Development(Examples and Illustrations, Incidents, Comparison and Contrast, Analogies)

By: Paige Knippenberg

What is Development?

Development is a way to clarify and amplify claims and proof in a speech

Helps audiences… Pay attention to the content Remember it Understand it

Examples Typical, specific instances of something Used to convince the audience that the claim is valid Subtraction in elementary school Recommendations

Typical Understandable Interesting Introduce example Use more than one Do not just list

Claim: There are many different flavors of ice cream. For example: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, sherbet

Illustrations

Longer, more elaborate examples “Draw a picture for the audience” Guidelines

Consider guidelines for examples (typical, understandable, etc.)

Colorful, interesting Treat illustration as a word picture Include a tag (a statement that ties back to the

point you’re making)

Illustrations cont. “One reason disco music was so attractive to young people was

the environment in which it was played. Even if kids just listened to it on the radio, movies like Saturday Night Fever gave them images of an exciting discotheque. In the mind’s eye, handsome and beautiful people danced the night away. The clothes were always gorgeous. Flowing dresses billowed when the women spun around. Men wore suits, but not the kind dad or grandpa wore. These suits were white, worn over colored shirts open at the throat. Lights blazed over it all – a spinning mirrored ball on the ceiling, squares of light under the floor, spotlights from the corners, marquee lights running around the room. And behind it all, the beat – a pulsing reminder that the people, the clothes, the lights, and the music were for the young. Even if you didn’t like the music, you had to admire the spectacle.”

Incidents

Also called narratives or anecdotes Stories used to prove or illustrate a point One day, one time, a while ago, etc. Tend to be long Recommendations

Use guidelines for examples and illustrations Tell incident with enthusiasm Don’t overuse Watch your time limit

Comparison/Contrast Comparison: when you point out similarities between

two things Contrast: when you point out important differences Athletic shoes

Compare/contrast two different models Consider cost, appearance, and fit

Guidelines Explain what you’re doing Use examples Maintain clear organization Use transitions Use gestures

Analogies Explains something the audience doesn’t understand

in terms of something the audience does understand by describing how the two things are similar

Extended comparison Literal (compares two things that are actually alike)

Comparing the heart to a mechanical pump Or figurative (compares things that are not literally

alike) Comparing the universe to the surface of an ever-

expanding balloon

Analogies cont.

Teeth: mouth :: room: house Young: old :: small: large Egg: chicken :: seed: tree

Questions What is a long, elaborate example that

“draws a picture” for the audience? A: Illustration What is a another name for a narrative or

anecdote that is used to prove or illustrate a point?

A: Incident Analogies can either be ________ or

figurative. A: Literal