Transcript Selecting a Topic and Purpose - Our Wonderful Home in the

CHAPTER
FOUR
McGraw-Hill
Selecting a Topic and Purpose
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Steps in Writing a Speech
• The first step in speechmaking is
choosing a topic.
• After choosing a topic, speakers
need to determine the general
purpose of the speech .
• Once the general purpose is clear,
the next step is narrowing to the
specific purpose .
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
• The central idea further refines and
sharpens the specific purpose
statement
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Choosing a Topic
1. Topics for classroom speeches can come
from subjects about which students already
know a great deal.
2. Topics for classroom speeches can come
from subjects about which a student is
interested and wants to learn more.
3. Topics for classroom speeches can come
from issues about which students hold
strong opinions and beliefs.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
• 4. Use several brainstorming
procedures to help select a topic.
• 5. Whatever method students use,
they should settle on a topic as early
as possible.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Ways to Brainstorm
• 1. They can make an inventory of
interests, skills, experiences, and the like.
• 2. They can cluster possible topics into
categories such as people, places, events,
processes, plans and policies, and so
forth.
• 3. They can browse through
encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other
reference materials in search of a topic.
• 4. They can use a subject-based search
engine such as Yahoo to help find a topic
via the Internet.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
General Purpose
The broad goal of a speech.
The three major kinds of general
purposes are to inform, to persuade,
and to entertain.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Specific Purpose
A single infinitive phrase that states
precisely what a speaker hopes to
accomplish in his or her speech.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Guidelines for the
Specific Purpose Statement
• Write as a full infinitive phrase
• Express as a statement, not a question
• Avoid figurative language
• Limit to one distinct idea
• Avoid being too vague or general
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Write the Specific Purpose Statement
as a Full Infinitive Phrase, Not as a
Fragment
Ineffective:
Calendars
More Effective:
To inform my audience
about the four major
kinds of calendars
used in the world today.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Express the Specific Purpose as a
Statement, Not as a Question
Ineffective:
Is the U.S. space
program necessary?
More Effective:
To persuade my audience that
the U.S. space program provides
many important benefits to
people here on earth.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Avoid Figurative Language in the
Specific Purpose Statement
Ineffective:
More Effective:
McGraw-Hill
To persuade my audience that
the university’s plan to reduce
the number of campus parking
spaces assigned to students is
a real bummer.
To persuade my audience to
petition against the university’s
plan to reduce the number of
campus parking spaces assigned
to students.
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Limit the Specific Purpose
Statement to One Distinct Idea
Ineffective:
McGraw-Hill
To persuade my audience
that the federal government
should ban all cigarette
advertising and that smoking
should be prohibited in all
campus buildings.
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
More Effective:
To persuade my audience that
the federal government should ban
all cigarette advertising.
OR,
More Effective:
McGraw-Hill
To persuade my audience
that smoking should be
prohibited in all campus
buildings.
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Make Sure the Specific Purpose Is
Not Too Vague or General
Ineffective:
To inform my audience about the
Civil War.
More Effective:
To inform my audience about the
role of African-American soldiers
in the Civil War.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Questions to Ask about Your
Specific Purpose
• Does my purpose meet the assignment?
• Can I accomplish my purpose in the
time allotted?
• Is the purpose relevant to my audience?
• Is the purpose too trivial for my
audience?
• Is the purpose too technical for my
audience?
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Central Idea
A one-sentence statement that sums
up or encapsulates the major ideas
of a speech.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Guidelines for Central Idea
• Avoid being too vague or general
• Express as a complete sentence
• Do not write as a question
• Avoid figurative language
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Make Sure the Central Idea
Is Not Too General
Ineffective:
Paying college athletes a salary
is a good idea.
More Effective:
Because college athletes in
revenue-producing sports such
as football and basketball
generate millions of dollars in
revenue for their schools, the
NCAA should allow such
athletes to receive a $200
monthly salary as part of their
scholarships.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
State the Central Idea as a
Complete Sentence
Ineffective:
Uses of the laser
More Effective:
The laser is a highly versatile
device with important uses in
many areas, including medicine,
industry, telecommunications,
and art.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Phrase the Central Idea as a
Statement, Not as a Question
Ineffective:
How does indoor soccer differ
from outdoor soccer?
More Effective:
Played on a smaller, enclosed
field that resembles a hockey
rink with artificial turf, indoor
soccer involves faster action,
more scoring, and different
strategies than outdoor soccer.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Avoid Figurative Language in the
Central Idea
Ineffective:
Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula is
an awesome place for a vacation.
More Effective:
Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula
has many attractions for
vacationers, including a warm
climate, excellent food, and
extensive Mayan ruins.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
General Purpose:
To inform
Specific Purpose:
To inform my audience
of the three major races
in alpine skiing.
Central Idea:
The three major races in
alpine skiing are the
downhill, the slalom,
and the giant slalom.
McGraw-Hill
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.
Main Points:
I.
The first major race in
alpine skiing is the
downhill.
II.
The second major race
in alpine skiing is the
slalom.
III.
McGraw-Hill
The third major race
in alpine skiing is the
giant slalom.
©Stephen E. Lucas 2001 All rights reserved.