The general purpose, or overarching goal, of virtually any speech is to inform, to persuade, or to entertain. The speeches that you give in class will generally be either informative or persuasive. It is important that you fully understand what constitutes each type of speech so that you do not confuse them and fail to fulfill an assignment. You certainly do not want to deliver a first-rate persuasive speech when an informative one was assigned! Chapters 15–18 discuss the three general purposes at length. We also offer you a summary of the basic principles of each here.

An informative speaker is a teacher. Informative speakers give listeners information. They define, describe, or explain a thing, person, place, concept, process, or function. In this excerpt from a student’s informative speech on anorexia nervosa, the student describes the disorder for her audience:

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that affects 1 out of every 200 American women. It is a self-induced starvation that can waste its victims to the point that they resemble victims of Nazi concentration camps.⁷

Most lectures that you hear in college are informative. The university president’s annual “state of the university” speech is also informative, as is the tour guide’s talk at Colonial Williamsburg. Such speakers are all trying to increase their listeners’ knowledge. Although they may use an occasional bit of humor in their presentations, their main objective is not to entertain. And although they may provoke an audience’s interest in the topic, their main objective is not to persuade.

Persuasive speakers may offer information, but they use the information to try to change or reinforce an audience’s convictions and often to urge some sort of action. For example, Brian offered compelling statistics to help persuade his audience to take steps to prevent and alleviate chronic pain:

A hundred million Americans, nearly a third of the population, [suffer] from chronic pain due to everything from accidents to the simple daily stresses on our bodies.⁸

The representative from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) who spoke at your high-school assembly urged you not to drink and drive and urged you to help others realize the inherent dangers of the practice. The fraternity president talking to your group of rushees tried to convince you to join his fraternity. Appearing on television during the last election, the candidates for president of the United States asked for your vote. All these speakers gave you information, but they used that information to try to get you to believe or do something.

The entertaining speaker tries to get the members of an audience to relax, smile, perhaps laugh, and generally enjoy themselves. Storyteller Garrison Keillor spins tales of the town and residents of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, to amuse his listeners. Comedian Louis C.K. delivers comic patter to make his audience laugh. Most after-dinner speakers talk to entertain the banquet guests. Like persuasive speakers, entertaining speakers may inform their listeners, but providing knowledge is not their main goal. Rather, their objective is to produce at least a smile and at best a belly laugh.

Early on, you need to decide which of the three general purposes your speech is to have. This decision keeps you on track throughout the development of your speech. The way in which you organize, support, and deliver your speech depends, in part, on your general purpose.

Now that you have a topic and you know generally whether your speech should inform, persuade, or entertain, it is time you decided on its specific purpose, the concise statement of what you want your listeners to know, feel, or be able to do when you finish speaking. Unlike the general purpose, which can be assigned by your instructor, you alone must decide the specific purpose of your speech, because it depends directly on the topic you choose.

To arrive at a specific purpose for your speech, you must think in precise terms of what you want your audience to be able to do at the end of your speech. This kind of goal or purpose is called a behavioral objective, because you specify the behavior you seek from the audience.

The How To box offers a formula you can use to develop a specific-purpose statement for a speech with any general purpose. For a speech on how television comedy represents the modern family, you might write, “At the end of my speech, the audience will be able to explain how television comedies portray American family life today.” The specific-purpose statement for a how-to speech using visual aids might read, “At the end of my speech, the audience will be able to use the principles of feng shui to select wall colors.” A specific-purpose statement for a persuasive speech could say, “At the end of my speech, the audience will be able to explain why the United States should ban texting while driving.” A speech to entertain has a specific purpose, too. “At the end of my speech, the audience will laugh and applaud.” An after-dinner speaker whose entertaining message has more informative value than that of the stand-up comic might say, “At the end of my speech, the audience will list four characteristics that distinguish journalists from the rest of the human species.”

Note that a statement of purpose does not say what you, the speaker, will do. The techniques of public speaking help you to achieve your goals, but they are not themselves goals. To say, “In my speech, I will talk about the benefits of studying classical dance” emphasizes your performance as a speaker. The goal of the speech is centered on you rather than on the audience. Other than restating your topic, this statement of purpose provides little direction for the speech. But to say, “At the end of my speech, the audience will be able to list three ways in which studying classical dance can benefit them” places the audience and their behavior at the center of your concern. This latter statement provides a tangible goal that can guide your preparation and by which you can measure the success of your speech.

The following guidelines will also help you to prepare your statement of purpose:

Behavioral statements of purpose help to remind you that the aim of public speaking is to win a response from the audience. In addition, using a specific purpose to guide the development of your speech helps you to focus on the audience during the entire preparation process.

Everything you do while preparing and delivering the speech should contribute to your specific purpose. The specific purpose can help you to assess the information you are gathering for your speech. For example, you may find that an interesting statistic, although related to your topic, does not help to achieve your specific purpose. In that case, you can substitute material that directly advances your purpose.

As soon as you have decided on it, write the specific purpose on a three- by five-inch note card. Then refer to it as often as necessary while developing your speech.