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QuickGuidetoWritingSpeech2YourInformativeSpeech121.pptx
Quick guide to writing your informative speech
And bonus delivery tips!
What is this speech about?
In 4-6 minutes, you should INFORM the audience about the culture of a country, other than the USA or one in which you have not lived for more than 5 years.
You will have three body points:
Point 1: Overview of the country
Point 2: Communication behaviors
Point 3: Current event
Choosing a topic
The country must be on the provided list found in the Informative speech assignment
The country must also be found on the Hofstede Center’s website
You cannot have lived in this country for more than 5 years.
If you choose a country outside of these parameters and write your outline on it, you will fail the assignment and have to re-write your outline before the speech.
Research requirement
You must do RESEARCH for this speech, utilizing the library's website provided below and known as the "LibGuide." Find at least three academic sources (you may have more than 3) using the libguide provided here.
Of the three sources, only ONE may be an encyclopedia, one should be from the Geert Hofstede Centre, and the other must pertain to a current event (occurring within the last 4-6 weeks) in that country.
Information hunger
The primary functions of this speech are to explore what it would be like to be immersed in another culture, what you might need to know to live there, and to update the audience on the current events there.
Please do not confuse this speech with a book report, highlighting mainly historical information, lists of demographic facts, square footage, or basic and obvious information (i.e. Italians speak Italian, Germans speak German--things your college level audience already knows).
The majority of your research should focus on the ways of thinking, being, and life in this culture.
REMEMBER: A GOOD INFORMATIVE SPEECH CREATES INFORMATION HUNGER (MAKES US WANT TO KNOW MORE! Don't bore us with a list of facts. Engage your audience with interesting information!)
Writing your outline
Download the outline template now to work alongside this powerpoint!
General purpose
To inform.
Specific purpose
Write these words, then finish the sentence:
After listening to my speech, my audience will…
Attention getter
Can be a rhetorical question, startling statement or fact, short story, quote, something humorous related to your topic and appropriate.
KEEP IT SIMPLE.
DO NOT state your name and topic. The first words out of your mouths should be the attention getter. Otherwise, what is the point of an attention getter? To say something AFTER you’ve told your audience what your speech is???
thesis
What your speech is about.
State that you’ll be telling the listeners about a country.
credibility
Answer these questions, literally:
How do you know about this country?
Why are you interested in it/why did you choose it?
The answer is your credibility, or how you are knowledgeable about this topic.
Preview of main points
Tell your audience what your three main points are going to be. Say it in a sentence.
“First, I’ll tell you about…, then I’ll tell you about…lastly, I’ll tell you about…”
Your three points are already assigned: overview of the country’s cultural aspects, unique communication behaviors, and a current event.
transitions
KEEP THEM SIMPLE:
“Let me begin.”
“Now that I’ve told you about ____________, let me move on to ______________.”
“I’ve told you about ___________, and ______________, let me talk about ________________.”
“With that said, let me conclude.”
First main body point: Overview and Cultural Aspects
The first main body point of your Informative Speech over a country should be background information and cultural aspects about the country.
You can look up this information on CultureGrams or Encyclopedia Britannica.
You can never use Wikipedia; this will not be accepted, and you will lose points.
CultureGrams can be found by going to http://libguides.richlandcollege.edu/informativeculturespeech, clicking on “2. Encyclopedias,” scroll down to “#1. CultureGrams Online” – log in if needed – click on “World Edition,” then click on your chosen country.
Overview and Cultural Aspects - Examples:
What is the country famous for in terms of art, architecture, dances, etc.
What are the most popular places to visit and why?
Culinary traditions (any famous dishes or dining habits to note)
Various local customs
Variety of ethnic groups
Major religions
Politics
Second main point: Unique Communication Behaviors
The second main body point of your Informative Speech over a country should be unique communication behaviors of the country.
You can look up this information on the Hofstede Center’s website. To understand what the terms used on this site mean, you’ll need to read Chapter 4 of your textbook.
The Hofstede Center can be found by going to https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/, and scrolling down to type in your chosen country’s name. Scroll down and click on “Read more about chosen country”. You can also type in the United States to help provide some comparison information, which will be very interesting to share.
Note: if your country cannot be found on the Hofstede Center’s website, THEN YOU NEED TO CHOOSE ANOTHER COUNTRY TO RESEARCH! Your chosen country must both be on the list of countries provided in the course AND on Hofstede’s website. Check BOTH resources FIRST before going ahead with your outline.
Unique Communication Behaviors - Examples:
Nonverbal communication (gestures, body language, eye contact patterns, use of space),
Family structure (extended families living under one roof, polygyny, etc.),
Is this country monochronistic or polychronistic?
Individualistic or collectivistic?
Have high or low power distance?
What are their communication preferences: direct or indirect?
Third main point: Current event
The third main body point of your Informative Speech over a country should be a current event
You can look up this information in many ways, but you’re encouraged to go to the libguide http://libguides.richlandcollege.edu/informativeculturespeech, clicking on “4. Current Event,” scroll down to the many links to reputable news organizations and searching their sites.
Current event info
Headline or breaking news about events, politics, military
Items of import to the rest of the world
Explain the story and support the story if you can by finding a second article about the event (cite the second one as well if you use it!)
MUST HAVE HAPPENED WITHIN 4-6 WEEKS OF WRITING YOUR SPEECH
*check the credibility, currency, and objectivity of any news outlet for accuracy and minimal bias in reporting
What else?
Aim to collect and write about 1 to 1 ½ minute(s) of spoken information for each body point.
Put the information in your own words, but still remember to cite this source in this body point (more information on citing sources below and in the Citing Your Sources document).
Cite your sources – or speech begins at half credit!
Must cite three sources:
Must cite them in the outline, written/typed out completely in the body of the text
Must cite them out loud, and they should look and sound like what you have written, in the body of the speech
NOT in the introduction
NOT in the transitions
NOT in the conclusion
NOT after the conclusion
IN the BODY of the SPEECH.
NEGLECTING TO CITE YOUR SOURCES OUT LOUD (1), ON THE OUTLINE (2), AND IN THE WORKS CITED (3) =
SPEECH STARTS AT HALF CREDIT
You should have three sources
Point 1: CultureGrams or another encyclopedia
Point 2: The Hofstede Center
Point 3: A newspaper article chronicling a recent current event
They should be written/sound like this:
“According to the 2020 CultureGrams Online World Edition’s entry on [country], in the section “section title,”…
According to Geert Hofstede's and Michael Minkov's research on the page "What about [country name]?" last updated in 2010,....
According to the article “Article Title here,” by [author’s first then last name] on [date]”…
CONCLUSION
Recap your main points. It’s your preview, but in past tense:
“First, I told you about…, then I told you about…lastly, I told you about…”
Should reflect the actual order of the points and should literally be written and said just like that.
Concluding thought
Remember to include one final thought that wraps up the speech and gives it a sense of finality, both in words and tone.
Avoid abruptly ending after your recap or saying “That’s it.”
References/works cited
Make sure you have matching reference entries at the end of your outline.
Note, these should be in APA format – NOT urls to the website
You won’t say these out loud, but they should match the articles you cited out loud/wrote on your outline
References/works cited
Country Name. (2020). CultureGrams Online Edition. ProQuest.
Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Last Name, Initial. (Date). Title of Article. Publisher/Title of Website/Newspaper Name. https://www.websitelinktoexactarticle.com
Other outline Information
Write everything in the introduction, transitions, body, and conclusion in COMPLETE SENTENCES.
This sentence is a complete sentence.
“This not” Lacks verb. Unclear. Just words. Not sentence.
formatting
Use proper outline formatting! Here’s an example:
I. This is my main sentence, starting with a Roman numeral I.
A. Underneath it, I have a supporting sentence that is indented and has a capital A in front it.
1. Beneath my supporting sentence, indented further, is the number 1 and a sub- supporting sentence.
2. The indentations and differences in Roman numerals, letters, and numbers are what make an outline, an outline!
Delivery tips!
Now for less robot, sad delivery!
Just talk to us!
Talk to your audience like you would talk to anyone.
Look more at us than over your shoulder, behind us, or at your notes.
Don’t read at us – that’s boring!
Sound interested – you picked this topic for a reason, right? Show us some enthusiasm. We’re not going to be interested if you sound like you’re just about to fall asleep, or wish you were being physically tortured instead of standing in front of us, telling us about your greatest interest.
This means you’ll need to practice enough times that you don’t have to rely solely on your note cards to remember what to say.
Look up, face us, plant your feet, and move your hands a bit! You can do this!
recording
NOTE: When recording, make sure you are in a quiet location with good lighting. You should test your equipment and arrange your speech space so that your entire body is in the camera's view (head to toe) and that your facial expressions can be seen clearly and your voice heard clearly on the recording.
You must show your audience at the beginning and end of the speech, without turning off your recording device.
Never edit your presentation in anyway –do not turn off or pause the device while speaking, or merge together versions of the speech – it must be one stream from beginning to end.
Please dress for a formal, college presentation.
If your recording does not meet expectations, you may lose points or be asked to do it again, possibly for a late grade.
