The Event: Teaching, Not Persuading
Informative Speaking asks you to educate an audience on a topic in ten minutes flat, using your own words and your own visual aid. By the end of this lesson you'll be able to explain how Info differs from Oratory and Extemp and what a judge is listening for.
The Core Goal
Info is not about changing anyone's mind — it is about clarity and discovery. A strong Info speech leaves the audience able to explain the topic to someone else. Judges reward speeches that make a niche or complex subject suddenly make sense, not speeches that just recite facts.
How It Differs From Other Events
Unlike Oratory, Info requires (and often centers around) a visual aid — a board, poster, or object that helps demonstrate the topic. Unlike Extemp, the speech is written in advance and fully memorized, not built in prep time. Unlike Impromptu, you have weeks to research, write, and polish it.
Judge Psychology
Judges for Info often score highest on 'did I learn something' and 'was the topic worth ten minutes.' A technically flawless speech on an overdone topic like 'the history of chocolate' will lose to a rougher speech on a genuinely novel angle, because novelty signals real research effort.
A competitor is deciding between three topics: 'The History of Mars Exploration,' 'How Bridges Don't Fall Down,' and 'Why Honeybees Waggle Dance.'
Mars exploration is popular and hard to make fresh. Bridges is teachable with a great visual (a model truss) and has real substance. Honeybee dance is quirky, visual, and few people know it. The competitor picks the bee topic because it passes the 'why should I care' test in a surprising way and lends itself to a clear diagram-based aid.
1. What is the primary goal of an Informative Speech?
2. True or False?
"Informative speeches are typically improvised with minimal advance preparation."
3. Which feature most distinguishes Info from Oratory?
4. Why might a judge rank a rougher speech on a novel topic above a polished speech on an overdone topic?
Answer all 4 to check.
Info succeeds when the audience leaves understanding something new, not when they're merely entertained or persuaded.