Transitions

Overall goal: learn criteria that make a topic good, not simply to get topics “approved.”
- Instructor will not pre-approve topics privately; critiques happen publicly so all can learn.
- Each class begins with “How can I help you?”—students may raise topic-related questions then.
Pedagogical stance:
- Students learn more from hearing many topics critiqued than from focus on their single idea.
- Discussion must benefit whole class; private check-ins deferred to workshop time.
Meaning of life (instructor’s maxim): “Leave things better than you found them.” Every speech should do the same—audience must be better at the end.

Three diagnostic questions for any proposed topic:
1. Does the audience have an interest/need that will be served? (Benefit)
2. Does the speaker know more than the audience? (Knowledge gap)
3. Is the scope appropriate for the allotted time? (Narrowness)
Additional filters
- Relevance to a university‐aged audience (e.g., Medicare is irrelevant; procrastination is relevant).
- Novelty: must contain “news”—info the audience does not already know within $2 \text{–} 3$ minutes.
- Practical payoff: audience should be able to apply, use, or at least clearly value the information.
Informative vs. Persuasive cues
- Words like importance, benefits, advantages, why you should usually signal a persuasive purpose.
- “How to” or process explanations tend toward informative.
Broad vs. narrow examples
- Too broad: “Streaming changed viewing habits,” “Why traveling matters.”
- Acceptable narrow versions: “How to find free/cheap travel options,” “Diagnosing alcohol poisoning,” “Setting a target heart rate.”
Expertise sources
- Personal experience (e.g., owning an emotional-support animal).
- Research and training (e.g., panic-attack identification).

Expertise is earned via:
- Identity/role (communication professor, student athlete, anxiety sufferer).
- Formal training (psychology, medical certification).
- Focused research (library databases, credible studies).
Student audience profile:
- Age ≈20, likely strapped for time/money, tech-savvy, limited parenting/retirement concerns.
- Likely to struggle with procrastination and speech anxiety.
Ethical responsibility: tailor content to help this concrete audience, not to flaunt obscure knowledge.

Five general purposes (memorize):
1. Inform
2. Persuade
3. Entertain
4. Actuate
5. Celebrate
Specific Purpose Statement (SPS)
- Grammatical form: infinitive phrase beginning with to.
- Example: “To inform the audience how to stretch a hamstring.”
- Must include: speech purpose + exact topic + audience reference.
- Distinct from a mere title or question (e.g., “How to bake a cake” ≠ SPS).

One-sentence synopsis of entire body; “speech in miniature.”
Relationship rules
- Thesis comprehends body: every main point appears in thesis.
- Body exhausts thesis: nothing in thesis left undeveloped later.
Ex.: “There are two procedures for performing the Heimlich maneuver: one for yourself and one for another person.”

Two functions of any outline
1. Sequence (Diachronic) – the temporal order (1 → 2 → 3).
2. Structure (Synchronic) – the logical hierarchy (main vs. sub-points).
Visualizing structure
- Pyramid or tree better than a linear list; write main idea, subdivide, then develop each branch.
Only two structural relationships
- Subordination: lower-level point supports higher-level point (line linking levels).
- Coordination: points on same level jointly support a higher point (siblings).

Mutual Exclusivity
- Parts share no material or conceptual overlap.
- E.g., “Reptiles of North America” vs. “Reptiles of South America” are exclusive; adding “Reptiles of Western Hemisphere” violates exclusivity.
Parallelism
- Parts share something beyond their link to the superordinate idea; often same grammatical or categorical type.
- Two ways to achieve:
  - Symmetry (members match—three chronological steps).
  - Complementarity (members fit—self vs. other victim; adult vs. child).
Balance
- Parts are of roughly equal importance; avoid a trivial item beside major ones (preheating oven ≠ gathering ingredients, mixing, baking).

Audiences expect an intro; purpose: gather attention and focus on topic.
Key traits
- Independent from body content.
- Brief (≈ $15 \text{–} 30$ s for short speeches).
- Give clear reason to listen (hook, relevance, curiosity). Avoid dropping the thesis inside.
Sample devices: vivid anecdote, relatable scenario, startling fact, direct link to student life.

Also expected; purpose: release audience and provide closure.
Guidelines
- Must be independent from body—no new main points, but also no thesis repetition.
- Should not open a bigger issue (“And reptiles are only one of seven biological families …” = bad).
- Offer wrap-up, call to action, future implication, or tie-back to intro.