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How do you choose a topic for a speech? When public speaking, what topics are most powerful?
When you think about how to choose a topic for a speech, you should consider two things: what topics you’re passionate about and what topics you’re knowledgeable about. If you choose the right topic, you’ll be motivated and capable of delivering a powerful speech.
Read this article to learn about these two factors and how they impact the quality of your speech.
Choosing a Speech Topic
In Public Speaking for Success, Dale Carnegie recommends that, when considering how to choose a topic for a speech, think of ideas that you’re both passionate and knowledgeable about, as a powerful speech is one that blends emotion and reason. Your emotions will fuel and animate your speech-giving, while your rock-solid information will persuade even the most intelligent and discerning audiences.
#1: Be Passionate About Your Topic
In Talk Like TED, communication coach Carmine Gallo explains additional benefits of speaking on a topic you’re passionate about:
- You’ll be so excited about sharing your passion with the world that you won’t feel nervous about your talk.
- When you’re passionate about something, you’re likely to speak about the subject energetically. You’ll be much more interesting to watch than a lackluster speaker, meaning people will be much more likely to actually pay attention to you.
- Studies have shown that feelings are contagious. Therefore, if you exhibit deep passion when speaking about your chosen subject, your audience will emulate that passion and listen intently to what you’re saying.
If you don’t get to choose your presentation topic, however, Gallo recommends you frame the topic in a way that does excite you and appeal to your passions. For example, if your passion is bringing added efficiency to your workplace, and you’re asked to give a presentation on dull accounting software that you don’t really care about, focus your presentation on how efficient the software is.
#2: Be Knowledgeable About Your Topic
Your audience will only listen to your message if they trust that you’re an expert in the topic. In The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication, leadership expert and speaker John C. Maxwell advises that you choose a topic you’re already knowledgeable about and then go further to develop more expertise about the subject. When you dedicate time and effort to becoming competent in your field, people will perceive you as more credible when you present your ideas.
Maxwell suggests additional tips for choosing a topic that gives you credibility:
Tip 1: Ensure your message matches your true beliefs. To be credible in the eyes of others, you must genuinely believe in the message you’re delivering. When you’re confident in your message, you naturally use more powerful language and convey more emotion. Your audience will be more open to listening to you when they believe your words are sincere.
While it’s important for your message to match your true beliefs, persuasion and rhetoric expert Jay Heinrichs says in Thank You for Arguing that it’s more important to match the values of your audience. When your audience believes that you share the same values as they do, they see you as someone virtuous, or trustworthy and aligned with their cause.
Tip 2: Support your words with your actions. Maxwell advises you to follow your own advice before giving it to others. For example, if you argue that organization is key to productivity, but you display an obvious lack of organization, your audience won’t be receptive to your message.
Heinrichs adds that audiences almost always trust someone who shows evidence of real-life experience over someone who has book smarts. To make yourself seem more authoritative, you can also demonstrate your know-how by approaching a problem in an off-script way that a rookie would never think of.
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- How you can master public speaking—even if you fear it more than death
- Insights from leading experts on how to prepare and deliver a speech
- How to keep your audience's attention and stop them from losing focus
