Selecting your topic

Chapter 6

Selecting your topic: An overview

• We choose topics everyday

• The best topics meet three key criteria– They are interesting to the speaker– They are interesting to the audience– They are relevant and speakers can add

useful information or contribute to the surrounding debate

The best topics are interesting to the audience

Developing a set of potential topics

• Brainstorming

• Word Association

• Mind Mapping

• Research

Developing potential topics: Brainstorming

• Listing every idea that comes to mind without evaluating their merits.

Developing potential topics: Word association

• One idea leads to another that leads to another until a speaker finds an appropriate topic.

Developing potential topics:

Mind mapping

• Writing down an initial word or phrase and then surrounding it with additional words, pictures, and symbols

Developing potential topics: Research

• Developing possible speech topics by gathering and recording information from libraries, the Internet, and interviews.

Selecting the best topic

• Consider your audience

• Consider your own knowledge and interest

• Consider the speech context

• Choose a topic and stick to it

Selecting the best topic:Consider your audience

• Your topic should meet at least one of the following criteria:– It will interest your audience– Your audience needs to know– It will move them in some way

Selecting the best topic:Consider your own knowledge and interests

• Pick a topic you are excited about

• Pick a topic you are knowledgeable about

Selecting the best topic:Consider the speech context

• Context is the overall situation of your presentation and is affected by:– Formality: classroom speeches are less

formal than workplace speeches– Situational characteristics: such as

audience size, mobility issues, time of day, and physical setting

Selecting the best topic:Choose a topic and stick to it

• Changing topics will increase your preparation time.

• Wavering back and forth on a topic weakens your speech.

Tips for selecting the best topic

• Tip: If you are not excited about your topic… no one else will be.

• Tip: Boring your teacher will not give you a good grade.

Refining your topic: Decide your rhetorical purpose

• To inform: increasing listeners’ understanding or awareness.

• To persuade: convincing listeners to consider a new position, strengthen or weaken a belief, or take action.

• To mark a special occasion: honoring an occasion by entertaining, inspiring, or moving listeners.

General tips for refining your topic

• Tip: If you have a strong opinion about your topic, consider using it for a persuasive speech.

• Tip: If you are going to commemorate a death, be sure you are ready to speak about it in public—you may get caught off guard by your emotions.

Narrowing your topic

• Why is this important?

– Speech needs to fit time limit

– Gives you focus

Broad topic spring break fun

Narrower topic spring break in Miami

Narrowed topic use caution with spring break tattoos

Narrowing your topic: Remember your audience

• Make listeners care.• If they are asking “why should I care?”

your speech will not be as effective.

Narrowing your topic: Draw on your interests and expertise

• It is easier to speak extemporaneously on a topic which is:– Familiar– Important to you– Exciting to you

Narrowing your topic: Review your rhetorical purpose

• Does your narrowed topic match the rhetorical purpose?

Narrow your topic: Make sure topic matches rhetorical purpose

Narrowing your topic: Evaluate the situation

• Will situational factors get in the way of your topic?– Time of day– Occasion– Overall speech context

Drafting your specific purpose

• Specific Purpose—the speech objective presented as a single sentence—should focus speech development.

• Rhetorical purpose should start:– “To inform my audience…”– “To persuade my audience…”– “To commemorate…”

Tips for drafting your specific purpose

• Tip: Focus on what you want your audience to walk away with.

• Tip: If you spend the time to develop a well constructed specific purpose, the speech will write itself (mostly)—more on this when we talk about organization!

Drafting your thesis statement

• Single sentence

• Expresses the speaker’s intentions

• Consistent with specific purpose

Thesis statement examples

– Informative: “Hmong New Year includes many culturally distinctive features.”

– Persuasive: “You should sign up for a service learning course.”

– Special Occasion: “The Duke University women’s basketball team has much to celebrate at this year’s awards banquet.”