2.1. SELECTING A TOPIC AND PURPOSE

Topic : The subject of a speech
The first step in speech making : choosing a topic
Usually the speech topic is determined by the occasion, the audience, and the speaker’s qualification.

Two broad categories of potential topics for class room speeches

• Subject you know lot about
• Subject you want to know more about

Topics you know lot about  : Most familiar topic with one’s own knowledge and experience

Topics you want to know more about:  

It would be a learning experience for a speaker as well as audience.

Already having some knowledge but not enough to prepare a speech without doing additional research. Ex: Speech on extra sensory perception

Brainstorming for topics :A method of generating ideas for speech topics by free association of words and ideas.

• Personal inventory : (A collection of Resources)
• Clustering: (if the first method does not work try the second one)
• Reference Search : 
• Internet search :

Determining the general purpose

• The broad goal of a speech
• Usually it’ll fall into one of two overlapping categories: To inform  or To Persuade
• If the general purpose is to “inform” speaker acts as a teacher/ lecturer
• The main goal is to convey some information (clear, accurate, interest)
• If the main goal is to inform, the aim is to enhance the knowledge and understanding of the listeners, to give them information what they did not know before. Explain, report, demonstrate something  
• When the general purpose is to persuade , speaker acts as an advocate or a partisan ,
• Going beyond giving information to follow a cause.
• Speakers want to change or structure the attitude or actions of the audience
• Speaker’s primary goal is to win over his or her audiences to his/her point of view.
• To get them to believe something or do something as a result of the speech. Ex: To sale some goods, insurance policy, Sell, advocate or defend something 

Determining the specific purpose 

Specific purpose: A single infinitive phrase that states precisely what a speaker hopes to accomplish in his or her speech.Specific purpose should focus on one aspect of a topic
Example: Topic is related with 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.
Concern on what the speaker wants to say and what the speaker wants the audience to know as a result of the speech.

Tips for formulating the specific purpose statement

1. Write the purpose statement as a full infinitive phrase, not as a fragment.
Ex:   Ineffective : Calendars
        More effective : To inform my audience about the four major kinds of calendars which are used in the world today.

2. Express your purpose as a statement , not as a question
Ex:   Ineffective : What is peace building?
        More effective : To inform my audience about peace building.

3.Avoid figurative language in your purpose statement
Ex:   Ineffective : To inform my audience that Yoga is extremely cool
        More effective : To inform my audience how Yoga can improve their health.

4. Limit your purpose statement to one distinct idea
Ex:   Ineffective :To persuade my audience to become literary tutors and to donate time to the special Olympics.
       More effective : To persuade my audience to become literary tutors.
                  To persuade my audience to donate time to the special Olympics.
 Avoid to express two unrelated areas in the purpose statement. 

5. Make sure your specific purpose is not too Vague(unclear) or General.
Ex:  Ineffective : To inform my audience about the “Civil War”
       More effective : To inform my audience about the role of Indian Soldiers in the Civil War.

 Questions To Ask about your specific purpose '

• Does my purpose meet the assignment?
• Can I accomplish my purpose in the Time Allotted ?
• Is the purpose relevant to my audience? Ex:The new fertilizer is an important topic for farmers who are looking for good harvest
• Is the purpose too trivial (unimportant) for my audience -need to avoid speech topics that are too bored or complicated. Ex: How to wear a saree brooch.
• Is the purpose too technical for my audience? Ex: To inform my audience about the methods of encryption technology .

Phrasing the central idea 

What is the central idea?

• Central idea is a concise (brief) statement of what you expect to say ? (Thesis statement, subject sentence, major thought)
• It is usually expressed as a simple sentence, refines and sharpens the specific purpose statement.

Ex: 
Topic: Alternative-fuel vehicles
General purpose: To persuade
Specific purpose: To persuade my audience that the government should speed up efforts to develop alternative-fuel vehicles. 
Central idea: Developing alternative-fuel vehicles will help to reduce Sri Lankan dependence om Foreign oil and will help reduce air pollution.  

Guidelines for the central idea

1.The central idea should be expressed in a full sentence
2.It should not be in the form of a question
3.Figurative languages should be avoided
4.Should not be vague or overly general