5
Selecting a Topic
and a Purpose
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter, students should be able to:
1.
Explain four methods they can use to brainstorm for a speech topic.
2. Identify the difference between a general and a specific purpose.
3. Distinguish between the specific purpose and the central idea of a speech.
4. Formulate a specific purpose statement and a central idea in accordance with the guidelines
presented in the text.
Chapter Outline
I. The first step in speechmaking is choosing a topic.
A. Topics for speeches outside the classroom are usually determined by the occasion, the
audience, and the speaker’s qualifications.
B. There are several sources for topics for classroom speeches.
1.
Topics for classroom speeches can come from subjects about which students already know a great deal.
2. Topics for classroom speeches can come from subjects about which a student is
interested and wants to learn more.
CHAPTER 5—SELECTING A TOPIC AND A PURPOSE
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3. Topics for classroom speeches can come from issues about which students hold
strong opinions and beliefs.
4. Students can use several brainstorming procedures to help select a topic.
5.
Whatever method students use, they should settle on a topic as early as possible.
II. After choosing a topic, speakers need to determine the general purpose of the speech.
A. There are usually two general purposes for classroom speeches—to inform or to persuade.
B. When the general purpose is to inform, speakers act as teachers.
C. When the general purpose is to persuade, speakers act as advocates.
III. Once the general purpose is clear, the next step is narrowing to the specific purpose.
A. The specific purpose should indicate precisely what the speaker wants the audience to
know or believe after the speech.
B. There are five tips for forming a good specific purpose statement.
1.
It should be a full infinitive phrase, not a fragment.
2. It should be phrased as a statement, not a question.
3. It should avoid figurative language.
4. It should be limited to one distinct idea.
5.
It should not be too vague or general.
C. Once students have a specific purpose statement, they should ask themselves the following questions:
1.
Does the specific purpose meet the assignment?
2. Can this specific purpose be accomplished effectively in the time allotted?
3. Is the specific purpose relevant to the audience?
4. Is the specific purpose too trivial for the audience?
5.
Is the specific purpose too technical for the audience?
IV. The central idea further refines and sharpens the specific purpose statement.
A. The central idea is a concise statement of what the speaker expects to say in the speech.
B. Often called a thesis statement, the central idea encapsulates the main points to be
developed in the body of the speech.
C. Unlike the specific purpose statement, the central idea usually crystallizes late in the
process of preparing a speech.
D. A well-worded central idea should meet four criteria.
1.
It should be expressed in a full sentence.
2. It should not be in the form of a question.
3. It should avoid figurative language.
4. It should not be too vague or general.