Chapter 7: Selecting a Topic and Purpose

The general speech purpose for any speech answers what question?

"What is my object in speaking on this topic to this audience on this occasion?"

Ask yourself: What do you want the audience to learn/do/ reconsider/agree with? Be specific about your aim, and then state it in action form, as in the following, written for an informative speech: EXAMPLE OF HOW TO GET TO THE SPECIFIC SPEECH PURPOSE

1.) GENERAL TOPIC: Consolidating Student Loans 2.) NARROWED TOPIC: Understanding when and why consolidating student loans makes sense 3.) GENERAL PURPOSE: To Inform 4.) SPECIFIC SPEECH PURPOSE: To inform my audience about the factors to consider when deciding whether or not to consolidate student loans

What are some things to consider when exploring topics for your speech?

1.) Identify Personal Interests 2.) Consider Current Events and Controversial Issues (explore topics on CQ Researcher and CQ Global Researcher 3.) Survey Grassroots Issues: Engage the Community (Audience members respond with interest to local issues that may affect them directly: for example, college students want to know why their loan rates have increased; residents want to know about local environmental issues) 4.) Steer Clear of Overused and Trivial Topics (People want to hear new information and different perspectives.) 5.) Try Brainstorming to Generate Ideas -To brainstorm by word association, write down one topic that might interest you and your listeners. Then jot down the first thing that comes to mind related to it. Repeat the process until you have fifteen to twenty items. Narrow the list to two or three, and then select a final topic: cars ➝ maintenance ➝ engines ➝ advantages of diesel fuels -Topic (mind) mapping is a brainstorming technique in which you lay out words in diagram form to show categorical relationships among them. Put a potential topic in the middle of a piece of paper. As related ideas come to you, write them down, as shown in Figure 7.1. 6.) Utilize Internet Tools -Excellent online tools for finding (and narrowing) a topic are the databases available on a library's portal, or its home page (see also p. 61). Consult general databases such as Academic OneFile (for browsing and starting the search process) and subject-specific databases such as Ethnic NewsWatch (for in- depth research on a topic)

Once you have an idea for a topic and have established a general speech purpose, you'll need to narrow your focus to align with the nature of the occasion, audience expectations, and time constraints. This will include you doing the following:

1.) Narrow Your Topic -Say your general topic is video games. Some related categories are platform (handheld, arcade), type (racing, role playing), and operating system (Linux, Macintosh, Windows). 2.) Form a Specific Speech Purpose -The specific speech purpose lays out precisely what you want the audience to take away from your presentation. -Although the specific purpose statement need not be articulated in the actual speech, it is important to know and to keep in mind exactly what you want to accomplish. 3.) Compose a Thesis Statement -The thesis statement (also called central idea) is the theme of the speech stated as a single, declarative sentence. -Both thesis and specific purpose statements describe the speech topic, but in different forms. The specific purpose describes in action form what you want to achieve with the speech; the thesis statement concisely identifies, in a single idea, what the speech is about. By clearly stating your speech thesis (what it's about), you set in your mind exactly what outcome you want to accomplish (the specific purpose).

What are typically the 3 basic general purposes for a speech?

1.) To inform -Do you aim primarily to educate or inform listeners about your topic? The general purpose of an informa- tive speech is to increase the audience's awareness and understanding of a topic by defining, describing, explaining, or demonstrating knowledge of the subject. 2.) To persuade -s your goal to influence listeners to accept your posi- tion on a topic and perhaps to take action (e.g., "only eat wild salmon")? The general purpose of the persuasive speech is to effect some degree of change in the attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors of audience members. 3.) To mark a special occasion -Are you there to mark a special occasion, such as an awards ceremony? The special occasion speech serves the general purpose of entertaining, celebrating, commemo- rating, inspiring, or setting a social agenda, and includes speeches of introduction, acceptance, and presentation; roasts and toasts; eulogies; and after-dinner speeches, among others.

The difference between the thesis and specific purpose can be clearly seen in the following examples.

EX #1: Speech Topic: -Blogs General Speech Purpose: -To Inform Specific Speech Purpose: -To inform my audience of three benefits of keeping a blog Thesis Statement: Maintaining a blog provides the opportunity to practice writing, a means of networking with others who share similar interests, and the chance to develop basic website management skills. EX #2: Speech Topic: -Service learning courses General Speech Purpose: -To persuade Specific Speech Purpose: -To persuade my audience that service learning courses are beneficial for gaining employment after schooling. Thesis Statement: -To prepare for a difficult job market and enhance your resumé while making a significant difference for other people, you should take one or more service learning courses. In an informative speech, the thesis conveys the scope of the topic, the steps associated with the topic, or the underlying elements of it. It describes what the audience will learn. In a persuasive speech, the thesis represents what you are going to prove in the address. Notice, too, that in both examples, after you read the thesis you find yourself asking "Why?" or thinking "Prove it!" This will be accomplished by the evidence you give in the speech points (see Chapter 11).

The speech occasion itself often suggests an appropriate general speech purpose.

The speech occasion itself often suggests an appropriate general speech purpose. A town activist, invited to address a civic group about installing solar panels in town buildings, may choose a persuasive purpose to encourage the group to get behind the effort. If invited to describe the initiative to the town finance committee, the activist may choose an informa- tive purpose, in which the main goal is to help the committee understand project costs. If asked to speak at an event cele- brating the project's completion, the speaker will choose a special occasion purpose. Addressing the same topic, the speaker selects a different general speech purpose to suit the audience and occasion.

No matter if you have a specific topic assigned, or if you get to choose your own topic, what must you consider?

You must consider each topics potential appeal to the audience and its appropriateness to the rhetorical situation (The term "rhetorical situation" refers to the circumstances that bring texts into existence. The concept emphasizes that writing is a social activity, produced by people in particular situationsfor particular goals.)

Unless you can clearly identify what you want to sat and why you want to say it (your topic and purpose) prior to delivering a speech __________

you won't be able to give one that works