Public Speaking

Choose and Research a Speech Topic

Choosing a topic
Methods to find the right topic
• What do I know about?
• Method: Personal Inventory

• What matters to you?

• Method: Guided Brainstorming

• What interest my audience?

• Method: Internet research
• Method: Current events research
Finding your topic
Question What do I know about? What matters to me? What interests my audience?

Internet Research
Method Personal Inventory Guided Brainstorm
Current Events Research
List 20 topics per category: Respond with as many ideas as • News headlines
possible to prompts:
• People • Social Media trends
• Places • “It makes me angry
• Things that/when…”
Details • Events
• Processes • “The world would be a better
place if…”
Narrowing your topic
• Clustering
• Explore and identify related subtopics to your general topic
• Mind mapping

Yoga

Benefits of Yoga
• Inverted Pyramid
• Create a series of more specific sub-topics
Benefits for college students

Stress reduction

• Initial Research Helps with anxiety

• Discover more aspects of your topic through: Yoga

• Conversations meditation
• Social media polls
Breathing
• Articles and websites
 Finding the Specific Purpose
“Why am I speaking?
Step 1: • Inform
General • Persuade
purpose • Entertain
• Commemorate

Step 2: “What is my topic?”

• You
Specific • Your Audience
Purpose • Context/setting

Step 3:
“How do I phrase it?”
Specific
Purpose
Formula
To _______________ [Specific Communication Word (inform, demonstrate, describe, persuade, convince, argue)] _______________
[Target Audience (my classmates, the members of the Social Work Club, my coworkers] __________________. [The Content (how to bake
brownies, that Macs are better than PCs].
Central Idea Statement

• Specific Purpose Statement: a written guide for your speech

• Central Idea: Stated during your speech
• Defines your topic, purpose, direction, angle, and/or point of view

SPECIFIC PURPOSE

To demonstrate to my audience the correct method for cleaning a computer keyboard

CENTRAL IDEA
“Your computer keyboard needs regular cleaning to function well, and you can achieve that in four
easy steps.“
Creating the Central Idea Statement
• Guidelines:
• One complete sentence
• A statement, not a question
• Specific with concrete language
• Each element within relates to the others

Strong formulation of central idea Weak formulation of central idea

Yoga practice can help college students improve the quality of their
sleep, improve posture, and manage anxiety.
Yoga practice can help college students focus while studying, manage
stress, and increase mindfulness.
Yoga is great for many things. It can help you sleep better and not be
too stiff. Yoga also helps you feel better. (This central idea is not one
sentence and uses vague words.)
What are the benefits of yoga for college students? (This central idea
should be a statement, not a question.)

Yoga is an inclusive, low-impact practice that offers mental and
physical benefits for a beginning athlete, a highly competitive athlete,
and everyone in between.
Yoga practice can help college students develop mindfulness so they
can manage anxiety, increase their sense of self-worth, and improve
decision making.
Yoga is great and everyone should try it. (This central idea uses vague
language.)
Yoga practice increases mindfulness, but can lead to some injuries and
it takes at least 200 hours of training to become an instructor. (The
elements of this central idea are not related to one another.)
Class Activity: Generate topics
1. Perform a Personal Inventory (3 minutes)
• Persons, places, things, events, processes

2. Perform a Guided Brainstorm (3 minutes)

• “It makes me angry that/when…”
• “The world would be a better place if…”

3. Topic Discussion (10 minutes)

• Discuss social or cultural trends that are interesting
• Discuss relevant news and current events

4. Generate 5 potential topics that intersect what you know about, what matters to you, and
what might interest your audience.
Researching your speech
Types of support
EXAMPLES: stories or instances to illustrate abstract or vague ideas

Short Examples Long Examples Hypothetical Examples

Specific Instances Narratives and Stories Imaginary but realistic scenarios

DATA: facts and statistics

• Avoid using too many
• Translate complex, overly-technical ideas into clear language
• Rounding large or complex numbers
• Use relatable comparisons for numbers

TESTIMONY : endorsement or point of view from credible person

Expert Peer Personal
• Non-expert with direct experience
Authority on the topic • Relatable to the audience Your own firsthand experience
Gathering support materials
Personal Experience
• Your own
• Others (with consent)
Academic Research
• Materials written and reviewed by experts
• Scholarly journals, dissertations, professional conference papers
• Search: college databases or Google Scholar
Internet Research
• Articles, websites, blogs, photos
• Requires critical evaluation of source credibility
Interviews
• Formal correspondence with an expert
Thinking outside the box
• Books, movies, television, video clips, podcasts, social media polls
Assessing the Quality of Your Sources
STOP
Think critically. Recognize your own bias and
emotions.
Seek to understand with an open mind

INVESTIGATE
Find out who the author is, why they wrote it, etc.

FIND BETTER COVERAGE

Read laterally about what other sources say about
the claim

TRACE CLAIMS
Trace claims, quotes, and media back to the
original source to see the full context
Taking Notes
Take lots of notes
• Details of what it is and citation information
• Messages to yourself about where and how to use it
• Even if you’re not sure you’ll use the source

Use a system
• Maintain consistent formatting
• Format: Actual notes, source, where to put in speech
• Label the subject of the note

Separate Entries
• Each note is a separate entry, even from the same source

Label Clearly
• Identify whether you are quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing
• Source information
 Public Speaking
Organizing and Outlining Your Speech
Organizing a Speech
Purposes of Organizing Your Ideas

• Clarity
• Credibility
• Easy of Remembering
• Strategy
• Speaker Recall
Organizational Patterns
• Topical: Dividing your central idea into distinct categories or sub-topics of equal breadth and
importance
• Time limit should determine the number and breadth of the categories
• Categories or sub-topics could be presented in any order and provide a logical structure
• Works when other patterns do not
• Best for: informative, introduction, commemorative, and speeches to entertain
• Chronological: main points are ordered sequentially through time
• Best for: informative and introduction speeches
• Step by Step: presents the steps involved in doing something, following the order of a process
• Best for: demonstration speeches
• Spatial : main points are presented in a directional structure
• Best for: informative speeches where the topic is organized by location, geography, or moving through
space
• Paired Sequence: links natural pairings [cause/effect, pro/con, benefits/risk,
advantages/disadvantages, problem/solution]
• Best for: persuasive and informative speeches
Class Activity

• Speech topic: ”Choosing a career”

• Brainstorm, discuss, and decide on 3 main points for your speech
• Discuss which organizational pattern you will use
Outlining a Speech
Purposes of the Speech Outline

• Organize materials
• Quickly see imbalances in length/depth of main points
• Shows gaps in material or support
• Double-check flow and logic
• Critical evaluation of every piece of content, ensuring a well edited and logical speech
Parts of the Speech Outline
Title

Central Idea

Transitions and full sentences

Uniform Indentation

Not Pictured, but included:

• Labeled Sections
• Bibliography
 The Speaking Outline
The Format
• Highlight, underline, pause symbols, etc. to help your delivery
• Outline structure
• Large font to see while glancing
• White space to quickly find your place
• Limit to 3-5 notecards

INCLUDE AVOID

• High-level key phrases • Staples or clips

• Page/Card numbers • Writing on both sides of the card
• Delivery prompts • Small font
• Specific quotes or statistics • Writing too much
• Practice with them • Preparing the day of speech
Class Activity: Create a speaking outline

• From the sample outline “Make the Change: Switch to a Reusable Water Bottle”, create a
speaking outline from the full speech outline
Documenting Sources
Preliminary Bibliography

Definition: A live document listing every resource used to research your speech

Purpose: Builds a list of possible sources without determining whether or how

they will fit in your final speech draft

Strategy:
1. Save time by documenting and formatting source information in either APA or MLA format
2. Clearly indicate all sources that are used in your speech as soon as you use them
3. Revise source list to only include sources used in the final speech outline.
Annotated Bibliography

Purpose: a compilation of sources that serves as a guide to revisit when

putting your speech together

• Full MLA or APA source citation for each source, listed in alphabetical order
• Each source has a brief paragraph beneath it summarizing how you will use the source
• A brief summary of the source
• A critique and evaluation of credibility
• An explanation of how you will use the source
Style Differences
MLA APA
Style Guide Visit syle.mla.org Visit APA (7th edition)
• Works Cited • References
Title • Centered at the top of the page • Centered at the top of page
• Not italicized or bolded • Bolded
• Focus is on core elements regardless of
Source Structure source type. Each source has its own structure
• “source” and “containers”

Special Attention Number of containers Capitalization rules

Considered a category and cited with

“Databases Not included in article citations
website (unless it has a DOI)

• List all authors up to 20

2 : Last name, first name and first name last • Last name, first initial. middle initial.
Multiple Authors name. • Use ampersand before the last author
>2 authors: last name, first name, et al. • After 20th: Use ellipses (no ampersand), and
then final author’s name
MLA Works Cited Page
• Source : Work that is referenced
• Article
• Essay
• Book
• Short Story

• Container 1 : Where the source is

housed
• Journal
• Anthology
• Newspaper

• Container 2: Where container 1 is

housed
• Database
APA References Page

• Style variations:
• Book and article titles in sentence case
• Only first word and proper nouns are
capitalized

• Books are italicized

• Articles : Neither italics nor quotation

marks

• Journal titles are capitalized and

italicized
Quick Review

• Organizing your ideas can build your credibility and confidence to deliver an effective
speech
• Depending on your specific goal, you may choose to organize your speech in 5 different
patterns:
• Topical, Chronological, Step by Step, Spatial, Paired Sequence
• Creating a speech outline helps to
• organize materials, quickly assess balance of ideas, and critically evaluate every piece of content
• There are four methods to deliver your speech:
• Manuscript, Memorized, Impromptu, Extemporaneous
• Speaking outlines are used for extemporaneous delivery
• There are 3 ways to document research:
• Preliminary bibliography, Annotated bibliography, APA References or MLA Works Cited
Public Speaking
Refining Your Speech
Introductions
Purpose of a Speech Introduction

• Get the audience’s attention

• Establish credibility
• Provide a reason to listen
• Reveal the thesis
• Preview main points
Types of Attention Getters
Quick and Easy: (low-order)
Little time to prepare, audience is positively invested in your topic
• Rhetorical Question
• Quotation

Audience-Centered: (higher-order)
More time to prepare, audience is unfamiliar and/or positively invested in topic
• Refer to the audience
• Refer to a recent, current, or historical event
• Hypothetical Scenario

Relevant and Stimulating: (highest-order)

Ample time to prepare, audience is unfamiliar and/or disagrees with your thesis
• Anecdote
• Provocative Statement
• Startling Statistic or Strange Fact
Questions for a Strong Introduction
1. How long is my introduction?
2. How effective is my attention-getter
3. Have I linked my attention-getter to my topic?
4. How strong is my thesis?
5. Have I provided a reason to listen?
6. How easy is it to recall my preview?
7. How have I established my credibility?
Practice Question 2

What does not work about the following introduction?

“Andrew was walking down the street when an alien popped out in front of him. The possibility of us popping in
front of aliens is not too far away. In fact, some of us in this class may find themselves booking a ticket around
the moon! Today, let’s discuss the future of private space tourism. We will begin by first, exploring the
partnership between SpaceX and NASA, then project where we could potentially go with space tourism, and
finally evaluate the impacts of introducing Earthlings to the larger intergalactic community.”

A. The attention getter does not link to the topic

B. The preview is lacking signposts
C. The thesis is unclear
D. There is no reason to listen
Conclusions
Purpose of a Speech Conclusion

• Review Main Points

• Restate the Thesis
• Provide a Lasting Thought
Types of Lasting Thoughts in Conclusions
Low-Order:
• Rhetorical Question
• Quotation

High-Order:
• Visualize the Future
• Call to Action
• Clear and direct
• Immediate
• Lowers barriers to action
• Focuses on the benefits to the audience
• Personalized to the power of audience members
Questions for a Strong Conclusion

1. How long is my conclusion?

2. Have I included any new ideas in my conclusion?
3. How easy is it to recall my review?
4. Is the thesis of the speech clearly articulated?
5. Have I linked back to my attention-getting device?
6. How effective is my lasting thought?
7. How well can I deliver my conclusion?
Class Discussion: Label the conclusion

• Identify the elements of the following conclusion:

Today, we’ve discussed the future of private space tourism. We began by first, exploring the partnership
between SpaceX and NASA, then projected where we could potentially go with space tourism, and finally
evaluated the impacts of introducing Earthlings to the larger intergalactic community. While Andrew may not
be seeing an alien any time too soon, our world is certainly expanding. One day, not too far off, we may all be
gazing out at the earth instead of the moon.

• Review of Main Points

• Restating Thesis (Central Idea)
• Lasting Thought
• Link to the Attention Getter
Connectors and Transitions
Purpose of Connectors and Transitions

• Connect Ideas
• Help the audience follow along
Types of Connectors and Transitions

• Previews
• Main Preview: introduction
• Internal Preview: each main point
• Reviews/Summaries
• Main Review: conclusion
• Internal Review: each main point
• Transitions
• Summary Transitions: between main points
• Internal Transitions: between subpoints
• Signposts
• Used with every connector and transition
Questions for Strong Connectors and Transitions

1. Are they in respective order?

2. Are they easy to recall?
• Recue wording
• Use parallelism
• Use alliteration and assonance
• Embrace repetition
3. Does each connector have signposts?
Class Activity: Revise the Preview

• Improve the preview below by using “Questions for Strong Connectors and Transitions”:

Today, let’s discuss the future of private space tourism. We will begin by first,
exploring the partnership between SpaceX and NASA, then project where we could
potentially go with space tourism, and finally evaluate the impacts of introducing
Earthlings to the larger intergalactic community
Language for Spoken Presentations
Oral vs Written Style

Spoken Written

• Shorter, familiar words • Interesting, high-level words

• Shorter, simpler sentences • Complex sentence structure
• Use Contractions • Avoid contractions
• Informal, Colloquial expressions • Formal, neutral expressions and phrases
• Incomplete sentences • Rules of grammar are followed
 Choosing Your Words
Abstract Concrete
• Intangible (no physical referent) • Tangible referent
• Ideas, Concepts, Emotions • Things we know through our 5 senses
• Ambiguous • Uses the ladder of abstraction to become
more specific

Denotative Meaning Connotative Meaning

• Standard, dictionary-based meaning of • Emotional responses and personal thoughts
a word evoked by a word

Jargon Familiar Language

• Exclusive, insider-based shorthand and • Common language used by the general
phrases population
Language Pitfalls

• Exclusionary and Offensive Language

• Inappropriate Language
• For Yourself
• For the Audience
• For the Context
• For the Speech
• Inaccurate Word Usage
• Words that do not exist
• Not knowing the definition
• Malapropism
• Eggcorn
• “I vs You” Scenarios