GE5 Module 2 Lesson 1

Module 2
Title Communication for Various Purposes
Description This module will equip you with the skills to deliver an audio-
visual or web-based presentation
Outcome Convey and present ideas effectively through oral, audio –
visual, and/or web-based presentations for different target
audiences in local and global settings using appropriate
registers and non-verbal techniques
Requirement/s Audio-visual or web-based presentation
Key Terms • General purposes of speaking
• Types of speeches
• Audio-visual presentation
• Web-based presentation

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 GE5 Module 2 Lesson 1

Lesson 1:
Purposes of Communication
Lesson Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
• Identify the three common reasons for communication (inform,
persuade, and entertain)
• Distinguish the types of public speeches (manuscript, memorized,
impromptu, extemporaneous)

LET’S GET STARTED!

I. As you learned in the previous module, communication is a necessary and
inevitable part of human life. We use it for a wide variety of reasons. For this
activity, identify at least 6 reasons for why we communicate.
II. Categorize your answers in the previous activity according to the following major
reasons: to inform, to persuade, to entertain.
III. Is it possible for a single speech to carry out two or more of the three major
reasons for communication? Explain and provide an example.

LET’S READ!
I. General Purposes of Speaking
To Inform
The first general purpose that some people have for giving speeches is to inform.
Simply put, this is about helping audience members acquire information that they do
not already possess. Audience members can then use this information to understand
something (e.g., speech on a new technology, speech on a new virus) or to perform a
new task or improve their skills (e.g., how to swing a golf club, how to assemble a layer
cake). The most important characteristic of informative topics is that the goal is to gain
knowledge. Notice that the goal is not to encourage people to use that knowledge in
any specific way. When a speaker starts encouraging people to use knowledge in a
specific way, he or she is no longer informing but is persuading.
Let’s look at a real example of how an individual can accidentally go from informing
to persuading. Let’s say you are assigned to inform an audience about a new
vaccination program. In an informative speech, the purpose of the speech is to explain
to your audience what the program is and how it works. If, however, you start
encouraging your audience to participate in the vaccination program, you are no longer
informing them about the program but rather persuading them to become involved in
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the program. One of the most common mistakes new public speaking students make
is to blur the line between informing and persuading.
To Persuade
The second general purpose people can have for speaking is to persuade. When
we speak to persuade, we attempt to get listeners to embrace a point of view or to
adopt a behavior that they would not have done otherwise. A persuasive speech can
be distinguished from an informative speech by the fact that it includes a call for action
for the audience to make some change in their behavior or thinking.
The reasons behind persuasive speech fall into two main categories, which we will
call “pure persuasion” and “manipulative persuasion.” Pure persuasion occurs when a
speaker urges listeners to engage in a specific behavior or change a point of view
because the speaker truly believes that the change is in the best interest of the
audience members. For example, you may decide to give a speech on the importance
of practicing good oral hygiene because you truly believe that oral hygiene is important
and that bad oral hygiene can lead to a range of physical, social, and psychological
problems. In this case, the speaker has no ulterior or hidden motive (e.g., you are not
a toothpaste salesperson).
Manipulative persuasion, on the other hand, occurs when a speaker urges listeners
to engage in a specific behavior or change a point of view by misleading them, often
to fulfill an ulterior motive beyond the face value of the persuasive attempt. We call
this form of persuasion manipulative because the speaker is not being honest about
the real purpose for attempting to persuade the audience. Ultimately, this form of
persuasion is perceived as highly dishonest when audience members discover the
ulterior motive. For example, suppose a physician who also owns a large amount of
stock in a pharmaceutical company is asked to speak before a group of other
physicians about a specific disease. Instead of informing the group about the disease,
the doctor spends the bulk of his time attempting to persuade the audience that the
drug his company manufactures is the best treatment for that specific disease.
Obviously, the key question for persuasion is the speaker’s intent. Is the speaker
attempting to persuade the audience because of a sincere belief in the benefits of a
certain behavior or point of view? Or is the speaker using all possible means—
including distorting the truth—to persuade the audience because he or she will derive
personal benefits from their adopting a certain behavior or point of view? Unless your
speech assignment specifically calls for a speech of manipulative persuasion, the
usual (and ethical) understanding of a “persuasive speech” assignment is that you
should use the pure form of persuasion.
To Entertain
The final general purpose people can have for public speaking is to entertain.
Whereas informative and persuasive speech making is focused on the end result of
the speech process, entertainment speaking is focused on the theme and occasion of
the speech. An entertaining speech can be either informative or persuasive at its root,
but the context or theme of the speech requires speakers to think about the speech
primarily in terms of audience enjoyment.

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Entertaining speeches are very common in everyday life. The fundamental goal of
an entertaining speech is audience enjoyment, which can come in a variety of forms.
Entertaining speeches can be funny or serious. Overall, entertaining speeches are not
designed to give an audience a deep understanding of life but instead to function as a
way to divert an audience from their day-to-day lives for a short period of time. This is
not to say that an entertaining speech cannot have real content that is highly
informative or persuasive, but its goal is primarily about the entertaining aspects of the
speech and not focused on the informative or persuasive quality of the speech.
There are three basic types of entertaining speeches: the after-dinner speech, the
ceremonial speech, and the inspirational speech. The after-dinner speech is a form of
speaking where a speaker takes a serious speech topic (either informative or
persuasive) and injects a level of humor into the speech to make it entertaining. Some
novice speakers will attempt to turn an after-dinner speech into a stand-up comedy
routine, which doesn’t have the same focus.
A ceremonial speech is a type of entertaining speech where the specific context of
the speech is the driving force of the speech. Common types of ceremonial speeches
include introductions, toasts, and eulogies. In each of these cases, there are specific
events that drive the speech. Maybe you’re introducing an individual who is about to
receive an award, giving a toast at your best friend’s wedding, or delivering the eulogy
at a relative’s funeral. In each of these cases, the speech and the purpose of the
speech is determined by the context of the event and not by the desire to inform or
persuade.
The final type of entertaining speech is one where the speaker’s primary goal is to
inspire her or his audience. Inspirational speeches are based in emotion with the goal
to motivate listeners to alter their lives in some significant way. Florence Littauer, a
famous professional speaker, delivers an emotionally charged speech titled “Silver
Boxes.” In the speech, Mrs. Littauer demonstrates how people can use positive
comments to encourage others in their daily lives. The title comes from a story she
tells at the beginning of the speech where she was teaching a group of children about
using positive speech, and one of the children defined positive speech as giving
people little silver boxes with bows on top.

II. Four Types of Speeches

Speeches can be categorized into four broad areas depending on the amount of
preparation that is undertaken and depending upon the nature of the occasion. The
four types of speeches are manuscript, memorized, extemporaneous, and impromptu.
Our aim is to acquaint you with these four different modes of delivery, to provide
suggestions for when you are asked to make impromptu remarks, and then to focus
most your time on the preparation, practice, and presentation of extemporaneous
speeches.

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Manuscript Speech
When you listen to the President deliver a State of the Union message, you listen
to a well-crafted speech being read from a teleprompter. The speech has been
polished by a staff of speechwriters and has been practiced many times. The President
will know how to anticipate the reaction of the audience and will know when to pause
for applause and when to expect laughter. This form of speaking is used when the
exact words matter and when much time and energy is expended on getting everything
just right. There are times when people who are not leaders of countries deliver
manuscript speeches as well. They are used when people testify before Congress,
when people read important statements in a public setting, or when people deliver
reports at professional meetings. All call for exact words in the correct order.
While the President has access to a staff of speech writers and a teleprompter,
most of us do not. If you were given this type of assignment, you would have to read
your manuscript speech from printed notes. In that case, you would want to ensure
that you had prepared your manuscript carefully, using large fonts so you could read
it easily without burying your nose in the pages. Reading the speech does not allow
you to skimp on the preparation. Practice the speech many times. This allows you to
make changes, if needed, and to select the best words to communicate your exact
meaning. Remember to speak clearly and naturally -strive for a conversational tone.
It shouldn’t sound read -even if you are reading. Also, remember to speak slowly; there
is a natural tendency to speed up when we speak in public. Delivering a speech is not
a race; you do not receive bonus points for finishing early.
Unless you are specifically told by your instructor to prepare and deliver a
manuscript speech, you should never write out the entire speech. Spend your time
developing your outline, organizing your ideas, and determining where you can best
insert your supports. Then practice using the outline while speaking.
Memorized Speech
When you were in elementary school, did you ever have to memorize a poem or a
part of a speech? If you are like most students, the answer is “Yes. ” There is nothing
wrong with memorization. But if you try to memorize a speech, you risk forgetting what
you planned to say and coming across as completely unprepared. Memorizing your
speech is even worse than reading it. All the objections that apply to the read speech
also apply to the memorized speech. Spontaneity is gone. The speech can sound
stilted. Often, delivery is too rapid. Concentration is on the words, not the ideas.
Sometimes the speech sounds too formal, like a written essay. There is minimal
feedback or other contact with the audience. And what happens if your mind goes
completely blank or if an audience member interrupts? The entire presentation will
likely fall apart. Memorizing a speech puts entirely too much pressure on the speaker.
Impromptu Speech
There will come a time for all of us when we are asked to “say a few words” without
much preparation. You haven’t prepared any notes, you haven’t practiced what you’ll

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say, and you’re being asked to “wing it. ” While this may seem incredibly scary,
impromptu presentations are the most common type of public speaking. You’re in
class and suddenly the professor wants to hear how group projects are going. You, as
the leader of your group, are asked to stand and briefly discuss what the group is doing
and how much you’ve completed so far. That’s an impromptu speech. You didn’t know
when you headed to class that day that you’d be speaking in public, but you did it. No
sweat! Or maybe you’re in a meeting at work and the boss announces that he wants
you to brief everyone in the meeting on the new equipment being installed that
afternoon. Again, no prior planning, no notes, you just do it. That’s impromptu
speaking.
Extemporaneous Speech
The focus of most college courses in public speaking is the extemporaneous
speech. This is because this is the type of speech used most in business, education,
preaching, and political affairs. Few of us will ever have a professional staff of
speechwriters or ever deliver a speech with the aid of a teleprompter. But when you
do have a speech or presentation to deliver, you’ll want to sound prepared,
authoritative, and clear.
Simply stated, an extemporaneous speech is one where you will have time for
preparation and practice but will not be expected to read from a manuscript or to have
the speech memorized. The question most students ask is, “How much time should
be spent in preparation and practice?” Perhaps Mark Twain said it best. When
speaking about preparing for an impromptu speech, he noted, “It usually takes more
than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech” (King). While celebrated as a
humorist, there is much truth in his words. To appear to be speaking off the cuff, and
to do it well, you must prepare thoroughly and practice to perfection. When you speak
extemporaneously, it means you’ve had ample time to prepare and research and that
you have rehearsed your speech (many times) using an outline or notes to remind you
of the progression of ideas you wish to present.

LET’S REMEMBER!
• There are three general purposes that all speeches fall into: to inform, to
persuade, and to entertain. Depending on what your ultimate goal is, you will
start by picking one of these general purposes and then selecting an
appropriate speech pattern that goes along with that general purpose.
• Informative speeches can focus on objects, people, events, concepts,
processes, or issues. It is important to remember that your purpose in an
informative speech is to share information with an audience, not to persuade
them to do or believe something.
• There are two basic types of persuasion: pure and manipulative. Speakers who
attempt to persuade others for pure reasons do so because they actually
believe in what they are persuading an audience to do or think. Speakers who
persuade others for manipulative reasons do so often by distorting the support
for their arguments because they have an ulterior motive in persuading an

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audience to do or think something. If an audience finds out that you’ve been

attempting to manipulate them, they will lose trust in you.
• Entertainment speeches can be after-dinner, ceremonial, or inspirational.
Although there may be informative or persuasive elements to your speech, your
primary reason for giving the speech is to entertain the audience.
• There are four types of speeches: manuscript, memorized, impromptu, and
extemporaneous.

LET’S DO THIS!
I. Tell whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE.
1. An informative speech encourages people to use the shared knowledge in a
specific way.
2. A persuasive speech can be pure or manipulative.
3. Pure persuasion intends to deceive the audience in some way.
4. A persuasive speech can address the audience’s behavior, attitudes, values,
or beliefs.
5. An entertaining speech cannot have real content.
6. A manuscript speech requires you to commit the speech to memory to avoid
brining noted during the delivery.
7. Among the four types of speeches, extemporaneous has the least amount of
preparation.
8. An impromptu speech is delivered without prior planning or preparation.
9. An extemporaneous speech can be delivered with short notes and clear
outline.
10. In a manuscript speech, the exact words matter and when much time and
energy is expended on getting everything just right.
II. For an oral presentation task, choose from the following topics: a) Covid pandemic,
b) Flexible/online distance learning, c) SOGIE bill, d) Manila Bay rehabilitation, e)
ABS-CBN franchise renewal. After which, identify an audience and relate your
chosen topic to each of the three purposes of communication.
Example:
• Topic: Grades
• Audience: Students
• Three purposes:
o Inform: I will discuss to the student the grading system/criteria for my
subject.
o Persuade: I will encourage students to work harder so they can achieve
better grades.
o Entertain: I will talk about ineffective study habits that they should stop
doing.

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Sources/ References:
• Florida State College of Jacksonville. (n.a.) Four Types of Speeches.
Retrieved September 1, 2020, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-
fscj-publicspeaking/chapter/four-types-of-speeches/
• Saylor Academy. (2012). General Purposes of Speaking. Retrieved
September 1, 2020, from https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_stand-up-speak-
out-the-practice-and-ethics-of-public-speaking/s09-01-general-purposes-of-
speaking.html

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