 Sometimes the hardest part of public speaking is figuring out what to talk about. In this video, we'll discuss the criteria that make a solid speech topic and provide some basic tips on generating ideas for speech topics. Topic selection can actually be more challenging in a public speaking class than outside of class as we don't generally get to select a topic when speaking outside of class. Why do you think that might be the case? I'll give you a moment to think about it. If you need more time to think about that question, feel free to pause the video now. Otherwise, let's continue. The reason that we don't get to pick a topic most of the time when speaking outside of class is that the topic is often dictated by the audience, the occasion, your expertise as a speaker, or some combination of all those things. Inside of the classroom, however, the options are typically much more wide open. This can be exciting as it means that you can talk about virtually anything you like. It can also be problematic, however, and that you somehow have to narrow it down to a single topic from a nearly infinite pool of possibilities. So where do we start the process for selecting a topic? We suggest considering these three things. Topics you know, topics you love, and topics that your audience cares about. Thinking on a topic that you know has several advantages. First, having knowledge of a topic can give you a head start in quickly organizing your speech. Next, if you already know the topic, then the odds are that it's something of interest to you. And finally, you'll likely already know the best places to go for additional information. You should also give consideration to topics that you love. It's important that a speaker be interested in the topic that they choose. Experiences have little trouble seeing when a speaker isn't that into the topic on which they're speaking. If the speaker isn't interested, then why would the audience be interested? Choosing a topic you love will also make it easier when it comes to research. There's nothing so boring as doing research on a topic you hate, so why punish yourself? Finally, when selecting a topic, you should give some thought to topics that your audience cares about. People are more likely to give their attention and energy to a subject that they find important or personally relevant. Selecting a topic of interest to the audience will make gaining their attention and establishing relevance that much easier. The ideal topic actually falls somewhere in the middle of these three areas. As this diagram illustrates, you should seek to choose topics in the sweet spot where these three things intersect. This is where your greatest drive to research, build, and deliver the speech will meet up with the audience's greatest natural interest in hearing that speech. When you feel comfortable that you've found something that meets those criteria, there are some additional questions that you should ask yourself about the topic. First, is this topic unique? Does it offer the audience new information or a different perspective? How to speech on tying your shoes might be appropriate for four-year-olds, but would probably be seen as a waste of time for a group of adults. Additionally, you should ask yourself again if this topic is relevant and useful to the audience. Will they care about your message? Next, is the speech appropriately specific and narrow in scope. Consider the timeframe that you have been given to deliver your speech. Finally, to explain World War II and its entirety will be a challenge in a five-minute speech. At a glance, ask yourself if you will be able to accomplish the goals of the speech within the necessary time constraints. Finally, ask yourself is there room for persuasion on this topic? For persuasive speeches, it's a good idea to stay away from topics where everyone is already going to be in agreement, arguing that killing puppies is bad or education is good, maybe well-intentioned, but does not show good stewardship in using the audience's time wisely. So now we have a general framework for selecting a topic. How do we come up with specific ideas for a speech topic, though? One of the most common techniques is brainstorming. In brainstorming, individuals think laterally to generate as many ideas as they can. Remember, in the first stages of brainstorming, quantity is more important than quality. Eventually you'll sift out the less worthy ideas and keep only the best ones. Initially, though, there are no bad ideas in brainstorming. One common type of brainstorming is word association. Word association begins with a single, likely broad topic. Continue the process then by writing down any word that you associate with that topic until you have a list of 10 or 15 or 20 words. Review that list and pick out the best three to five. Think about how each of these would work as a topic going back to the initial questions that we discussed. Is this something you know? Is this something you love? And is this something that would interest the audience? Think the one that best lies at the intersection of those things. Another brainstorming technique is concept mapping. In concept mapping, you think of a topic, say business networking opportunities, and write it down in the middle of a piece of paper. Then use lines to indicate more specific ideas that would extend from that central topic. This technique will help get the creative juices flowing and allow you to visualize some of the different directions that you might take that topic. As an exercise, use one of these techniques to brainstorm potential ideas for your next speech. Then select one of these ideas and drill down deeper into it. Go ahead, I'll give you a moment. If you need more time for brainstorming, feel free to pause the video now. Otherwise, let's continue. In this video we discussed the criteria that make a solid speech topic and provided some basic tips on generating ideas for speech topics. Check out some of our other videos for more insight into the public speaking process.