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Main Training Menu > Speech
Writing Training Articles
Speaking Topics:
5 (or more!) Great Ideas
When it comes to speaking topics, you'll simply
never run out of ideas!
Speaking topics can be about anything under the
sun (or even about the sun itself!)
Categories for speaking topics include general
categories such as people, places, events, beliefs,
politics, values, arts and technology.
Here's a great idea for speaking topics: simply
demonstrate how to do something, or how to make
something, or how something works.
People love those topics!
One of the best ways to choose speaking topics
is pick subjects close to your heart. It may be
your favorite gadget or the product you can't
live without, your hometown, or a special skill
you have.
Need help in your decision-making? Just make
a short list of the possible topics you want to
tackle for your speech guided by a few tips to
narrow down your choices.
There are three major things you have to consider
in choosing possible speaking topics: the audience,
the occasion, and yourself.
Among the three, which do you think is most important?
I bet you said "yourself", right? Well, you'd
be wrong! The best speaking topics are the ones
people most want to hear!
You should carefully think about your audience;
know their interests and needs.
What are their needy and greedy about?
What are their fears?
What's their pain?
What are the demographics of your audience? In
what age group do they belong to? Are they university
students or professionals? Do they share the same
political or religious beliefs with you?
Don't guess - you need to find out.
Your speaking topics could be about your interest,
that's true.
Many so-called speakers' organizations want you
to "find your passion" but if your passion is
making sweaters out of Popsicle sticks, you're
going to find a very, very limited audience!
The absolute best approach is to pick something
people want to hear about, but that you find interesting
or are passionate about too.
But if I had to pick just one or the other, I'd
rather speak to a room full of people about what
they want to hear about instead of a bunch of
empty seats talking about what I'm interested
in.
Choose speaking topics according to these guidelines,
and you'll be a winner every time!
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