Selecting a TopicSpeech Class

Select & Clarify a Topic

CONSIDER 3 FACTORS:

Your own experiences and interests,

Occasion,

Makeup, knowledge, attitude, and expectations of your audience.

Consider Yourself First...

Always consider yourself when choosing a speech topic.

Your own personal experiences & interests = enthusiasm!

“Speak about what you know.”

Your childhood, travels, work experience, favorite hobbies or activities, your areas of expertise.

Occasion

Occasion and audience can have a decisive influence on your topic.

Why is this important?

Other Methods

Your own experience

Brainstorming

Listening and reading

Scanning indexes

Talking to people

Brainstorm

An idea-gathering technique used to create a long list of possible speech topics.

First, review your own interests, the occasion, and what you know about your audience.

Generate as many ideas as possible.

Analyze your list.

Select the ideas that seem most promising and best fit the occasion.

Listen & Read

Newspapers, radio, magazines, and TV programs can spark ideas.

Use research to fill in the gaps of your knowledge.

Scan Indexes & Internet

Library’s encyclopedias, books, and periodical indexes can serve as good resources.

Search Internet sites on subjects you’re considering.

Talk to People

Family, friends, and audience members.

What issues and concerns are on their minds?

Narrow the Topic

Take a broad subject and narrow it down.

Example: Music - American Music - Hip Hop - Current Hip Hop - Lil Wayne

Stair Step Method - series of steps to narrow down a speech topic.

Mind Mapping

Mind map, or web, is a graphic organizer that helps you explore an idea visually.

Connects different facets of a topic using a single main idea.

Determining a Purpose Statement

Determine your controlling purpose.

Is it to inform, to persuade, to entertain? Is it more than one?

Focus on a SPECIFIC purpose.

What is your objective? What do you want the audience to do and why?

Write a Purpose Statement

A purpose statement defines the main goal or objective for the speech.

Take time to write a purpose statement.

Helps to keep the topic, the audience, and your primary purpose in mind as you research and write your speech.

Example: “My objective is to inform my classmates about the progress made on widening the Math hallway.”

Components of Purpose Statement

Audience: My classmates

Topic: R.E.B.S.

Desired Result or Purpose: I want to inform my classmates about the progress R.E.B.S. has throughout the 2010-2011 school year.

Questions?