What is the purpose of an explanatory speech?

If you thought that all informative speeches were the same, you are in for a real surprise.

There are many different types of speeches out there, even if some sound quite the same.

If you are preparing for a speech or you have some questions or thoughts about a speech you recently heard, then you are in the right place.

In this guide, we will explain what an informative speech is and go into detail about the four different types that exist.

What Are the 4 Types of Informative Speeches?

The four types of informative speeches are a descriptive speech, demonstrative speech, an explanatory speech, and a definition speech.

Each of the different types of speeches has its own positives and negatives.

Before you set out to write a speech, you really should consider the different types and which one is going to make the most sense for you.

What Is an Informative Speech?

An informative speech is a way to teach and inform and transfer a message from a speaker to an audience.

At the end of an informative speech, the goal is for the audience to have learned something from the speaker.

Informative speeches need to be credible, knowledgeable, and to the point.

If a person speaking on a topic is not an expert or an authority in their field, you can easily tell during the speech.

When giving an informative speech, it is essential to keep the content and the material relevant to the audience.

You can use the four different types of informative speeches to make sure you accurately deliver your message to the audience.

What Is a Descriptive Speech?

A descriptive speech uses lots of descriptive elements to help listeners create a picture in their mind.

Descriptive speeches will try and get people to feel as though they can see a person, a place, or a thing.

When you are writing or delivering a descriptive speech, the speaker must have a clear understanding of what they want the audience to know.

If you are giving a descriptive speech about a remote island you’ve traveled to, you should think of how it makes you feel and how it looks.

At the end of your speech, you will want the audience to have felt as thought they have also been to this island.

You will use many describing words that will invoke feelings and the senses as well.

Descriptive speeches can be about a large variety of topics.

You can do a descriptive speech about a location, a person, or even a thing.

What Is a Demonstrative Speech?

A demonstrative speech is when the speaker will demonstrate how something is done.

This is where you can teach an audience how to complete a science experiment or change a window in a house.

The hard part about the demonstrative speech is making sure you don’t leave any steps out.

For experts, it can be hard to break down the individual steps that go into their skills.

Things become second nature to people, and they just move from one step to another without thinking.

When conducting a demonstrative speech, you must stop at each step and explain every detail.

If you don’t do this, the audience is going to be confused and not be able to take the information you’ve shared and use it in their own lives.

Demonstrative speeches will likely take some props and, potentially, a second set of hands to help you complete the demonstration.

When completing a demonstration, it is essential to make sure all members of the audience can see what you are doing.

If you are working with small objects, you may want to video this process and put it on a projector as you are speaking.

This could save you some time and prep work, and it may also give your audience a better idea of what they are looking at.

Practical people love an excellent informative speech because they can walk away with real actionable steps to complete a task.

What Is an Explanatory Speech?

An explanatory speech helps to explain something to the listeners.

Some explanatory speeches are going to be very similar to a descriptive speech, but there are a few key differences.

The descriptive speech helps people to create a mental picture in their mind of a person, a place, or a thing.

An explanatory speech will explain how or why something happened the way it did.

A very popular type of explanatory speech is one which explains things about history or culture and how things came to be.

Although there will be some descriptive elements of a speech like this, it won’t be all about developing a picture in your mind.

Explanatory speeches are designed to help clear up any confusion listeners might have about a particular subject or topic.

What Is a Definition Speech?

A definition speech explains a theory or a concept.

When delivering a definition speech, the speaker is going to try and fill people in on concepts and theories they may not otherwise be familiar with.

During a definition speech, many questions are answered for the listeners.

If a listener does not feel as though questions are being answered and definitions being explained, then it is not a definition speech.

When delivering a definition speech, you must carefully relate the content of what you are talking about to the needs of the audience.

If a listener does not feel as though a definition speech is relevant or essential to their daily lives, then they will not listen.

A great speaker will carefully tailor the speech to the needs of the audience.

What Are the Six C’s Of Informative Speaking?

There is lots of helpful information out there about public speaking.

Delivering a proper speech can not only be life-changing for the audience, but it can be life-changing for the speaker as well.

Making sure you structure your speech properly and choose a type of speech that is beneficial for your audience is very important.

There is a concept called the Six C’s of informative speaking.

These six C’s are designed to help make sure the speech is as good as it can be.

Here are the six C’s of informative speaking.

1. Clear

Indeed, a speech needs to be clear.

A clear speech makes sure words and concepts are explained, so everyone knows what you are talking about.

If you are using a term you think may be new to an audience, be sure to provide a definition.

Without a definition, listeners will start to get lost and will not be able to follow the rest of your speech.

Many times, you can watch the body language of an audience and know you are losing them.

2. Concise

There should be no fluff or filler in a speech.

Even if the speech needs to be a little shorter, each word should count.

If you feel as though you are adding words and content just to make the speech longer, this is a bad idea.

People will be more likely to remember a short and persuasive speech than a long-winded speech with lots of filler.

3. Complete

Don’t introduce a concept if you are not going to be able to fully explain it.

Some people give speeches where they start talking about a concept and move on before it is fully explained.

When they move on, they leave their audience a bit lost and feeling as though there are holes or open ends in the speech.

You will often notice your speech is not complete if you offer a question and answer section at the end of your speeches.

Make sure people clearly understand your important points.

It is acceptable to tell people that something is essential and that they should be paying close attention to your concepts.

4. Correct

If you are going to give an informative speech, you will need to make sure the information you are presenting is correct.

Giving a speech, you will never know the level of expertise you have sitting in your audience.

Some people will be more educated on a topic than you are.

If you stand up there and start presenting information that is not correct, you will not be making very many more speeches!

Please make sure you fully understand and absorb your subject and speech topic before trying to deliver it to a group of people.

Try to make sure the information you present is not biased.

5. Concrete

Concrete means you want to focus on real things and the immediate future.

Speaking about concrete topics helps people to relate.

When you start focusing on abstract, and your ideas are not laid out, you will struggle to complete a proper informative speech.

6. Connect

The last C is potentially the most important.

If you do not connect with your audience, they will miss the message in your speech.

Connect with your audience by making sure they know who you are and why you are an expert on the subject.

Also, connect with them by tying the material you are presenting to their interests.

If you are giving an informative speech about fishing in Florida, you can imagine that most of the people in the audience are people who enjoy fishing.

If you start talking about fishing and use terminology and jargon that a true fisher would use, you will get yourself a connection with the audience.

Also, you will want to make sure you include some personal experiences so the audience can test your level of expertise.

If you can prove you have authority and relevancy, you will connect with the audience naturally.

Depending on the topic of your speech, sometimes humor can be a great way to relate to the audience.

If it is appropriate, people love to have something to laugh about during an informative speech that can otherwise be a bit dry.

Conclusion

Giving a tremendous, informative speech will leave you feeling satisfied and empowered.

At the end of the speech, you will have educated and informed, and you will have spread your message.

If you choose the type of speech correctly and you make sure you follow the six C’s of informative speeches, there is no doubt you will have been an effective public speaker.

Delivering a great speech takes a lot of time and practice.

This is not something you can learn overnight, and you will likely have a few poor speeches before you deliver your best speech ever.

With time and patience and practice, there is no doubt you can become a great speaker.

You have already taken the first steps by educating yourself on the different types of informative speeches.