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SPEECH TOPIC SUGGESTIONS

Are you spending more time thinking about what to talk about than you spend preparing your speech? Don't despair. Speech topics are all around you. You simply need to learn to see them.

What do you know that others may find of interest? Are you an expert gardener? Do you know a lot about the stock market? Have you started your own business? Are you an experienced traveler? If so, what advice or information could you give listeners that they would find helpful? For example, if you are an experienced traveler, you may be able to speak about such topics as:

Personal experiences can yield a wealth of speech ideas. Have you experienced or witnessed a situation that disturbed you or made you think? For example, perhaps you have witnessed a kind act a child did for an elderly person. You could describe the incident, analyze its significance, then build a message around it that would be of value to your listeners. Maybe a relative was recently diagnosed with a serious illness. You could research this illness to help listeners learn more about it and help them determine if they too are at risk. Or perhaps you had a childhood experience that had an impact on you. Maybe a schoolmate came from a poor family, you were caught cheating on an exam, or you had the opportunity to participate in a special program. What lessons did you learn from the experience that you can share?

You could also get speech ideas from outside sources like books, magazines, newspapers, television, and the Internet. News, entertainment, sports, science, medicine, and business and economic developments all can provide speech topics. Likewise, advice columns, letters to the editor and commentaries are rich in ideas.

Still stuck? One of these themes may generate an idea or two:

Speech ideas can appear suddenly and disappear just as quickly. Keep a pen and paper or handheld computer with you at all times. When an idea strikes, immediately write it down and file it for later use. Soon you'll have a number of ideas to choose from the next time you are scheduled to give a speech.

For more information on finding speech topics, see The Better Speaker Series program "Selecting Your Topic" or the flier "They're All Around Us."