CHOOSING A TOPIC
AND DEVELOPING A
STRATEGY
SPEECH110
C.ShoreFall 2015
East San Gabriel Valley, ROP
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Learning Objectives
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6.1: State when it is appropriate for you to choose the
topic of your speech and when the choice is beyond
your control.
6.2: Identify the characteristics of a good topic.
6.3: Proceed through the steps involved in choosing a
good topic.
6.4: Define strategic plan and explain the steps for
developing and implementing one.
6.5: Formulate statements of the specific purpose and
thesis of your speech and illustrate how these
statements will influence other strategic decisions.
6.6: Analyze your thesis statement to figure out which
issues you need to discuss and which ideas need
support.
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6.1: Topics
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Elements of a topic may include:
– Commitment to a cause
– Reputation
– Occasion
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For this class
– All topics must relate to the 2016
Presidential Elections on Nov. 3, 2015
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6.2: What Makes a Good Topic?
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Importance to the speaker
Interest to the audience
Worthy of listeners’ time
Appropriateness of scope
Appropriateness for oral delivery
Appropriateness to the rhetorical
situation
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6.3: How to Choose a Good Topic
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Conduct a personal inventory
– What issues do I care about?
– Which of my experiences might be
generalizable?
– Which of my interests overlap with those of the
audience?
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Brainstorm
– Use categories or topoi to start
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Narrow the topic
– Move from most general ideas and make more
specific
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6.4: Developing a Strategic Plan
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Identifying the Purpose
– Providing new information/perspective
– Agenda setting
– Creating positive/negative feelings
– Strengthening commitment
– Weakening commitment
– Conversion
– Inducing a specific action
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6.4: Developing a Strategic Plan
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Identifying the Constraints
– Constraints arise from:
 Audiences in general
 Your specific audience
 Your ethos as a speaker
 Nature of your topic
 The rhetorical situation
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Identifying the Opportunities
– Information advantage
– Audience analysis
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6.4: Developing a Strategic Plan
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Selecting the Means
– How will you. . .
 Lead the audience?
 Structure the speech?
 Use language techniques?
 Present the speech?
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6.5: Developing the Purpose Statement
and the Thesis Statement
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The Purpose Statement
– General purpose:
 Ex.--To inform, (persuade or
entertain)
– Specific purpose:
 Ex.--To inform students of cheating
on campus
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The Thesis Statement
– Ex.: Far more students cheat than most
of us think.
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6.6: Analyzing the Thesis Statement
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Identifying the issues
– Determine what the speech must cover
– Direct your research
– Possibly modify your thesis
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6.6: More on Thesis Statements
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Hemingway – The six word novel
“For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.”
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Characters: A woman and the man who got her pregnant.
Setting: newspaper ad
Plot: Obviously, the woman became pregnant. She began preparing for
the baby's arrival, which is evident from the fact that she bought or was
given some new baby shoes.
Conflict: The fact that the baby shoes were never used indicates that the
baby died either before or during birth — quite a conflict for a young
mother-to-be.
Theme: The theme of this story is dealing with loss — specifically the loss
of a child. Are the baby shoes kept as a reminder of the loss or in hope of
having another child? Are they destroyed in a fit of anguished rage? No;
they are put up for sale, giving us a glimpse of how the characters are
dealing with the loss as well as some of the considerations that went into
the decision to sell the shoes.
6.6: Identify the thesis
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Katy Perry: Firework
– http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/katyper
ry/firework.html
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Taylor Swift: Blank Space
– http://www.directlyrics.com/taylorswift-blank-spaces-lyrics.html
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Hozier: Take me to church
– http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/hozier/
takemetochurch.html
Take Away

6.1: State when it is appropriate for you to choose
the topic of your speech and when the choice is
beyond your control.
– *

6.2: Identify the characteristics of a good topic.
– *

6.3: Proceed through the steps involved in
choosing a good topic.
– *
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Take Away

6.4: Define strategic plan and explain the steps
for developing and implementing one.
– *

6.5: Formulate statements of the specific purpose
and thesis of your speech and illustrate how
these statements will influence other strategic
decisions.
– *

6.6: Analyze your thesis statement to figure out
which issues you need to discuss and which
ideas need support.
– *
14