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When choosing your speech topic, brainstorm to generate many ideas, and distill those ideas to find your singular topic. Learning ObjectivesDiscuss different strategies for choosing a speech topic Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
Choose Your TopicClustering: An example of an idea cluster for the subject “gardening.” As you begin to prepare for any speech, it’s important to pin down exactly about what you plan to talk. You might have been given a specific topic by a professor or supervisor, or you may be simply invited to speak at an event where the topic is up to you. Knowing how to carefully select your topic is an important first step in preparing for a successful speech. Start by thinking about your venue. Where will you be giving your speech? To whom will you be speaking? [We’ll get to analyzing your audience in the next section. ] Then, start to think about what you know about the topic, and move towards those subjects or tangents about which you don’t know. It’s helpful to speak about a topic with which you are already familiar, but sometimes you may be called into situations where you have no prior knowledge about a given subject. In either instance, it’s helpful to approach your topic through brainstorming. BrainstormingOne of the best ways to help solidify your speech topic is to brainstorm. You can brainstorm by yourself, or you might want to bring in a few friends, colleagues or classmates to help you come up with ideas in a group setting. You can brainstorm using a number of different exercises. Word Association Start with a broad topic idea. What words, topics, or other subjects do you associate with that first topic? Now what words, topics, or other subjects do you associate with the following word? Continue this chain of word association to give you a broad spectrum of ideas. Clustering Also known as mind-mapping, clustering gives your word association a visual form. Start with your main idea and draw a circle around it, thinking of it like the hub of a wheel. Now, begin to write other associated ideas, topics, or subcategories related to that main topic around the hub, and connect them as separate spokes. From each spoke, begin to jot down other associated ideas and thoughts. As your cluster begins to grow, you might want to connect smaller spokes to one another and create new links between subjects. Freewriting This is probably the simplest brainstorm method of all. Set a timer and begin writing whatever thoughts or ideas come to mind about your particular subject. You might find it easier to type your freewriting instead of writing it by hand, so you can keep up with your thoughts faster. Whatever you do, don’t stop writing. Another way of freewriting is to record yourself talking for a set period of time and then transcribing your key points to go back to and clarify later. Once your time is up, go back and highlight or circle relevant points or topics that stick out for you. You’ll refine these later. Distill Your Ideas into One TopicOnce you’ve brainstormed your many ideas, it’s time to refine your ideas and distill them into one topic. Look for themes, patterns, and commonalities when going through your brainstorming notes. Use these themes to help guide you toward a singular topic. Do a Little HomeworkWhile you will definitely research your topic, you might want to do some “presearch” – that is, a little research before the real research. Do a quick scan to see what others have said or written about your topic. This might give you even more ideas of how to refine and distill your topic, or more appropriately adapt it to your audience or venue. Osborn's methodEditBrainstorming activity conducting Osborn claimed that two principles contribute to "ideative efficacy," these being:
Following these two principles were his four general rules of brainstorming, established with intention to:
Four rulesEdit
Osborn notes that brainstorming should address a specific question; he held that sessions addressing multiple questions were inefficient. Further, the problem must require the generation of ideas rather than judgment; he uses examples such as generating possible names for a product as proper brainstorming material, whereas analytical judgments such as whether or not to marry do not have any need for brainstorming.[6] Osborn envisioned groups of around 12 participants, including both experts and novices. Participants are encouraged to provide wild and unexpected answers. Ideas receive no criticism or discussion. The group simply provide ideas that might lead to a solution and apply no analytical judgment as to the feasibility. The judgments are reserved for a later date.
Brainstorming: A method of generating ideas for speech topics by free association of words and ideas. Determining the General Purpose: You need to determine the general purpose of your speech. When your general purpose is to you act as a teacher or lecture?81. When your general purpose is to inform, you act as a teacher or lecturer. 82. When your general purpose is to persuade, you act as a partisan or an advocate. When you want to change or structure of the attitudes of your audience your general purpose is to?This preview shows page 3 - 4 out of 4 pages. You change or structure the attitudes or actions of your audience. Your primary goal is to win over your listeners to you point of view – to get them to believe something as a result of your speech. What is a one sentence statement that encapsulates the major ideas of a speech?Central idea is a one sentence statement that SUMS UP or encapsulates the major IDEAS of a speech, sometimes called the thesis statement. The Specific Purpose is a single infinitive phrase that states precisely what a speaker hopes to accomplish in his or her speech; their GOAL. What a speaker wants the audience to remember after it has forgotten everything else in a speech is called?The ____________ is what a speaker wants the audience to remember after it has forgotten everything else in a speech. residual message. What kind of topic is most suitable for a speech?It's not easy picking a topic for your speech as there are many options so consider the following factors when deciding.
When providing emotional support for a speaker this is called?Empathetic Listening. Listening to provide emotional support for the speaker. ( Why do I struggle with listening?The lack of an ability to listen well stems from either the lack of a decent attention span or the desire to actually pay attention. Since you want to change and concentrate on what people say, let's assume you do care about the words that come out of other people's mouths. Why am I so bad at paying attention?ADHD. ADHD is a common disorder usually diagnosed in childhood that often lasts into adulthood. People with ADHD often have trouble paying attention and controlling their impulses. Being overly active is a symptom of ADHD, but not everyone with the disorder has the hyperactivity component. How can I communicate better and listen?There are five key active listening techniques you can use to help you become a more effective listener:
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