Search the Internet

Selecting a Speech Topic

Internet

Selecting an Interesting Topic

The key to an interesting topic is one that interests you. If it interests you, you'll make it interesting to your audience. For speech classes almost anything of interest to you can be shaped into something that will work as a topic.

Consider what your interests and background are.

What do you do for fun? at work? What one thing would you do or try if money was no object?
What are you studying in school? Why?
What have you done? What was the single most moving experience of your life? The most frightening?
Where have you been? What was the most beautiful place? The ugliest? The smelliest? Where would you go if money was no object? Why?
What would your dream job be? What's the worst job you can imagine? Why?
Everyone's family is unique. Select 5 words to describe your family and its history as completely as possible. Why are those words the best ones?
If you had the power to fix just one problem facing this country, what would it be? Why that one? If you had the power to fix one problem facing your home town, what would it be?
If you could fix one thing about yourself, what would it be? How would you start?

Internet Sites for Help with Topic Selection

Hot Topics — The Government Library at the University of Louisville provides not only a comprehensive list of topics, but each links to a list of significant online government documents related to the subject.

Idea Generator — Old Dominion University Library has put together an idea generator to help users come up with topics suitable to a number of different subject areas. Select a large subject area, click on a link, and consider a vast array of potential topics.

Topic Selection Helper — part of a terrific web site put together by a speech instructor at University of Hawai'i Maui Community College, an extensive list of topic suggestions that covers both the controversial to the personal. What's especially good is that at the bottom it offers suggestions about how certain kinds of topics, such as personal experience, can be used effectively.

Informative Speech Topics — part of the extensive and wonderful Presentation Helper web site, this section offers several ideas for topics while the Presentation Topic Ideas page focuses on those things to think about when selecting an effective topic.

Electronic Resources That Can Suggest Topics

CQ Researcher Online — Issued by Congressional Quarterly, CQ Researcher offers balanced examinations of a single controversial topic in each weekly issue. Topics range as widely as government secrecy to teen sex. Click on Browse by Topic and follow links to explore potential topics and see appropriate issues.

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center — this database offers a list of several popular research topics on its main search screen. Clicking on a topic will provide users with resources related to the topic from a variety of sources as well as a list of suggested subject headings that may direct their topic selection process further.

If you have questions about this or any other library web page, contact a librarian at 443-8739 or by means of the convenient web form.

Created September 28, 2006

Danville Area Community College, 2000 E. Main St., Danville, IL 61832