A good speech topic must pique both the audience’s curiosity and your own, too. As you explore topics, consider each one’s potential appeal to the audience and its appropriateness for the occasion. Will the topic meet listeners’ expectations for the speech?

Assigned versus Self-Selected Topics

In the workplace and in the classroom, including the public speaking course, employers and instructors will assign various kinds of speeches, some of which might have a set topic. Even when the topic is yours to choose, you are usually given some direction as to how your talk should be presented. For example:

Even in the preliminary stages of choosing a topic, think about the constraints of the speech circumstances. Doing so may help you avoid picking inappropriate or unrealistic topics.

Identify Personal Interests

Selecting a topic you are familiar with and enthusiastic about has several advantages. You’ll enjoy researching and learning more about it. You’ll bring a genuine enthusiasm to your presentation, which will help convey your competence and encourage the audience to see you as a highly credible speaker.

As seen in Table 7.1, personal interests run the gamut from favorite activities and hobbies to deeply held goals and values. Personal experiences provide powerful topics, especially if your telling them in some way benefits the audience. “What it’s like” stories also yield captivating topics. For example, what is it like to go hang gliding in the Rocky Mountains or to be part of a medical mission team working in Uganda?

Consider Current Events and Controversial Issues

Few of us have the time to delve into the barrage of events that get reported, yet most of us appreciate learning about them when we can. As an interested and responsible citizen of your community and the world, select events and issues that are most important to you and your audience, and see if you can make a difference. A word of warning, however: people rarely respond to alternative perspectives directed at their core values, so speeches on such topics must be planned very carefully to hold the audience’s positive attention and leave them thinking about the ideas presented.

Librarians often refer students to two related publications—CQ Researcher (published weekly) and CQ Global Researcher (published monthly)—for trustworthy background information on pressing social, political, environmental, and regional issues. Available online as part of your library’s electronic holdings, for each topic they include an overview and assessment of the current situation, pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions, and bibliographies of key sources.

Survey Grassroots Issues: Engage the Community

Audience members respond with interest to local issues that may affect them directly. Town residents want to know why their utility rates have increased dramatically; parents need information on proposed changes to the public school schedules. People are also interested in what other people in their communities are doing. Review your community’s newspapers and news blogs for the local headlines. Consider giving a speech about a charitable event you participate in or a campus club you belong to.

Steer Clear of Overused and Trivial Topics

To avoid boring your classmates and instructor, stay away from tired issues, such as drunk driving and the health risks of smoking cigarettes, as well as trite topics such as “how to change a tire.” These and other overused topics appear far too frequently in student classroom speeches across the country. Instead, seek out subject matter that yields new or refreshing insight. As one source of ideas, consider searching your favorite print or online publications. Indeed, consider how you can apply relevant secondary research to personal experience to form a topic. Fresh ideas based on firsthand knowledge are more intriguing and provide an opportunity for others to get to know you better.