Public Speaking:

An Audience-Centered Approach 7th edition

Chapter 8
Using
Supporting
Material

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Steven A. Beebe & Susan J. Beebe

Copyright Allyn & Bacon 2009
 I use
not only
all the
brains I
have, but
all that
I can
borrow.

- Woodrow Wilson
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Types of Supporting Material

Illustrations.
Descriptions & explanations.
Definitions.
Analogies.
Statistics.
Opinions.

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 Types of Supporting Material
Illustrations
Short stories or
anecdotes with
examples to
support an idea, issue or problem.
Brief: simplified example.
Extended: in-depth example.
Hypothetical: potential example.

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Types of Supporting Material
Using Illustrations Effectively
Make sure they clearly
relate to ideas they support.
Make sure they are typical.
Make them vivid and specific.
Pick ones that audience can relate to.
Best illustrations are personal ones.

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 Types of Supporting Material
Descriptions & Explanations
Descriptions: words painting a mental
picture of what something is like.
Explanations: discussions of
How something
occurs or develops.
Reasons why
something happens.

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 Types of Supporting Material
Using Descriptions &
Explanations Effectively
Provide sufficient information.
Make information clear and crisp.
Do not overload listeners
with too many details.

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 Types of Supporting Material
Definitions
Statements about what a term
means or how it is applied in a
specific instance.

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 Types of Supporting Material
Two Legitimate Reasons
to Use Definitions
Technical, specialized or
unknown terms may need defined.
Speakers may have to show examples
of how concepts apply to situations.

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 Types of Supporting Material
Two Types of Definitions
By classification
(Dictionary definition)
Constructed by first
placing a term in a
general class to which
it belongs, and then
differentiating it from
other members of that
class
Operational
(Applied Definition)
An explanation of how
something works, or
what it does.
More original than a
dictionary definition

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 Types of Supporting Material
Using Definitions Effectively
Use when absolutely necessary.
Make sure audience can
understand definition.
Make sure definition is
consistent with terms
used later in speech.

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 Types of Supporting Material
Analogies
Comparisons.
Help listeners understand the less
familiar by showing how it is similar
to the more familiar.

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 Types of Supporting Material

Two Types of Analogies

Literal: comparing two things
that are highly similar.
Figurative: comparing two dissimilar
things that share some common
feature that forms the basis of
comparison.

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 Types of Supporting Material
Literal vs. Figurative Analogies
Literal Analogy Figurative Analogy
What worked in New Homeland Defense
York City on 9-11 for is the best
disaster management medicine against
should work in the epidemic
Los Angeles. of terrorism
(Two U.S. (Comparing
coastal major terrorism
metropolitan cities) to a virus)
Copyright Allyn & Bacon 2009
 Types of Supporting Material
Using Analogies Effectively
(For literal analogies) Make sure
the two things being compared
share many similar qualities.
(For figurative analogies) Make sure
the similarity between dissimilar
things is quite obvious.

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 Types of Supporting Material

Statistics
Numerical data
summarizing
facts or samples.
Can express
magnitude or seriousness of situation.
Can be percentage expressing
relationship of part to whole.

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 Types of Supporting Material
Using Statistics Effectively
Use reputable, authoritative
and unbiased sources.
Make accurate sense of statistics.
Compact (to make easier to
understand & remember).
Explode (to show significance
across time).
Round off (to make clearer).
Use visual aids to present statistics.
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 Types of Supporting Material
Three Types of Opinions
Expert Lay Literary
Testimony Testimony Quotations
Statements Statements Opinions or
of of nonexperts descriptions by
recognized with firsthand writers speaking
authorities knowledge in a memorable
often poetic
way
(often more (often more (often have
credible) emotional) more impact)
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 Types of Supporting Material
Using Opinions Effectively
Make sure experts are experts.
Identify qualifications.
Cite authorities who
are more objective.
Make sure opinion is
typical of majority.
Do not misquote.
Control number of
literary quotes.
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 Selecting the Best
Supporting Material
Magnitude: larger numbers are better.
Proximity: support relating more
closely with listeners is better.
Concreteness: details are
better for listeners to remember.
Variety: more diverse forms of
support will reach more listeners.
Humor: listeners might appreciate wit.
Suitability: pick support appropriate for
speaker, audience, and occasion.
Copyright Allyn & Bacon 2009