; it’s for your own use. So the task here is to write about every point in a way you’ll understand. You can also use notecards instead of paper so that it’ll be much easier for you not to get lost in a sea of ideas and organize the speech properly. Tip: include numbers and capital letters for headings, and bullet points or other figures to mark subheadings.

If you are still unsure on whether you can cope with your task – you are in the right place to get help. Our essay writers will easily answer the to the question “Who can write my speech?”

Stage 2. Writing

Once the sketches are ready and you have a clear understanding of what to speak about, move on straight to writing.

Craft an Engaging Intro

What does engaging stand for in this case? It denotes some speech elements which will be enticing for listeners from the first sentence. It’s a common practice to start speeches with different hooks to call for more people’s attention. There are a plethora of techniques you can use to make an unforgettable first impression: jokes, anecdotes, examples from personal life, interesting statistics, rhetorical questions, quotes of famous people. You can even invent your own attention-grabber which will help you knock down listeners.

Give More Detail in the Main Body

Once you managed to create impact by the introduction and made sure everyone will be eager to listen to you further, you need to expand the explanation of key speech ideas in a well-structured, organized manner. Like in regular life, you start a story from the beginning to the end, while gradually moving from one idea to another. The same goes for informative speech – you need to ensure that the flow of your narration is logical and concise, fully elaborated, and precise. Also, don’t forget about making transitions between sentences. They will make your speech flow naturally, helping the audience to process the information much easier and effortlessly.

Wrap Everything Up in Conclusion

The ending of your informative speech should restate the main idea and the thesis you’ve mentioned in the introduction. There’s no need to say new things that will only confuse your audience. Instead, all the conclusion needs is a nice wrapping of the already stated claims.

So basically you want to review your main points and thereby deliver listeners a message which they will perceive as a major takeaway from what you’ve just told them. However, the introductory part should by no means repeat previous information word by word. It’s just a short restatement that covers up the main points.

Proofread and Edit the Final Version

Once the text is written entirely, it’s a must for you to double check it to avoid possible mistakes. If your informative speech turns out not as informative as expected due to grammatical or lexical errors, you’ll not be taken seriously, which we bet is not the purpose of delivering your talk. So, to prevent casualties from happening, you’ll need to use reliable editing and proofreading tools. Grammarly is an excellent source for this. Its accurate algorithm detects all kinds of mistakes and fixes them on the fly in a matter of seconds. And you can also check the text for plagiarism to make sure that it has no analogs anywhere on the web.

Stage 3. Perfecting Speech Delivery

Memorize your speech.

Half work is done – you have a writing piece. Now it’s time to learn it. Of course, it’ll take you time to do this, but with a little patience and enough time, you can memorize it even faster than expected. Besides, it’s not recommended to learn the speech from A to Z, inside out and upside down by heart. If your instructor is indulgent enough, feel free to memorize your talk in a way that allows you to explain your ideas clearly and consistently. To facilitate the process of learning, you can memorize sentence by sentence until you’re confident. And even if you forget something during delivery, you can always count on the outline that’ll give you a hint on what to talk about next.

Practice Reading Speech Aloud

When the final product is finally ready and polished, you need to concentrate on reading it.

Practice the speech in a mirror, to a friend/relative/pet, or record yourself to trace the tone and intonation. This way, you’ll make sure that your informative speech is brilliant and you deliver it just the way you wanted. Besides, this practice can help you critically evaluate the flaws and correct them before the actual delivery. Have enough time for this, because even experienced speakers always rehearse their speeches. Finally, focus on the way you use gestures, the way you stand and look at the audience, and facial expressions.

List of informative speech topics

There are lots of easy informative speech topics to choose from, but we offer you to review our topics list with some of the most alluring ones to get you started. Let’s examine pro informative topics that’ll help you write a memorable speech.

Topics for informative speech about music

• Frank Sinatra – a beloved father of music
• The drastic evolution of french music
• Deep house – the most popular music style among youngsters
• Why did rock and roll became an epitome of popular dance music
• Why does reggae music most known under the name of Bob Marley
• The psychological and physical benefits of listening to music
• Chill, lounge and electronica has market the era of progressive sound
• The impact of rap music on society at large
• The art of playing the violin
• The evolution of jazz music and its connection to historical movements

Informative speech topics about animals

• Why are so many animals under extinction today and how do we fix it?
• Why dogs are considered as humans best friend?
• The history and evolution of polar bears
• Why does rhinos horn trimming in South Africa still allowed
• How to properly raise chinchillas
• The most dangerous types of dogs on the planet
• Staggering intellectual abilities of elephants baffle even scientists
• How to keep snakes away and save your life
• Different types of butterflies
• The history of bees and their role in the world

Topics for informative speech about global warming

• Patterns in climate change: rising temperatures and flooding
• What Effects does Climate Change have on the Earth and its Inhabitants?
• What are the practical solutions to global warming
• What is global warming and what causes it?
• The future of global warming: dismal predictions and statistics
• Controversial opinions about global warming
• The greenhouse effect as the top one reason of climate change
• The global issue of global warming: what’s next?
• Humans are responsible for the emergence and progress of global warming
• Sanctions against generation of greenhouses: will they ever take place?

Informative speech ideas about sports

• How sports improve human physical and psychological health
• Is golf the game of the past?
• The real life of sport teams: from trainings to furious games
• Can roller skating be considered a kind of sport?
• What’s more dangerous: white water rafting or ice diving?
• The history of sports: whom do we owe respect?
• Hockey 101: gear, playing techniques, team spirit
• Why is boxing the most dangerous type of sports
• The most unusual kinds of sports humans have invented
• The importance and potential threat of football for the world 

Interesting speech topics about food and drinks

• How to bake a cake and not put on weight
• Why does alcohol bring so much trouble to contemporary youth?
• There are no superfoods, the study shows
• Does fast food really cause addiction?
• The secret ingredient of Coca Cola and why you’ll never want to drink it again
• If the fruit diet useful for health?
• Why bananas can save the world
• Eating vegetables and olive oil is a golden ticket to rejuvenation
• What’s the difference between natural and processed foods?
• Why eating pizza is the worst way to get away with cooking

As you can see from the list of topics for speeches, informative speech is a perfect occasion to explore interesting themes in depth and share your knowledge with people who are most likely to learn new things with you. Discovering a variety of topics and writing them on paper is perhaps the most engaging task your instructor has ever assigned you. And if you find it challenging to come with the right idea for a good topic, just send a “ write my speech ” request, and we’ll complete your order in no time.

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A Helpful Guide for Good Informative Speech Topics, Tips, and Examples

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Published Date : November 9, 2020

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Many individuals fear the thought of speaking in public. However, creating good informative speech topics and delivering an informative speech is not as hard as you perceive it. 

During an informative speech , the speaker aims to tell the audience what they are not aware of or give additional knowledge about something they want to know more about. You can inform individuals about a new method to reckon an old way of perceiving a new subject. 

Moreover, you can also tackle a not fully recognized concept or a theory that they have not heard yet. As the speaker, you have to be interested in your informative speech topics to have a smooth and easy presentation.

However, if you are still hesitant about giving an excellent informative speech , and this is your first time doing it, this handy guide has got you covered! 

Read further in this article to know more about informative speech , gain helpful tips in choosing informative speech topics, and have the best informative speech topic examples for inspiration. 

What is an Informative Speech?

The kind of speech that aspires to inform and educate the audience about a specific topic is an informative speech . Informative speeches have various types, including describing the subject’s conditions and instructing the audience on how to act. 

Furthermore, an excellent informative speech gives accurate information to the people comprehensively, making the topic discussion interesting for the listener. You also need to consider the three factors for effective informative speaking:

With these three components, you can have a guide regarding your presentation in front of your audience. Note that there are no informative speech topics that you can deliver complete information on, so we recommend doing some careful narrowing. 

Careful narrowing of informative speech topic ideas makes it possible to illustrate your particular subject accurately, and it does not become misleading. 

What is the Primary Purpose of an Informative Speech?

What comes into your mind when you come across the word “purpose”? Technically, it refers to why something has existence, how we utilize the object, or why we create something. All these three apply to public speaking , in which presenting an informative speech is an example. 

An informative speech ’s primary purpose is to give engaging, unique, and useful information to the audience. This thought corresponds to why you have to convey accurate and comprehensive knowledge, which I mentioned earlier. 

It is about helping your audience obtain information that they do not previously have through different good informative speech topics. Then, your spectators can utilize that knowledge to:

• Understand more about something
• Perform a new piece of work
• Enhance their skills

Informative speaking is to impart knowledge and let the people gain it. If you dedicate yourself to providing facts and appealing to your listeners , you can eventually take a significant step towards advancing your career and efforts in this field.

What is the Best Way to Write an Informative Speech?

After knowing the purpose of informative speeches, you must consider the best way to start making your speech . Writing an informative speech includes delivering information without expressing your point of view about informative speech topics. 

You are only informing your audience, not motivating nor persuading them. This concept may give you a bit of a dull impression, but creating an informative speech is still a creative process. 

Below, we have listed seven essential components in writing your informative speech . The following will help you get all those thoughts and share them with your listeners clearly and deliberately. 

1. Attention getter

To get the attention of your audience, motivate them to listen. You can think of creative ways to engage them in your talk and make the whole presentation exciting and informative. 

Additionally, it would help if you cover informative speech topics that are not yet well-known to your listeners but still relevant to them. If you select a topic that they are already familiar with, better provide additional new information. 

Consider your audience’s age, interests, and knowledge level when choosing and preparing good informative speech topic ideas.

2. Show credibility 

Another vital element to consider is showing your professional experiences from the informative speech topics, building authenticity, and exhibiting credibility. To do so, research and make use of reliable materials when writing down good informative speech topics. 

During your study elements gathering, ensure that you comprehend them well because you might be required to answer the people’s questions about your presentation. Your understanding will help you reply to your audience’s queries after your speech . 

3. Provide testimony 

One of the most important things you must not forget is providing expert testimony to support your claims. An informative speech imparts knowledge to the people, so you would not want to give them empty and misleading words.

Moreover, your listeners pick up necessary information from you, so it is best not to utter baseless claims without references. Backing up your talk with testimonies from professionals makes it more informative and credible.

4. Thesis statement

A thesis statement’s purpose is to give a preview regarding your informative speech topics’ primary point or argument. 

After choosing good informative speech topics, it is time to draft your thesis statement. Your thesis statement will summarize your whole speech in a brief but comprehensive sentence if you have done it correctly.

5. Preview your points

Before going directly to your primary points, you must give your audience a heads up first. This method will provide them with a preview of what are the topics for discussion.

Giving them an initial view of your points also serves as a guide for your listeners as you go on through your informative speech . 

6. Transition

Of course, it is essential to explain your main points. Make a speech transition that best elaborates on the different main points of your informative speech .

Ensure that each point has adequate discussion time before proceeding to the next one. Also, be mindful of how you do your transitions so that your presentation’s flow will not confuse the audience and makes it easy for them to participate. 

7. Conclusion 

Your conclusion summarizes the primary points of your speech . It would be more logical and natural to mention your viewpoint because people typically recall your first and last communications. 

By doing so, ensure you utilize an appropriate order when delivering your informative speech topics. It might be helpful to start and end it with a few fundamental memorizations for a lasting impression. 

Furthermore, you can also try to include a part of your conclusion in your introduction to create a full cycle. In this way, your listeners will remember your speech .

Practice your speech with Orai where you get feedback on your tone, tempo, confidence , and conciseness

What are Some Topics to Deliver an Informative Speech?

Good informative speech ideas are necessary to keep your audience’s interest and ensure that they learn something from you. It also lets writing and giving your speech be a fun process. 

Following are several topics you can consider to deliver an informative speech :

Informative Speech Topics About Education

• The Benefits of E-Learning
• The Importance of Education for Professional Growth
• How to Excel in College with Online Learning
• Various Forms of Learning and Teaching
• Should Schools Give the Students Homework

Informative Speech Topics About Technology

• Cloud Computing and Storage
• Hardware vs. Software
• The Importance of Learning How to Code
• The Effect of Artificial Intelligence on Learning
• Cryptocurrency and the Future of Finance

Informative Speech Topics About Vehicles

• How to Choose a Suitable Set of Tires for Your Automobile
• The Process of Changing Your Vehicle’s Oil
• The Process of Replacing a Flat Tire
• What Features to Consider When Buying a New Automobile?
• The Benefits and Setbacks of Purchasing an Automobile

Informative Speech Topics About the Environment

• What are the Most Efficient Manners to Preserve our Environment?
• Reasons Why Preserving Energy is Essential
• The Negative Effects of Water Contamination
• Why is Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Necessary?
• The Benefits of Organic Agriculture

Informative Speech Topics About a Family

• The Father as a Life Model
• The Significance of Having a Family
• At What Age Do Infants Start to Speak?
• What are the Things to Consider When Naming a Child?
• What is the Significant Connection Between a Child and their Parents?

Good Informative Speech Topics

Are you searching for good informative speech topics to serve as your guide? Worry no more because we have compiled some of them to help you with your work! 

Check the following informative speech examples that are funny and exciting, informative speech topics.

Easy Informative Speech Topics for Starters

You can review this example of an informative speech topic for starters that talk about dogs. As a beginner, you can choose this kind of concept for your presentation. 

Funny Informative Speech Topics

If you want a humorous and funny informative speech topic, then perhaps, you may want to benchmark this guy talking about what to do while sitting in a traffic jam. Give your audience a good laugh!

Informative Speech Topics for College

Are you a college student who will present in your class or a professional who will deliver the speech in a college body? You might want to check this video of a content creator talking about his daily life as a Youtuber. 

Best Informative Speech Topics for All

To consider the best informative speech topic for all, it must be something that the general public can relate to or is a relevant issue in society. You can watch these videos that talk about the importance of sleep and discuss the causes of homelessness.

Informative Speech about the Effects and Ways of Managing Stress

Informative Speech about the Causes of Homelessness

How to Make an Informative Speech with a Visual Aid?

Your audience needs assistance, such as visual materials, to understand your informative speech topics’ complicated parts. Here are four practical reasons why you must use a visual aid for your informative speech in front of everyone:

• To get a hold of the listener’s attention to keep their interest.
• It serves as a learning device or memory aid because the more you expose your audience to good informative speech topics visually, the more likely they will remember it. 
• A visual material, such as a PowerPoint presentation, can contain some of your keywords that help you structure and guide your way through your speech . 
• It indicates transitions because it reinforces the change between two concepts displayed on the slide, for example. 

Going further on visual aids, these learning devices or memory aid come in different types, which you can utilize during your presentation. Some of them are the following:

With visual aids, you, as the speaker, must make sure that you adequately improve the presentation without causing a distraction for your audience. Also, you can create a note regarding when, where, and how to use it. 

Informative vs. Persuasive

After the informative speech introduction in the earliest part of this article, you might be wondering its difference from a persuasive speech . Don’t worry if you get confused between these two because we will tackle it for you. 

When selecting between creating an informative or persuasive speech , you must consider the speech ’s purpose. 

Are you going to share information about a specific topic, subject, or event? Or want to persuade your listeners to have a particular attitude or belief concerning a said issue, concept, or event?

Here is a comparison between an informative speech and a persuasive speech to understand more about them:

Informative Speech Dos and Don’ts

After discussing the distinction between informative and persuasive speeches, let us go through the dos and don’ts of an informative speech , which is highly useful when choosing good informative speech topics. 

Public speaking is an essential skill when you do an informative speech . With the following helpful tips, learn how to be an effective informative speaker and become more appealing to your audience.

Presentation Tips

What is more, when delivering or presenting an informative speech , your goal is to educate and enlighten your audience about a specific subject. Informative speeches involve descriptions, definitions, demonstrations, and details to elaborate on a person, place, or topic. 

One of the essential aspects of informative speeches is making a complicated issue easier to comprehend while providing points for the problem statement. 

If you are looking for helpful tips on presenting your informative speech to your audience, then read along because we have listed some of them and be hassle-free. 

1. Outline your speech structure

Your informative speeches require a presentation of arguments in a well-organized and systematic manner. This reason alone explains why you need an outline of your informative speech . 

Each of your speech ’s paragraphs must have a smooth transition while keeping your audience’s interest. From the introduction until the conclusion, everything should be in an appropriate order.

2. Use presentation aid to enhance audience understanding.

It is better to prepare the needed visual aids for your informative speech topics, ideas, or points that require visualization. This method will help the audience understand what you are talking about or explaining. 

You can consider using simple charts, diagrams, photos, or graphs to create excellent and useful information visual aids.

3. Support your point by citing an authoritative source

An informative speech requires extensive utilization of data, statistics, figures, and facts. You have to practice mentioning authoritative sources from which you have collected the information to increase credibility. 

These authoritative sources can be the following:

We also recommend that you conduct primary and secondary research to gain more knowledge about your topic.

Do These Steps to Hook Any Audience

When you are giving your speech , be active in engaging your listeners right from the opening. Do not just assume that they are paying attention to you because they might be thinking of other things or their minds are somewhere else. 

So, you should go beyond the conventional and dry atmosphere and capture their attention. You can refer to these six approaches to hook any audience, then deliver an excellent and memorable presentation.

• Create a provocative statement that gets their keen interest and desire to know more about your topic.
• Fuel the audience’s curiosity.
• Surprise your listeners by making counter-intuitive or paradigm-shifter statements.
• Share a story if needed.
• Be authentic and tell a personal experience.
• Quote a known and influential individual.
• Ask your audience a couple of questions to draw their participation.
• Leverage silence to command your listeners.
• Utilize appropriate visual aids.

Finding good informative speech topics and presenting them is an excellent way to share your knowledge bouncing inside your brain. Remember to select something that you are genuinely interested in, and your eagerness will eventually come out through your audience. Orai is an AI-powered speech coach that fits in your pocket, can help you with your needs for public speaking ! Orai offers a customized learning experience based on your speech recordings and helps you learn new public speaking techniques. They provide instant feedback on your enunciation , conciseness , and more!

 If you have a definite vision, good informative speech topics, a clean speech outline, and an accurate thesis statement, then you’re good to go!

Download Orai start practice your informative speech

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Informative Speech Maker

• ✅ 6 Benefits of the Tool

💬 What Is an Informative Speech?

📍 how to write an informative speech, 💡 top 26 informative speech topics, 📝 4 world-famous informative speech examples, 🔗 references.

Writing informative speeches is not as hard as you may think. In this short informative speech generator, you will learn the automatic skill of creating informative speeches that will be remembered.

After reading this guide, you will learn more about the following:

• Differentiating between informative and other types of speeches
• Organizing your ideas logically
• Connecting with the audience
• Selecting engaging topics
• Editing and proofreading your speech
• Presenting the speech in an engaging manner

Read on to learn more about perfecting your informative speeches and becoming an efficient informative speech maker.

✅ 6 Benefits of This Informative Speech Generator

How does this free informative speech generator benefit your efforts?

We will focus on the 6 essential benefits:

Informative speech is an academic assignment aimed at communicating specific information to the audience to educate and raise awareness.

Its purposes are as follows:

• Define the topic and outline the main issues surrounding it
• Explain the state of knowledge surrounding the selected topic
• Describe the topic to help the audience understand it better
• Demonstrate how the topic can be approached in practice

An important thing to understand is that informative speeches only communicate information without calling to action or trying to convince the audience.

The educational goal of informative speeches is to teach students to collect, analyze, and present information clearly. It helps students develop their research, logical thinking, and communication skills.

Informative Speech Vs. Persuasive Speech

Unlike informative speech, persuasive one seeks to:

• Present the information and translate a specific point of view.
• Make the audience form a specific opinion about something.
• Ensure that the audience shares the speaker's point of view or at least makes them reflect and re-assess their beliefs.

Informative speeches do not pursue such goals:

• They provide information, so listeners or readers can process it and make their own conclusions.
• They are often less emotionally charged and biased than persuasive ones.

We recommend following this step-by-step guide to simplify the process of speech writing.

Choose and Research the Topic

While it may seem obvious, the first thing you will want to start with is finding the topic you want to present.

If it’s something widely discussed, make sure you find an interesting approach to it instead of reiterating information people already know.

Work with the Sources

After you settle down on a topic, start collecting the literature . Look through the scholarly articles published within the last five years to make sure your information is relevant. This tip particularly concerns topics in areas that are fast-developing (e.g., IT or medicine).

Stick to reliable sources, such as peer-reviewed articles, books, and official reports. Don’t forget to include references to the sources you are using on the reference page.

Build a Good Understanding of the Topic

No matter how tempting it may be, it’s not enough to read one source and call it a day.

You must research the topic thoroughly and examine seminal studies and the most recent findings to become an expert people would want to listen to.

Formulate a Clear Thesis Statement

The next step is to settle down on the main idea you want to communicate, which appears in the thesis statement at the beginning of the speech.

A good thesis statement not only attracts attention in an instant but also guides you as you write your speech.

Draft the Speech

Now, let’s get down to business. Create the outline of your speech, which should include the following:

• Introduction + thesis statement
• Body paragraphs

Organize each main idea in a separate paragraph and make sure they are logically connected so that the speech “flows” well.

Everything you include in the body of the speech should be linked to the thesis statement.

Edit and Proofread

Re-read your draft several times to get a general sense of what impression it makes. Don’t be afraid of switching sentences and paragraphs or removing some unnecessary information.

Don’t forget: a good speaker is a good writer.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The tried-and-true method of becoming a great speaker is to practice as much as possible .

So, read your speech out loud and memorize it to be confident before the audience and free yourself from anxiety.

Feel stuck at the first stage of choosing the topic? Get inspired by these ideas for school:

• Mental health benefits of regular exercising.
• Why everyone should try going meatless once a week.
• The impact of climate change on small island states.
• Is sugar as bad for our health as we think?
• The effect of social media filters on young users’ body image.
• Military logistics and commercial logistics .
• Best ways to find friends when you are middle-aged.
• Nike: corporate and production strategies .
• How to be more productive?
• Cryptocurrency crimes in financial markets .
• Are learning styles a real thing?
• Capitalism: definition and history .
• Effect of remote work on mental wellbeing.
• College graduation rate in the US .
• How did COVID-19 change the world?
• The digital learning impact during the pandemic .
• Should we always fight procrastination?
• Plastic pollution and its impact on aquatic species .
• Social media and conspiracy theories.
• How climate change could impact the global economy .
• How can AI change our daily lives?
• Deforestation of the Amazon: Amazon fires .
• Why are yawns contagious?
• Government’s policy actions and role in society .
• Ethical dilemmas of genetic modification.
• Mandatory military training in the US .

To get a better understanding of how a winning speech should look like, read the following world-famous informative speeches.

Eleanor Roosevelt – What Libraries Mean to the Nation

Eleanor Roosevelt was really good at giving memorable speeches. In this one , she speaks about the role of libraries in the USA and the future stored for them in the 20th century.

Marie Curie – On the Discovery of Radium

This speech is an example of how a very complicated topic can be made engaging if the speaker is truly passionate about it.

George W Bush – On the Capture Of Saddam Hussein

A great example of political speech, this informative speech by the US President illustrates how logos, pathos, and ethos can be combined to send a clear message.

Courtney Love – On Piracy and Music

If you are more into art, this example of an informative speech will give you a better idea of how to cover such topics.

❓ Informative Speech Maker FAQ

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This free informative speech generator will easily create a sample speech on any topic. Just input the necessary details so that the final result matches your requirements. As a bonus, you’ll find helpful tips on quickly writing an informative speech on this page.

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50+ Informative Speech Topics to Engage Your Audience

We’ve all been there, staring at a blank page or empty presentation slide, trying to think of a good, informative speech topic that will engage our audience and stop them from staring numbly at their phones. Presentations and speeches can be a difficult task to tackle, especially if you lack a solid idea to get the ball rolling. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Today, we’ll dive into 50+ fresh and creative ideas for informative speech topics to help you capture your audience’s attention and give them something to engage with. Keep reading and you won’t be stuck with a dull speech topic ever again!

Interesting Informative Speech Topics

When it comes to selecting an interesting informative speech topic , there is no shortage of ideas. Choosing a topic that is engaging for both your audience and yourself can make the difference between giving a successful speech or not. There are many topics that have the potential to captivate listeners from politics to health, to relationships, and even to entertainment . The most important thing when deciding on a topic is to pick one that resonates with the interests of your audience, as well as being informative. Interesting topics should be specific enough for the speaker to cover in depth. For example, discussing the history of the American constitution would be too broad for a single speech, whereas discussing the second amendment could provide enough information for a full speech. It is also important to consider controversial topics as these can often be very interesting and engaging for listeners. When debating either side of an argument, it is important to do research and be aware of both sides of the issue. This will ensure that you are properly informed before taking part in any online debates or conversations surrounding the issue at hand. Whether you decide to discuss issues relating to current events or those that focus on more personal interest topics, there is no lack of inspiring ideas out there to create an effective informative speech. No matter what you decide, your goal should be to create an informative, engaging atmosphere that encourages others to learn from and appreciate your message.

What are some good topics for an informative speech?

1. The History of Space Exploration: Discuss the timeline from the first satellite in space to present day space exploration missions and their significance. 2. Advances in Artificial Intelligence: Examine how knowledge processing tools such as machine learning and neural networks have changed society. 3. Plastic Pollution: Outline the types of plastic pollution, explain their effects on ocean life, and provide solutions for reducing plastic waste. 4. Eating Disorders: Explain types of eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, their psychological impacts, and methods of treatment. 5. Alternative Energy Sources: Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of using renewable energy sources (e.g., solar power), future potential developments, and environmental issues associated with traditional methods of generating electricity. 6. Cancer Research: Explore modern cancer detection techniques, how genetics play a role in cancer development, and advances in research leading to new treatments or cures. 7. Food Waste Reduction: Describe current levels of food waste, its environmental costs, innovative strategies being employed to reduce waste production, and practical steps individuals can take to conserve resources. 8. Online Privacy: Investigate data security threats posed by technology companies or other entities and discuss strategies for protecting personal information online. 9. Climate Change: Review current scientific evidence demonstrating the accelerating rate of global climate change, discuss possible societal implications if warming trends continue unabated, and present potential solutions that would limit global temperature increases going forward.

10. The benefits and challenges of sustainable living 11. The history and significance of the world’s ancient wonders 12. The psychology of decision making and how to improve it 13. The evolution and impact of social media on our society 14. The importance of mental health and strategies for self-care 15. The benefits and potential risks of artificial intelligence 16. The role of technology in modern education 17. The history and significance of the Olympic games 18. The science behind climate change and solutions for a sustainable future 19. The benefits and drawbacks of globalization on culture and economy. 20. The art and science of lucid dreaming and how it can be used for personal growth and problem-solving.

Popular Informative Speech Topics

When it comes to giving an informative speech, the most important thing is to pick a topic that will capture your audience’s attention. Some of the more popular topics people are interested in include those related to current events, history, media and technology, health and nutrition, psychology and education. For example, a debate surrounding current events might focus on issues such as immigration policy or global warming. When speaking about historical topics, consider discussing famous leaders or pivotal moments throughout history. If you’re looking for trending topics that are related to media, you may want to cover topics like censorship or virtual reality . When picking out health-related topics, consider exploring areas like medical cannabis or the impact of stress on our bodies. As for psychology and education, you may consider diving deeper into the role of learning styles in education or analyze the effects of bullying on adolescents. No matter what type of informative speech topic you choose to present on, be sure to do thorough research beforehand so that you can present a well-rounded argument. This will help ensure that your audience is engaged throughout your entire presentation and leave feeling informed.

Examples of Popular Informative Speech Topics

21. The history and evolution of the internet and its impact on society 22. The causes and effects of global warming and climate change 23. The importance of a healthy lifestyle and fitness 24. The benefits and drawbacks of social media on communication and relationships 25. The impact of technology on modern business and entrepreneurship 26. The history and impact of the civil rights movement in the United States 27. The effects and potential solutions to the opioid epidemic in America 28. The importance of mental health and strategies for managing stress and anxiety 29. The science behind vaccinations and their importance in public health 30. The history and cultural significance of different types of music, such as jazz, rock, and hip-hop.

Here are 10 more:

31. The benefits and potential drawbacks of renewable energy sources 32. The impact of globalization on international trade and commerce 33. The science behind space exploration and the potential for human colonization of other planets 34. The history and significance of different forms of art, such as painting, sculpture, and photography 35. The effects of social inequality and strategies for promoting diversity and inclusion 36. The history and cultural significance of different types of food, such as sushi, pizza, and tacos 37. The importance of financial literacy and strategies for managing personal finances 38. The impact of technology on the entertainment industry, such as movies, television, and video games 39. The history and significance of different world religions, such as Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism 40. The impact of artificial intelligence on the future of work and the economy.

Reasons to Give an Informative Speech

Informative speeches are often challenging and rewarding to give, as they not only require that the speaker become knowledgable about the topic at hand, but also that they also have the ability to persuade and engage with their audience. Informative speeches are essential elements in both education and industry, helping to promote engagement with a structured presentation and specialized topic or topics. On the one hand, giving an informative speech is beneficial for both the speaker and the audience being addressed. It gives the speaker an opportunity to sharpen their public speaking skills through research and careful preparation of the information being shared. Similarly, the audience members gain knowledge into a specialty field or area of interest, learning more about what they already knew or studying something completely new. Exploring abstract concepts while uncovering hidden facts can also be an invigorating experience for both parties involved in a discussion on an informative topic. However, some may argue that giving an informative speech is burdensome for the speaker for various reasons. Researching for a subject matter can prove difficult when there is limited access to factual information available online or offline. Additionally, informatic speakers must take into account the attention span of their audiences which often means having to parse down large amounts of data quickly or risk having a struggling audience lost in information overload. Despite potential obstacles associated with preparing and delivering an informative speech, opportunities abound when it comes to discovering new conversations and stimulating dialogue among participants. As such, it’s important for speakers to capitalize on these chances by researching thoroughly and honing in on key cornerstones of each topic that bring out its beauty and complexity. With this in mind, we will now move on to exploring best practices for researching an informing speech in the next section.

10 More Unique Informative Speech Topics: 41. The science and psychology of addiction and recovery 42. The history and cultural significance of tattoos in different societies 43. The benefits and challenges of homeschooling versus traditional education 44. The history and significance of different forms of dance, such as ballet, salsa, and hip hop 45. The impact of mindfulness and meditation on mental health and well-being 46. The role of music therapy in improving physical and emotional health 47. The science behind sleep and the importance of a good night’s rest 48. The history and cultural significance of different types of martial arts, such as karate, judo, and kung fu 49. The benefits and drawbacks of remote work and how it’s changing the way we work 50. The science behind alternative medicine and its effectiveness in treating different health conditions.

How to Research for an Informative Speech

When researching for an informative speech, it is important to equip yourself with accurate and trusted sources in order to effectively convey trustworthy information to your audience. It’s important to seek out authoritative sources who possess the most up-to-date details and facts about the chosen topic in order to give an informed and enlightening talk. Resources such as journals, books, websites are all valid places. For example, researching scientific topics may require more reliable resources such as scholarly articles or medical journals instead of online blog posts. It is also recommended that speakers research both sides of an argument if possible before forming their opinion and presenting it on a matter. That way you are well versed in understanding points beyond your own perspective and can provide insight into those perspectives as well. After compiling sufficient data, the next step is organizing them into a coherent message that can be easily digested by your audience. This includes preparing visual aids such as PowerPoint slides or props to both help audiences retain information better but also make the presentation more engaging than solely speaking alone. Questions throughout the presentation can also prompt your audience to become interactive while giving yourself a chance to gauge how well they understand the material presented. Now that you are armed with data from credible sources along with potential organizational tools, you are now ready for the final step which is presenting an informative speech.

How to Present an Informative Speech

When delivering an informative speech, it’s important to provide the audience with an engaging and interactive experience. To do this, speakers should focus on effective structure , clear speaking, and relevant content. Structuring an Informative Speech: Beginning with a strong introduction is essential for getting the attention of the audience. A powerful opening can be done with a joke, story, or quote. It’s also important to end the introduction with a “hook” that entices the audience to want to continue listening. The body of the speech should contain facts, evidence, and statistics to back up the content. Finally, conclude with a memorable statement that reinforces the main idea and encourages thought in the audience. Delivering an Informative Speech: When giving an informative speech, confidence is key. Strive to appear self-assured so that you can persuade your audience into listening. It’s also important to keep a steady pace while addressing the points rather than racing through them quickly – doing so will ensure that the listeners fully comprehend all of your information. Also make sure to clearly articulate each word and pause when necessary in order for certain points to set in before continuing on with other details. Utilizing Relevant Content: When selecting material for your informative speech be sure to pick topics that are not too mundane or complicated…you don’t want this presentation turn into a snooze-fest session! Keep your message lighthearted but still intriguing by offering anecdotes and examples of how this issue has been brought up in life experiences or news stories outside of its primary context. Although using humor is great for captivating an audience make sure you avoid offending anyone since this will not reflect positively on your talk. Lastly, strive to select a subject area that can prompt interesting conversations between you and your attendees. In conclusion, when crafting and delivering an informative speech remember that organization and confident delivery are two key components to getting across your message effectively. Supporting facts and data should also be included within your talk as well as relevant material related to the topic at hand which will allow listeners easily connect with what you are saying and receive value from it.

Creative Ideas to Grab the Audience’s Attention

When giving an informative speech, it is important to grab the audience’s attention right away. This can be done through creative and unique ideas that make the speech more interesting. To start, it is important to create a powerful opening by calling out common myths or misconceptions in the industry that are relevant to your topic. Focusing on one compelling fact can also help introduce the subject and get the listener engaged with your talk. Additionally, you can use personal stories or anecdotes that relate to the topic being discussed in order to draw your audience in and give them further context. Humor is also a great way to engage with an audience. Using jokes or funny stories can lighten any tense conversations and keep listeners engaged throughout the duration of the speech. By making your narrative relatable, instead of focusing on complex ideas, it will help break down difficult concepts and make people relate more closely to your experience and thoughts pertaining to the topic. A simple idea such as this could develop into an interactive experience for all in attendance. Furthermore, using visuals aids like graphics, images and videos can help tell a story for harder-to-grasp topics . This helps break up long passages of text and creates lasting impressions among viewers so they remember the points being put forth more easily. Providing visual representations from different angles of a specific concept makes abstract matters easier to comprehend since they are able to retain those visuals better than long sentences of words alone. These creative ideas should be used strategically so as not to move too far away from the main focus of an informative speech; however, they can be effective tools in engaging an audience when used correctly.

Responses to Common Questions with Explanations

How can i make an informative speech interesting.

Making an informative speech interesting starts with thoroughly researching the topic and understanding what areas of the topic will be most engaging for your audience. Take time to practice delivering the content, paying attention to how you present and pace your speech – vary the speed and style for different points in your presentation. Use humor and storytelling to liven up your delivery and make it more relatable. Incorporate visuals , as well as sound effects or music, to emphasize key points of your speech. Lastly, if you show enthusiasm when you speak and are truly passionate about what you’re presenting, that energy and emotion will be picked up on by your audience and will likely make them more engaged with your speech.

What are the best strategies for research for an informative speech?

The best strategies for research for an informative speech are to start by gathering as much reliable and accurate information as possible. It is essential to have sufficient evidence and facts to back up your claims. Therefore, begin by reading the latest reports on the topic available in books , journals, and articles. Additionally, consider conducting interviews with experts or people who can provide insight into the topic. When you’re researching, make sure you take notes accurately and quickly and that your material is properly organized for easy reference when writing your speech. Also, ensure all sources are up-to-date, credible, and unbiased. To ensure accuracy, cross-check the facts from other sources such as articles from reputable news outlets or interviews with knowledgeable professionals. Finally, anticipate counterarguments and understand different points of view that may exist about the topic. This will ensure you are able to effectively address potential debates during your presentation.

How can I effectively structure an informative speech?

When structuring an informative speech, it is important to keep in mind the goal of providing detailed and accurate information. This begins by understanding your audience and then narrowing the focus of your speech. Here are some key tips to help you effectively structure your informative speech: 1. Create an outline – Start by writing down a few main points you want to get across in your speech. Be sure you know what information each point covers and how it supports your overall message. 2. Make an introduction – Introduce yourself and the topic of your speech, as well as any relevant background information that the audience needs to understand the topic better. 3. Present facts and evidence – Use facts and evidence to support the points you make in your speech. Be sure to cite any sources used for accuracy. 4. Speak clearly – Speak at a steady pace and with a clear, strong voice so that everyone can hear you and understand what you are saying. 5. Reiterate main points – Remind the audience of the main points at least once during the speech, so that they remember them when they think back on what they have heard later on. 6. End with a summary – Summarize the main points of your speech quickly before signing off, again so that everyone remembers them before they leave the room..

Are there any tips for selecting an informative speech topic?

Yes, there are many tips for selecting an informative speech topic. First, pick something that interests you. When the topic is something that you find fascinating or enjoyable to research, it will make it easier to stay motivated while preparing your speech . Second, think of a topic that is broad enough to explore in detail but narrow enough to cover in the allotted time. If your topic is too vague or too specific, you may have difficulty finding information and sticking within the given time limit. Third, aim for a current topic so your speech remains relevant and engaging to your audience. But be sure not to go over topics that are too technical or complex—remember to keep your language accessible. Finally, do some research into any existing material available on the subject so you can avoid repeating information that has already been covered. This will also give you an opportunity to look at the different ways the subject has already been explored and form your own unique angle for presentation.

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Informative Speech Outline

Last updated on: Jun 21, 2023

Learn How to Create an Informative Speech Outline

By: Cathy A.

Reviewed By: Rylee W.

Published on: May 26, 2020

Giving a speech can be really nerve-wracking, especially if you're not sure where to start. 

Most people try to wing it, and that's why they bomb. They get up in front of an audience and have no idea what to say next. This is why an outline is necessary.

We've got your back with our informative speech outline. Here you will learn how to outline your speech in the easiest way. 

So get ready to learn so that you can deliver a powerful, memorable speech that leaves your audience wanting more.

On this Page

What is an Informative Speech? 

An informative speech is a powerful way of sharing knowledge with your audience. It needs to be well-formatted and properly structured. 

This type of speech allows you to inform the audience and share detailed information about a topic. 

Moreover, the general purpose of an informative speech is to educate the audience about any subject. Also, there are different types of informative speeches, but the purpose is the same for all types.  

However, to write a good informative speech, you should create an outline first. 

Unfortunately, many people are intimidated by the idea of outlining because they don't know how to do it or what type of outline should be used. 

So, continue reading to learn how to make a perfect informative speech outline.  

An informative speech outline helps to organize your ideas and thoughts before you start writing. It allows you to see the flow of your speech and that all main points are cohesive with each other. 

An effective speaker should always create an outline for an informative speech. Without a perfect outline, you will never write a great speech. 

A clear and concise outline helps a speaker develop their thoughts on a topic. It also creates a structure to help them keep track of all the points they want to make.

There are two ways to outline your speech, and each has its own purpose and advantages:

• Complete Sentence Format: In this type, the speaker writes full sentences that help you check the content of the speech.  

      2. Key Point Format: Note down the main points that help you remember what you should include in your speech. 

Therefore, you have the chance to choose whichever outline format suits your needs best. Once your outline is complete, you'll have an idea of how the speech will go. 

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How to Write an Informative Speech Outline? 

An outline is a great way to organize your ideas before you start writing. A great informative speech starts with the perfect outline. It's not as difficult as you may think if you follow some steps. 

“How do you create an outline for an informative speech?”

Below are the steps that will help you in creating a well-written outline without any problem.  

1. Choose a Topic that Interests You

Speech topics are usually assigned, but if you have to pick on your own, create a list of topics that interest you. Select one topic from the plethora of ideas about which there is still so much to learn and explore.

Also, think of unique and interesting informative speech topics for the audience. 

Since it is a descriptive speech, the topic should give you the space to provide information to the audience. 

2. Gather Information

After choosing the topic, start the research phase and gather relevant information. The information should be so that it helps to satisfy your specific purpose of delivering the speech. 

Also, make sure that you collect information from credible and trustworthy sources. You can collect data for your speech from:

• Scholarly articles 
• Encyclopedias
• Government documents

The more you research, the more easily you write a good informative speech. 

3. Create the Outline 

Now that you have all the information, start writing the outline. But first, make sure that you follow the proper outline format. Without a proper format, you will miss many important points and end up with a poor outline.

As discussed earlier, an outline has three sections, including an introduction, body, and conclusion.

• The introduction is the first paragraph that discusses the main points of the essay.
• The body provides examples and supporting evidence to prove those arguments.
• Lastly, the conclusion provides a brief summary of the entire essay and restates the thesis statement .

Informative Speech Outline Format

An outline is the backbone of a well-delivered and interesting speech. 

“What are the 3 main parts of the informative speech outline?”

Every good outline contains three main parts:

1. Introduction

• Grab the audience's attention  
• Include the speaker’s opinion or hypothesis
• Present thesis statement
• Outline the main points with real-world examples and supporting facts
• Use transition between main points

3. Conclusion

• Summarize the main points
• Restate the thesis statement 

Here is a template that gives you a better idea of crafting an outline. 

Done with understanding what an informative speech outline is? Now let’s move to view some examples of informative speech outlines for free. All the examples below are free and easy to download!

Informative Speech Outline Examples 

Writing an outline for a speech might seem like a daunting task. However, if you have examples that professional writers write, you can easily create a good one.  

Check the below informative speech outline samples and get an idea of the perfect outline. 

Simple Informative Speech Outline Example

Informative Speech Outline NSDA

Informative Speech Outline about Social Media

Informative Speech Outline about Depression

Informative Speech Outline about Covid 19

Global Warming Informative Speech Outline

Mental Health Informative Speech Outline

Anxiety Informative Speech Outline

Sleep Informative Speech Outline

Informative Speech Outline About Education

Informative Speech Outline Format 3-5 Minutes

Taking Depression Seriously Informative Speech Outline

Sample Informative Speech Outline

Mental Illness Informative Speech Outline

Tips for Writing the Informative Speech Outline 

An informative speech is a type that connects with its audience by educating them about a certain topic. Following are the tips you should follow to impress the audience with your speech. 

• Start with a clear and concise thesis statement that states the main topic or purpose of your speech.
• Identify and prioritize the main points or key ideas you want to cover in your speech.
• Organize your main points in a logical order, such as chronological, spatial, or topical sequence.
• Develop subpoints or supporting details for each main point to provide more depth and clarity.
• Consider using a consistent structure, such as the problem-solution, cause-effect, or compare-contrast format, depending on the nature of your topic.
• Use a consistent numbering or lettering system to indicate the hierarchy and relationship between main points and subpoints.
• Ensure that each main point and subpoint contributes to the overall coherence and flow of your speech.
• Incorporate transitions between different sections of your outline to create smooth transitions between ideas.
• Include visual aids, any necessary evidence, statistics, or examples to support your main points and make your speech more credible and persuasive.
• Review and revise your outline to ensure it is well-organized, balanced, and effectively conveys the information you want to present.

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Mistakes To Avoid While Creating Informative Speech Outline

Here are mistakes to avoid while creating an informative speech outline:

• Do not overload your outline with excessive information, as it can overwhelm your audience.
• Steer clear of a disorganized structure that confuses your audience.
• Do not provide shallow information; instead, ensure depth and substance in your main points.
• Avoid neglecting transitions, as it can disrupt the flow of your speech.
• Do not overlook the importance of engaging your audience through visuals, storytelling, and rhetoric.
• Avoid inadequate time management, as it can lead to rushing or exceeding the allocated time.

Wrapping Up! Now, you have a complete guide to writing an informative speech outline. However, if you need professional help in creating a speech that is an attention-getter, consult MyPerfectPaper.net. 

Our team of professional writers will help you create an engaging, interesting, and creative speech. Whether it be a demonstration speech, explanatory speech, informative essay, or persuasive speech, our team of experts is ready to help you. All you have to say is ‘ do my paper ’, and writers will take your writing stress away! 

So, contact us now and get our essay writer help at affordable rates. 

Marketing, Literature

Cathy has been been working as an author on our platform for over five years now. She has a Masters degree in mass communication and is well-versed in the art of writing. Cathy is a professional who takes her work seriously and is widely appreciated by clients for her excellent writing skills.

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Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

509 Informative Speech Ideas and Topics

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.

How to Choose the Right Informative Topic

Half the battle of presenting a speech or writing an essay is choosing the right topic. Choosing a good informative speech topic or informative essay topic can keep your audience entertained, your reader interested, and your own work process more enjoyable. Here are a few tips to help you choose a topic:

Know your audience or reader: Your informative presentation – whether through speech or essay – should cover a subject not already well known to your audience, but still relevant to them. If you do choose a topic they’re familiar with, then present new and exciting information. Consider the age, knowledge level, and interests of your audience when preparing your informational speech or essay.

Consider your own interests: Think of your own passions and areas of expertise that you think people could benefit from learning more about. Choosing a topic you care about will help your speech or essay be better received. Your passion will keep them engaged and curious to learn more.

Consider length requirements : How much time are you allotted for your informative speech? What is the page requirement for your informative essay? You should be able to thoroughly cover the topic in the amount of time you are given. If you don’t think you have enough knowledge or personal interest to talk about illegal drug use among teens, saving money as a college student, or another informative topic for 20 minutes, you may need to consider a different subject.

The good news is that there are countless options available. Below are lists of informative topics for speeches and essays. Remember that, in order to choose the best informative topic for you, you need to consider your audience, your interests, and your time and length requirements. Then, customize the central idea to suit your situation.

Best 10 Informative Speech Topics

Don’t have time to read our full list of 500+ topic ideas? Here is our list of 10 best informative speech topics.

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• How to adopt a dog
• The history of motorcycles
• The best sales tactics
• The differences between male and female communication
• America’s fastest growing cities
• The importance of education for the economy
• Different stages of poverty
• How to cook vegetarian
• How to keep your skin looking young and wrinkle free
• The different types of poetry

List of Informative Speech Topics

• Communication
• Current Events
• Environment
• Food and Drink
• International Relations
• National Security

Relationships

• Supernatural
• Demonstration
• Easy / Simple
• Interesting
• Legislation
• Pop Culture

10 Animal Informative Speech Topics

• The role of cats throughout history.
• Caring for hermit crabs.
• What are the best pets?
• The lives of ants.
• The different types of tropical fish.
• The different exotic breeds of cats.
• How to raise rabbits.
• The beauty of wolves.
• How to adopt a dog.
• Raising pet snakes.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topics About Animals .

10 Automotive Informative Speech Topics

• Is it better to buy or lease a car?
• How to choose the right tires for your car.
• How to make your car run better.
• What to look for in a new car.
• How to change your car’s oil.
• Dirt bike riding safety tips.
• How to drive a stick shift.
• The history of motorcycles.
• How to change a flat tire.
• The best muscle cars.

14 Business Informative Speech Topics

• Taking your brand to the next level with three easy steps: promoting, advertising and marketing.
• How business owners’ personal characteristics impact their business.
• What is the impact of training and development on employee job performance?
• Leadership styles and their effects on employee productivity.
• Engaged employees result in high retention.
• Developing personal power in an organization.
• Impacts of incentives on employee performance.
• Psychological tactics in marketing.
• How to create a successful brand.
• The importance of accounting research.
• The benefits of enterprise resource planning.
• The benefits of multilevel marketing.
• The best sales tactics.
• How to nail the negotiation in your first meeting.

See this page for a full list of Informative Speech Topics for Business .

8 Communication Informative Speech Topics

• How deaf people talk with emotion.
• The differences between male and female communication.
• How to be a persuasive speaker.
• How to improve your conversation skills.
• Some simple conversation tips.
• What is neural linguistic programming (NLP)?
• Why smiles are contagious.
• How to manage communicative disorders.

4 Current Events Informative Speech Topics

• America’s fastest growing cities.
• The Occupy Wall Street movement.
• Poverty in New York City.
• What is the national happiness rate?

6 Economy Informative Speech Topics

• The history of taxes on carbon dioxide emissions.
• What would be the impact on economic growth if everyone produced their own food?
• The impact of progressive taxation on the provision of social services.
• Economic growth of the People’s Republic of China.
• The effects of price and demand of agricultural products.
• The importance of education for the economy.

10 Education Informative Speech Topics

• How EFL teachers can use the internet as a classroom aid.
• Should teachers and students be friends on social networks?
• Why is our education system only based on theory and not practical knowledge?
• Should students be permitted to eat during classes?
• The importance of formal education for building a successful career.
• The pros and cons of teaching students three languages in school.
• What materials work best in a sandbag for blocking floodwaters?
• Hypnosis: its misconceptions and common uses.
• Learning disabilities and their effects on learning in college.
• Are test scores a good indication of a school’s competency?

See this page for a full list of Informative Persuasive Speech Topics .

10 Environment Informative Speech Topics

• Should politicians bring more pollution to our country?
• What would happen if finite resources were not used wisely?
• Four main reasons for generating genetically modified crops.
• The effect of organic and inorganic fertilizer on maize.
• Are we going to lose the rainforest?
• The best ways to protect the environment.
• Commercial crops and their effect on the water table.
• The environmental impact of a meat based diet.
• Recycling helps mitigate the greenhouse effect.
• Why we should stop global warming.

See this page for a full list of Environmental Informative Speech Topics .

3 Ethics Informative Speech Topics

• Is it sometimes better to tell a lie than to tell the truth?
• Is tolerance the same as love?
• Is hunting morally acceptable?

10 Family Informative Speech Topics

• Adopted children should always have the option to see their biological parents.
• The impact of single parenting and its effects on children.
• The appropriate penalties for parental negligence.
• What it is like being the youngest of a family of 19 kids.
• The importance of the parent-child relationship.
• My father is my hero.
• How to pick a name for your children.
• Cases of domestic violence against men.
• The importance of family.
• The history of foster care.

See this page for a full list of Family Informative Speech Topics . We also have a page with Speech Topics for Kids .

18 Financial Informative Speech Topics

• How banks are getting paid twice for your mortgage.
• How to save money in college.
• How to build credit.
• How to save money on your income taxes.
• How to apply for a credit card.
• The basics of financial aid.
• The importance of saving money.
• How to recognize stock market trends.
• The process of buying a house.
• The basics of internet banking safety.
• The best investment strategies.
• How to live on $5 a day/ Eating well on $5 a day.
• Tips on how do deal with money problems.
• The history of our currency.
• How the US Dollar affects the Euro.
• Debt relief programs.
• Does China have a serious stock market?

9 Food and Drink Informative Speech Topics

• The difference between Gatorade and Powerade.
• How to cook a delicious dinner.
• How to grow your own food.
• The different types of coffee.
• How to cook vegetarian.
• How to make a cocktail.
• The best types of cheese.
• The best exotic fruits.
• How to make Chinese food.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topic Ideas On Food, Drink, and Cooking .

11 Fun Informative Speech Topics

• The history of Valentine’s Day, the celebrations in different cultures.
• Some laugh, but there are many courageous people who overcome stuttering.
• Funny Saint Patricks Day parades, pub decorating, Irish fun runs.
• Differences between apes and monkeys, monkeys in space programs, how they live in groups in the zoo.
• Your hand: what your signature, handwriting and your hand palm lines say about your character.
• Amphibian vehicles – search for information about those rare car-boat vehicles, and you have lots of fun informative speech topics to talk about!
• Cartoons in relation to our Freedom of Speech and Expression principles.
• Show the listeners to your public speaking speech some flags of unknown countries, ask them what nation you mean and explain colors and symbols.
• The extraterrestrial life stories and future theories from French author Jules Verne.
• Etiquette and manners, how to cope with special situations, how to behave at official ceremonies you see enough public speaking speeches spicing humor.
• Fashion styles and dress codes at parties and ceremonies.

See this page for a full list of Fun Informative Speech Topics .

5 Geography Informative Speech Topics

• The antipodes – Places on Earth which are diametrically opposite to each other.
• Cartography – How terrestrial globe spheres are crafted.
• Climatology – Patterns in climate change, like rising temperatures and flooding.
• Coasts – Types of coasts, deltas, sea cliffs and beaches.
• What does the continental drift theory mean in vulcanology?

See this page for a full list of Speech Topics On Geography .

9 Government Informative Speech Topics

• The role of accounting in the control of public expenditures in Nigeria.
• What factors affect community participation in public meetings?
• How difficult is it to run a country of 1.2 billion people?
• Speeding cameras are meant to provide government money.
• Should the President be paid while being in office?
• The Federal government’s separation of powers.
• Journalism is our weapon against corruption.
• How a bill passes in state government.
• The best city planning practices.

10 Health Informative Speech Topics

• Steroids, antibiotics, sprays: are these things hurting us?
• The effects of dissociative identity disorder or multiple personality disorder.
• Bigger isn’t always better: the effect fast food has on America.
• The importance of proper stretching before a workout.
• How to keep your skin looking young and wrinkle free.
• The different types of insomnia.
• The causes and effects of Alzheimer’s disease.
• The psychosocial aspects of organ transplantation.
• Controversial ideas about whooping cough vaccines.
• The reasons why stress and depression should be taken seriously.

See this page for a full list of Informative Speech Topics on Health and Fitness . We also have a page with Medical Topics and Psychology topics.

10 History Informative Speech Topics

• The beauty of ancient Egyptian art.
• The most beautiful paintings in history.
• The history of fashion.
• The history of high heels.
• The history of cosmetic makeup.
• The history of Tibetan burial practices.
• What Olympic events did ancient Greece have?
• The history of swear words and their impact on society.
• Words and their meanings that have changed with time.
• Why dragons perform in Chinese New Year celebrations.

See this page for a full list of History Speech Topics .

16 International Relations Informative Speech Topics

• Economic development and the role of the private sector in reducing poverty in Lesotho.
• Tourism and remittances are the solutions for Tonga’s economic growth.
• The military of the Philippines.
• Is South Africa ready for a female president?
• Can democracy bring stability to Pakistan?
• South Africa is an amazing country.
• The impact of U.S drone strikes.
• The discovery of oil in Equatorial Guinea.
• How to help refugees.
• Why everyone should live in China.
• The status of trade relations in East Africa.
• The effects of the Dowry system in India.
• Sri Lanka after thirty years of war.
• Why Africa is underdeveloped.
• The political system of India.
• The purpose of the United Nations.

2 Language Informative Speech Topics

• English is a link language for many parts of the world.
• The origins of cliches.

6 Literature Informative Speech Topics

• Inside the mind of Edgar Allen Poe.
• How to write a book.
• The three trials of Oscar Wilde.
• The meaning of The House on Mango Street.
• The history of vampires in literature.
• The different types of poetry.

21 Media Informative Speech Topics

• What steps are involved in creating a movie or television show?
• How Spotify hurts new artists.
• The benefits of watching less TV.
• How the media has hurt our body image.
• Books that were turned into terrible movies.
• The benefits of reading a newspaper.
• The basics of photography.
• The history of the Titanic movie.
• Some famous advertising campaigns.
• The effects of misleading advertisements.
• Some important women in the media.
• The best foreign TV shows.
• The benefits of satellite radio.
• The best TV sitcoms.
• Al Jazeera, the largest Arabic news channel is the Middle East.
• How Disney produces and distributes short animated films.
• The amazing stage performance of Christina Aguilera.
• The love life of Jennifer Aniston,
• The story of CNN International reporter, Christiane Amanpour.
• The ten actors who played James Bond.
• Top three worst Woody Allen movies.

9 Music Informative Speech Topics

• The different types of marching bands.
• The history of french horns.
• The history of house music.
• The evolution of rock and roll.
• The beauty of reggae music.
• Music as a “lifestyle”.
• The best electronic dance music.
• How to play the kazoo.
• The beauty of Haitian music.

4 National Security Informative Speech Topics

• How illegal things are smuggled into the country.
• The United States military branches.
• The importance of the Air Force.
• The branches of the military.

10 Politics Informative Speech Topics

• Should the U.S. restrict immigration?
• The benefits of communism.
• The most important women in politics.
• Define the term foreign policy and offer current examples.
• The delicate position of women and children in war torn societies and countries on the globe.
• How issues on oil in Nigeria lift the oil prices worldwide.
• How a free trade agreement works.
• The major environmental problems in Australia.
• National gun control statistics compared to the statistics of other countries.
• The function of the Federal Reserve Board in maintaining a stable financial system.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topics about Politics .

10 Psychology Informative Speech Topics

• The benefits of greeting people.
• Positive thinking is the key to peaceful living.
• The meaning of dreams.
• How to explain child geniuses.
• Difference between empathy and sympathy.
• How to be more sensitive for an emotionally insensitive person.
• How to know a person’s true personality when we are so good at disguise nowadays.
• Secrets about quiet people.
• How to respond or take a compliment.
• Why do people lie and how to deal with that.

See this page for a full list of Psychology Speech Topics .

12 Relationships Informative Speech Topics

• How marriages today differ from marriages from the 60’s.
• The secrets of happy and successful relationships.
• How to choose the right relationship.
• How to get along with your roommate.
• The guidelines for military marriages.
• How to make long distance relationships work.
• The average age to get married.
• How to talk to people when you have nothing to say.
• How to recognize toxic friends.
• Your Brain Falls in Love Not Only Your Heart.
• Who Was and Is Cupid and Co.
• All You Wanted to Know About Engagement.

10 Religion Informative Speech Topics

• A comparison of Genesis and Revelation in the Bible.
• Modern values are violating religious values.
• How Christ is present in our world.
• What percentage of the world’s population are Christians?
• Why worshipping Satan isn’t a bad thing.
• Why the bunny symbolizes Easter.
• God helps those who help themselves.
• A comparison of different religions.
• The history of the Christian church.
• The main principles of Christianity.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topics on Religion and Spirituality .

10 Science Informative Speech Topics

• The difference between an alligator and a crocodile.
• Why whales should not be hunted for food.
• Transhumanism and the evolution of the human race.
• How we can create geniuses.
• Falabella horses are the smallest in the world.
• Why is the colonization of Mars important?
• Albert Einstein’s contributions to science.
• The isolation of nicotinic acid from tobacco.
• The journey to becoming a nuclear physicist.
• Some interesting facts about the human brain.

See this page for a full list of Informative Science Speech Topics .

31 Self-Help Informative Speech Topics

• The difference between boundaries and limits.
• The benefits of affirmation.
• Three goals to strive for in life.
• How to present yourself with confidence.
• Why it’s important to be yourself.
• How to manage your anger.
• How to make a good first impression.
• How to prepare for a job interview.
• Your actions determine your future.
• How to set goals and achieve them.
• How to enhance your public speaking skills.
• How to increase your motivation.
• What makes life meaningful?
• How to take your next big step in life.
• How to construct an argument.
• How to boost your self-esteem.
• How to be happy being single.
• How to avoid procrastination.
• How to improve your manners.
• How to be a good leader.
• The importance of a good attitude.
• How to be more romantic.
• How to break bad habits.
• How to overcome conflict.
• Happiness: The thing we all look for but never really understand.
• What it’s like to be falling in love.
• What is love and what’s not.
• The secret to resolving conflicts.
• Dancing is your secret weapon for happiness and health.
• Things to remember if you don’t want to die with any regrets.

10 School Informative Speech Topics

• Schools should not make money by selling unhealthy candy and soft drinks to students.
• Music with foul language in it should not be allowed at school dances.
• Students should be able to listen to their MP3 players during class.
• Students who commit cyberbullying should be suspended or expelled from school.
• Boys and girls should be taught in separate classrooms.
• Homeschooling produces better results than public schools.
• High School will be the best time of your life.
• Boys are lazier than girls.
• All students should wear school uniform.
• It is possible to Ace your way through High School.

See this page for a full list of School Speech Topics for All Grades .

10 Society Informative Speech Topics

• Why it is bad to judge people by their appearance.
• The lives of isolated indigenous people.
• How to tell someone they are annoying you without being rude.
• How human behavior affects society.
• Left handed people: the underrepresented minority group.
• Is the military a fulfilling career choice for women?
• The effects of discrimination.
• The importance of newspapers in our daily life.
• Do actors and athletes make too much money?
• Why I’m optimistic about our nation’s future.

See this page for a full list of Informative Society Speech Topics .

10 Sport Informative Speech Topics

• Should female students be allowed to play on male sports teams?
• How to do a walking handstand or a cartwheel into the splits.
• Is netball or hockey more dangerous?
• The benefits of sports for all ages.
• Why the spelling bee shouldn’t be on ESPN.
• The worst professional sports teams.
• The importance of sports and games.
• What you should have in your golf bag.
• The history of professional fighting.
• The worst trades in sports history.

See this page for a full list of Informative Sports Speech Topics .

3 Supernatural Informative Speech Topics

• The mystery of the Bermuda triangle.
• The evidence that bigfoot exists.
• The existence of telepathy.

41 Technology Informative Speech Topics

• How roads are built.
• Is wind energy cheap, effective, and practical?
• Why college students should be careful about what they put on social media.
• The uses for artificial intelligence computer networks.
• The danger of putting too much personal information on social networks.
• Modes of communication are constantly changing.
• How has social media impacted our daily lives?
• The line between the human brain and a computer.
• Why technology is a bad thing for growing minds.
• How technology has destroyed human interaction.
• How is text messaging affecting teen literacy?
• The advantages and disadvantages of social media.
• The effects of violent video games on children.
• The decline of interpersonal communication due to technology.
• The difference between hardware and software.
• Antivirus software: beware of malware functions.
• The history of programming languages.
• How voice over IP works.
• What would we do without electricity?
• The benefits of 3D printing.
• The major technological changes since 1990.
• The negative effects of cellphones.
• How to avoid computer viruses.
• The evolution of the internet.
• Computers through the decades.
• How airport biometrics systems work.
• Robots now and in the future.
• How satellites help communication.
• How a water plant operates.
• How watches work.
• The evolution of video games.
• How cellular phones work.
• The evolution of the iPhone.
• How to build a computer.
• How nuclear power works.
• How search engines work.
• How air pressure works.
• The best new technologies.
• The future of electric cars.
• How to practice cyber safety.
• A guide to different social media sites.

15 Travel Informative Speech Topics

• How students can find great vacation bargains.
• The best cruise vacations.
• Famous parliament buildings
• How to test the quality of water when traveling.
• Interesting underground railroad systems in capital cities.
• Investigation shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea.
• The benefits of wind tunnels on transport.
• The discovery of the famous temples in the Maya culture.
• The influence of global warming on Alpine skiing.
• The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
• The Wright Brother’s first flight.
• Totem poles and obelisks are symbols of unity, tradition, and pride.
• What you need to know about the Principality of Andorra.
• Why is there a Titanic replica?
• Why the unsinkable and invincible Titanic sank.

9 Workplace Informative Speech Topics

• The benefits of break time for nursing mothers in the workplace.
• The prevalence of dangerous chemicals in the workplace.
• How to survive working in a restaurant.
• Why underwater welding is dangerous.
• How it is to work in the fast food industry.
• How to get a great internship.
• How to become a comedian.
• The most dangerous jobs.
• What are the fastest growing careers?

List of Informative Essay Topics

14 college informative essay topics.

• Benefits of a college degree
• Crimes on college campuses
• Healthiest foods in the campus cafeteria
• How students can stay safe on a college campus
• How students can use eLibrary Curriculum Edition for research
• How to beat senioritis
• How to find cheap textbooks
• How to pick a major
• How to study for and pass a test
• Saving money as a college student
• The story of how your school was founded
• Ways of preventing college dropout
• Whether binge drinking is a problem on your college campus
• Your favorite club or organization on campus

5 Demonstration Informative Essay Topics

• How to bake a cake
• How to knit a scarf
• How to organize a closet
• How to swing a golf club
• How to train your dog

7 Easy / Simple Informative Essay Topics

• A genre of music
• America’s fastest growing cities
• Breeds of dogs
• How a computer works
• Interesting cultures
• Lesser known presidents
• Natural disasters

9 Education Informative Essay Topics

• How to choose a persuasive speech topic
• How to deliver a funny informative speech
• How to deliver a persuasive speech
• How to maintain audience attention during a speech
• How to win your audience with descriptive speech
• How to write a persuasive essay
• How to write an argumentative essay
• How to write an expository essay
• The difference between a thesis statement and a topic sentence

10 Fun Informative Essay Topics

• An impressive world record
• Fun games to play at the beach.
• The history of ice cream
• The revolution of the selfie
• Ways different cultures celebrate Valentine’s Day
• What do people do when they win the lottery?
• What people don’t know about Disneyland
• What you can learn from grade K students
• What your horoscope means
• Why people get tattoos

6 Funny Informative Essay Topics

• Everything you need to know about skinny jeans
• Funny St. Patrick’s Day parades
• How to be nice to people you don’t like
• How to cheat in poker
• How to look attentive when you’re actually not
• Things you can learn from your pet

See this page for a full list of Funny Informative Speech Topics .

10 Health Informative Essay Topics

• All about gluten
• Cause-and-effect relationship of air pollution
• Causes of cancer
• How caffeine works
• How stress affects your body
• How to make exercise a habit
• How to quit smoking
• Symptoms of Alzheimer Disease
• Symptoms of depression
• How to get rid of bad habits

6 Hobbies Informative Essay Topics

• Best places for scuba diving
• Choosing your next book to read
• Peace lily care tips
• Professional baseball stadiums
• The history of your favorite sport
• Types of tropical fish

9 Interesting Informative Essay Topics

• Effects of global warming
• Exotic pets
• How to perform an attention-getting first dance at your wedding
• Near-death experiences
• Places to see in northern Nevada
• The biography of Clyde Tombaugh
• The history of a cliche marriage ritual
• What is your dog actually thinking?
• What your handwriting says about you

See this page for a full list of Informative Interesting Speech Topics .

7 Life Informative Essay Topics

• How to drive a stick-shift
• How to pay off your student loans in under 10 years
• How to succeed in multi-level marketing
• The process of buying a car
• Tips for being an effective networker
• Traveling the world for cheap
• Why people lie

7 Legislation Informative Essay Topics

• Fees and taxes for an electric car
• Minimum wage laws
• The history of drinking age rules
• What dogs are affected by breed specific legislation?
• Anti-trust crimes.
• Benefits of pleading guilty.
• Felony penalties for aggravated stalking.

See this page for a full list of Legal Speech Topics .

10 Pop Culture Informative Essay Topics

• A biography of your favorite celebrity
• All about your favorite author
• All about your favorite television show
• Former childhood stars
• History of your favorite product brand
• Instances where the movie is better than the book
• The Miss America pageant
• The pop art movement during the 20th century and the changes it brought about
• What makes a pop sensation
• Your favorite form of public broadcasting

7 Relationships Informative Essay Topics

How to be a good friend

• How to choose your friends
• How to get along with your in-laws
• How to make a marriage work
• How to survive a blind date gone wrong
• The different types of friendships
• The history of online dating

Picking Your Topic

At first glance, an informative speech may seem like the simplest type of presentation . The basis of an informative speech is to introduce a topic to the audience and then describe or explain it . It sounds fairly straightforward, but special care must be given to selecting a topic or the entire speech may not be well received.

Informative speeches can easily become boring for an audience for several reasons. First, the speaker should be sure not to present a topic which is already well known, or the audience will quickly lose interest. The topic should be something the audience has never encountered, or at least include new and exciting information on a familiar topic. Speakers should remember, when preparing the speech, that their own level of interest will become apparent during delivery of the presentation. In other words, if the speaker is bored by the topic, the audience will feel bored as well.

Knowing the audience is a primary factor in choosing an informative speech topic. The speaker should consider the age, knowledge level, subculture, and other demographics of his listeners when preparing the speech. It is important to present information which is neither too elementary nor too difficult for the audience to comprehend. The chosen topic should reflect the interests of the audience, and should be intriguing to them without rehashing information they already know. For example, college students may be interested in a topic on alcohol use, but they are already very familiar with a topic like the dangers of drinking and driving. In this case the speaker might concentrate his topic on the health benefits of red wine. This way, he has chosen a topic which interests the audience, but is likely to present new information which will not bore his listeners.

Finally, speakers should consider time limits when choosing an informative speech topic. A topic should be covered thoroughly enough that the audience feels as if most of their questions on the topic have been answered. On the other hand, a tight time restriction may prevent the speaker from adequately covering a very intricate topic. When time is limited, a subject which requires lengthy explanation should be avoided. The audience should leave an informative speech feeling as if they’ve gained new insight on a topic. It is good if they are interested in doing their own research to learn more about the subject, but they should never leave the presentation feeling confused or unclear about what they have just heard.

Informative Speech Idea In 5 Steps

1. step one – make a list.

Make a short list of your personal interests and informative speech topic ideas. To help you determine your interests on an informative speech topic, think about your favorite objects, products, people, animals, events, places, processes, procedures, concepts, policies, theories, and so on. Answer these important questions:

• Is there something you love to talk about, always have wanted to research?
• What interests you very much, or do you like or love at first glance?
• Do you have developed special skills in personal or professional life?
• What interesting informative topics do you know a lot of or want to know more about?
• What are some personal or professional experiences and skills in certain situations related to your favorite subjects?
• Can you reveal hidden secrets, new perspectives or insights on some topics?

2. Step Two – Analyze Your Audience

Determine the interests and needs of your audience. What do they want to learn? Can you teach them on a subject you like?

3. Step Three – Check Your Interests

Review the short list of your interests and make a decision. Choose the informative speech topic that is also interesting to your audience. Take care of their interests, questions and needs.

4. Step Four – Research and Write

Research  just one new single aspect  of that informative speech idea. Look for valuable or amazing information that surprises your listeners. Fresh data, facts, intelligence, and advice will catch their attention immediately! To help you researching: look for new facts, figures, stories, statistics, surveys, personal experiences, professional experiences, quotations, comparisons and contrasts.

5. Step Five – Add Help Props

Demonstrate steps, stages, pros and cons, and remarkable effects by the use of public speaking software or other visual aids , that display the material you want them to be understood or remembered.

Informative Speeches FAQ

1. Speeches About Objects 2. Speeches About Processes 3. Speeches About Events 4. Speeches About Concepts

An informative speech is one that provides information and educates the audience on a specific topic. An informative speech should help your audience learn, understand, and remember information you are presenting.

1. Know your audience or reader 2. Consider your interests 3. Consider length requirements

You can see this page with speech examples .

Vote of Thanks Examples

613 Original Argumentative Speech Topics Ideas

15 thoughts on “509 Informative Speech Ideas and Topics”

Demonic Possession

Creativity is the Mother of Invention.

1-How to be a good friend: you have to do everything to make them happy, don’t snatch on them

2-How to choose your friends: Choose friends with similar values Choose friends with common goals

3-How to get along with your in-laws:1-Get to know them. … 2-Know your limits. … 3-Keep things cordial. … 4-Put your relationship first

4-How to make a marriage work

5-How to survive a blind date gone wrong 1-Ask open-ended questions. … 2-Tell a funny anecdote. … 3-Let your date talk. … 4-Answer questions fully. … 5-Listen to them carefully.

6-The different types of friendships

7-The history of online dating

the evolution of humans

school doesn’t need to exist

Nice compilations this is helpful

Hamburgers vs hotdogs

Chocolate Caffeine Grass is Greener on the other side April Fools Why teens should have a part time job or not

History of Tobacco

Effects of anxiety on teenage students.

how depression affects people and others around them

peer pressure and its effects on students

Different ways kids handle peer pressure.

depression and how it can effect a students mindset

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Informative Speech

Informative Speech Topics

Good Informative Speech Topics & Ideas

16 min read

Published on: Dec 28, 2018

Last updated on: Nov 7, 2023

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Have you ever been in a situation where you had to give an informative speech , but the options for topics seemed endless. You just couldn't find the one that felt perfect? It's frustrating, right? 

The fear of losing your audience's interest, not knowing which topic to pick, or having doubts about the relevance of your subject can make the process overwhelming.

In this blog, we'll not only provide you with a wide array of informative speech topics and ideas but also offer guidance on how to choose the most compelling one. 

We'll help you overcome the challenges and ensure that your next informative speech stands out and captures your audience's attention. 

So dive in and choose a speech topic to get your audience’s attention. 

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Informative Speech Topics for Students

If you're a student in search of captivating informative speech topics, you're in the right place. 

These topics are designed to align with your academic needs and are suitable for various situations, including class presentations and speech competitions.

Informative Speech Topics for High School

• The Impact of Social Media on Education
• How to Research Scholarships and Grants for College
• The Benefits of Learning a Second Language
• Balancing Academic Performance with Extracurricular Activities
• Understanding the Implications of Stress and Mental Health Issues among Teens
• Exploring Different Career Paths and Their Benefits
• Learning the Necessary Skills to Succeed in College
• Analyzing the Effects of Climate Change on Our Environment
• The Impact of Technology on Society
• Understanding Financial Literacy and its Relevance for Students' Futures

Easy Informative Speech Topics For College Students

• A mentor is necessary for every student. Discuss.
• Should college students start looking for jobs before passing from college?
• Students should learn basic skills like washing and cooking before going to college.
• Allowing college students to earn extra credit is unfair for hard-working students. 
• Peer pressure is a common thing in college for both boys and girls. How can students avoid it?
• Exercise and extra-curricular activities are important for every student.
• Getting an on-campus job is a wise and beneficial decision for a student.
• The college tour is an important activity for the new students, and they should try to get as much information from the tour
• guide as possible.
• Students should visit the college before considering it for future studies.
• Students should schedule their study time in the day rather than putting it late in the evening.

Informative Speech Topics for University Students 

• The Impact of Social Media on Contemporary Culture
• Mental Health Awareness: Taking Care of Our Minds and Bodies
• Exploring the Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet
• Exposing Gender Inequality in the Workplace
• Understanding the Role of Technology in Education
• Investing In Your Financial Future
• Strategies For Stress Management and Self-Care
• Exploring the Benefits of a Meditation Practice
• Examining Racial Inequality in the United States
• Building Healthy Relationships with Friends and Loved Ones

Informative Speech Topics on Health

• The harmful effects of fast food on health.
• How to maintain health while being on a diet?
• What types of food are essential for a healthy body and a healthy mind?
• Does good health mean a good life?
• Why should we eat healthy foods?
• How to keep our skin looking fresh and healthy?
• How to deal with diabetes?
• The harmful effects of alcohol.
• The disadvantages of dark chocolate.
• Home-cooked foods are better than restaurant foods.

Mental Health Informative Speech Topics 

Check out these informative speech topics about mental health.

• The Impact of Stress on Mental Health
• Interventions and Coping Strategies for Anxiety
• Overview of Depression: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments
• Understanding the Effects of Trauma on Mental Health
• Examining the Link Between Physical Health and Mental Well-Being
• Recognizing and Managing the Signs of Mental Illness
• Exploring the Role of Technology in Mental Health
• Promoting Self-Care for Optimal Mental Health
• Addiction: Its Impact on Mental and Emotional Well-Being
• The Benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation for Positive Mental Health

Medical Informative Speech Topics 

• The Importance of Vaccination for Public Health
• Alzheimer's Disease: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
• The Impact of Stress on Physical and Mental Health
• The Science of DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy
• The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
• The Benefits and Risks of Telemedicine
• Organ Donation: Saving Lives through Transplants
• The Opioid Epidemic: Causes and Solutions
• The Role of Nutrition in Preventing Chronic Diseases
• The History and Advances in Medical Imaging Technologies

Psychology Informative Speech Topics

• The Neuroscience of Happiness and Well-Being
• Understanding the Psychology Behind Addiction
• Exploring Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Analyzing Group Dynamics in Workplaces
• Examining Attachment Theory & Its Effects
• Describing the Developmental Stages of Childhood
• Investigating Factors That Contribute to Stress
• Exploring the Psychology of Personality Traits
• The Cognitive Processes Involved in Decision-Making
• Understanding the Psychology of Learning and Memory
• Examining the Phenomenon of Social Influence.

Informative Speech Topics About History

• The Influence of Ancient Greece on Modern Democracy
• The Secrets of the Pyramids: Ancient Egyptian Architecture
• The Industrial Revolution: Transforming Society and Economy
• The Impact of World War I on the 20th Century
• The Underground Railroad: A Network for Freedom
• The Space Race: The United States and the Soviet Union
• The Legacy of Ancient Rome in Modern Law and Governance
• The Story of the American Civil Rights Movement
• The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire
• The Impact of the Silk Road on Global Trade and Culture

Informative Speech Topics About Animals 

• Comparing and Contrasting Domesticated and Wild Animals
• The Impact of Captive Breeding on Endangered Species Preservation
• Exotic Animals as Pets: Benefits and Risks
• Exploring the Relationship Between Humans and Animals
• Understanding Animal Behavior: Studies of Hunting, Migration, & Social Interactions
• Exploring the Evolution of Animal Intelligence
• Investigating the Role of Animals in Ecosystems
• The Development and Use of Animal-Assisted Therapy
• Analyzing Human Attitudes towards Endangered
• Why are wolves considered majestic animals?

Informative Speech Topics About Education

• Teachers and students should not be friends on social media. Support your claim with evidence.
• Our traditional education system needs to be transformed into a modern education system.
• Students should be permitted to eat in the classroom. Support your claim.
• Do grades really matter to get a good job?
• What is the best age for kids to start schooling?
• How is higher education affecting the business world?
• The success rate of high school grads vs. college grads.
• Can we judge a student's knowledge on the basis of his grades?
• How education helps in combating poverty?
• Why are educational institutes unable to train students for professional worlds?

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Informative Speech Topics Related to Literature

• The Life and Works of William Shakespeare
• The Impact of Classic Literature on Modern Writing
• The Symbolism in George Orwell's "1984"
• The Feminist Themes in Jane Austen's Novels
• The Origins and Influence of the Beat Generation Writers
• The History and Significance of Gothic Literature
• The Literary Techniques of Magical Realism
• The Evolution of Detective Fiction in Literature
• The Role of Satire in Political Literature
• The Influence of Shakespearean Sonnets on Poetry

Interesting Informative Speech Topics for Teens

• Steve Jobs is considered the Einstein of our society.
• What is the digital generation? How digitized is our present generation?
• What are the effects of television on the children of our nation?
• Propose a useful business model for today’s world.
• Discuss some of the key issues of our society.
• What is the millennial generation, and what are their fundamental beliefs and features?
• Discuss the origin and evolution of video games.
• Describe the cosmos and the reasons why they can access some zones.
• Modernism Vs. Postmodernism: Discuss the Pros and Cons.
• Parents should try to understand the psyche of children and especially young adults.

Informative Speech Topics About Music

• The Influence of Music on Emotions
• The Evolution of Hip-Hop Music
• The History of Classical Music
• The Impact of Music on Memory and Learning
• The Role of Music in Different Cultures
• The Connection Between Music and Mental Health
• The Origins of Jazz Music
• The Science of Sound and Music Production
• The Significance of Music Festivals
• The Contribution of Music in Film and TV

Informative Speech Topics Related to Media

• The role of the media in our lives.
• Why is digital media badly influencing the youngsters
• How to make a Drama for TV?
• How to shoot a video for Youtube?
• How to learn the basic skills of photography?
• The best reality show of the year.
• How important are the performance awards in the life of an actor?
• The worst movie of the year.
• How to start a band?
• How to become a producer?

Fun Informative Speech Topics

Let’s read out some fun and cool informative speech topics for your next task:

• Discuss the origins of Valentine’s Day, and how is it celebrated in different countries?
• Does sending monkeys to space have any positive research benefits?
• Describe an Irish celebration and the reasons it is considered funny.
• Discuss some funny games for a beach day.
• Describe the origins and evolution of ice-cream making.
• Discuss the tattoo culture and the reasons people like to have different kinds of tattoos.
• Discuss and explain the process of people getting into the selfie culture.
• Do horoscopes paint a real picture of people belonging to different zodiac signs?
• What are the pros and cons of working at Disneyland?
• How to cheat and get away with it in the Poker game?

Entertaining Informative Speech Topics

• Is it necessary to get a formal education to get into showbiz?
• Reality shows have caused a drastic decrease in television viewership. How far is it true?
• Should there be any limits on the usage of special effects?
• Should the shows based on pranks be added into the entertainment and showbiz category?
• Who are the best Hollywood actors marked according to the recent census?
• Who are the best record artists of recent times?
• Can AI be used in the movie industry? If yes, then how and to what extent it could be used?
• Classics Vs. Modern movies: Which ones are better?
• Models and actresses are the contemporary role models of the young generation.
• Who is the best actor to play the role of the iconic Joker, and why?

Unique Informative Speech Topics 

• The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle
• The History of Unsolved Mysteries
• The Art of Origami: Its Origins and Techniques
• The Impact of Virtual Reality on Healthcare
• The Cultural Significance of Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremonies
• The Evolution of Sign Language
• The Secrets of the World's Oldest Known Manuscripts
• The Language of Whales: How They Communicate
• The Surprising History of Board Games
• The Art of Underwater Basket Weaving

Easy Informative Speech Topics

• The Benefits of Drinking Water
• How to Save Money on Everyday Expenses
• The Life Cycle of a Butterfly
• The Importance of Good Hygiene
• The Basics of CPR
• The History of Your Hometown
• How to Make a Simple Origami Craft
• A Brief Introduction to a Well-Known Author
• The Process of Making Chocolate
• The Impact of a Popular Children's Book

5-Minute Informative Speech Topics For College 

• The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health
• The Origins and Significance of the International Space Station
• The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
• The Science Behind Climate Change
• The Influence of Cybersecurity in the Digital Age
• The History and Cultural Significance of Hip-Hop Music
• The Benefits of Sustainable Farming Practices
• The Art of Effective Time Management
• The Psychology of Decision-Making
• The Evolution of Modern Cryptocurrency

Informative Speech Topics About Government

• Role of government in a democracy.
• How difficult is it to run a country of more than 1 million people?
• How do good and bad governments affect the country's economy?
• What role do youngsters play in the selection of a government?
• How is journalism helping in controlling corruption?
• Why are government jobs preferred over private jobs?
• What are the stages of passing a bill?
• The ratio of women in governmental authorities.
• Dictatorship vs. democracy? Which one is better for a country's progress?
• How much should the state authorities be paid?

Informative Speech Topics Related to Politics and Current Affairs

• The role of women in politics.
• Why is politics such an underrated profession?
• Why don't youngsters opt for politics as a career?
• Why does Canada promote immigration?
• How does free trade agreement work?
• Why is the military force essential for national security?
• The role of the air force in national security.
• How is coronavirus affecting our society?
• The decline in the world's economy.
• Social distancing or self-quarantine? What to do to protect ourselves from COVID-19?

Informative Speech Topics About Science

• Why is science discipline preferred over humanities?
• Why is the psychology behind the lack of sleep?
• The contribution of Einstein to the field of science.
• How does listening to some good music influence our brain?
• How to become a nuclear scientist?
• When the world first stepped on the moon?
• How is science helping in improving human health?
• What is the role of science in education?
• How to overcome the fear of chemicals?
• What role do physicists perform in the blackhole discovery?

Informative Speech Topics About Sports

• The History and Evolution of the Olympics
• The Science of Sports Nutrition
• The Impact of Title IX on Women's Sports
• The Cultural Significance of Soccer Around the World
• The Psychology of Sports Performance
• The Role of Technology in Modern Sports
• The Benefits of Youth Participation in Sports
• The Origins of American Football
• The Rise of Esports and Competitive Gaming
• The Health Risks and Benefits of Extreme Sports

Public Speaking Informative Speech Topics

• Overcoming Stage Fright: Tips for Confident Presentations
• The Art of Persuasion: Techniques for Effective Public Speaking
• The Impact of Nonverbal Communication in Public Speaking
• The Power of Storytelling in Speeches
• The Importance of Audience Analysis in Public Speaking
• The History and Influence of Famous Speeches
• The Role of Visual Aids in Presentations
• The Psychology of Effective Speech Introductions
• The Art of Impromptu Speaking
• Public Speaking and the Digital Age: Navigating Virtual Presentations

Informative Speech Topics About Environment

• 2020 has brought some good environmental changes. Prove with evidence.
• The Ozone layer is recovering rapidly. Provide evidence.
• How to protect our environment?
• Air pollution has caused depletion in the ozone layer.
• Humans are destroying nature. Prove with evidence.
• How to stop global warming?
• Are we going to lose the rainforest?
• Why is it important to have a healthy environment?
• The harmful impacts of water pollution.
• How to efficiently use natural resources?

Creative Informative Speech Topics

• How can the biosources be used to provide electricity for the cities?
• Can Elon Musk refashion the space race? Support your claims with evidence.
• Discuss some funny and unique traditions of different cultures.
• Can a hobby turn into a profitable business? If yes, then how?
• How can domestic violence be minimized?
• College dropouts are more successful than college pass outs. Discuss the claim.
• No one is born a genius, and success is a product of hard work.
• Can we train our minds to think outside the box? Explain with examples.
• Children should be trained in different languages and skills.
• How did the fashion industry change over time?

How to Choose an Informative Speech Topic?

Now that you have examples of informative speech topics, you might be confused about which topic you should choose. 

Remember that persuasive and informative speech topics are different, so you have to choose them appropriately. 

Here's a guide to help you make an informed decision when choosing your informative speech topic:

• Consider Your Audience: Tailoring your topic to your audience interests and needs can help keep them engaged.
• Depth of Information: Ensure there is enough information available on the topic to provide a comprehensive overview. Research availability is crucial.
• Clarity and Focus: A focused and well-defined topic will make your speech more coherent and easier to follow. Avoid overly broad subjects.
• Uniqueness: Consider presenting a fresh perspective or a lesser-known aspect of a well-known topic. This can make your speech more intriguing.
• Practicality: Ensure that you can cover the type of informative speech relevant to the audience and topic. 

To sum it up, if you keep these tips in mind, the topic selection process will become easier for you. Once you choose a topic, the next step is to write an essay for your speech. 

In case you think that writing a speech is tough, then getting professional help is the best thing to do. You can buy speech online by contacting a professional writing service.

MyPerfectWords.com is the best custom essay writing service that offers affordable help for informative speech writing, informative presentation designing, finding a good essay topic, and writing an outstanding informational essay.

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How To Speech Topics

Here's a list of 100 "how to" speech topics on which you can base your demonstration speech. If you're new to writing this type of speech, then I have some great tips here to help you get started.

10 Web-Related Topics

• build mobile websites
• rank in Google's search engine
• design a Wordpress blog
• unzip a .zip file
• take a ".xml" file and make it a feed
• optimize website graphics
• use an FTP program to upload files to the web
• open a Facebook account
• get set up on Twitter
• sell stuff on eBay

10 How To Speech Topics on Technology

• download from iTunes
• send text messages
• program a GPS tracker
• install more memory into a laptop
• properly clean a computer screen and accessories
• transfer music from an iPhone to a PC
• choose the best computer
• program a TV remote controller
• unlock your Wii console

10 Topics on Health

• lose weight safely
• increase your metabolism
• lift weights properly
• keep your heart healthy
• get rid of lice
• get rid of acne
• keep your teeth healthy
• quit smoking
• improve your eyesight
• exercise your brain

10 How To Speech Topics on Pets

• teach your parrot to talk
• teach your dog to play dead
• saddle a horse
• set up an aquarium
• breed animals to sell
• bathe a cat without getting scratched
• introduce new pets to older pets in your household
• choose the right pet for you
• control the pets on Sims 2
• get rid of fleas and ticks

10 Topics on Fashion

• make your eyes look bigger with makeup
• tie a hair bow
• get rid of static cling in hair and clothes
• shop for clothes on a budget
• curl hair with a curling iron
• apply false eyelashes
• pick clothes that make you look 10 pounds lighter
• care for dry, brittle hair or nails
• remove stains from fabric
• clean a suede or leather jacket

10 How To Speech Topics on Gardening

• design a desert garden
• create a raised bed garden
• grow bigger tomatoes
• compost when you live in an apartment
• attract butterflies to a garden
• attract hummingbirds to a garden
• grow an indoor herb garden
• repel and kill garden pests
• develop humane animal traps
• control mole damage

10 Topics on Jobs

• never work again
• get a job after being fired
• write a resume
• write a cover letter
• ask for a raise
• make money on the internet
• work as a virtual assistant
• deal with office politics
• search for a job online
• add my resume to online job sites

10 How To Speech Topics on Education

develop a photographic memory ace your PSAT, LSAT, MCAT, etc. become valedictorian apply for college financing get an online degree avoid problems with homeschooling get a GED write a speech deal with bullying decorate school books

10 Topics on Holidays

• put on makeup to look like a zombie for Halloween
• make fake vampire teeth
• carve a scary pumpkin
• create a Christmas tree out of wire hangers
• make a pop-up Christmas card
• build a gingerbread house
• make a Thanksgiving turkey out of lunch bags
• make firework fuses
• decorate a cake like a flag
• decorate Easter eggs

10 How To Speech Topics on Sports/Recreation

• do a 360 flip on a skateboard
• improve your golf swing
• knot a climbing rope
• tighten wheels on rollerblades
• put together a wakeboard
• repair a bicycle shifter
• arm wrestle someone more muscular than you
• play ping-pong like a pro
• choose the best paintball gun
• put a spin on a baseball

Phew! There you go, 100 how to speech topics for you to choose. Hopefully, they'll give you some ideas so you can come up with a hundred more!

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Good Informative Speech Topics

Informative speech topics for college students, interesting informative speech topics.

• Easy Informative Speech Topics
• Fun Informative Speech Topics

Entertaining Informative Speech Topics

Informative speech topics for high school, informative speech topics for university.

• Controversial Informative Speech Topics

Informative Speech Topics on Education

Informative speech topics on business, entrepreneurship, and financial management, informative speech topics on career and work, informative speech topics on politics, economy, and law, informative speech topics on current and social issues and international affairs, informative speech topics on science, technology, and innovations.

• Informative Speech Topics on Arts, Music, Films, Social Media, and Popular Culture

Informative Speech Topics on Religion, Culture, and Cross-cultural Issues

Informative speech topics on supernatural things, informative speech topics on human rights, gender, and moral values, informative speech topics on medicine, healthcare, environmental issues, and animals, informative speech topics on history, arts, humanities, and classic literature, informative speech topics on sports.

• Informative Speech Topics on Travel and Cross-cultural Issues

Informative Speech Topics on Psychology, Communication, and Relationship

Informative speech topics on lifestyle, food, and hobbies.

• How to Write an Informative Speech
• What Should an Informative Speech Contain
• Tips for Writing Captivating Informative Speech

Among tons of academic assignments each day, students often need to create an informative speech. Sometimes, the professor provides informative speech topics, but students should come up with this idea themselves in other cases. Most people get stuck when choosing the best idea for an informative speech. Due to the wide variety of informative speech topics, they cannot select the most entertaining topic to start writing their speech or essay. Once you have got the assignment to prepare for this task, you may skip informative speech topics search as we have already done it for you. Before writing your speech, looking through any informative essay will be useful.

How to Choose a Good Informative Speech Topic 

Although it might seem the most straightforward task, choosing a topic for your speech or essays might turn into a real challenge, especially when you work in a team. To choose good informative speech topics , you need to pay attention to these guidelines:

• Choose topics you are personally interested in. No one can master a stunning speech on a topic that doesn’t spark the presenter’s interest. You are free to choose the one that you want to talk about for hours in any circumstances.  
• Think of your audience. The same concerns the people you are going to speak out to. You are the boss here but mind what your listeners may like or dislike (like in a argumentative essay). So come up with the idea at least to avoid speaking extremely irrelevant informative speech topics.  
• Mind your volume. Mostly your informative speech should take no longer than 5 to 7 minutes, so picking vast topics would be illogical. You won’t cover all the necessary information within such a tight deadline. If you have difficulties with preparing your speech or essay, try a top-rated academic writing service. At our company, you can buy cheap essay  and get outstanding results effort-free! 

We have collected the most up-to-date, interesting, and relevant informative speech topics to help you choose the one you like the most or use it as inspiration. Let’s check it! 

• Dehydration: Causes and Prevention.
• American Education and European Education: Comparison.
• Musical Expression: Modern Interpretation.
• Food and Nutrition: Comparison.
• Healthy Lifestyle Choices.
• New Trends of Healthy Child Development.
• Birth Control: Emergency, Methods, and Options.
• Stock Market Trends and Trading Tactics.
• ESL Education: Challenges and Solutions.
• Quality of Education: Technological Advances.
• How to Avoid the Great Depression? (Consult: The Great Depression essay .)
• Role of Gun Control Policies in Reducing Terror Acts.
• Global Basic Income: Possible or Not?
• Domestic Violence: Reasons & Reforms.
• Funniest Worldwide Traditions.
• End of Racial Violence: Possible or Not?
• Role of Communication with Specially-Abled Children.
• Vaccination on Global Scale: Pros & Cons.
• Impact of Same-Sex Marriages on Amerian Society.
• Single Parenting Challenges in Raising Children.
• Eating Well on $5 / Day.
• How to Deal with Chronic Neck & Back Pain?
• Role of Saving Money.
• Depression in College.
• Musical Expression.
• Food Habits Worldwide.
• Obesity in the USA: Epidemic or Pandemic?
• How Climate Change Affects Global Hunger?
• COVID-19 Pandemic vs. Past Pandemics.
• Climate Refugees & Climate Change.

 Easy Informative Speech Topics 

• World Environment Day.
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
• Effects of Deforestation.
• How to Train a Dog?
• Cat Breeds: Definitions & Comparison.
• How to Drive a Car?
• How to Protect a House from Natural Disasters?
• First Humanoid Robot: Dream or Reality?
• Intermittent Fasting: Pros & Cons.
• Elon Musk : How Tesla Shapes the World?

Fun Informative Speech Topics 

• How Have Students Evolved with Taking Selfies?
• Historical Evolution of Ice-Cream Making.
• How to Train a Fish?
• How to Buy a Horse?
• What is interesting in making tattoos?
• Why Do People Send Monkeys in Outer Space?
• Why do people believe in horoscopes?
• How to Learn Someone’s Personality?
• Do’s & Don’ts of Being a Clown?
• Do’s & Don’ts of Going to Circus?
• The Power of Introverts.
• History of Humankind.
• Theatre: Types of Performances.
• Publication Ethics.
• How Can People Save the Environment?
• Success Changes People.
• Money and Happiness.
• One Day Without Electricity.
• Endangered Animals.
• Skiing vs. Snowboarding.
• How to Buy a Cow?
• How to Save Money?
• Best Ways to Fall Asleep Fast.
• Cats vs. Dogs.
• The Best Pets for Individuals with Disabilities.
• How to Bake a Muffin?
• How to Succeed in Public Speaking?
• The Fastest Growing American Cities.
• Breeds of Cats: How to Choose the Best One?
• Famous American Presidents.
• CRISP Concept & Its Role in Modern World?
• Genetically Modified Food is not the Scariest Scientific Achievement; why?
• How Technological Approaches Changed the Financial Industry?
• Elon Musk & His Role in Rocket Technology.
• Alternative Energy.
• Intergalactic Civilization.
• Violence in Video Games.
• 3D Printing: Pros & Cons?
• Computer Viruses & How to Deal with Them?
• Operational Systems for PC.

Controversial Informative Speech Topics 

• College Grades are Inflating Certificates.
• Use of Genetic Information of Clients by Insurance Companies: Support or Refuse?
• Religious Fundamentalism - Threat to American Society.
• A Glass Ceiling for Women: Dreams or Reality.
• Agnosticism as a Skepticism Regarding Theology.
• Humanity Needs Medical Experiments on People.
• Workplace Dating is Normal.
• Home Schooling is More Effective Education Program Than Evening Classes
• Studying Should be All Year Long.
• Night-Shift Work Costs Several Years of Life.
• How to Engage Youth in Sports?
• Foster Creative Abilities Among Students: Techniques & Models.
• Creativity Decline in Education Over Time.
• Programming Languages in High School: Pro & Cons.
• Use of Gadgets in Education: Harm or Help.
• Do We Need An Education to Become a Super-Star?
• An Adaptive Physical Education Class: Pro & Cons.
• Role of Blended Learning in Rising Academic Performance.
• Role of Effective Educator.
• How to Become a Career Counselor?
• What does the ISO do?
• Assets, Revenues, People, and Liability Insurance.
• Risk Management in 2020.
• Business & Industrial Research.
• Market Research vs. Industry Research.
• Training & Development. 
• Affirmative Action: Works or Not?
• How to Protect Information Against Intruders?
• Credibility & Trust in Business.
• Partnership models.
• Benefits of Being a Boss.
• How to Use Email to Get a Promotion.
• Career Break: Danger or Possibility.
• Ways to Improve Career Plans. (Take our career goals essay as an example.)
• Workplace Violence: Causes & Solutions.
• How to Succeed Being a Banker.
• How to Create a Business Plan
• How to Build a Career in 25.
• Methods of Building a Career Being a Female.
• Methods of Building a Career Being a Male
• Transgender Athletes.
• Gender Workplace Diversity.
• Should Victims of Gun Violence Sue Gun Manufacturers?
• Should the Government Regulate Misinformation?
• Should College Sports Take Place in the Fall of 2020?
• Social Media Companies Ban Political Advertising.
• Welfare Drug Testing: Optional or Mandate.
• Free Tax Filing.
• Overtime Pay. 
• Tech Monopolies.
• Do’s & Don’ts of Nutrition.
• Do’s & Don’ts of COVID-19 Protection.
• Youth Alcohol Usage.
• Stigma of Homelessness.
• Poverty as a Social Stigma.
• American Attitudes about Global Hunger.
• Diplomacy & International Institutions.
• Energy & Environment.
• Politics & Government.
• Defense & Security.

We have one more blog dedicated to good persuasive speech topics . Browse it and get some new ideas.

• Growth of Robotics.
• Future of Artificial Intelligence.
• Technology Makes People Lazy.
• DNA Proof Utilization.
• Artificial Intelligence & Computer Networks.
• Role of WWW?
• Virus, Malware, and Ransomware: Comparison.
• How to Define Computer Virus?
• Different Themes in Science & Technology.
• Business Model Innovation.

Informative Speech Topics on Arts, Music, Films, Social Media, and Popular Culture 

• Abstract Expressionism.
• Arts & Crafts Movement.
• International Cinema.
• Literature & Film.
• Pop Culture & Current Events.
• Should the Weather Channel be Identified as a Part of Pop Culture?
• Modern Technologies Effects on Pop Culture.
• Impact of Disney Princesses on Young Girls?
• Cultural Conflict Resolution. (Our cultural identity essay may help with some ideas.)
• Mass Culture Impact on Buyers’ Behavior.
• Gendered Pulpit.
• Religious Imagination of Women in the USA.
• Religion, Human Sciences, and Theology.
• Globalizing the Sacred.
• Emotion & Spirit.
• Role of Pop Culture in Social Change.
• Effects on Social Relationships.
• Racism & Sexism in the Modern World.
• Assimilation, Community, and Family.
• Cultural Diversity in the Contemporary World.
• How does Witchcraft work?
• Salem Witch Museum.
• Historic Mysteries.
• Crop Circles.
• Chupacabras.
• Near-Death Experiences.
• Werewolves.
• Zombies: How They Work?
• Occult Underground.
• All about Unexplained, Supernatural, and Paranormal.
• Policy on Refugees in the USA.
• Disability Rights in America.
• Causes of Gender Discrimination.
• Aspects of Gender Discrimination.
• Women’s Role in the Relationships.
• Gender Differences in Education.
• Inequality Between Men and Women.
• Should We Respect Older People?
• Unconditional Kindness & Love.
• Forgiveness: Pros & Cons.
• Health Consequences and Causes of Eating Disorders.
• Weight Loss Surgery: Pros & Cons.
• Obesity & Food Consumption Relation.
• Health Effects of Caffeine.
• No-Carb Diet.
• Dependence on Antibiotics.
• Poor Sanitation Impact on Surrounding Environment.
• Role of Waste Management in Building a Healthy Environment.
• Blast Fishing.
• Animal Hunting.
• Work Organization in Ancient Egypt.
• Thirty Years War: Causes & Outcomes.
• Social Relationships in Ancient Rome.
• Crafts Movement & Arts.
• Language Revitalization.
• Economic Context of the Novel.
• Harlem Renaissance.
• Science Fiction in Classic Literature.
• Postcolonial Literature.
• Theater of the Absurd.
• Sports Skills Classification.
• Most Popular Sport in America.
• Doping in College Sports.
• Idolizing Athletes in Sports.
• Gender Differences in Sports.
• Perceptual styles in sports.
• Body Confidence in Sport.
• Benefits of Sports.
• Racism in Football.
• Cross-Cultural Issues in Sports.

  Informative Speech Topics on Travel and Cross-cultural Issues

• Business Travel Aspects.
• Business Traveling vs. Tourism.
• Best Travel Programs of 2020.
• Gay-Friendly Countries Around the World.
• Pandemic Impact on Tourism.
• Traveling Can be Cheap.
• Best Countries for Traveling.
• Travel Realities of 2020.
• Long-Term Budget for Traveling.
• Best Places to Visit.
• Basics of Non-Verbal Communication.
• Discrimination and Prejudice in the Modern World.
• Attraction vs. Love.
• Social Cults & Controls.
• Social Cognition.
• Interpersonal Communication.
• Verbal Codes & Language.
• How To Control Emotions?
• Nonverbal Signals of Love.
• Nonverbal Signs When a Person Lies.
• Charity Promotion.
• Basic World Cuisines.
• How to Pick a Hairstyle?
• Snowboarding: How to Start & Never Give Up?
• Everything about Fashion.
• Clothing Trends of 2020.
• How to Share the Feelings Properly?
• How Common is Depression in the USA?
• How to Encourage People Sharing Their Feelings?
• Self-Awareness vs. Self-Management.

How to Write an Informative Speech 

• Draft an effective thesis statement. Your thesis statement draft will summarize the entirety of your informative speech in one sentence.
• Make an outline. Take everything you want to say during your speech and line it up in a concise manner.
• End your speech with a call to action. If you have chosen the right topic for your informative speech, and it is interesting enough, you should engage the audience the way they will want to learn more about it.

What Should an Informative Speech Contain 

• Descriptions. Create a picture with your words by describing it in detail. Feel free to use many descriptions to make sure your informative speech is understandable. Our descriptive essay examples will come in handy.
• Demonstrations. Provide listeners with practical examples of what you are talking about. This will make your speech more engaging.  
• Vivid detail. Stick to bright expressions to impress your listeners and make them want more. A good speaker can excite the audience with words.  
• Definitions. As you speak in an informative manner, you need to include definitions of unfamiliar things. Most likely, your explanations will explain a subject, person, or place.  

Tips for Writing Captivating Informative Speech 

• Choose a topic for an informative speech that is interesting for you
• Read your speech aloud beforehand
• Keep your prior goal in mind throughout the speech
• Pay attention to the needs of your audience 
• Analyze the audience’s preferences
• Build credibility in the introduction of your speech
• Use many examples, descriptions, demonstrations, definitions, and vivid details to write a creative essay
• Keep your informative speech easy
• Make a speech exciting & engaging
• Practice a lot. 

Need Help? 

If you are stuck on picking up the right informative speech topic or started writing your speech and lack time to finish it before submission, we can help you find your best ideas within the tightest timeframe.

To have the most entertaining informative speech written for you, hire a trustworthy academic expert who will give your listeners a solid reason to pay attention. You may check a long list of our experts’ topic ideas, choose the most interesting to you, or let the writer make his/her own choice.

Want to improve your class with astounding persuasive speech? Then you need to pick perfect persuasive speech topics and prepare for a rocking performance. This article includes information on writing a good speech to convince your audience. But most of the text is a list of 311 topics for persuasiv...

Narrative essays are the best when you need to tell a story about unforgettable life experience and describe your personal attitude to some things, events, places, people. They are easy to write as there aren’t strict rules or restrictions. When one day novice writer has to choose narrative essay to...

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People with 'poor speech etiquette' always use these 7 'rude' phrases, says public speaking expert

We all have to communicate with people on a daily basis, so it's inevitable that we'll occasionally be put off, if not downright offended, by the things we hear. But consider the possibility that sometimes you may be guilty of rubbing people the wrong way.

As a public speaking trainer , I always urge people to think carefully about their listeners before speaking. It's impossible to evaluate every word ahead of time, but it's helpful to be aware of phrases or attitudes that keep us from communicating effectively. 

Here are seven rude phrases that people with poor speech etiquette always use — and what to say instead:

1. "Do you want to ...?"

This phrase is great when you're offering someone a choice ("Do you want to go to lunch with me?"). But as a way of delivering orders ("Do you want to take out the trash?"), its indirect fake-politeness comes across as belittling.

What to say instead:  State your request directly. It's courteous to broach a request by asking, "Will you do me a favor?" After all, people generally like to pitch in. But they don't like to feel manipulated.

2. "Here's the thing ..."

This phrase insists that whatever follows will be the final, authoritative take on the subject at hand. Even when used inadvertently, it can sound a bit self-important. Truly authoritative people don't tend to waste time on throat-clearing statements.

What to say instead:  If you're offering an opinion, consider prefacing your remarks with "I think ..." These two words remove any suggestion that you're pompously issuing a declaration. 

3. "Right?"  

In recent years, it's become normalized for this pushy rhetorical nudge to follow questions, especially in interviews with athletes and politicians. ("This is the most important stretch of the season, right?" or "We've never seen a circumstance like this, right?")

At best, it's a useless bit of filler. But it can also feel like a manipulative insistence upon agreement.

What to say instead:  If you want someone's opinion, ask for it in a neutral way, rather than demanding confirmation: "I can't think of a more critical moment for the team. Can you?"

4. "Well, figure out a way." 

This phrase is a conversation ender. It's mean! While it's important to delegate, leadership demands that if an employee needs help or tries to communicate about a roadblock, your job is to help them work through it — not to insult them. 

Don't miss: Stop asking ‘How are you?’ Harvard researchers say this is what successful people do when making small talk

What to say instead:  Warmer language and an open approach will always encourage better exploration of solutions. A simple shift might be to say: "Well, let's talk about it and figure out a way."

5. "It is what it is."

In my experience, this phrase is usually used as shorthand for "stop complaining." If someone is asking for sympathy or assistance, you may or may not wish (or have time) to help them, but at least be kind about ending the conversation.

What to say instead:  Try offering a bit of curiosity and empathy. You don't need to be phony or overly demonstrative. But saying something as simple as, "That's tough. I'm sorry you're going through that," can make a difference by allowing the other person to feel heard.

6. "Obviously ..."

This word subtly or not-so-subtly conveys that anyone disagreeing with the speaker is wrong. Even if you don't realize it, using it can make you seem arrogant.

What to say instead:  Skip it altogether and remember that silence can be a beautiful thing. The most effective speakers know that proving your superiority or correctness is a waste of time and wins you no friends.

7. "If you want my honest opinion ..." (or, "I was just joking.")

First of all, did anyone ask for your opinion? If so, they probably don't expect or need a rude response masquerading as honesty. 

What to say instead:  People want help, support and solutions. Saying "maybe" instead of offering your "honest opinion" is a perfectly fine preface. Saying "sorry" if a rude comment falls flat is far more productive than a faux-diplomatic justification for spite.

John Bowe  is a speech trainer, award-winning journalist, and author of  "I Have Something to Say: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking in an Age of Disconnection."   He has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, GQ, McSweeney's, This American Life, and many others. Visit his website  here  and follow him on  LinkedIn .

Don't miss:

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