Public Speeches - Building Your Argument

Researching and Developing Support for Public Speeches:
I. Types of Research Sources
Research is categorized into two main types based on the origin of the information:
• Primary Research: Original information gathered directly by the researcher.
◦ Interviews: Used to gather new information, verify accuracy, and understand the perspectives of others.
◦ Surveys: Particularly useful when there is a lack of published research on a topic or when a speaker needs to assess the audience's specific knowledge and attitudes.
• Secondary Research: Information that has already been published by others.
◦ Online Research: Involves using search engines and carefully verifying sources.
◦ Library Research: Includes using databases, reference works, and peer-reviewed scholarly sources.
II. Evidence to Support Ideas
Evidence refers to the material used to support a speaker's claims. It serves to make ideas clearer, more compelling, and more interesting while fortifying the speaker's opinions and heightening their credibility. Effective speakers utilize five primary types of evidence:
1. Statistics: Numbers that summarize individual cases or demonstrate relationships between phenomena.
2. Examples: These can be undetailed, detailed, or hypothetical.
3. Comparisons:
◦ Similes: Explicit or direct comparisons using "like" or "as".
◦ Metaphors: Implicit comparisons suggesting a likeness between two distinct things.
4. Quotations: Exact citations of statements made by others. To be ethical and effective, a source should be unbiased, accurate, and respected by the audience (known as the Halo effect).
5. Visual Aids: Tools such as charts, graphs, photographs, slides, computer graphics, and physical objects used to reinforce ideas.
III. Testing and Guidelines for Support Materials
• Testing Evidence: Speakers should evaluate their evidence using five criteria: sufficiency (is there enough?), accuracy (is it verbatim?), relevance (does it relate to the claim?), timeliness (is it current?), and impartiality (is it free of bias?).
• Guidelines for Statistics: Speakers should limit the number used, round off numbers for ease of memory, select timely data, and make them relevant to the listeners.
• Guidelines for Visual Aids:
◦ Design: Visuals should be large, clear, simple, uncluttered, and safe/nondistracting to avoid visual overload.
◦ Mechanical Use: Speakers should remove or cover visual aids when not in use and always maintain visual contact with the audience.
IV. Best Practices in Research
• Cultural Perspectives: There is significant value in seeking information from multiple cultural perspectives during the gathering phase.
• Citations: Speakers must properly cite their sources during a public speech.

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Analogy for Understanding: Developing support for a speech is like preparing a gourmet meal. Primary research is like growing your own herbs or catching your own fish (gathering original data), while secondary research is like buying high-quality ingredients from a reputable market (using existing sources). Your evidence acts as the different spices and components—statistics provide the weight, examples add flavor, and visual aids are the presentation of the dish. If you don't test your evidence (taste-testing for freshness and quality), you risk serving a meal that is unconvincing or "hard to swallow" for your guests (the audience).