infomercial

  

SPEECH ASSIGNMENT 3:

INFOMERCIAL

For your next speech assignment, you must prepare and

present a three-minute infomercial. An infomercial is a long

commercial that provides an extensive product or service

description and sales information. It’s like a documentary or

news program that highlights a specific product or service.

Although infomercials are generally 30 minutes to one hour

long, your infomercial should last only three minutes. Use

the following procedure to complete this assignment:

Preparing the Speech

Prepare your speech by following these steps:

1. Select a speech goal.

a. Brainstorm to select a topic. Choose a product or

service that you want to highlight in your infomercial.

Your choice may be real or imaginary. It can be something

tangible (like a cell phone or a vacuum cleaner),

or it can be intangible (like a diet plan or financial

services).

b. Decide what methods you’ll use to inform your audience.

You can inform by describing, defining, comparing

and contrasting, narrating, and demonstrating.

Describing: Create an accurate and vivid verbal picture

of an object, feature, event, person, or image.

This approach answers questions of who, what, and

where. Explain features such as its size, shape, color,

composition, age, condition, and spatial organization.

Defining: Explain the meaning of something.

Differentiate it from similar ideas. Explain its history

and its function. Use synonyms and antonyms to give

your subject more depth.

Comparing and contrasting: Focus on ways in which

your subject is similar to or different from other

things. For example, if you’ve chosen to talk about a

new type of pot scrubber, you might point out how

much it resembles another brand in capability, but

point out how it’s softer and less abrasive than that

other one.

Narrating: This is essentially storytelling, and it can

be done using first person (I and we), second person

(you), or third person (he, she, and they). Orient the

listener by describing when and where an event

occurred. Introduce the important characters. Explain

the sequence of events. Recount a complication or

problem and how it was solved. Use vivid language.

Demonstrating: Show how something is done or how

something works. This showing can be done in just a

few steps, or it can be complex. Demonstrations

require you to have expertise, so be sure to practice.

c. Understand your audience and adapt to it. Realize

that your audience will be made up of diverse members.

Analyze your audience members to assess their

familiarity with your topic. You should know what

your audience’s interest in your topic will be, so that

you can adjust your content to that audience. Before

you begin, be sure to determine how you’ll establish

your own credibility with the audience.

d. Consider how the occasion affects how you present

your speech.

e. Develop a speech goal statement.

2. Gather and evaluate information for your speech.

a. Examine what you already know and where you need

additional information.

b. Locate, evaluate, and select different sources. If necessary,

gather information on your product or service;

otherwise, make a list of the topics you want to mention

in your speech. If you gather information from

other sources, be sure to credit them in your speech.

Use legitimate resources, which can be identified

using the table on page 102 of your textbook. Use

research cards to make notations of your information.