- Use of Example
- Use of Statistics
- Providing Analogies - comparing things
- Testimonial/Testimony (sort of a "my story")
- Concrete Forms of Support
- who is the audience (or who they represent)
- the interests and needs of the audience
- the critical information to be delivered
- what the main point of the message is
The speaker is the arbiter of the information the audience receives. That is, the speaker is the one who decides what and how much information is provided during the time that they speak and how it's provided. So be discrete about what and how much is used.
It's also important to keep the information limited to two, possibly three, key points that are easily digested.
Critical to providing useful, memorable information is making the audience curious about what else they can learn. In other words, don't overwhelm the audience with so much information that they get turned off and tune out. Keep things understandable.
It's fine to use examples and comparisons. Make them applicable; make them bring greater understanding to those who have yet to be exposed to the ideas. Make those examples useful because the subject becomes more understandable and memorable.
Remember, you have at least five ways to convey information and cause your audience to be informed. You have five ways to have your audience want to learn more from you.
Resources:
- Assignments in Exposition and Persuasion, from Speaking to Inform and Persuade, Otis M. Walter, The MacMillan Company (1966)
- Speaking to Inform, from Principles of Speech Communication, Alan H. Monroe and Douglas Ehninger, Scott, Foresman and Company (1975)
- Expository Speech Topics, Steffani Cameron, Career Trend (Updated May 10, 2019)
- Types of Expository Writing
- How to Write a Winning Expository Speech, Kate Sundquist, CollegeVine (February 19, 2017)
- Introduction to Informative Speaking, Lumen Learning
