Subjects of Informative Speeches

There are many different subjects that can be used in informative speeches. College lectures about an event in history or a historical figure would be considered informative speeches

Other examples of subjects for an informative speech include an actor or actress, the field of advertising, a classic film the history of Dracula, social networking websites, and what causes volcanoes.

Each of these examples lends itself to multiple types of information. For example, an informative speech about a particular actor or actress would likely focus on providing a description of who the person is and what movies or plays they have been in. Incorporating famous pictures or clips from works is a way of increasing the audience's retention of the information about the particular person.

An informative speech about the causes of a volcano could be considered a how-it-happens speech, which could be similar to a how-to speech. A speech about volcanoes might include a model volcano, describing how the model's functioning is similar to processes in the real world.

More technical subjects, such as the field of advertising, require more technical information and specific data relevant to the industry. Technical subjects especially, but really all informative speeches, benefit from the use of visualizations, such as bar graphs or images. The choice of visual aids depends on what information the speaker wants to inform the audience of. For example, a speech that intends to explore the financial trends of political advertising over ten years would benefit from a bar graph. However, a speech that is informing the audience on how political advertisements have functionally changed over time would benefit from actual examples of ad campaigns.

In order to differentiate an informative speech from other types of speeches, it is important to stick to the basic facts of the subject. No personal biases, unsubstantiated information, or popular opinion should be included when stating the main ideas of the topic. The goal is to educate the audience on the facts, not to provide the speaker's opinion. When crafting an informative speech look at the subject carefully and eliminate any potential statements that have prejudice or might persuade the audience.