Summary

The process of researching to support your speech is like the process of inventing a new product: You need both a source of inspiration and the willingness to engage in hard work.

• Begin by analyzing the situation and focusing on your audience.
• Choose an appropriate topic.
• Formulate a specific purpose you wish to accomplish.

Many types of support are effective in speeches:

• Examples should be relevant, of sufficient quantity, and typical, and without counterexamples.
• Facts should be from a reliable source, verifiable, recent, and consistent with other known facts.
• Statistics should be from a reliable and unbiased source, based on fair questions, from a representative sample. Polls should report the sample size and margin of error. Know what percentages are based on and if the average or mean is being cited exclusively.
• Expert opinion should come from a subject matter expert, who is reliable and unbiased.
• Explanations should be clear and accurate.
• Descriptions should be accurate and vivid.
• Narratives should have probability (coherence) and fidelity for the audience.

Possible sources of information for your speech include:

• library resources, such as books, periodicals, and databases
• the Internet, but with particular attention to distinguishing authentic and reliable Web sites from questionable ones
• interviews

Develop a recording system for both sources and data:

• Download computerized sources.
• Copy information onto note cards.
• Use selective photocopying to record information.
• Scan information directly into your computer.