Speech Topics Are Everywhere, But They Have To Be Discovered
Are you a member of Toastmasters? Are you working to complete the Competent Communicator manual or an Advanced Communicator award?
Each Toastmasters manual provides basic guidelines for preparing your speech. However, the manuals do not give you specific topic ideas.
It is your responsibility to identify a topic and the content. Where do you get ideas?
Let’s look at ways you can discover speech topics.
First: Be present to your environment.
Second: Record every idea that sounds interesting.
Third: Think about how you could develop your ideas into a speech that has a message for your audience.
Fourth: Be willing to “think outside the box” when ideas pop into your mind.
Recently, I decided that our brains are hardwired to recognize NO as GO. How did I reach that conclusion?
My 2-year-old grandson led me to believe that NO means GO. When I tell him not to do something that is exactly what he does.
He will stand by the VCR player, ready to put his finger in the slot where the DVD is supposed to go. He waits for someone to see him and say No. Then he sticks his finger in the DVD slot.
Speech topic: NO Means GO
Have you ever forgotten something after you told yourself NOT to forget it? At the last minute, I remembered to print out the format for a radio interview and the page of questions to ask during the interview. I was sitting in one room and the printer was in another room. I mentally reminded myself not to forget to pick up the printed pages in the other room. By the time I shut down the computer, gathered everything else for the meeting, I had forgotten the recently printed pages. I remembered them… 10 minutes down the road. Too late to turn back!
Speech topic: Remember or Don’t Forget
(Go to “Remember The Ice” to learn about the word shift paradigm.)
Do you wear glasses or know someone who does? Have you noticed how often glasses need to be cleaned during the day?
My husband has several special eyeglass cleaning cloths around the house, in his truck and in his pockets. He seems to be cleaning his glasses all the time. I, on the other hand, usually wait until my vision seems a little fuzzy. No, my eyes are not tired. My glasses need cleaning! I wondered where all the debris goes if you do not wear eye glasses. It must be going directly on your delicate eyes. Ah ha! All eyes must be protected by glasses.
Speech topic: New Health Directive: Everyone Must Wear Glasses to Protect Their Eyes
(OK. There is no such health directive, but it was a fun speech.)
Speech topics come from daily life experiences.
Your vacations or future bucket list items are great topics. While on vacation at Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia, I was amazed by all the beautiful colors of tulips in bloom. My first thought: Holland must have shipped truck loads of tulips to Russia. It resulted in a Google search of tulips and the knowledge that tulips are not native to Holland. Tulips were originally from Turkey. The search also resulted in an unusual speech.
Speech topic: The Crash of Tulip Mania
Your hobbies as well as life and work experiences are good speech topics.
News articles can generate topic ideas.
How do you stimulate ideas?
How do you capture your speech ideas?
How do you develop your story ideas?
Craig Valentine, 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking and author of The Nuts and Bolts of Public Speaking, says story ideas are all around us. Thus, it is important to have pen and paper with you at all times in case you have an inspired thought.
Craig uses the 11-step Gold-digging Process:
1. Fix your message in your mind,
2. Let it marinate,
3. Write down every message-related idea,
4. Compile all ideas,
5. Speak! Speak! Speak extemporaneously,
6. Keep the 5% gold and take out the 95% trash,
7. Build bridges to the gold,
8. Check your elements,
9. Integrate and interpret,
10 Polish the gold,
11. Deliver it!
(Learn more in Craig Valentine’s book, The Nuts and Bolts of Public Speaking.)
Are you thinking about speaking on stage?
Do you have a special message to share with others?
What 3-5 points do you want to share with your audience?
Sometimes you have to begin with the end in mind. What do you want the audience to think, feel or do differently because of your message? Once you have that down to a foundational phrase of 10-15 words, it is easier to develop your speech.
Do you have to prepare a business presentation?
You usually have a primary purpose or a project or a task that needs to be done, or it has been completed and you are required to give a report.
With the speech topic selected, you have an opportunity to ensure that the presentation is informative, interesting and interactive for the audience. No matter how technical a speech may be, you can add humor and ensure the audience is not bored.
Are you keeping a list of speech topics? Write all your ideas down. Do not trust your memory. Great ideas may come .. and go.. quickly.
Once you relax and open your mind (and eyes), you will find potential speech topics all around you. It will become fun and you will enjoy sharing your speeches with others.