Public Speaking The ACA Open Knowledge Online Guide

Tell a Story
Story telling is not only the basis for most of our entertainment; it is also one of the best ways to teach an audience (21). Also known as narratives, stories typically have a beginning in which the characters and setting are introduced, a rise in action, some complication or problem, and a resolution. Stories with compelling characters can be used in a creative way to weave facts otherwise dry and technical facts together (22), as in a speech about preparing a space shuttle for take-off from a mouse’s perspective. Jaffe (5) differentiates between three types of narratives that can be used in informative speeches. The first type of story is a natural reality in which natural or scientific facts are brought together in chronological accounts, as in the formation of the Grand Canyon. The second narrative involves social realities which detail historic events, and the development of cultures and institutions. The last kind of story, the ultimate reality, is focused on profound philosophical and spiritual questions like “Where do we come from?” and “What happens to us when we die?”

Nursery rhymes and song lyrics familiar to the audience can also be used in an interactive way to get listeners interested in the topic (12). In a speech about the global population explosion, you could ask audience to finish the phrase “There was an old woman who lived in a shoe…” Common commercials, lyrics to Beatles songs, holiday songs, children’s games are universal. Commercial jingles and song lyrics also work to get the audience involved. Depending on the make-up of your audience, you might use lyrics from Johnny Cash, Billy Holiday, The Doors, The Beatles or Limp Bizkit. Just for fun, can you name the artists who sang the lyrics below? (Answers at the end of the module)

Artist One

Artist Two