Choosing a Topic for Your Speech

Wouldn't it be nice if you were always given the topic of your speech? That way, all you would have to do is research that topic and write your speech. While that happens some times, most often you will be given a general type of speech, with the choice of topic left up to you.

So, how do you decide on a topic for your speech? Once you have identified what type of speech you will be making, follow these guidelines in choosing a specific topic:

• Choose a topic you already know a lot about. You will feel much more relaxed and confident talking about something you know about instead of choosing one about which you know nothing.
• Choose a topic you are interested in discussing. You may know a good amount about many topics, but you may not be very interested in them. Avoid these topics. How can you interest the audience in a subject matter that doesn’t interest you?
• Choose a topic that you can make interesting and/or beneficial to your listeners. Your audience doesn’t have to be interested in your topic before you speak, but they must be when you are finished speaking. It helps to know your potential audience, so that you have a good understanding of their interests.
• Choose a topic that suits the requirements of the assignment. Be sure you know the type of speech, the time constraints, and any other requirements, and choose your topic accordingly.

Conduct a Self Inventory

You may also want to conduct a self-inventory to help you come up with possible topics. Ask yourself the following:

1. What are my intellectual and educational interests?
2. What do I like to read? What do I like to watch on television?
3. What particular courses, or topics covered in courses, have specifically interested me?
4. What are my career goals? What do I hope to do in my life?
5. What are my favorite leisure activities and interests? What things do I do for fun that others might like to learn more about or take part in?
6. What personal and social concerns are significant to me?
7. What is going on in my life that bothers or affects me?
8. What is happening outside my immediate world that is unfair, unjust, or in need of improvement?
   

Synonyms: Peech, pseech, seech, sepech, spech, speeech, speceh, speeh, speehc, and speec are typos for "speech."