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

2. Chapter Six Table of Contents What do I Speak About
The General Speech Purpose
Selecting a Topic
Refining the Topic and Purpose
From Topic and Purpose to Thesis*

3. What Do I Speak About?
Public speakers are either given a topic, or asked to choose one of their own*

4. What Do I Speak About? When Topics Are Assigned
When the topic of a speech is assigned, the speaker still has to adapt the speech to the audience, and the occasion
The speaker must also decide on a purpose or goal for the talk*

5. What Do I Speak About? When Topics Are Self-Selected
Often, the speaker will be asked to select a topic that meets some or all of the following criteria:
A specific purpose
A time constraint
A challenge*

6. The General Speech Purpose
There are three general speech purposes
To inform
To persuade
To celebrate or commemorate a special occasion*

7. The General Speech Purpose Speaking to Inform
The general purpose of an informative speech is to increase the audience’s understanding or awareness of a topic
Try to gauge the audience’s knowledge of the subject to avoid boring, or confusing the audience*

8. The General Speech Purpose Speaking to Persuade
The general purpose of a persuasive speech is to effect some change in the audience, by accepting the speaker’s alternate view *

9. The General Speech Purpose The Special Occasion Speech
Special occasion speeches include, but are not limited to: acceptance speeches, toasts, after dinner speeches, and eulogies*

10. Selecting A Topic
Along with choosing a general speech purpose, the speaker must select a topic that is appropriate for the audience*

11. Selecting A Topic Personal Interests
Select a topic with which you are familiar and enthusiastic
This can help the audience to perceive you as a knowledgeable and competent speaker
Personal interests can include:
Hobbies or favorite activities
Specific subject areas*

12. Selecting A Topic Audience Concerns and Interests
Review your topic in light of the audience’s demographic and psychological profile
How does the topic fit with the audience’s:
Age
Gender
Ethnicity
Political or religious status
Socioeconomic status*

13. Selecting A Topic Current And Controversial Events
Current events
Society is constantly barraged with newsworthy topics, but few people have time to research all the facts
Controversial issues
Issues such as abortion, gun control, and drug abuse profoundly affect us as a society, and as a result, many people hunger for more information on the topic*

14. Selecting A Topic Local Issues
Consider events that are specifically connected to school, community, and state
The majority of people react with interest to issues that affect them directly*

15. Selecting A Topic Unusual Information
Another source for topics can be new or unusual information about a well-known subject
You might consider information that:
Has recently been discovered
Has been reinvestigated, resulting in new conclusions
Involves an influential person that has reversed his or her opinion on a topic*

16. Selecting A Topic Brainstorming
An individual or group problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous generation of ideas either by lists or word association*

17. Selecting A Topic Brainstorming
Lists
Create a list of interesting topics that you could comfortably prepare to speak about.
Narrow the list to two or three topics
Choose one of the remaining topics based on your audience’s interests and demographics*

18. Selecting A Topic Brainstorming
Word Association
Begin by writing down one topic which would be of interest to you and your audience
Write down the first thing that comes to mind when you read the words you have just written
As soon as your words remind you of something, write it down
Once you have generated a list, review it and pick two or three topics as possible final choices*

19. Refining The Topic and Purpose
Once you have selected a topic and general speech purpose, these must be refined or narrowed
This process helps develop a topic and purpose that will appeal to the greatest number of people in your audience*

20. Refining The Topic and Purpose Narrowing the Topic
Narrowing the topic involves focusing on specific aspects of it and excluding others
Consider time and research constraints when focusing on a specific topic
Brainstorming can also be used to narrow your focus by categorizing different aspects of your topic*

21. Refining The Topic and Purpose Forming a Specific Speech Purpose
Expresses both the topic and general purpose in action form and in terms of the speaker’s objectives
What is it that you want your audience to learn, do, reconsider, or agree with?*

22. From Topic and Purpose to Thesis
Thesis statement
A single statement that expresses the theme or central idea of the speech and serves to connect all parts of the speech
The thesis statement concisely identifies what the speech is about*

23. From Topic and Purpose to Thesis Making a Claim
The thesis statement makes a statement, claim, or assumption about the topic
The nature of the thesis statement varies according to the speech purpose*

24. From Topic and Purpose to Thesis Making it Relevant
The thesis statement needs to be expressed in a way that will motivate the audience to listen
This can often be accomplished by pointing out the relevance of the topic
With a well-worded phrase, the thesis statement provokes enthusiasm from the audience because the topic’s relevance has been established*