As you determine your speech topic, you should also consider how to adapt the topic to the needs and interests of your audience. Developing an understanding of your audience will guide you in narrowing your topic and actually composing your speech.

A few years ago, one of our students, Paolina, was preparing a persuasive speech for class. As a breast cancer survivor, she wanted to use this opportunity to encourage women to engage in monthly breast self-exams and see a doctor every year, common ways to detect the early stages of cancer. By focusing on a topic she was passionate about and had personal experience with, Paolina felt confident about the content of her speech. But she also knew that she would have to make her topic relevant to all of her classmates in order to deliver a successful speech. She pondered how to take what’s usually considered a women’s health issue and make it relevant to the men in the class. While researching her topic, she kept an eye out for ways to make that connection and discovered that men, too, are at risk for breast cancer, although in smaller numbers than women. She also realized that men could encourage the women in their lives to get regular examinations. By taking the time to think about how her topic would relate to her audience, Paolina prepared a speech targeted to all of her listeners—men and women alike.