1. ENG101 - Speaking Module Selecting the topic for your presentation

2. Selecting your topic: An overview
We choose topics everyday and the best topics meet three important factors:
- Pick a subject you care about. The passion will come out in your voice and in your body language.
- They are interesting to the speaker
- They are interesting to the audience

3. The best topics are interesting to the audience

4. First you need to develop a set of possible topics
You can develop topics by:
Brainstorming
Word Association
Research

5. Brainstorm to generate ideas
List every idea that comes into your mind without being worried if they are good ideas or not.

6. Use word association to narrow down your topic
One idea leads to another idea that leads to another idea until you end up with a topic that is narrowed down.

7. Narrowing your topic Why is this important?
Your presentation needs to fit the time limit
It makes your presentation easier to deliver and easier for your audience to follow
Gives you focus
Your aim is to get it narrow enough so that you can get into some detailed specifics about the topic, but not so narrow that you run out of things to say in the time allocated. 7

8. Narrower topic  Desserts
Broad topic  Food
Narrower topic  Desserts
Narrowed topic Cherry Pie 8

9. Research your department
Developing possible presentation topics by gathering and recording information from libraries, the Internet, and interviews.
Remember you need 3 (three) sources.
You must show your teacher these sources and provide them with a bibliography before your presentation.

10. Consider your audience
When considering your audience your topic should meet as many of the following criteria as possible:
It will interest your audience
It will give information to your audience that they need to know
It will entertain your audience in some way

11. Once you choose your topic try not change it
Changing your topic will increase your preparation time.
Not believing in your presentation topic can weaken your presentation.

12. Tips for selecting the best topic
If you are not excited about your topic… no one else will be.
A presentation topic that is not boring is a pleasure for your teacher to watch.

13. Decide the purpose of your presentation
To inform: increasing listeners’ understanding or awareness.
To persuade: convincing listeners to consider a new position, strengthen or weaken a belief, or take action.

14. Tips for specific purpose
Tip: Focus on what information you want your audience to walk away with.
Tip: Do not forget your purpose when writing your presentation. If you stay focused on your purpose the presentation will be much easier to prepare. 

15. Specific purpose examples
- Informative: “Billboard advertising is an advertising method that is often forgotten about.”
- Informative: “The history of the Mercedes Benz car logo is interesting.”
- Persuasive: “Radio advertising is the best way to reach drivers.”
- Persuasive: “The effects of social media on young people is harmful.”

16. AND ASK YOUR TEACHER FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT!