1. Selecting a Topic and Purpose
Chapter Seven
Selecting a Topic and Purpose

2. Chapter Seven Table of Contents Assigned Versus Self-Selected Topics
Identifying the General Speech Purpose
Choosing a Topic
Using Brainstorming to Generate Ideas
Refining the Topic and Purpose
From Topic and Purpose to Thesis

3. Selecting a Topic and Purpose
The first task is to select a topic and purpose that are appropriate for the rhetorical situation, or the overall speech situation (the audience and the occasion).

4. Assigned Versus Self-Selected Topics
Public speakers are either given a topic, or asked to choose one of their own.
You may be given a:
purpose
time constraint
challenge

5. Identifying the General Speech Purpose
General speech purpose: indicates why you are speaking on the topic for this particular audience and occasion.

6. Identifying the General Speech Purpose
Informing
Persuading
The Special Occasion Speech

7. Gauge the audience’s knowledge of the subject
Identifying the General Speech Purpose: When the General Speech Purpose Is to Inform
Informative speech : increase the audience’s understanding or awareness of a topic.
Gauge the audience’s knowledge of the subject

8. Persuasive speech: effect some degree of change in the audience.
Identifying the General Speech Purpose: When the General Speech Purpose Is to Persuade
Persuasive speech: effect some degree of change in the audience.
Controversial issues are good topics.

9. Identifying the General Speech Purpose: The Special Occasion Speech
Special occasion speech: prepared for a special occasion and for a purpose dictated by that occasion.
Such as acceptance speeches, toasts, after-dinner speeches, and eulogies.

10. Choosing a Topic Broad social issues of national or global consequence
Your own interests and experiences

11. Choosing a Topic Personal Interest: Looking Within
Current Events and Controversial Issues
Grassroots Issues

12. Choosing a Topic: Personal Interests: Looking Within
Select a familiar topic
Personal interests run the gamut from from favorite activities to deeply held values.

13. Choosing a Topic: Current And Controversial Events
Current events
Few people have time to research the news
Controversial issues
Issues such as abortion, gun control, and drug abuse profoundly affect us as a society

14. Choosing a Topic: Grassroots Issues
The majority of people react with interest to issues that affect them directly.

15. Using Brainstorming to Generate Ideas
Brainstorming: a technique that involves the spontaneous generation of ideas

16. Using Brainstorming to Generate Ideas
Word Associations
Topic Mapping

17. Using Brainstorming to Generate Ideas: Word Association
Write down one topic
Write down the first thing that comes to mind
As soon as your words remind you of something, write it down.
Review your list and pick two or three topics as possible final choices.

18. Using Brainstorming to Generate Ideas: Topic Mapping
Put your initial topic in the middle of the paper
Write down new ideas in clusters to form groups
Use each group to show how closely they relate both to one another and to your topic

19. Refining the Topic and Purpose
Now the topic and general speech purpose must be narrowed with regards to time constraints, audience expectations, and the nature of the occasion.

20. Refining the Topic and Purpose
Narrowing the Topic
Forming a Specific Speech Purpose

21. Refining the Topic and Purpose: Narrowing the Topic
Focus on specific aspects of the topic and excluding others
Consider time and research constraints
Brainstorming can help categorize different aspects of your topic.

22. Refining the Topic and Purpose: Forming a Specific Speech Purpose
Specific speech purpose: expresses both topic and general purpose in action form and in terms of the speaker’s specific objectives.
“What is it about my topic that I want to affect the audience with?”

23. From Topic and Purpose to Thesis
Thesis statement: the theme or central idea of the speech.
Specific purpose: states in action form what you want to achieve with the speech.

24. From Topic and Purpose to Thesis
Making a Claim
Making the Thesis Statement Relevant and Motivating

25. From Topic and Purpose to Thesis: Making a Claim
The thesis statement proposes that the statement being made is true or is believed.
Without the thesis, the audience cannot easily follow the speech body.

26. The exact phrasing of your thesis depends on the type of audience
From Topic and Purpose to Thesis: Making the Thesis Statement Relevant and Motivating
Relevant statements can be created by adding a few key words or phrases
The exact phrasing of your thesis depends on the type of audience