Temple Grandin

Informing vs persuading

informative

educates or explains, providing new information, or a new perspective.

persuasive

attempts to influence or change beliefs, attitudes, values, or behavior through appeals and arguments.

e.g., Informing vs persuading?

How did Gunn differentiate with the example of autism? 🎲

. . .

• informative
  • How the autistic mind works; nonhuman animals are sentient creatures with complex neurological systems.
• persuasive
  • Autistic people have rights that need protection; nonhuman animals deserve legal protection against pain and suffering

What makes something interesting??

. . .

• novel (not seen before)
• contrary (opposite to expectation)
• yet relatable (even if only #TIL or “I always wondered that”)

“Towards a Phenomenology of Sociology and a Sociology of Phenomenology”

In brief, an interesting proposition was always the negation of an accepted one.

“What seems to be X is in reality non-X” or “What is accepted as X is actually non-X.” (Davis 1971, p. 313)

See summary of other types of interesting.

ex. identify an interesting and dull topic; why they are so??

Explanation

you position yourself as an educator. With this strategy, your job is to explain how or why something is the way it is. (Gunn 2017, loc. 413)

Demonstration

[a] “how-to.” Just think of an infomercial or a television cooking show, and you’ve got a good sense of this technique already (Gunn 2017, loc. 413)

Narration

fundamentally tell audiences about something, whether an event, a person, or a deed (Gunn 2017, loc. 413)

Definition

used to explain or describe the meaning of a term or concept (Gunn 2017, loc. 411)

Types of Definitions

ex. definition??

Define a term related to class and identify what type (or combination thereof) of definition you used.

Tips for informative speech

• Focus on the unique.
• Have it be personally relevant.
• Keep it simple.

KISS tactics

• Avoid overly technical language and jargon.
• Reduce the quantity of information.
• Do not over- or under-estimate the audience’s knowledge.
• Use visual aids.
• Keep things concrete.
• Teach, don’t browbeat.
• Rinse, repeat. (Gunn 2017, loc. 416)

Wrap up

Given a ~1–2 minute impromptu speech on something that you think is interesting and why.

4m

🎲

n/a