Using Sources in Speeches
Verbal Source Citations
Tips on citing sources when speaking publicly by Sarah Stone Watt, Pepperdine University:
Even if you have handed your professor a written outline of your speech with source citations, you must also offer oral attribution for ideas that are not your own (see Table below for examples of ways to cite sources while you are speaking). Omitting the oral attribution from the speech leads the audience, who is not holding a written version, to believe that the words are your own. Be sure to offer citations and oral attributions for all material that you have taken from someone else, including paraphrases or summaries of their ideas. When in doubt, remember to “always provide oral citations for direct quotations, paraphrased material, or especially striking language, letting listeners know who said the words, where, and when.”[1] Whether plagiarism is intentional or not, it is unethical, and someone committing plagiarism will often be sanctioned based on their institution’s code of conduct.
|
Proper Written Source Citation |
Proper Oral Attribution |
|---|---|
|
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life” (Jobs, 2005).[2] |
In his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University Steve Jobs said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” |
|
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants” (Pollan, 2009, p.1). |
Michael Pollan offers three basics guidelines for healthy eating in his book, In Defense of Food. He advises readers to “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” |
|
“The Assad regime’s escalating violence in Syria is an affront to the international community, a threat to regional security, and a grave violation of human rights. . . . [T]his group should take concrete action along three lines: provide emergency humanitarian relief, ratchet up pressure on the regime, and prepare for a democratic transition” (Clinton, 2012). |
In her February 24 speech to the Friends of Syria People meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that Assad was increasing violence against the Syrian people and violating human rights. She called for international action to help the Syrian people through humanitarian assistance, political pressure, and support for a future democratic government. |
|
“Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team” (Obama, 2009). |
In his 2009 “Back to School” speech, President Obama encouraged students to participate in school activities like student government and debate in order to try out the skills necessary for a leadership position in the government. |
In your speech, make reference to the quality and credibility of your sources. Identifying the qualifications for a source, or explaining that their ideas have been used by many other credible sources, will enhance the strength of your speech. For example, if you are giving a speech about the benefits of sleep, citing a renowned sleep expert will strengthen your argument. If you can then explain that this person’s work has been repeatedly tested and affirmed by later studies, your argument will appear even stronger. On the other hand, if you simply offer the name of your source without any explanation of who that person is or why they ought to be believed, your argument is suspect. To offer this kind of information without disrupting the flow of your speech, you might say something like:
Mary Carskadon, director of the Chronobiology/Sleep Research Laboratory at Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island and professor at the Brown University School of Medicine, explains that there are several advantages to increased amounts of sleep. Her work is supported by other researchers, like Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom at the University of Minnesota, whose study demonstrated that delaying school start times increased student sleep and their performance (National Sleep Foundation, 2011).
This sample citation bolsters credibility by offering qualifications and identifying multiple experts who agree on this issue.
Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
Quoting
Whereas in written language, quotations are marked off with quotation marks or indented blocks, spoken delivery generally doesn’t specify where a quote begins and ends. The written version of the speech, though, whether in outline, note, or manuscript form, should mark the beginning and end of the quote (and cite it properly).
For instance, when President Ronald Reagan gave his famous 1987 speech at the Berlin Wall, he said, “in 1947 Secretary of State George Marshall announced the creation of what would become known as the Marshall Plan. Speaking precisely forty years ago this month, he said: ‘Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos.'” The quotation marks aren’t acknowledged out loud, but they are in the manuscript. [3]
Ethically, it is important not to use quotations out of context. If a politician says, “My critics say I’m a liar and a crook,” it would be misleading and unethical to quote the politician as saying, “I’m a liar and a crook.”
Paraphrasing and Summarizing
Unless a quote is short, simple, and memorable, or unless the exact wording of the quote is important, you might want to use a paraphrase or a summary. A paraphrase is re-stating the information in your own words and sentence structures; a paraphrase is about the same length as the information being used. A summary is a condensed version of the information in your own words and sentence structures. It takes a few tries to paraphrase and summarize clearly and ethically. Proper paraphrasing and summarizing require more than just changing a few words from the original source.
Paraphrasing and summarizing are often better choices than using a direct quote in spoken presentations because they allow you to simplify written language and quickly explain specific terms. If the original text refers to an idea or term discussed earlier in the text, your paraphrase may also need to explain or define that idea.
As with quotations, your paraphrase or summary should be true to the original intention of the passage you’re paraphrasing. Be careful not to add information or commentary that isn’t part of the original passage; you need to stay true to the meaning of the passage. Save your comments and analysis until after you have finished your paraphrase or summary.
Remember that both paraphrase and summary require citations. Even when you use someone else’s ideas but put those ideas into your own words, you still need to acknowledge the source.
In the following speech, public radio host Celeste Headlee explains what she’s learned about being a good conversationalist. Notice her incorporation of quotes, paraphrases, and summaries.
You can view the transcript for “How to Have a Good Conversation | Celeste Headlee | TEDxCreativeCoast” here (opens in new window).
What to watch for:
In this speech, Headlee uses a number of quotations, citations, and paraphrases. Note how she uses these different forms and how she cites the sources verbally. When she quotes directly from an article by Paul Barnwell, she conspicuously reads from her notecard, to show that the sentence should be understood as a word-for-word quotation. In other places, though, she summarizes large research reports or paraphrases ideas from other experts.
Citing your Sources
There are different types of plagiarism – unintentional and intentional. Sometimes students commit plagiarism intentionally, such as when they cut and paste sections from sources and drop them into the text of their paper or speech. Other times, plagiarism happens by accident, such as quoting a source incorrectly (e.g., forgetting quotation marks) or not properly introducing your source for the idea you’re presenting, when that idea is specific to the source.
Know that AI is a form of plagiarism, since it draws upon any and all online information without citing sources. And know that if you use AI, it should only be in a preliminary way, to help spark your ideas for speeches. If you use an outline or a speech that is AI-generated, you will be plagiarizing.
Whether plagiarism occurs intentionally or unintentionally, it carries academic sanctions, since plagiarism is stealing. And stealing is wrong, whether you steal someone’s laptop or their words and ideas.
So be very careful about your verbal citations in speeches, your preliminary speechwriting processes, and your citation of sources in your speech outlines.
