choosing a topic

• timely, relatable, interesting

  • is it sensible as of the moment

  • are there aspects of the issue that will be useful to the audience

  • provides questions that want to be answered

  • unresolved issues to engage the audience

• will my audience have even a little background info about my topic

  • how much info should be provided in my speech

  • how knowledgeable am i on this topic

  • is it appealing

  • motivated enough to develop a speech from the chosen topic

analyzing your audience

• more info about the audience the easier it is to adapt to their needs

• types:

  • demographic - general profile of audience

  • psychographic - perceptions of your audience

  • situational - environment or setting

demographic analysis

• age, gender, culture, religion, group membership, education, occupation

psychological analysis

• values, opinions, attitudes, beliefs, pre-existing notions (topic/you), interests & needs

situational analysis

• size, occasion, voluntary, captive, physical setting

sourcing the information

• seek reliable references

• provide supporting information

• extract important points

• ethical information must be sought

• cite sources

• headstart with good note-taking

outlining & organizing your speech

• purpose

  • general purpose - inform, entertain, inspire, persuade

  • specific purpose - main idea