Supporting Evidence Lisa A. Stefani

Steps in the Speech Making Process Select a topic/Analyze the audience State the speech purpose/Compose a Thesis statement Develop the main points Gather supporting material/Read the supporting material Separate Major parts/Outline Presentation aids/Practice

Types of Supporting Evidence Broad category of illustrations Narratives – stories that are factual or hypothetical Anecdotes – brief stories of interesting, humorous, or real life incidents.

Examples or Specific Instances Offer a single illustration of a point. Illustrate, describe, or represent things. Show the wide spread nature of the issue. Extended examples offer multifaceted illustrations of the idea, item,or event. Women’s role in globalization Women around the world working toward democracy.

Facts & Statistics Facts – represent documented occurrences, including actual events, dates, times, people involved, and places. Statistics summarize data that measure the size or magnitude of something, demonstrate trends, or show relationships.

Statistic Use Considerations Use only recent statistics except when you are showing changes over time. Statistics should be from credible sources. Always cite the source of the statistics – who conducted the study

Reliable and Valid Statistics Ask your self: Who took the poll? When? How many people were interviewed? How were they chosen? What area or group are they from? Are answers based on all of the interviews? What is left out? Is there a sampling error?

Ethical Statistics Include statistics from the most authoritative source you can locate. Tell listeners about the methods (survey, etc.), scope (sample size), where the data is drawn from and the date. Avoid using or ignoring statistics selectively to make your point (cherry picking).

Forms for Citing Stats & Facts “As published in the October 2005 edition of Nature . . .” “According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website, updated on May 18, 2006 . . .” “In a May 2006 study published in Morbidity and Mortality Report available online at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website . . .”

Simplify Statistics Break down the statistic so that it is meaningful to the audience. Drunk drivers are responsible for 42% of all traffic fatalities. One person is killed approx every 30 minutes. According to this statistic, by the end of this class, six people will have lost their lives due to a drunk driver.

Testimony Testimony –firsthand findings, eyewitnesses accounts and opinions by people, both lay (non expert) and expert. Expert Testimony – Expert findings, accounts, opinions. Big difference between a testimonial and expert testimony.

Analogy Analogy – the use of comparison to convey ideas. Compare your topic/issue/event/etc. with something the audience already knows in order to make your topic more understandable. Key phrases – “is like,” “can be compared to”

Locating Supporting Material Plan a research strategy. Make an inventory of your research needs. What do I personally know about my topic? What does my speech purpose require me to explain, demonstrate or prove? What type of supporting material does my topic call for? What type of supporting material will influence my audience?

Primary Resources Self conducted interviews and surveys Have a written set of questions that can be answered in the time allotted. Questions should be relevant to speech purpose, sequenced, and free from bias. Save controversial questions for the end. Get permission to record the interview and be sure to have paper and pen.

Secondary Research Secondary research: Information gathered by others. Print and electronic resources Books, newspapers, periodicals, journals, government publications, encyclopedias, almanacs, biographical resources, Atlases, books of quotations and poetry collections.

Documenting Sources Use proper APA or MLA format APA and MLA manuals at the reference desk in the library, bookstore, and online. Samples of documenting your sources are included in chapter 1 of your workbook. You must have both in-text citations and a bibliography.

Internet Research Subject directories – sites organized by category: Open Project www.dmoz.org Academic Info www.academicinfo.net Yahoo! Directory dir.yahoo.com Search engines www.dogpile.com www.google.com Your library’s homepage is a good place to start.

Evaluating Website Credibility Check list workbook chapter 1 under “Gathering Information: The Internet.” Need Author and organization name Information about the author and organization. Date published and the date last updated. Current references and hyperlinks. Are the hyperlinks to credible sources? Is the website biased – promoting a position? Is research fully documented?