Informative speech examples

Example outline for a definition or concept informative speech

Speech title:

What is modern art?

Audience:

- people who want an introductory overview of modern art to help them understand a little more about what they're looking at - to place artists and their work in context 

Specific purpose:

- to provide a broad outline/definition of modern art 

Core idea:

Modern art refers to a broad and diverse artistic movement that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and continued to develop throughout the 20th century. 

It is characterized by a radical departure from traditional artistic styles and conventions and encompasses a wide range of artistic styles, techniques, and media, reflecting the cultural, social, and technological changes of the time.

Key characteristics or main points include:

1. Experimentation and innovation: Modern artists sought to break away from established norms and explore new ways of representing the world. They experimented with different materials, techniques, and subjects, challenging the boundaries of traditional art forms.
2. Abstraction: Modern art often features abstract and non-representational elements, moving away from realistic depictions. Artists like Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian explored pure abstraction, using shapes, lines, and colors to convey emotions and ideas.
3. Expression of the inner self: Many modern artists aimed to convey their inner emotions, thoughts, and experiences through their work. This led to the development of various movements like Expressionism (See work of Evard Munch) and Surrealism (See work of Salvador Dali). 
4. Rejection of academic conventions: Artists sought to break free from the rigid rules of academic art and embrace more individualistic and avant-garde approaches. For example: Claude Monet, (1840 -1926) Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Édouard Manet
5. Influence of industrialization and urbanization: The rapid changes brought about by industrialization and urbanization in the 19th and 20th centuries influenced modern art. Artists were inspired by the dynamics of the modern world and its impact, often negative, on human life. 
6. Multiple art movements: Modern art encompasses a wide array of movements and styles, for example Cubism, Futurism, Dadaism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art... Each movement brought its own unique perspective on art and society.
7. Focus on concept and process: Modern artists began to emphasize the underlying ideas and concepts behind their work, giving greater importance to the creative process itself.

Modern art should not be confused with contemporary art. While modern art refers specifically to the artistic developments of the early to mid-20th century, contemporary art encompasses art created by artists living and working in the present day. The transition from modern art to contemporary art happened around the late 20th century- 1950s onward.

References:

• mymodernmet.com/abstract artists
• differencess.com/expressionism vs surrealism
• lorimcnee.com/artists who died without recognition
• industrial revolution the influence on art
• mymodernmet.com/important art movements
• theartstory.org/conceptual-art
• Image: The Scream, Edvard Munch 

Example outline for a descriptive informative speech

Speech title:

My first car

Specific purpose:

- to take the audience with me back to the time when we bought our first car and have them appreciate that car's impact on our lives 

Central idea:

Our Austin A50 was a much-loved car

About the car:

- English, Austin A50, 1950ish model - curvy, solid, a matron of cars

Background to purchase:

1. 1974 - we were 20 and 21 - young and broke
2. The car cost $200 - a lot of money for me at that time. I raided my piggy bank to buy it.
3. It was a trade up from the back of the motorbike - now I could sit side by side and talk, rather than sit behind and poke my husband, when I wanted to say important things like, 'Slow down', or 'I'm cold'.
   The romance of a motorbike is short-lived in winter. It diminishes in direct proportion to the mountain of clothes needing to be put on before going anywhere - coats, scarf, boots, helmet... And this particular winter was bitter: characterized by almost impenetrable grey fog and heavy frosts. It was so cold the insides of windows of the old house we lived in iced up.

Features:

1. It was tri-colored - none of them dominating - bright orange on the bonnet, sky blue on the rear doors and the roof, and matt black on the front doors and the boot. (Bonus - no one would ever steal it - far too easily identified!)
2. The chrome flying A proudly rode the bonnet.
3. The boot, (trunk lid) was detachable. It came off - why I can't remember. But it needed to be opened to fill the tank, so it meant lifting it off at the petrol station and leaning it up against the boot while the tank filled, and then replacing it when done.
4. There were bench seats upholstered in grey leather (dry and cracked) front and back with wide arm rests that folded down.
5. The windows wound up and down manually and, in the rear, there were triangle shaped opening quarter-windows.
6. The mouse-colored lining that had been on the doors and roof was worn, torn and in some patches completely missing. Dust poured in through the crevices when we drove on the metal roads that were common where we lived.
7. It had a column gear change - 4 gears, a heater that didn't function, proper old-school semaphore trafficators indicators that flicked out from the top of the door pillars and blinked orange, a clutch that needed a strong push to get it down, an accelerator pedal that was slow to pick up and a top speed of around 50 mph. 

Impact/benefits:

We called her Prudence. We loved, and remember, her fondly because:

1. I was taught to drive in her - an unforgettable experience. I won the bunny hopping record learning to coordinate releasing the clutch and pressing down on the accelerator. Additionally, on metal roads, I found you needed to slow before taking corners. Sliding on two wheels felt precarious. The bump back down to four was a relief.  
2. We did not arrive places having to disrobe - take off layers of protective clobber.
3. We could talk to each without shouting and NOW our road trips had a soundtrack - a large black portable battery driven tape player sat on the back parcel shelf blasting out a curious mix of Ry Cooder, Bach, Mozart's Flute Concerto, Janice Joplin... His choice. My choice. Bliss.
4. My father-in-law suggested we park it down the street rather than directly outside his house when we visited. To him Prudence was one eccentricity too many! An embarrassment in front of the neighbors. ☺

References:

• austinmemories.com/styled-33/styled-39/index.html
• wikipedia.org/Austin_Cambridge
• archive.org/1956-advertisement-for-austin-a-50

A demonstrative informative speech outline example

Speech title:

How to brainstorm material for a speech

Specific purpose:

To demonstrate the brainstorming process and to provide practical strategies (helpful tips) for freeing and speeding up the generation of ideas

Main ideas:

Understanding brainstorming - explanation of what brainstorming is and its benefits

Preparing for brainstorming - the starting point - stating the problem or topic that needs brainstorming, working in a comfortable place free from distractions, encouraging open-mindedness and suspension of judgment.

Techniques for brainstorming: (Show and tell on either white board or with large sheets of paper that everyone can see) mind mapping, and free writing. Take topic ideas from audience to use.

Example: notes for maid of honor speech for sister

Benefits: Demonstrate how mind maps can help visually organize thoughts and connections, how free writing allows ideas to flow without stopping to judge them

Encourages quantity over quality - lots of ideas - more to choose from. May generate something you'd never have thought of otherwise.

Select, refine, develop (show and tell) 

For more see: brainstorm examples

Example explanatory informative speech outline

Speech title:

The Treaty of Versailles: how did it contribute to the outbreak of World War Two

Specific purpose:

- to explain how the Treaty of Versailles (1919) was a significant causal factor leading up World War two

Central ideas:

Historical context:
World War One, 'the war to end all wars' ended in 1918. The Allied Powers: USA, UK, France, Italy and Japan, met in Paris at the Paris Peace Conference 1919 to work out the details and consequences of the Treaty of Versailles, which would impact the defeated Central Powers, principally Germany. 

These included:

1. territorial boundary changes which stripped Germany of land in Europe, and established new nations - e.g. Poland and Czechoslovakia
2. military restrictions - the disarmament of the German military, restrictions on weapons and technology, demilitarization of the Rhineland
3. reparations - demands that they were unable to meet, plus being forced to accept a "war guilt" clause (Article 231) had an enormous impact, economically and psychologically. The country plunged into deep recession - albeit along with many other countries. (The Great Depression 1929-1939 which ended with the beginning of World War Two.)

The League of Nations - The League of Nations was an international diplomatic group developed after World War I as a way to solve disputes between countries before they erupted into open warfare. Despite being active in its set up, USA refused to join it - a stance that weakened its effectiveness.

Controversies within Germany:
Public anger and resentment, plus political instability as result of reparations, territory loss and economic hardships

Controversies with Treaty partners:
The Treaty's perceived fairness and effectiveness: Italy and Japan felt their settlements were inadequate compared to what had been taken by UK, USA and France.

The rise of 'isms' 
Simmering discontent eventually emerged as the rise of Fascism in Italy, Nazism in Germany and Statism (a mix of nationalism, militarism and “state capitalism”) in Japan.

Expansionist Nationalism
Spread of expansionist nationalism - a state's right to increase its borders because it is superior in all ways. Therefore, Hitler was 'right' to take back what had previously been regarded as German territory (Czechoslovakia and Austria), and to go after more, all the while goading the Allied Powers to act. When his armies went into Poland, Britain declared war against Germany - 21 years after the end of the last.

References:

• history.com/treaty-of-versailles-world-war-ii-guilt-effects
• tinyurl.com/Treaty-of-Versailles
• Image: tinyurl.com/signing-Treaty-of-Versailles