Different Types of Speeches

Different Types of Speeches according to:

Purpose
Delivery
Occasion

Different Types of Speeches according to PURPOSE

The four basic types of speech according to purpose are: to inform, to instruct, to entertain, and to
persuade. These are not mutually exclusive of one another. You may have several purposes in mind
when giving your presentation. However, the principle purpose of a speech will generally fall into
one of four basic types:

1. INFORMATIVE
This speech serves to provide interesting and useful information to your audience.
Example:
A teacher telling students about earthquakes
A student talking about her research
A travelogue about the Tower of London
A computer programmer speaking about new software

2. DEMONSTRATIVE
This has many similarities with an informative speech. A demonstrative speech also teaches you
something. The main difference lies in including a demonstration of how to do the thing you’re
teaching
Example:
How to start your own blog
How to bake a cake
How to write a speech
How to… just about anything

3. PERSUASIVE
A persuasive speech works to convince people to change in some way: they think, the way they
do something, or to start doing something that they are not currently doing.
Example:
Become an organ donor
Improve your health through better eating
Television violence is negatively influencing our children
Become a volunteer and change the world

4. ENTERTAINING
The after-dinner speech is a typical example of an entertaining speech. The speaker provides
pleasure and enjoyment that make the audience laugh or identify with anecdotal information.
Example:
Excuses for any occasion
Explaining cricket to an American
Things you wouldn’t know without the movies

Effective preparation requires identifying the purpose of your speech. Once you’ve identified your
purpose, you can move on to the objective of your speech.
 Different Types of Speeches according to DELIVERY

The easiest approach to speech delivery is not always the best. Substantial work goes into the
careful preparation of an interesting and ethical message, so it is understandable that students
may have the impulse to avoid “messing it up” by simply reading it word for word.

1. IMPROMPTU SPEAKING
It is the presentation of a short message without advance preparation. Impromptu
speeches often occur when someone is asked to “say a few words” or give a toast on a special
occasion.
The advantage of this kind of speaking is that it’s spontaneous and responsive in an animated
group context.

The disadvantage is that the speaker is given little or no time to contemplate the central
theme of his or her message.

As a result, the message may be disorganized and difficult for listeners to follow.

Impromptu speeches are generally most successful when they are brief and focus on a
single point.

2. EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING
Extemporaneous speaking is the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed
speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes.
By using notes rather than a full manuscript, the extemporaneous speaker can establish
and maintain eye contact with the audience and assess how well they are understanding the
speech as it progresses.
Speaking extemporaneously has some advantages. It promotes the likelihood that you, the
speaker, will be perceived as knowledgeable and credible.
In addition, your audience is likely to pay better attention to the message because it is
engaging both verbally and nonverbally.
The disadvantage of extemporaneous speaking is that it requires a great deal of
preparation for both the verbal and the nonverbal components of the speech. Adequate
preparation cannot be achieved the day before you’re scheduled to speak.

3. SPEAKING FROM A MANUSCRIPT

Manuscript speaking is the word-for-word iteration of a written message. In a manuscript
speech, the speaker maintains his or her attention on the printed page except when using visual
aids.
The advantage to reading from a manuscript is the exact repetition of original words. As
we mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, in some circumstances this can be extremely
important.

4. SPEAKING FROM MEMORY

Memorized speaking is the rote recitation of a written message that the speaker has
committed to memory.
When it comes to speeches, memorization can be useful when the message needs to be
exact and the speaker doesn’t want to be confined by notes.
The advantage to memorization is that it enables the speaker to maintain eye contact with
the audience throughout the speech.
 Different Types of Speeches according to OCCASION

CEREMONIALSPEAKING
Ceremonial speeches are speeches given during a ceremony or a ritual marked by
observance of formality or etiquette. These ceremonies tend to be very special for people, so it
shouldn’t be surprising that they are opportunities for speech making.

A. Speeches of Introduction
The first type of speech is called the speech of introduction, which is a mini speech given
by the host of a ceremony that introduces another speaker and his or her speech.
Just like any other speech, a speech of introduction should be a complete speech and
have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion—and you should do it all in under two minutes.
For an introduction, think of a hook that will make your audience interested in the
upcoming speaker.
The body of your introductory speech should be devoted to telling the audience about the
speaker’s topic, why the speaker is qualified, and why the audience should listen.
The final part of a good introduction is the conclusion, which is generally designed to
welcome the speaker to the lectern.

B. Speeches of Presentation
A speech of presentation is a brief speech given to accompany a prize or honor.
When preparing a speech of presentation, it’s always important to ask how long the
speech should be.
First, you should explain what the award or honor is and why the presentation is
important.
Second, you can explain what the recipient has accomplished in order for the award to be
bestowed.
Did the person win a race? Did the person write an important piece of literature? Did the
person mediate conflict? Whatever the recipient has done, you need to clearly highlight his or her
work.
Lastly, if the race or competition was conducted in a public forum and numerous people
didn’t win, you may want to recognize those people for their efforts as well.

C. Speeches of Dedication
A speech of dedication is delivered when a new store opens, a building is named after
someone, a plaque is placed on a wall, a new library is completed, and so on.
These speeches are designed to highlight the importance of the project and possibly
those to whom the project has been dedicated.

D. Toasts
A toast is a speech designed to congratulate, appreciate, or remember.
First, toasts can be delivered for the purpose of congratulating someone for an honor, a
new job, or getting married. You can also toast someone to show your appreciation for something
they’ve done.
Lastly, we toast people to remember them and what they have accomplished.
When preparing a toast, the first goal is always to keep your remarks brief. Toasts are
generally given during the middle of some kind of festivities (e.g., wedding, retirement party,
farewell party).
Second, the goal of a toast is to focus attention on the person or persons being toasted—
not on the speaker

E. Roasts
The roast speech is a very interesting and peculiar speech because it is designed to both
praise and good-naturedly insult a person being honored.
 Generally, roasts are given at the conclusion of a banquet in honor of someone’s life
achievements.

E. Eulogies
A eulogy is a speech given in honor of someone who has died.

F. Speeches of Farewell
A speech of farewell allows someone to say good-bye to one part of his or her life as he or
she is moving on to the next part of life.
Maybe you’ve accepted a new job and are leaving your current job, or you’re graduating
from college and entering the work force.

INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKING
The goal of an inspirational speech is to elicit or arouse an emotional state within an
audience.

A. Speeches to Ensure Goodwill

Goodwill is an intangible asset that is made up of the favor or reputation of an individual
or organization.
Speeches of goodwill are often given in an attempt to get audience members to view the
person or organization more favorably.
Although speeches of goodwill are clearly persuasive, they try not to be obvious about the
persuasive intent and are often delivered as information-giving speeches that focus on an
individual or organization’s positives attributes.
There are three basic types of speeches of goodwill: public relations, justification, and
apology.

A. 1. Speeches for Public Relations

In a public relations speech, the speaker is speaking to enhance one’s own image or
the image of his or her organization.
You can almost think of these speeches as cheerleading speeches because the
ultimate goal is to get people to like the speaker and what he or she represents.

A. 2. Speeches for Justification

The second common speech of goodwill is the speech of justification, which is given
when someone attempts to defend why certain actions were taken or will be taken.
In these speeches, speakers have already enacted (or decided to enact) some kind of
behavior, and are now attempting to justify why the behavior is or was appropriate.

A. 3. Speeches of Apology
These speeches have become more and more commonplace. Every time we turn
around, a politician, professional athlete, musician, or actor/actress is doing something
reprehensible and getting caught.
In fact, the speech of apology has quickly become a fodder for humor as well.

B. Speeches for Commencements

The second type of inspirational speech is the speech of commencement, which is
designed to recognize and celebrate the achievements of a graduating class or other group of
people.
The most typical form of commencement speech happens when someone graduates from
school.