SELECTING AND NARRWOING DOWN A TOPIC

Choosing a Topic

i) Topics You Know a Lot About
ii) Topics You Want to Know More About
iii) Brainstorming for Topics

Brainstorming: a method of generating ideas for speech topics by free association of words and ideas.

Brainstorming procedures:
· Personal inventory
· Clustering
· Reference search
· Internet search

Determining the General Purpose
A broad goal of the speech.
· To Inform: to convey information to audience
· To Persuade: to convince and change the mind to audience
. To Entertain

Determining the Specific Purpose
A single infinitive phrase that states precisely what a speaker hopes to accomplish in his/her speech.
e.g.: to inform my audience about…..
to persuade my audience about…..

Topic: Emergency
General purpose: to inform
Specific purpose: to inform my audience about the steps in responding to an emergency.


Tips for Formulating the Specific Purpose Statement

· Write the purpose statement in a full infinitive phrase, not as a fragment
Ineffective: Calendars
More Effective: To inform my audience about the four major kinds of calendars used in the world today

· Express purpose as a statement, not a question
Ineffective: Is space programme necessary?
More effective: To persuade my audience that the space programme provides many important benefits to people on earth.

· Avoid figurative language in your purpose statement
Ineffective: To inform my audience that yoga is cool.
More effective: To inform my audience how yoga can improve their health.

· Limit your purpose statement to one idea
Ineffective: To persuade my audience to become literacy tutors and to donate time to Habitat for Humanity
More effective: To persuade my audience to become literacy tutors
Or
More effective: To persuade my audience to donate time to Habitat for Humanity

· Make sure the purpose not too vague or too general
Ineffective: To inform my audience about Civil War
More effective: To inform my audience about the role of African American soldiers in the Civil War

Ineffective: To persuade my audience that something should be done about medical care.
More effective: To persuade my audience that federal government should adopt a system of national health insurance for all people in the United States

Ineffective: To inform my audience about hot-air balloons
More effective: To inform my audience the scientific use of hot-air balloons


Questions to Ask About Your Specific Purpose

· Can I accomplish my purpose in the allotted time?
Most people speak at an average rate of 120 to 150 words per minute. This means that a six-minute speech will consist roughly 720 to 900 words.

· Is the purpose relevant to my audience?

· Is the purpose too trivial for my audience?

· Is the purpose too technical for my audience?


Phrasing the Central Idea

What Is the Central Idea?
· One statement that unites your content.

E.g.:
Topic: Emergency
General Purpose: To Inform
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of the major steps in responding to an emergency
Central Idea: The major steps in responding to an emergency are surveying the scene, contacting an emergency medical service, and starting CPR if need.