Chapter 8

First four steps in preparing a speech Select and narrow your topic▪ Give yourself at least 1 week from topic selection to

delivery Determine your purpose Develop your central idea Generate your main ideas

Select & Narrow Topic Choose a topic to speak about ▪ Narrow this topic to fit time limits.

When selecting a topic:▪ Consider the audience▪ Topic should be relevant to audience interests ▪ Should consider account audience knowledge

▪ Video Clip

Consider the occasion▪ A successful topic should be

appropriate to audience and occasion

Consider Yourself▪ Best speech topics are those that

reflect experiences or interests

Strategies to generate speech topics Brainstorming▪ Lets Brainstorm personal experience

topics

Listen and read for topic ideas Search the web for possible topics

Narrowing the topic for your presentation Create categories

▪ General topic followed by more specific

Find the right level▪ Don’t be too broad (Cars, Insects, TV, Etc) ▪ Don’t be too narrow

If you can’t find any/enough info, broaden it back out some

Determine purpose Speaking to Inform

▪ Gives listeners information

Speaking to Persuade▪ Attempts to change or reinforce audience views, behaviors or

actions

Speaking to Entertain▪ Get audience to relax, smile, laugh, & Enjoy themselves

To develop your specific purpose▪ Consider what audience should get from speech▪ What kind of behavior should they exhibit

Using hands free device▪ What action do you want them to take

To go out and vote

▪ Use specific purpose to determine what information will be gathered

Develop Your Central Idea Your central idea should be ▪ A one sentence summary of your speech▪ Express your central idea in a complete declarative sentence▪ Use direct specific language▪ “Censorship of school textbooks threatens the rights of school children”

Develop Your Central Idea Your central idea should be ▪ Specific purpose should be a single idea▪ “Today I will persuade you to help the homeless”▪ “Today I will inform you about natural disasters”

▪ Central idea should reflect consideration of the audience▪ “Exercising voting rights will make a difference in your

community”

Generate and preview your main ideas Write central idea at the top of a sheet of paper▪ Then ask 3 questions▪ Does the central idea have logical divisions▪ Are there several reasons why the central idea is true

Legalizing Marijuana will help the economy California is a fascinating place to live A college education is beneficial to everyone

▪ Can I support my central idea with a series of steps▪ Or chronological progression

There were many phases in the development of Airplanes Computer technology has improved the mass media

Meanwhile, Back at the computer Once topic is narrowed▪ Write central idea ▪ Write specific purpose statement