SUPPORTING  MATERIAL Analogies Supporting  material  will  constitute  the  bulk  of  your talk. Any means a speaker uses to clarify and to make his main points meaningful make up the supporting material. Supporting material should accomplish the following  in  developing  main  points: .  Clarify–Clear  up  doubts;  eliminate  confusion. .   Amplify–Expand,   develop   a   complete   dis- cussion;  include  all  essential  elements. .  Verify–Give  factual  support  to  prove  con- tentions;  provide  evidence  for  state- ments. .  Emphasize–Make  prominent;  underscore. There are many types of supporting material, some of  which  are  discussed  below. Personal Experiences Your experiences, past and present, are an excellent source   of   supporting   material.   Relating   actual experiences that you may have had concerning the main point will often result in a sharp increase in interest. A word of caution: Too many personal experiences in one presentation  may  make  you  sound  self-centered.  Do  not overuse this type of supporting material to build yourself up or to avoid research. Also, avoid using naval jargon, especially Navy acronyms. It is a surefire way to lose an audience in a hurry. Illustrations Illustrations are detailed stories of examples of the idea to be supported. Illustrations are either factual or hypothetical. Factual illustrations relate what actually happened; they describe a situation that has actually occurred. Hypothetical illustrations tell what could have happened  or  probably  will  happen;  they  describe  a situation that only has the appearance of an actual situation. Factual illustrations can carry conviction, whereas hypothetical illustrations are used principally to make abstractions more vivid and concrete. Factual  Examples Factual examples are usually from qualified sources found in libraries. They give added weight to the main point  they  are  supporting. In an analogy, similarities are pointed out between that which is already known or believed by the audience, and that which is not. In a talk to inform, this is probably the most effective way to get your audience to remember the main point in question. Other Supporting Materials The previous sections highlighted the three most common and effective forms of supporting materials. Other  excellent  supporting  materials  include  the experiences of others, anecdotes, testimony, quotations and current news events. Again, keep in mind, the explanation of your talk consists  of  two  parts-main  points  and  supporting material. The main points are concise, one-sentence statements of facts or ideas that you want your audience to remember. Supporting material is any means you use to  clarify,  amplify,  verify  or  emphasize  the  main  points. SPEECH  SUMMARY Learning Objective: Recognize the elements specific to the summary part of a speech. Just as the introduction consisted of three parts, so does  the  summary.  The  three  segments  of  the  summary are as follows: . Recap the main points l Re-emphasize motivation l Present a forceful conclusion RECAP THE MAIN POINTS To make sure your audience remembers your first, second and third main points, it is always wise to repeat them. A summary should be brief, but accurate. Note the following   example: “Well, I have been talking for 20 minutes and in this time I have said three things: (1) Preserving our environment is a priority issue for the American people and for the American sailor; (2) The U.S. Navy is committed to operating its ships and shore facilities  in  a  manner  compatible  with environmental  goals;  (3)  We  are  obligated–and dedicated-to help our commands at sea and ashore around  the  globe  continue  these  efforts,  large  and small, to preserve the environment for our own well-being and for future generations.” 6-12