Chapter 5: Gathering Supporting Materials Chapter Introduction

Book Title: Invitation to Public Speaking

Printed By: María José Muñoz Muro (mmunozmu@rams.colostate.edu)
© 2015, 2012, 2009 Cengage Learning, Cengage Learning

Chapter Introduction

David Young-Wolff/PhotoEdit

In this chapter, you will learn to:

Determine the types of supporting materials you need for your speech

Search for information on the Internet, in the library, and through personal
interviews

Evaluate the information you find

Apply several tips that will help your research efforts

Cite your sources for your speech ethically and effectively

One of our primary responsibilities as public speakers is to provide audiences with accurate
information. In addition to expressing our opinions on the topics we speak about, we must
also provide facts, examples, and evidence. We can find this type of information, called
supporting material, by consulting our own experiences and knowledge, by doing research
over the Internet and at the library, or by interviewing the right people.

Conducting research may seem intimidating at first, but if you organize your efforts, the
process should be efficient and productive—and in less time than you might imagine, you
can fill notebooks and folders with an impressive range of supporting materials. Research
not only ensures that your ideas and arguments are accurate and that your audience is
appropriately informed but also that the insights it offers you on your subject can also keep
you excited about your speech up until you deliver it and beyond.

This chapter will help you collect the supporting materials you need to enter the public
dialogue successfully. You will learn how to organize your research efforts into three
categories:

(1) determining what types of information you need,

(2) identifying where you can find this information, and

(3) assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the information you find.

If you approach your research in an organized way, you will spend your time productively,
reduce your frustration, and increase your chances of finding excellent materials to support
your ideas.

Chapter 5: Gathering Supporting Materials Chapter Introduction

Book Title: Invitation to Public Speaking
Printed By: María José Muñoz Muro (mmunozmu@rams.colostate.edu)
© 2015, 2012, 2009 Cengage Learning, Cengage Learning

© 2018 Cengage Learning Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this work may by reproduced or used in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, or in any
other manner - without the written permission of the copyright holder.