4Developing Your

Purpose and Topic

General Purpose

The speaker’s overall objective• To inform• To persuade• To entertain

Determining Your General Purpose

Speaking to inform Speaking to persuade Speaking to entertain Keeping your general purpose in mind

Brainstorming for Possible Topics

Brainstorming – a free-form way of generating ideas without evaluating them

Evaluating and Selecting Topic Ideas

Consider your own interests Consider the audience Consider resource availability Consider time Consider the setting and speaking event

Identifying Your Speech Purpose

Specific purpose – what you want to achieve in your speech

What message do you want the audience to receive from your standpoint

General Purpose, Topic, & Specific Purpose

Phrasing Your Thesis/ Stand Point

Thesis – summarizes your plan for achieving the specific purpose; a single descriptive sentence that captures the essence or central idea of a speech

Stand point—a physical or mental position from which viewpoints are viewed

Building Your Working Outline

An outline that guides you during the initial stages of topic development, helping to keep you focused on your general purpose and clarify your specific purpose

Building Your Working Outline Cont.

Brainstorming for topic developmentGrouping ideas to select main pointsWriting the thesis/standpoint

Types of Outlines

Intro

Greeting Name

Standpoint

Attention Getter

Introduction

Major Speech Parts

Introduction

Arouse the audience members’ attention with a quotation, question or short storyIntroduce both names (full names)GreetingsClearly state the standpoint at the end of the introduction

Body of A Persuasive Speech

• Transition into the main point of the discussion

• Focus on Detail/Supporting Research/Statistics/data

• Attention Getters• Give examples to build on argument/ view

point • Create a writing style that is

conversational • Make Audience feel like they are a part of

your discussion

The Conclusion of A Persuasive Speech

Restate the standpointLeave the audience something to think about/finding/supporting materials/data

Relevant Websites

Developing your thesis Framing a thesis statement