Support Material and Evidence

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Support Material and Evidence
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Acknowledging Your Sources

• Public speakers acknowledge their sources in 2
  ways orally in the speech and in written form
  in the bibliography or Reference Page.
• With oral citations, speakers mention, or cite,
  the sources of their information during the
  speech. For example
• According to a June 2010 article in the San Jose
  Mercury News, the phrase digital music poses
  the highest risk of leading searchers to websites
  containing spyware and viruses.

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Citing Sources Orally

• Dr. Ruben Stein, a business professor at
  Columbia University, found in his research that
  a supervisors communication competence has a
  dramatic influence on subordinates
  satisfaction with workplace communication. His
  2008 article in the Journal of Business
  Communication also reported a direct link
  between how supervisors communicate and job
  satisfaction.

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Oral Source Citations

• In these examples, the speaker tells the
  audience who authored or published a particular
  piece of information, and what year it was
  published.
• In the written Reference Page (attached to your
  outline), your information would include the
  author, date of publication, title, place of
  publication, and publisher.
• Youll need this information to give credibility
  to your argument.

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How current in your information and sources?

• Does the author refer to statistics or
  developments that are several years old?
• Are examples drawn from current events?
• Does the authors language suggest that the
  document was written recently or several years
  ago?
• For a website or webpage, do many broken links
  appear on the page?
• Is the source biased?
• Is the source credible?

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Use 4 Types of Supporting Material/Evidence

• Examples Illustrates, describes, or represents
  things it can be brief or extended. Use real,
  not hypothetical examples. Examples put a human
  face on statistics and information.
• Statistics Data that demonstrates
  relationships. Stats summarize information,
  demonstrates proof, makes points memorable.
• Expert Testimony Provides credibility to
  definitions, statistics, etc.
• Definition Defines the proposition, current
  policy, laws, etc.

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Types of Definitions

• Logical A dictionary definition
• Etymological/historical Explains how the word
  or policy youre defining was derived. Its link
  to some historical event or drawn from root
  words. Example boycott
• Operational Explains how something or some
  policy works or operates or steps that make up
  a process.
• By Negation Sometimes the best way to clarify
  a term is to explain what its not. Abstract
  notions are hard to define, thus we reference to
  opposites. Example I cant tell you what
  justice is, so Ill tell you what it is not.
• By Authority A word/policy/law is defined by a
  credible source.
• By Example Explain by demonstration or
  narrative. Examples help make terms concrete.
  They perk up your audience by adding human
  interest/drama.