英语演讲选修课教(学)案informativespeech_I

Informative speech

Teaching contents

I．Examples

* Tips for using examples

II． Testimony

* Tips for Using testimony

III． Statistics

Tips for using statistics

Iv. # Sample speech with commentary

Teaching goals

Get students to know how to use examples, testimony and statistics effectively to back up the speech. Assignment

What are the four tips for using examples in your speech?

Explain the difference between expert testimony and peer testimony.

Supporting your ideas

Heather Kolpin decided to give her first classroom speech on the benefits of good nutrition.

A dedicated fitness enthusiast, she had recently switched to a high-protein diet. Part of her speech ran like this:

“ For years we’ve been told that meat, eggs, and cheese are bad for us and that we should eat more carbohydrates like cereal, grains, pasta, and rice. But too many carbohydrates can unbalance the body and make you tired and overweight. Do you want more energy? Do you want to concentrate better and get higher grades? Do you want to enjoy real meals and still lose those unsightly pounds? If so, you should eat more protein. I’ve been on a high-protein diet for six months, and I’ve never felt better or done better in my classes!”

After the speech, Heather’s classmates were interested but skeptical. As one remarked，“I know high-protein diets are popular right now, but Heather is no expert on nutrition. Besides, there are lots of diets around, and they all claim to work wonders. Personally, I’d be more convinced if Heather gave some scientific evidence to back up her opinion.”

Good speeches are not composed of hot air and generalizations. They need strong supporting materials to bolster the speaker’s point of view. In Heather’s case, although there is plenty of evidence on the need to balance protein and carbohydrate consumption, many nutritionists have warned about the dangers of overloading on protein. So Heather’s listeners were right to be skeptical. Heather made a mistake of generalizing from her own experience with nothing concrete to support her ideas. The problem with generalizations is that they do not answer the three questions listeners always mentally ask of a speaker: “What do you mean?”, “Why should I believe you?”“So what?”

The skillful use of supporting materials often makes the difference between a poor speech and a good one. Using supporting materials is not a matter of tossing facts and figures into your speech. You must decide which ideas need to be supported given your audience, topic, and specific purposes. You must do research to find materials that will bring your ideas across clearly and creatively.