• Topic: – The subject of a speech – It is usually determined by the occasion, the audience and the speaker’s qualifications
• Two broad categories of potential topics:
1. Topics you know a lot about – E.g. The Basics of Backpacking, How to have a successful job interview 2. Topics you want to know more about • BRAINSTORMING FOR TOPICS 1. Personal inventory 2. Clustering 3. Reference search 4. Internet search CONCEPTS PLACES THINGS
– Example of clustering: Business ethics Paris iPod
Conservatism My hometown Blackberry
Free-speech theories The moon Robots
TELEVISION CAMPUS CRIME EVENTS
Movies Police Graduation Academy Awards Fingerprints World Cup Gambling Gloves Chinese New Year TELEVISION PROGRAMS
COMEDY CHILDREN’S EDUCATIONAL NEWS MOVIES SPORTS
PROGRAM PROGRAMS
PRE 1960s 1961-1979 1980-2000 PRESENT TIME
WOMEN MEN RELATIONSHIP
TOPIC: WOMEN IN TELEVISION COMEDY / FAMILIES IN TELEVISION COMEDY
DETERMINING THE GENERAL PURPOSE
• The general purpose of your speech usually falls
into two categories: 1. To inform – You act as a teacher or lecturer – Your goal is to convey information clearly, accurately, and interestingly – Your aim is to enhance the knowledge and understanding of your listeners 2. To persuade – You act as advocate or a partisan – You go beyond giving information – Your primary goal is to win over your listeners to your point of view DETERMINING THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE
• Specific purpose should focus on one aspect of the
topic • Should be able to state your specific purpose in one single phrase e.g. “to inform my audience….” • Example: Topic: Music therapy General purpose: To inform Specific purpose: To inform my audience about the benefits of music therapy for people with psychological or cognitive disabilities • TIPS FOR FORMULATING THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE STATEMENT 1. Write the purpose statement as 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
2. Express your purpose as a statement, not as a question
Ineffective : What is Dia de los Muertos? More effective : To inform my audience about the history of Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos celebration 3. Avoid figurative language in your purpose statement Ineffective : To persuade my audience that the campus policy on student parking really stinks More effective : To persuade my audience that the campus policy on student parking should be revised to provide more spaces for students before 5 p.m.
4. Limit your purpose statement to one distinct idea
Ineffective : To persuade my audience to become literacy tutors and to donate time to the Special Olympics More effective : To persuade my audience to become literacy tutors / To persuade my audience to donate time to the Special Olympics 5. Make sure your specific purpose is not too vague or general Ineffective : To persuade my audience that something should be done about medical care More effective : To persuade my audience that the federal government should adopt a system of national health insurance for all people in the United States • QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT YOUR SPECIFIC PURPOSE 1. Does my purpose meet the assignment? 2. Can I accomplish my purpose in the time allotted? 3. Is the purpose relevant to my audience? 4. Is the purpose too trivial for my audience? 5. Is the purpose too technical for my audience? PHRASING THE CENTRAL IDEA • What is central idea? – A concise statement of what you expect to say – Sometimes it is called the thesis statement, the subject sentence or the major thought – Example: Topic : Music therapy General purpose : To inform Specific purpose : To inform my audience about the benefits of music therapy for people with psychological or cognitive disabilities Central idea : Music therapy developed as a formal mode of treatment during the twentieth century, utilizes a number of methods, and is explained by several theories that account for its success • GUIDELINES FOR THE CENTRAL IDEA – Central idea: 1. Should be expressed in a full sentence 2. Should not be in the form of a question 3. Should avoid figurative language 4. Should not be vague or overly general – Examples of poorly written central ideas: • Paying college athletes a monthly salary is a good idea • Problems of fad diets • What are nanorobots? – More effective: • Because college athletes in revenue-producing sports such as football and basketball generate millions of dollars in revenue for their schools, the NCAA should allow such athletes to receive a $300 monthly salary as part of their scholarships • Although fad diets produce quick weight loss, they can lead to serious health problems by creating deficiencies in vitamins and minerals and by breaking down muscle tissue as well as fat • Microscopic in size, nanorobots are being developed for use in medicine, weaponry, and daily life