Learning Objectives

1.

Identify and use the various online and offline research resources available to you. The first step in the topic development stage of preparing a speech is to gather a variety of effective research materials to integrate into your presentation. The materials you gather may come from online or offline sources. For example, when working offline, you may consult published works, including books, journals, magazines, and newspapers available in the library. When working online, you have the Internet and its many resources, including e-mail, listservs, newsgroups, and the World Wide Web at your disposal.

2.

Conduct an informal survey and a personal interview. In addition, you may be able to draw on your personal observations and experiences. You can, for example, conduct an informal survey and/or a personal interview.

3.

Identify various types of supporting material, including definitions, statistics, examples, illustrations, and testimonials. Depending on the nature of your topic, you can make your research interesting and understandable to your audience by using various kinds of verbal support: definitions, statistics, examples and illustrations, and testimonials (quotations).

4.

Use comparison and contrast, repetition and restatement. You can also increase the impact and memorability of your speech by using comparisons and contrasts as well as repetition and restatement.

5.

Explain how visual and audio aids can enhance a presentation. Many speeches can be enhanced with visual and audio support. Objects, models, graphs, photographs, drawings, slides, videotapes, and audiotapes can be incorporated into the presentation to reinforce, clarify, and dramatize concepts. Computer graphics programs are now making professional-looking graphics available even to student speakers.

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