1. Selecting Your Topic The Better Speaker Series 274

2. Two Sources Personal Experience  Interests  Career  Family  Education 1

3. Two Sources Reference Material  Websites  Books  Magazines  Newspapers 2

4. Get Inspired Write it down! 3

5. Narrow Your Selection Your Audience  How many people?  Age range?  Familiar with the subject?  Similar education, interests, backgrounds, and experiences? 4

6. Narrow Your Selection The Occasion  Does the event have a theme?  When are you scheduled to speak?  What will happen after your speech? 5

7. Narrow Your Selection Your Own Abilities  Enthusiasm and interest  Knowledge base  Are you an authority? 6

8. Narrow Your Selection Be Specific  Is the topic specific enough for the time allotted?  Do the sub-points support the topic and add to the speech?  What can be cut from the body of the speech? 7

9. Conclusion Personal Experience + Resources + Consideration = An Excellent Speech Topic! 8