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Just as bridges and buildings require columns and beams to support them, a speech needs to have its main points reinforced. A well-developed speech will have the help of supporting materials such as facts and statistics, testimony, examples, and stories.
Facts and Statistics. Facts and statistics are a major form of support for speeches. They lift your claims above mere assertions to the level of well- documented conclusions. For example, to support her statement that American business has a legal as well as a moral obligation to reach out to disabled persons, Karen Lovelace cited the Americans with Disabilities Act of
1990:
The ADA said that “privately owned businesses that serve the public such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxi cabs, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities are prohibited from discriminating against
individuals with disabilities.” The ADA went on to say that “companies
have an ongoing responsibility to remove barriers to access for peoples with disabilities if it is readily achievable.”
Karen’s factual knowledge of the law strengthened the foundations of her speech advocating reform.