Chapter 4Public Speaking

Agenda

• We will begin by covering chapter #4• Next we will begin chapter #5• You will be given your quiz #1• You will receive your grades from your artifact speech

Chapter 4 – Developing Your Purpose & Your Topic

• What is it you want to accomplish with your speech?• Inform? Persuade? Give instruction? Receive an emotional

response?• Even in one-on-one conversations we often have a “goal”

• To get a promotion• Make someone laugh• Learn about the other person…etc.

Continued…

• Having a well-defined purpose is especially important in public speaking.

• Identifying a clear purpose is essential from the very beginning of your speech preparation.

• You have to know what is expected from you, what you plan to do in response, and what you can expect to accomplish as a result.

What’s your purpose?

Four Key Steps

• 1. Determine your general purpose.• 2. Evaluate and select your speech topic.• 3. Combine your general purpose and topic to

identify your specific purpose.• 4. Phrase the thesis of your speech as you develop

your topic.

General Purpose

• The speaker’s overall objective (goal): to inform, to persuade, to entertain.

• “What do you want your speech to do?”

Speaking to Inform

• Topic: The main subject, idea, or theme of a speech.• Your goal is to describe, explain, or demonstrate

something.• Examples?

Speaking to Persuade

• You attempt to reinforce, modify, or change audience members’ beliefs, attitudes, opinions, values, and behaviors.

• You want to promote the audience to alter their thinking and possibly take action.

• Examples?

Speaking to Entertain

• Speaker seeks to captivate audience members and have them enjoy the speech.

• …Special occasions, award ceremonies, company parties, roasts, toasts, etc.

Always keep your general purpose in mind…

• To inform…• To persuade…• To entertain ….• As you develop your work you will find a more specific

purpose.

Brainstorming

• Brainstorming: A free-form way of generating ideas without immediately evaluating them.

• What are some ways you can “brainstorm” to find a speech topic?

Brainstorming Techniques

• Online news articles• Webpage images• Radio talk shows• Television programming• Conversations with interesting people• Ask others for insight

Brainstorming continued…

• It is important to also set aside a SPECIFIC time to brainstorm.

• Ask yourself key questions…• “What do I talk or text about with my friends?”• “What are my interests and hobbies?”• “What unique experiences have I had?”• “What am I passionate about?” • “What would I like to learn about?”

Still stuck?

• Check headlines of newspapers.• Current events appeal to audiences.

• Look for articles or posts that interest you.• What images have impressed you?

• Go to google and see what is visually interesting that might get your audience members’ attention…example: natural disasters, terrorism, bullying issues, etc.

Rules for Brainstorming

• 1. Generate as many ideas as possible (but don’t get too crazy)

• 2. Write down every idea-whatever comes to mind (still don’t get too crazy)

• 3. Avoid evaluating your ideas• 4. Be as creative and imaginative as possible (here it

is okay to get a little crazy)

Evaluating and Selecting Topic Ideas

• Good public speakers always carefully consider the needs and interests of their audiences.

• However, before you select a topic, you almost must think about your own interests and knowledge, the availability of resources, and the time and setting for your speech.

• “What’s going to be successful?”

Consider Your Own Interests?• How interested am I in this topic?• What do I know about this topic?• How comfortable will I be talking about

this topic?

If you love Star Wars…Why not?

Consider the Audience

• How relevant is this topic to my audience?• Why/what do audience members need to know about this

topic?• Will I be able to interest my audience about this topic?• How much does my audience already know about this topic?

Consider Your Resource Availability

• Will you be able to have sufficient and credible information?• Is there a lot of information “out there” on this topic?

• Your audience will not be persuaded if your speech is too “thin”

• Think books, online articles, news reports, interviews with experts, etc.

Consider Time

• Would you be able to cover this topic in the allotted time?• Don’t try to “squeeze” things in or “stretch” them out.• Your audience will notice this!

• You don’t want to run out of time before you cover all the main points.

• Going under or over time can result in your final grade changing dramatically.

Setting & Occasion

• The place where you’ll present your speech influences the selection and treatment of topics.

• Large auditorium?• Conference room?• Online?• Are you speaking to 10,000, 1,000, 100, or 10 people?

Setting & Occasion continued…

• Will they be able to see your facial expressions?• How personal are you “allowed” to be with your audience?• What’s appropriate?

Specific Purpose

• Specific purpose: A concise statement articulating what the speaker will achieve in giving a speech.

• General: To inform.• Specific: To inform my audience about the two branches of

our campus’s student government; executive and legislative.

• Be prepared to give examples of general/specific on exams.

Specific Purpose to Inform

• To inform my audience about…• To explain to my audience why…• To make my audience aware of…• To demonstrate to my audience how to…

Specific Purpose to Persuade

• To persuade my audience to…• To convince my audience that…• To deepen the empathy my audience feels for…• To motivate my audience to…

Specific Purpose to Entertain

• To entertain my audience with…• To amuse my audience with…• To delight my audience with…• To inspire my audience with…

Thesis Statement

• Thesis: Single declarative sentence that captures the essence or central idea of a speech.

• Your audience should be aware of your thesis statement…share with your audience want you are going to talk about…preview your speech in the beginning.

• What’s the central idea?• Please see page 74 for examples to use when writing your

own thesis statement.

Working Outline

• Once you know your general purpose, select a topic, and determine the specific purpose of your speech, you’re ready to begin putting together your working outline.

• Working outline: An outline that guides you during the initial stages of topic development, helping to keep you focused on your general purpose and clarify your specific purpose.

• See page 75 for more information about working outlines.

Now that you have brainstormed topics…brainstorm ideas you might want to include

in your speech.• Topic: Selecting a college major.• Ideas:

• Careers goals after college• The university’s reputation in the chosen field• How long it will take to graduate• The student’s life goals• Etc.

Please see page 78 of your textbook.

• There is an example of a speech found on pages 78-79.• Notice the clear thesis statement in the beginning (you

need this in all of your speeches).• You will be completing a worksheet on this speech and

turning it in on October 5th.