Your expertise The audience The occasion And your speaking goal
Evidence is the supporting material you use to prove a point. It is the responsibility of a public speaker to evaluate their evidence carefully. After you have chosen your topic, you should look for good, fair sources. Then, extract evidence from credible sources and try to use evidence from both sides of the argument to come to a conclusion.
The type of evidence you use depends on:
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Your expertise |
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The audience |
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The occasion |
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And your speaking goal |
Expertise establishes your credibility with the audience. Even if your audience acknowledges your expertise on a topic, evidence can help amplify your credibility and help you prove your point.
The Audience should be taken into consideration when you decide how much and what type of evidence to use. If the audience questions your credibility or is skeptical of your view of the topic, use more evidence. Using evidence wisely can also help persuade an indifferent type of audience. When your credibility may be in question, use external sources such as Examples, Expert Testimony, Quantitative Evidence, or Audio/Visual aids.
The Occasion of your speech should also be considered when doing research. When evaluating the occasion of your speech, consider whether or not the evidence you have chosen relates to your topic. Use good quality sources and simplify the overly technical information when extracting evidence.
Your Speaking Goal is the type of speech you are giving. When you are persuading the audience with your speech, evidence can help you demonstrate and confirm your point. When you are giving an informative speech, use evidence to emphasize your point. Different types of speeches will call for different uses of evidence from your research.
