Interesting Speech Topics -
Finding the perfect fit for your audience and you

Finding interesting speech topics...
Don't let it turn into a major mission!
However I know it often seems that the hardest part of doing a speech is choosing your topic!

If you care about your audience you'll not want to be boring or to rehash an overly
used topic.
Besides they will probably have already heard umpteen versions of raising or lowering the
drinking age or the harmful effects of cigarette smoking.

So what are GOOD original speech ideas?

Interesting speech topics are principally a combination of three ingredients.

1. Your personal enthusiasm for the subject you've chosen
2. The subject's appeal or relevance to your audience
3. And the twist, angle, or perspective you bring to the topic

If you can apply all three elements to the speech topic you choose it's much more likely to be interesting.

(Infact even those 'boring' topics can be brought alive by your treatment of them,
if you have something new to say.)

Put YOUR spin on these -
Interesting Speech Topics

Social Media

• Facebook kills face to face conversation skills
• Texting is necessary for social survival
• An online friend can be just as valuable as an offline one
• Is online media responsible for the breakdown of real-time relationships?
• What did people do BEFORE there was social media to build and maintain networks?
• How to explain social media to people who don't use it
• How to avoid being cyber bullied
• Rules for forming online friendships or relationships
• Spelling skills are dead. Long live txt speak!
• What will be the next major social media development?
• Rules for using social media responsibly
• What is real news and what is social media gossip?

Going Back in Time

• What Grandma/Grandad did for fun and recreation 50 years ago
• What Grandma/Grandad did to earn a living when they finished their schooling
• At the same age as I am now my parents were doing XXX and my grandparents were doing XXX
• Our town's history
• Headline stories from our area/country/world 20/50/100+ years ago
• How festivals and important events (birthdays, weddings, Christmas, Easter...) were celebrated in my family many years ago
• Food Fads or Food Fashions - how have they changed over the years?
• The history of my first name/surname - where it came from, what it means and how its changed over the years
• Word fashion (the current slang) - what's in, what's out. Examples from bygone eras and present day.
• The origin of nick names - how they began, why they stick or change
• An overview of jobs that are no longer required because modern technology has replaced the need for people with automated processes
• What was the latest music 20/50/100 years ago?
• This day in history - a slice of major events from around the world for the date you are giving your speech

Odd Stuff

• The weirdest invention - when and why it was invented and who by
• The strangest sports - where they are played, who by and how
• Quirky fashions - the oddest clothing fashions from history and today
• Fact or fiction? Collect 3 or 5 interesting true stories that superficially appear unbelievable.
• Trivia - examples. Why does it fascinate?
• Urban myths - what are they, examples, how are they spread and why are they believed?
• Why do records like the largest man in the world, the longest fingernails, or the greatest number of pies eaten in an hour fascinate people?
• How many other people share your name? Where are they in the world and what do they do?

Changing Perspective

• In XXX country a day in the life of a person my age would be ...
• A day in my Mother's/Father's life at the same age I am now
• Retell an historical event as if you were there and part of it
• Tell how a major invention or medical break through changed lives as if you were there

The Origin of ...

• Christmas celebrations
• Easter celebrations (or any other widely observed customary celebration)
• Manners or eating etiquette
• Common sayings eg. 'as black as the ace of spades' or 'the salt of the earth'
• types of music eg. rock and roll, jazz, hip hop ...
• postal stamps or money
• softball
• grid iron or any other sport
• the governmental system
• zodiac signs
• Beauty Queen pageants
• modern warfare
• racial prejudice
• card games or chess
• advertizing
• television soaps
• print
• journalism

Having browsed the lists of interesting speech topics don't fall into the procrastination trap!

Make yourself a short list of at least three possibilities and thinking about your audience, the main purpose of your speech and your personal interest or enthusiasm for each of them, whittle your list down to one.

Points you'll want to consider as part of your decision making are:


• the time you have to prepare your speech
• how much you know about the topic already. Do you need to do lots of research or some? Is the research easy to do?
• the angle you intend to use - is it persuasive, informative, humorous, unconventional, potentially shocking or upsetting, quirky? How does that fit with your audience's needs and if your speech is for a classroom assignment, the guidelines you have been given?

Other sources for finding interesting speech topics:


• newspapers
• magazines for specialist opinion pieces
• the top news sites, blogs - for commentary on political events, natural disasters, social issues
• radio - community, country and world news plus commentary and analysis
• television for documentaries and indepth reportage
• bulletin boards in your own community - for current topical events eg a meeting to discuss the implication of closing the local mine or the impact of raising the cost of public transport
• Listening to the conversations around you and observing closely what you see.

To find help to structure and prepare your speech go to:


• how to write a speech
  You'll find full explanations and examples of the step by step process needed to get you safely from choosing your interesting speech topic to presenting the speech itself.
• voice image
  Did you know your voice is an important part of giving your speech? The quality of your voice can make the difference between being listened to and not. Go to the voice image page. Read and follow the links to find out how you can optimize your vocal delivery. Get tips on vocal variety: using tone, pitch, pause and pace to deliver your speech effectively.
  
  An interesting speech topic is a great start. It would be shame to waste it and the work you've done through weak delivery!
  
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