Public
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One of the great communication scholars of this century observed that all purposive utterances are speech acts. What Kenneth Burke meant by this was that when we communicate with the intention of a specific goal, it is more than just words. Part of making a speech is putting yourself on the line and being responsible for your words and actions. What we want you to think about in this section is what your purpose is in the speech you are going to create.
In general, we suggest that there are three broad categories of purpose: to inform, to persuade, or to fulfill one of the many functions of the epideictic speech. Each of these three general purposes has a distinct set of concerns that correspond to them.
Purpose considerations
Purpose considerations of the informative speech.
In the informative speech, your job is to convey information gathered through research and your own experiences to an audience. We don't expect you to be able to be objective, but we hope that you will keep two issues in mind relative to informative speaking and objectivity. First, try be evenhanded and forthright with the different and competing "information" that you will be presenting. Second, just because two sources differ on a certain point doesn't mean that they are equal points of view. (For a further discussion "information" and the evaluation of resources, look at our how to do research page and supporting materials/evidence page.)
When you are preparing this informative speech, your purpose (generally) is always to inform. This purpose, obviously being too broad, should be narrowed to represent the particular occasion for which you are preparing. Making your purpose more specific should not be mistaken for simply narrowing a topic, but should explain what you realistically hope your audience will do with the information that you are giving them. Don't just assume that information for its own sake will make the audience want to listen. As you consider your purpose, consider addressing your audience as potential users of your information. If your purpose is to inform your audience about political concerns, imagine addressing them as activists, citizens, or voters. If your information is about product liability suits, imagine addressing your audience as consumers. (For a further discussion on adapting the specifics of your speech to audiences, look at our audience analysis page).
Your job in an informative speech is to be a teacher. Most of us, in our learning experiences, have encountered both effective and ineffective teachers. One of the things that often separates the effective teachers from the ineffective teachers is their ability to show the audience the relevance of the information to their lives. Remember, the audience is giving you something valuable already: their time. It is your duty to return that courtesy with a speech that the can use.
Purpose considerations of the persuasive speech.
In a persuasive speech your purpose will be to persuade. You are an advocate, you take a position and defend it. In this speech, your problem with supporting materials or evidence is not to show its inherent subjectivity, but to show how your evidence has more weight that any that might contradict it.
While your general purpose is to inform, determining your
specific purpose and topic requires an in-depth consideration of your views
and plan. To introduce an audience to a plan you might have should be the
last thing that you do -- literally. In many cases, depending how well
informed they are, your audience might not be aware of the problem that
your solution looks to solve. Here are some steps in the process of argumentation
for you to consider. (The process ends with arguing for the implementation
of your plan, but its OK if you haven't figured that out yet.)
-Argue that a problem exists.
-Make the audience aware of your position.
-Persuade the audience that your position is correct.
-Persuade the audience that only your solution can remedy the problem of that yours is the best.
-Persuade the audience to carryout your suggestions or integrate your solution into their lives.
The question for you as you plan your specific purpose is: where is my audience now in this process and how far can I take them in the time that I have?
The variety of epideictic speeches.
Epideictic speeches are among the most common speaking opportunities that you will have. Each epideictic speech is an important opportunity to produce sense of community, family, or group cohesion.
Toast -
Your purpose: To honor briefly, a person, event, institution, or group, at a specific time - i.e. at the anniversary of its founding, birth, or marriage. To focus on the abstract values that make your honoree worthy of praise. (Toast's are not always without humor, but should be always sincere).
Eulogy -
Your purpose: Usually to honor the passing of a person, but one could imagine a eulogy for institutions or objects. Examples might be a historical building as it is condemned or an important research group as it is dissolved. Your further purpose will be to begin the process of historicizing the relevance of the deceased.
Tribute -
Your purpose: To honor in depth an accomplishment possibility by a person, institution, group or culture. The difference here between a toast and a tribute is usually three things. First, the important part of a tribute is the accomplishment. In a speech the purpose is focused on the honored person or people. Second, Toasts are done at a specific time (like anniversary), while tributes are events in themselves. Third, toasts are usually shorter and less formal in presentation style.
Acceptance -
Your purpose: To accept an honor or award. In this case you are the honored subject. Your job is to thank those who have bestowed the award and those who have helped you along the way. It also doesn't hurt to focus on values that you have in common with the awarding institution.
Introduction -
Your purpose: To prepare the audience for a speaker. How familiar the audience is with the speaker will determine how in-depth your introduction will be. Some other functions that you can perform during an introduction are lending ethos to the speaker (assuming you have some) and preparing the audience for what to expect.
-Be sure your speech picks up where the audiences knowledge leaves off and takes them in a useful direction.
-Don't bore your audience with information they already know.
-Don't confuse your audience with information they are not able to make sense of.
-Don't disorient your audience with information that seems
irrelevant to them.
-Be sure that you can research the topic you have selected to a point where
you are competent to speak on the topic.
-Be sure begin your speech with the last part of the process of persuasion that your audience accepts. If the audience understands the problem, start with the problem. It is important to establish some common ground if possible. If your audience knows what your arguments are, but does not accept them, remind them or what your arguments are.
-Only attempt as much persuasion as is reasonably possible. Do not expect to introduce a problem and integrate solutions in the same speech.
-Only choose positions that you personally believe in. Besides being an ethical issue it is also a practical point. Practically, an audience is likely to notice if you are not being sincere.
-Consubstantiality means to be formed from the same material. Your job in many epeidictic speeches will be to focus on the similarities and common experiences between you and your audiences. In other cases, you may choose to focus on the values that you share with the audience. In cases in which events or accomplishments are discussed, you might focus on the causes or inspiration of those case.
Remember, when you are honoring, toasting, eulogizing, or paying tribute, it is important to not try to cover everything. One anecdote will do if you can make that representative of all the good traits or events for whomever you discuss.
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