public_speaking_guidelines for choosing an appropriate topic

8/13/2019 Public_Speaking_Guidelines for Choosing an Appropriate Topic

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PUBLIC SPEAKING

What is Public Speaking?Public speaking is:(1) delivering a speech (2) to a group of people(3) in a structured, deliberate manner. It is a (4) form of communication that (5) adds to the

knowledge and wisdom of the listeners, or that (6)influences their attitudes or behaviour

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Public Speaking should not be

Public Speakingshould not be

these

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Public Speaking should be

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Varieties of Public Speaking

I. INFORMATIVE SPEECHES-speech delivered to inform theaudience about something. They include:

i. Speeches about objectsii. Speeches about processes

iii. Speeches about eventsiv. Speeches about concepts

II. PERSUASIVE SPEECHES- speech given to persuade the audienceto agree/ accept information being delivered. They include:

i. Speeches on questions of factii. Speeches on questions of valueiii. Speeches on questions of policy

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Varieties of Public Speaking cont .

III SPECIAL OCCASION SPEECHES- speeches delivered on specialoccasions and can be divided into prepared and impromptu. Theyinclude:

Speeches of introductionSpeeches of presentationSpeeches of acceptance

Commemorative speechesAfter-dinner speeches

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Guidelines for choosing an appropriate topic

1. Choose a topic that is interesting2. Choose a topic that you can narrow down3. Think about what your audience knows

4. Choose a topic that wont make your audience uncomfortable

5. Choose a topic that you know about or want to learnabout

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1 - Choose a topic that is interesting

If the topic interests you, it will probably interest youraudience

Ask yourself would I like to hear this speech?

An interesting topic will invoke enthusiasm

To make a topic interesting relate it to concerns that allpeople have: health , money , love, security, etc.

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2 - Choose a topic that you can narrow down

1. No matter what topic you choose you wont be able to say

everything there is to say about it E.g. Tennis > what exactly you want to talk about?

- Scoring the game?- game rules

- Buying tennis equipment?

- The history of tennis?

2. Write a general topic and think 10 15 ideas that relate to thegeneral topic

e.g. How to take care of a cat- how to clean it

- how to teach it a trick- how to discipline it- how to teach it not to scratch

3. After you had made your list, choose one of the smaller topics to

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2 - Choose a topic that you can narrow down

3. The chosen topic should not be too broad or too simple for theintended audience and time limit

e.g. Audience new college students

Time limit 10 minutesTopicHow to tell time (too simple for the audience) How to use the library ( would take too long) How to use the readers guide to periodicals (/)

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3 - Think about what your audience knows

1. Choose a topic that your audience have general background knowledge about it

2. Dont choose a topic that the audience is toofamiliar withe.g. How to use chopsticks (to a group ofChinese students)

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4 Choose a topic that wont make youraudience uncomfortable

1. Sexual matters2. Racial stereotypes

3. Violent topics, etc.

Note:You may be comfortable speaking about thosetopics in public but there will probably beothers in the audience who dont feel as you do(feel offended)

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5 Choose a topic that you know aboutor want to learn about

The more you know about the topic

1. the easier it will be for you to provide thedetails

2. the easier for you to answer questions by theaudience.

3. the more convincing you will be

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THE INTRODUCTION

How do I introducethe topic of my

Speech tomy audience?

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The Introduction to your Speech

The MOST IMPORTANT part

It is when you let the audience know who you are , what you are going to be

presenting about , why and what youhope to achieve by the end of thepresentation.

You have a few seconds in which tomake a positive impact and goodopening impression, so make sure youhave a good, strong, solid introduction .Smiling helps.

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The Introduction to your Speech

You can start with:referring to the date

asking (rhetorical) questions using imagery using quotations telling storiesstating statistics

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To give a talk about the meaning offreedom

TOPIC: FREEDOM

1st August1834 - Slaveryis abolished in

the BritishEmpire.

Referring tothe date

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TOPIC: AUTO MECHANIC COURSE

How often has your car broken down?

Once? Twice? Ten times? Im sure youknow how expensive it is to have your carrepaired. Have you ever wondered if

theres a solution to this problem? Wellthere is. You can take a course in automechanics. If you know even just the

basics of car care you can save yourselfsome money and keep your car in good

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TOPIC: GLOBAL WARMING

Stressing the effects of global warmingon our

childrens future

Make the audience use theirimagination to

picture your point.

Its our children who will suffer if we dontdo something about global warming. Its ourchildren who will see the seas rise and

Overwhelm their homes. Its our childrenWho will ask us why we did nothing?

Usingimagery

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TOPIC: POLLUTION

Start with an inspirational quotation related to yourmessage. However, make sure that your choice is

not only inspiring but also relevant.

Using aquotation

Theodore Rubin once said :The problem is not that there are problems.

The problem is expecting otherwiseand thinking that having problems is a problem.

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Other Examples of Introductions

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Use a story to illustrate your pointWhen I was a child, my parents were always

planned a family fishing trip during the long school

holiday. These would give me to marking the days ofthe calendar and getting out of my fishing pole,entangling the line, oiling the reel and looking up agood place in the backyard to dig up worms. Wellwhen the time to leave was finally arrived, my dadwould have some sort of management crisis at his work

and the trip would be postponed. Its not hard tounderstand why my father had a nervous breakdown atthe age of forty and I had the chance to learn from thatexperience. It taught me to be concern about my healthand to make an effort at managing stress on the job.Stress if not handled wisely can bring a lot of negativeeffects to our health. In my speech today Im going tohighlight some effects of stress and tips on techniquesand strategies for dealing with stress.

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Surprise your listeners

Sometimes, especially during longsemester vacation, we have trouble keepingbusy. Hours, even days are empty, and we

can become bored. However, with a littlethought and planning, we can fill up a fewextra hours, there is one way to make surethat every moment of our lives is full andbusy. We can join the reserve army.

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Public Speaking Assessment (20 )

Choose a topic that you are interested inThink of some appropriate and interesting

points to develop your topicWrite an outline of your speech.Rehearse your speech

Present your speech within 5 to 7 minutes

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