4
Selecting a Topic and Purpose
First Steps in
Preparing a Speech
Select and narrow a topic.
Determine a general purpose and a
specific purpose.
Develop a central idea.
Generate main ideas.
Select and Narrow a Topic
Always consider:
Your audience
Who are they?
What are their interests?
What are their expectations?
What is their knowledge?
Select and Narrow a Topic
The occasion:
• Is there an occasion for the speech?
• Are there any topic expectations
related to the occasion?
Select and Narrow a Topic
Your topic connections:
• Subjects you know about
• Your experiences
• Your interests and hobbies
• Your beliefs
• Your skills
General Purpose
The broad goal of a speech.
Three kinds of general purposes are:
• to inform
• to persuade
• and to entertain
Specific Purpose Statement
A single infinitive phrase that states
precisely what a speaker hopes to
accomplish in his or her speech.
Specific Purpose Statement
Why are you speaking?
Begin with:
• To explain
• To describe
• To persuade
• To convince
etc.
Specific Purpose Statement
At the end of your speech, what do you
want your audience to:
Know, understand,
feel, think, believe,
accept, agree with,
or do?
Guidelines for the
Specific Purpose Statement
Write as a full infinitive phrase
Express as a statement, not as a
question
Avoid figurative language
Limit to one distinct idea
Avoid being too vague or general
Write the Specific Purpose
as a
Full Infinitive Phrase
Ineffective: Calendars
More Effective: To inform my audience about
the four major kinds of
calendars used in the world
today.
Express the Specific Purpose
as a
Statement, Not as a Question
Ineffective: Is the U.S. space program
necessary?
More Effective: To persuade my audience that
the U.S. space program
provides many important
benefits to people here on
earth.
Avoid Figurative Language
in the
Specific Purpose Statement
Ineffective: To inform my audience that
yoga is extremely cool.
More effective: To inform my audience how
yoga can improve their health.
Limit the Specific Purpose
to
One Distinct Idea
Ineffective: To persuade my audience to
become literacy tutors and to
donate time to Habitat for
Humanity.
More effective: To persuade my audience to
become literacy tutors.
OR
More effective: To persuade my audience to
donate time to Habitat for
Humanity.
Be Sure the Specific Purpose
Is Not
Too Vague or General
Ineffective: To inform my audience about
the Civil War.
More Effective: To inform my audience about
the role of African-American
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?
Questions to Ask about Your
Specific Purpose
Is the purpose too trivial for my
audience?
Is the purpose too technical for my
audience?
Can I accomplish my purpose in the
time allotted?
Central Idea
A one-sentence statement that sums
up or encapsulates the major ideas
of a speech.
What you want to say about your topic.
Guidelines for the
Central Idea
Express as a full sentence
Do not express as a question
Avoid figurative language
Do not be vague or overly general
Make Sure the Central Idea is Not
Too General
Ineffective: Paying college athletes a
salary is a good idea.
More Effective: Because college athletes in
revenue-producing sports
such as football and
basketball generate millions
of dollars in revenue for their
schools, the NCAA should
allow such athletes to
receive a $250 monthly
salary as part of their
scholarships.
State the Central Idea as a
Complete Sentence
Ineffective: Uses of the laser.
More Effective: The laser is a highly
versatile device with
important uses in
medicine, industry, art,
and communications.
State the Central Idea as a
Statement,
Not as a Question
Ineffective: How does indoor soccer
differ from outdoor soccer?
More Effective: Played on a smaller,
enclosed field that
resembles a hockey rink
with artificial turf, indoor
soccer involves faster
action, more scoring, and
different strategies than
outdoor soccer.
Avoid Figurative Language in the
Central Idea
Ineffective: Mexico’s Yucatan
peninsula is an awesome
place for a vacation.
More Effective: Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula
has many attractions for
vacationers, including a warm
climate, excellent food, and
extensive Mayan ruins.
General Purpose: To inform
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience
of the three major races
in alpine skiing.
Central Idea: The three major races
in alpine skiing are
the downhill, the
slalom, and the giant
slalom.
Main Points: I. The first major race in
alpine skiing is the
downhill.
II. The second major race
in alpine skiing is the
slalom.
III. The third major race in
alpine skiing is the giant
slalom.
