Gathering Information

1. Why Gather Information?

Now that you've figured out your topic and given some thought as to who your audience will be, it's time to roll up your sleeves and begin the real work of preparing your speech. In this section, you'll learn how to best research and gather your materials and supporting evidence.

If you are already an expert on your topic, why should you take the time to collect more information? Personal expertise is an excellent source of anecdotes, illustrations, and insights about important issues and questions related to your topic.

However, one person's opinion holds less weight than another expert's opinion, supported by evidence or validated by testimonials. Gathering information provides opportunities to step beyond the limitations of your experience and enrich your understanding of your topic.

term to know

Evidence

The available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.

2. Benefits of Gathering Information

Here are a few of the benefits you can reap from gathering information.

2a. Gain Credibility

If you want the audience to trust your claims, back them up. Don't expect the audience to take your word for it, no questions asked. Find evidence, illustrations, anecdotes, testimonials, or expert opinions that support your claims.

think about it

Compare these two statements; the first is a personal opinion, and the second is an argument supported with evidence. Which statement sounds more credible?

1. I believe that building a parking garage near the town square would bring more traffic to local businesses and boost the local economy. Everyone knows it's impossible to find parking on weekends here, and that keeps a lot of people at home on weekends.
2. Small businesses in our sister city, Springfield, reported losses comparable to ours after the financial crisis. However, everything changed for them last year. Businesses reported that sales were up, and a few new businesses opened in the center of town, creating new jobs. Why didn't we get the same result? The mayor of Springfield credits the change to a new parking garage near the city center, which eased the parking shortage and brought more people into town on weekends. What can we learn from this story? There are people out there who want to patronize local businesses but are being driven away by the lack of parking. The plan for a new parking garage in our town square could bring us the same success we saw in Springfield.

The first statement relies on a "common sense" idea about parking convenience, which the audience may or may not agree with. By providing an example of a similar situation, the second statement lends credibility to the claim that a new parking garage would help the local economy.

For your audience to see you as credible, you must also choose credible sources for your speech. The first instinct for many people preparing a speech is to go out and find every piece of information they can, often via search engines online. While this method can help you get started, you'll want to pay attention to the sources from which you're gathering your information.

So, what makes a source credible? Typically, a credible source contains hard, irrefutable facts.

EXAMPLE

Fact: The Earth is anywhere from 36 to 63 million miles away from Mars, depending on the orbital locations of either planet. But if you have a claim that could stray anywhere into the realm of opinion (such as the existence of extraterrestrial life in the universe besides that on Earth), you'll want to make sure you have credible sources to back up that claim.

Many times, you'll want to turn to scholarly sources. Academic journals and publications (particularly if they have been peer-reviewed) make for excellent scholarly sources.

Additionally, there's no reason you can't approach an expert in the field by providing an example of a similar situation that you are researching. In the latter instance, this is considered a primary source of information and can sometimes help point you in the right direction to find other credible sources.

You’ll learn more about evaluating sources in the next tutorial.

2b. Make It Current

If you want to assure your audience that you are well informed about your topic, provide current information about it. Instead of relying on generalizations, gather up-to-date information about the particulars of your topic.

think about it

Which of these two statements is more insightful?

1. Teenagers spend too much time with their electronic gadgets. This obsession takes them away from the real world and leaves them unprepared for adult life.
2. According to a recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation, teenagers spend over seven and a half hours a day using electronic devices—mainly smartphones, computers, and TVs. This preoccupation leaves little time to give undivided attention to homework, family time, and extracurricular activities, all of which are essential steps toward adult life.

The first statement relies on unfounded opinions, leaving gaps in its argument. Perhaps teenagers do spend too much time with their devices, but how much time do they spend, and why is it a problem? It sounds like a curmudgeonly rant about "kids these days." The second statement backs up its claim with evidence from a recent study and lists specific problems. Recent information makes it possible to define the problem clearly.

2c. Keep It Relevant

Different audiences have different needs. When you conduct an audience analysis, you will gain valuable demographic information—and you should use that information to guide the search for supporting evidence and illustrations. What would resonate with that particular group of people?

Make sure your speech is relevant to your audience: Take the time to build on your expertise by gathering specialized information to fit the occasion.

EXAMPLE

Let's say you are counseling an audience of nursing students in Florida about their job prospects. You have a good starting point if you have general knowledge about nursing jobs. If you seek out information about the current market for nursing jobs in Florida, you will have information that is even more valuable to your audience.