1. Developing Supporting Material
Chapter Seven
Developing Supporting Material

2. Chapter Seven Table of Contents Types of Supporting Material
Locating Supporting Material
Organizing and Documenting Source Material
Critically Evaluating Sources*

3. Types of Supporting Material
Examples
Narratives
Testimony
Facts and Statistics*

4. Types of Supporting Material: Examples
Illustrations, descriptions, or representations:
brief example- a single illustration of a speaker’s point.
extended example- multifaceted illustration of an idea, item, or event being described.
hypothetical example- illustration of a point made by describing something that could happen in the future.*

5. Types of Supporting Material: Narratives
Stories, both real and imaginative.
Forms:
fairy tales
legends
religious narratives
myths*

6. Types of Supporting Material: Narratives
Essential storytelling elements:
plot
characters
setting
timeline
Anecdote
short story of an interesting, humorous, or real-life incident.*

7. Types of Supporting Material: Testimony
Firsthand findings, eyewitness accounts, and opinions that directly support a fact or an assertion.
expert testimony- by professionals who have been trained to evaluate or report on a given topic.
lay testimony- by non-experts who have witnessed or experienced events related to the subject under consideration.*

8. Types of Supporting Material: Testimony
Credibility is key
The speaker must establish credibility
establish the reputation of the source.
cite the source’s name, title, and relevance to the topic.*

9. Types of Supporting Material: Facts and Statistics
Facts- documented occurrences that include events, dates, times, people, and places.
Statistics- data expressed in numerical form.
descriptive statistics- data or information that characterize a group or classification.
inferential statistics- data collected from a sample or representative group and generalized to a larger population.*

10. Locating Supporting Material
Getting Started
Primary Research: Interviews and Surveys
Secondary Resources: Print, Electronically Stored and Online Sources*

11. Locating Supporting Material
primary research- original or firsthand research conducted by the speaker.
secondary research- the vast body of information gathered by others.*

12. Locating Supporting Material: Getting Started
Focus on the purpose of your speech.
Develop a thesis statement.
Evaluate resources.
Decide on research methods.*

13. Locating Supporting Material: Primary Research: Interviews and Surveys
planning the questions
phrasing the questions
recording the interview
conducting the interview
Surveys
especially useful for topics related to the attitudes, values, and beliefs of people in your immediate environment.*

14. Locating Supporting Material: Secondary Resources
Database- a “base” or place in which information is stored, such as books or computers.*

15. Locating Supporting Material: Secondary Resources
Reference Desk
Card or Online Catalog
Books
Newspapers
Periodicals
Encyclopedias
Books of Quotations
Poetry Collections
Atlases
Almanacs
Government Publications
Biographical Resources*

16. Organizing and Documenting: Source Material
Bibliography
APA Method
MLA Method
Chicago Style Method*

17. Organizing and Documenting: Source Material
Elements:
names of authors/editors
title of publication
volume or edition number
name of publisher
place of publication
publication date and year
page numbers*

18. Critically Evaluating Sources
Strive to use original sources
Developing Conclusions
Beware of Errors in Data Interpretation*

19. Critically Evaluating Sources: Developing Conclusions
Acknowledge viewpoints when they are relevant.
Include sufficient quantity and quality of evidence to substantiate your claim.*

20. Critically Evaluating Sources: Developing Conclusions
Does the supporting material actually say what you think it says?*