Chapter 3: Preparing for Your First Speech
Choosing Your Topic
One of the first things that you must do when preparing a speech is to determine your topic -the subject and focus of your presentation . While this may seem like a simple detail, some students find the process difficult for several reasons. First, there are so many potentially interesting topics to choose from that it can seem overwhelming. Do you choose a light, humorous topic or an insightful, heartfelt one? Do you discuss politics, daily life, relationships, work, ongoing societal controversies, or perhaps personal conflict? Additionally, some students stress over finding the “perfect ” topic. That’s a lot of unnecessary pressure. Any number of topics could be perfect for your presentation, depending on the guidelines assigned by your instructor.
If you find yourself floundering, consider brainstorming. According to Isaksen and Treffinger, brainstorming allows your brain to be creative by removing the normal inhibitions (7). ” “No, that would never work. ” “That might be too absurd to even consider. “). The technique first became popular when an ad executive, Alex Osborn, realized that his employees needed to begin thinking creatively -outside the box -to generate new direction and new ideas for clients. You may find Osborn’s “rules ” helpful as you attempt the process.
No criticism of ideas. Don’t worry right away about how useful, appropriate, or acceptable your initial ideas are -you can edit later
Go for large quantities of ideas in a short period of time -try to write down as many ideas as you can within a predetermined time (for example, one minute)
Every idea has equal worth -there are no “good ” or “bad ” ideas. Withhold your internal judgment until you’ve finished
Encourage wild and exaggerated ideas. Write down everything -no matter how farfetched an idea might seem at the time
Sometimes the craziest ideas will be the ones to engage an audience or spark interest. You may find yourself writing down ideas that you would have never considered before, and one of those ideas could be perfect for your speech. Here is a great example of finding an “outside of the box ” topic.
The assignment was to present a demonstration or a “how to ” presentation. Many students discussed how to bake a cake or change a tire. Some chose to cover issues like how to choose a good course or find textbooks cheap. One student, however, had obviously done some brainstorming. Her topic was “How to be a superhero. ” Did she take a risk? Sure. College students could have ridiculed that topic; they certainly might have considered the topic juvenile or absurd. In reality, her listeners loved it! She was engaging, she was certainly unique, and she presented it with a grin and a sense of humor. She was the hit of the class.
You might think to yourself, “I could never do anything that unusual. ” That’s fine. Instead, you might choose to find a topic by focusing on your own interests, hobbies, or skills . Do