QUESTIONS TO ASK about your Speech Topics

First answer these questions. Think about topics on subjects, events, people, places, problems, causes and effects, and values in your community, school, college, university, city, state, country or region.


NEEDS AND INTERESTS OF YOUR AUDIENCE
  • Who are your listeners?
  • What are their needs?
  • What is their socioeconomic status? Examine the social and economic factors.
  • Are they representing an organization? Which one?
  • What do they want to learn?
  • Why do they want to listen to you?
  • What is popular? What do they think is a good topic for a speech?
  • What questions would they have, what answers are they looking for?
  • What special or unusual experiences did they have?
  • What beliefs or strong opinions do they hold?
  • What values do they have?
THE PUBLIC SPEAKING OCCASION
  • Why are you invited as public speaker?
  • Are there any educational speech assignment rules?
  • Do you have to present good extemp topics in a minimum of preparation time? Where? When?
Narrowing
Now narrow your ideas into the best angles of approach for good speech topics. If you do not like the outcome, do try some other ideas.

Only answer questions that are appropriate to your ideas and select the main points for a text to speech. If you are in a hurry, try my quick steps immediately!

GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN GIVING SPEECHES ABOUT OBJECTS
  • What is it? Give a short description.
  • The definition?
  • Other names?
  • What are the main features and functions?
  • What does it do? How does it work?
  • Color combinations? Two dimensional or three dimensional shape and form? Size, how big or small is it?
  • Can it operate stand alone?
  • Separate compartments or distinctive Different types?
  • Can it be divided into parts? How?
  • Are there accessories, any attachments and supplementary parts or decorations?
  • How is it produced?
  • What can you do with it? How can it be used? For what?
  • In what steps? How? Why? When? Where? That sequence of questions always works for creating good speech topics.
  • What does it mean for you / us?
  • What did it mean in the past?
  • What is it similar to?
  • What are the differences in comparison with other kinds?
  • Is it better or not? Why?
  • Why are you fond of it?
  • Any dislikes or weak spots?
  • What do other people say about your good speech topic?
GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN GIVING SPEECHES ABOUT EVENTS
  • What is going to happen / has happened? When? Why? How? Where?
  • What is / was it about in a nutchell?
  • Is it historical?
  • Is it current?
  • Is it in the future?
  • What is / was the value or impact? Why?
  • What are the major parts/steps/facts?
  • Why is / was it important?
  • What is / was the goal of the event?
  • Is/was there a mission statement?
  • In what is / was the event different to other years?
  • What are the comparisons / differences with other events?
  • What do you like about the event?
  • Lacking in effectiveness?
  • What do other people say about the event?
  • Who are invited, who are the guests? A mystery guest perhaps?
  • Who is / are the speaker / speakers?
  • Are there special circumstances?

GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN GIVING SPEECHES ABOUT PEOPLE*
  • What is a good simple description of her*?
  • What is her character?
  • What are / were her goals?
  • What does her biography write about her?
  • Does / did she belong to a movement or group?
  • What are the differences with other people that do / did / aim the same?
  • What are the main achievements in her life? Can you offer some enchanting examples?
  • What are the most important facts of her life?
  • What are or were her values or motivational objectives?
  • How does / did she do it / invented / publish / act on it?
  • What do you think of her? Why regard highly?
  • What do other people think of her? Why?
  • Can you cite her?
*Of course She / Her can also be read as He / Him - as you will understand :-)

GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN GIVING SPEECHES ABOUT PLACES
  • Where is the place to be?
  • What is it called? Are there nicknames, second and unofficial titles?
  • What does it look like?
  • What is a good description?
  • Size?
  • Architecture types and styles? Photographs and reviews from travelers and locals?
  • People? Nicknames for their inhabitants perhaps?
  • What are very special facts and dates?
  • Historical site value? Dates back to?
  • Why do you like the place?
  • What do other people think of the place? Why?
  • Why is it important to you / for us to know?
  • Why is it useful?
  • How can it benefit your audience?
  • Can you compare it to other places?
  • What are the differences? Beter / worse?
  • Stories, rhetoric prose, or poems to honor the place?
BEST questions to ask  ABOUT YOUR VALUES
  • What values do you hold? Any indictment?
  • Why do you stand for it?
  • How do you practice your value(s)?
  • Why should we think, feel or do the same?
  • Is there a legal component? Which one?
  • Can you give examples?
  • Is there any opposition against your value? Why? How?
  • What are the pros and cons?
  • Can it causes changes?
GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN GIVING SPEECHES ABOUT PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND EFFECTS
  • Can you characterize the current situation in some lines?
  • Do other people consider it also as a problem?
  • Why or why not?
  • Hot facts and figures?
  • Are there legal arguments or objections?
  • Any special or interesting circumstances?
  • Can you solve the problem?
  • How, what are your solutions?
  • Can you put it in a particular context?
  • Is there any similarity to other problems?
  • What are the possible causes?
  • What are the effects or consequences?

Final Tips For Good Speech Topics
The ultimate bottomline I want to share with you is: always choose a topic you are interested in, you have some feelings about, in other words: know a lot about, you feel happy with, or something you can easily research.

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