public speaking assignment 5

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5 Chapter 5: Selecting a Topic and Adapting to the Audience

Lauren Rome, College of the Canyons

Adapted by Jamie C. Votraw, Professor of Communication Studies, Florida SouthWestern State College

Figure 5.1: Audience 1

Introduction

Think about the most exciting speech or presentation that you have ever heard. What made it so enjoyable? Was it the speaker’s charisma? Was the speaker funny? Were there excellent visual aids? Perhaps, a lively audience kept you engaged? Now, imagine that you did not care for the speech topic. Suppose you found the subject boring or confusing. Your experience would be markedly less enjoyable.

As you start thinking about your public speaking assignments, deciding what to speak about may not be your primary concern. In some speaking situations, the speech topic may be predetermined. For instance, if you are Captain of the Florida SouthWestern State College Women’s Volleyball team, and you are about to secure the Conference Championship again , the purpose and topic of your pre-game speech are likely pretty clear. In most cases, though, while the general purpose of your speech (e.g., to inform, to persuade, to inspire) may be predetermined, you will often be responsible for selecting the specific topic.

In this chapter, we will discuss how to select appropriate speech topics based on the speech goal and with consideration for the audience. Although novice speakers often express anxiety about speech delivery, the reality is that selecting the right topic largely impacts speech delivery and can significantly impact the success of a speech.

Selecting Your Topic

What makes a speech topic a good topic? Many people go to live concerts and love live music. Let’s consider what makes the show meaningful for the audience. Is it just musicians taking the stage and playing music, or is there more to it? The best concerts are the ones that consider what the audience really wants to hear. How would you feel if you went to a concert and the band didn’t play your favorite song? Most likely, the band crafted the environment with sets, sound, comfort, temperature, snacks, and drinks to make the concert worth the money. Just like a concert is nothing without the audience, a speech isn’t a speech without an audience.

Although we might think our speech would be easier without an audience, they are a crucial component and should be a primary focus as you plan and prepare each presentation. Effective public speakers consider the audience throughout the speech process from choosing a topic to identifying examples, and of course, during the speech delivery. Therefore, one characteristic of a good speech topic is that it meets the expectations of the audience and the speaking situation. What does the audience expect from the speech? What are their interests? What kind of response will the audience have to your topic?

In classroom speeches, the audience includes your classmates and your professor. But, before you go on assuming you know something about your audience, remember what we learned in chapter one: every person has their lens for viewing the world, which will be used when interpreting any messages you communicate. In that case, an important rule of thumb is to never assume . We must put aside assumptions or preconceptions to create the most effective and appropriate speech for a specific audience. Later in the chapter, we will discuss audience analysis and the methods you can use to gather accurate information about your audience.

Figure 5.2: John Legend 2

Another marker of a good speech topic is that you, the speaker, can identify with the subject matter. Your speech topic does not need to be wholly original or groundbreaking. Instead, it would be best to focus on a speech topic that is important to you. What interests you? What do you care about? What are your passions? Selecting a topic that matters to you will make the research and speech composition process more manageable and enhance your delivery. If you care about the topic, you will be more likely to speak passionately and with conviction. When speaking enthusiastically, speakers add dynamic to their vocal quality, engage the audience, and exude confidence.

A final consideration when selecting a topic is your pre-existing knowledge and ability to master the topic. When selecting a topic, you must consider the breadth and complexity of the topic, your background knowledge, and the speech assignment parameters. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I know my topic well, or will it require substantial learning?
• Is my topic too simple or too complex for the audience?
• Is the topic too broad or too narrow and trivial?
• Can I effectively accomplish my speech goal within the time limit?

A good topic is both important to you and exciting and appropriate for your audience. However, it also must be manageable for you. Consider the following example. A popular informative speech topic among public speaking students at FSW is climate change. Climate change is a fantastic issue to discuss in an informative speech. It’s a topic of significance. It is relevant, and it is interesting. It is also an appropriate topic for a college classroom setting. Yet, “climate change”, in general, is a complex, multifaceted topic. When a student proposes “To inform the class about climate change”, we wonder, will the speech focus on the causes of climate change? The consequences? Strategies for reducing climate change? Perhaps, the speech will focus on one specific issue related to climate change, such as increased wildfires or the impact of rising temperatures on food production and availability. A broad topic like climate change cannot be addressed adequately in a short 5-7 minute speech. Thus, a good topic is one that you can manage. As you brainstorm and research possible topics, give yourself time to explore your options. If you are interested in a complex issue like climate change, you should first investigate the broader subject matter and then refine your focus to a more narrow topic. Even if you know the general speech topic, exploring and refining your topic for your speech assignment can take time.

Refining Your Topic 

Once you have a good topic with a narrow focus, you should start thinking about how your chosen topic will help you accomplish your speech goal. To ensure your speech topic aligns with the expectations of the speaking event, consider the general purpose of the speech. A  general purpose  is the broad objective of the speech. Most speeches fall into one of the following categories: 1. to inform, 2. to persuade, or 3. to entertain. There are other general purposes, such as to introduce, to inspire, and to honor. We typically see these in special occasion speeches (discussed in Chapter 13).

To effectively craft your speech, you must determine the general purpose. In an informative speech, the general purpose is “to inform.” Note that a general purpose statement is a sentence fragment that indicates the broad speech objective. When the general purpose is to inform, the speaker acts as a teacher or educator. In an informative speech, the speaker’s goal is to share information with the audience objectively and unbiasedly. This means that the speaker should not be advocating or persuading. Instead, it is the speaker’s job to convey information accurately and clearly to help the audience understand and retain it. Although an informative speech may include competing perspectives, especially if the topic is controversial, an ethical informative speaker only teaches the audience about the varying viewpoints and refrains from taking a position or revealing personal opinions. Rather, an informative speaker shares information and lets the audience decide what to think or do.

To Persuade 

In a persuasive speech, the general purpose is “to persuade.” In this type of speech, the speaker acts as an advocate. The goal of a persuasive speech is to convince the audience to agree with the speaker’s point of view or take some action (e.g., sign a petition, stop smoking, etc.). Unlike informative speaking, a speaker is expected to take a position. Persuasive speaking is often more complex than informative speaking, as speakers must utilize persuasive speaking strategies to gain agreement from the audience. To win over an audience, persuasive speeches, in particular, demand credible evidence and sound logic that support the speaker’s claims. In Chapter 10, we will dive deeper into the various methods of persuasion a speaker can employ to persuade their audience.

To Entertain

When the general purpose is “to entertain,” the speaker is focused on amusing the audience. There is a variety of supporting materials that a speaker can incorporate to engage the audience. Entertaining speeches may consist of stories, anecdotes, quotes, and descriptions. To learn more about the types of supporting materials, turn to Chapter 7.

Determining the general purpose of your speech is a critical step in the speech composition process. A clearly defined speech goal helps the speaker understand their speaking role (i.e., a teacher, an advocate, an entertainer) and determines the information needed to craft and appropriately deliver the speech effectively.

Consider how changing the general purpose from “to inform” to “to persuade” could alter the focus of the speech in the example below.

Topic: Living in LightHouse Commons (FSW College Dorms)

In the examples above, the focus of each speech topic changes significantly when the general purpose of the speech shifts from informative to persuasive. Though there are certainly other potential topics that could be used for this example, you can see that informative speech topics focus on sharing information. In contrast, the persuasive speech topics seek to gain support for a particular point of view. Once you have determined your general purpose, you are ready to craft a specific purpose statement.

Crafting a Specific Purpose 

The specific purpose statement is a concise, declarative statement that identifies the general purpose of your speech, the audience, and the specific goal. Using the speech topic from the example above, “Living in Lighthouse Commons,” the respective specific purpose statements could be written as such:

• To inform incoming freshmen about the pros and cons of living on campus.
• To persuade incoming freshman students that they should live on campus for at least one year.
• To inform prospective FSW applicants of the cost-benefit analysis of on-campus vs. off-campus housing in the Ft. Myers area.
• To persuade the college administration to lower the price of on-campus housing.

In each specific purpose statement example, the speaker identifies the general purpose (e.g., to inform or to persuade), the audience (e.g., incoming freshman, prospective FSW applicants, college administration), and the specific goal of the speech. Notice that each specific purpose statement is crafted as a statement, not a question, and is written clearly and concisely.

Writing a Thesis Statement (central idea) 

Once you craft your specific purpose statement, you are ready to write a thesis statement . Building upon the general purpose and specific purpose statement, your thesis statement elaborates by adding the main points you plan to cover in your speech. Most speeches have 2-3 main points. In your thesis statement, you will clearly and concisely list your main points. Continuing with the examples above, a thesis statement might look like this:

• To inform incoming freshman students about the pros and cons of on-campus living, including social opportunities, access to academic resources, and the costs of living expenses.
• To persuade incoming freshman students that they should live on campus for at least one year for social, academic, and economic benefits.

In each thesis statement above, the general purpose, the audience, and the speech goal are identified, followed by the main points that the speaker will cover in their speech. Notice that the main points are listed precisely, but clearly indicate what topics will be addressed in the body of the speech.

Analyzing Your Audience

Since we cannot assume we know everything about our audience, we must analyze them. Audience Analysis is gathering information about your audience to help create and deliver your speech. Information collected can help you better understand your audience’s needs, values, beliefs, and demographics.

By engaging in audience analysis, you’re taking an audience-centered approach. To be audience-centered is to shift your focus from yourself (what do I want to say about this topic?) to your audience (what do they want or need to hear about this topic?). If you don’t consider your audience, you might deliver a speech that isn’t relevant, useful, or ethical. To make the shift to an audience-centered approach, here are some questions to consider:

• Why are they here? Are they here because they have to be (e.g., a mandatory meeting or a class session) or because they want to attend? Is your presentation the “main event,” or is something else bringing this audience together? Knowing the answer to this question can be extremely important in planning your speech to engage the audience directly.
• What do they know already? It would benefit you to understand what your audience knows or if they have any experience with your topic. Based on their knowledge, you can tailor the language and information of your speech to suit them. For example, giving a speech on global warming will sound very different if you are speaking to middle schoolers versus college-age students. A speech on the power of a dating app will be received differently by a room full of married people versus single people.
• Where are they coming from? Does every person in your audience share the same experiences? Absolutely not, because of their unique lenses to view the world. My siblings and I were raised by the same parents, under the same roof, but we are different (in age, gender, friends, hobbies, etc.) and had different experiences. So, although we have similarities, we all have different frames of reference (think back to chapter 1). Your goal is to write to a general audience so that you connect with all of the unique experiences.

Types of Audience Analysis

To answer the questions posed above, there are three different types of information you might want to collect. Depending on the speaking situation and the preparation time available, some of the following strategies will be better suited than others.

Demographic Analysis

You’ve probably heard the term “demographics” used before. A demographic analysis refers to the gathering of data from your audience relating to the population and groups within it. The U.S. Census Bureau is one of the best examples of a group known for collecting demographic data. Every ten years, census takers gather information about the population of the United States. They typically want to know the composition of each household – the number of dependents (children or adults), average annual income, ethnic backgrounds, the gender and ages of those in the household, and other similar information. This data is then compiled to provide the government and other agencies with an overall view of the individuals, families, and other collective groups that compose the population of the United States. This information might be used to determine whether to fund a community necessity or to project the country’s needs in future years. As you might imagine, gathering and compiling this tremendous amount of data is mind-boggling. Luckily, the data you’ll gather to prepare for a presentation is on a much smaller scale. Here are some examples of information you might collect about your audience:

• Gender identities
• Ethnic backgrounds
• Group memberships
• Educational levels
• Political affiliations
• Religious affiliations
• Socioeconomic statuses

How might information collected in these areas assist you in understanding your audience? After all, you won’t use this information to determine county funding or to analyze the needs of a city. You will, however, be able to use the information you collect to better understand your audience – who they are, and what they care about. For instance, your analysis might uncover a religious or political preference that might make it difficult for them to believe you or take your recommended course of action. Knowing these details about your audience will help you choose your language wisely and craft your speech.

Psychological Analysis

While demographic characteristics focus on the “facts” about the people in your audience, psychological analysis can help explain the inner qualities. Knowing their attitudes, beliefs, and values will help you better understand the psychology of the audience.

Being aware of your audience’s attitudes about certain topics can help you craft the best possible speech. An attitude embodies the likes and/or dislikes of an individual. We have attitudes about everything. For example, you might like Nike more than Adidas, or you think MAC has the best mascara. People have strong attitudes for or against one thing or another, which impacts their perceptions and interpretation of information.

Members of the audience may believe that certain things exist or certain ideas are true. Beliefs are convictions or ways of thinking about the world around us that are reflected in statements that we believe are true or false. Your conviction about something is typically based on your cultural upbringing. You believe what you believe because of what you learned and were taught. Beliefs evolve as your frame of reference develops through experience. Beliefs are another important consideration for audience analysis and speech development.

For example, most public speaking professors know that students are hesitant to take a speech class and often disagree that it should be a graduation requirement. Therefore, public speaking professors craft their messages for the first day of class in very particular ways to generate audience buy-in. In this example, public speaking professors have analyzed their audience to craft the message in a way that will be meaningful for them. How will you craft your speeches to align with your audience’s beliefs?

Values are the underlying principles or standards of ideal behavior that we use to justify our beliefs and attitudes. Values are the core principles driving our behavior and are the hardest to change. If you dig into someone’s attitudes and beliefs enough, you will find core values. We look at the world through our own lens of what we judge to be good or bad, right or wrong, moral or immoral, and ethical or unethical. Analyzing audience values will help you to connect your content to the audience.

All three of these psychological factors are important. Although they seem similar, they work in slightly different ways. Here is an example to showcase the nuance of attitudes, beliefs, and values. For example, consider these different notions:

• You like college (this is an attitude).
• You believe that college is a way out of poverty (there is a belief).
• You think everyone has the right to an education, regardless of attitude or cultural background (this is a value).

Situational Analysis

The final type of audience analysis is situational because it focuses on the specific speaking situation. Here are some basic questions you can answer to help you conduct situational analysis:

• How many people will be in the audience?
• What is my purpose for speaking to this audience?
• What will my audience get out of my presentation?
• What is their interest level in my subject?
• What else might this audience have on their mind?
• What is the configuration of the room we are in?
• Is your audience comfortable?
• Is there anything that can interfere with how my audience hears me?

Figure 5.3: Justin Trudeau s peaks at the University of Waterloo 3

Conducting Audience Analyses

We’ve just examined several variables of audience analysis, but how do you find the information you need? You conduct an audience analysis. Here are three options: data collection, inference, and direct observation.

Data Collection

You can collect data about your audience’s demographic, psychological, or situational makeup through quantifiable and deductive means. Surveys, questionnaires, and interviews would give you abundant qualitative and quantitative information you can use to develop your presentation. While data collection isn’t always required before a presentation, some situations would benefit from having specific information. Will your speech benefit from having specific data on the audience? If so, which method will you use?

This is a trickier method of collecting information about your audience. Inference means making tentative, reasoned conclusions about your audience. It requires that you use your critical thinking skills to make an educated guess about the audience. Beware that making educated guesses could backfire, if not grounded in evidence. For example, if we know that 46% of the U.S. population owns an iPhone, we can confidently infer that some students in our class own an iPhone. The only way to make a conclusive statement about how many students own an iPhone in our class, however, would be to comprehensively collect the data through a survey, questionnaire, or interview of every single audience member.

Direct Observation

One way to learn about people is to observe them. As we mentioned earlier, if you are speaking to a room full of classmates, you likely have already observed some demographic information about your audience ahead of time. The same can be true for other settings or environments where you find yourself.

What methods can you use to analyze your audience, especially in a classroom? Observation is as it sounds – you watch and listen to the individuals in your audience over the course of several days or weeks. If you think about it, you already do this without being completely conscious of it. As you chat during a break, you may find out that many of the students in your class are closely following an upcoming election. They have already formed opinions about the candidates and have their reasons for choosing one over the other. Or, perhaps several students in your small group share that they are single parents struggling to balance school, work, and children. While these tidbits of information are normally acknowledged and stored away in the recesses of your brain, you are, in fact, finding information that could help you prepare for an upcoming speech to these students. This is direct observation; all you had to do was actively listen to the chit-chat and conversations going on around you.

Audience Agreement

Whether you are doing an informative or persuasive speech, you can be sure that audience members may agree, disagree, be neutral, or be apathetic. Here is what these situations might look like:

Audiences that Agree

Students often pick topics based on their notion of a friendly audience. If I knew that 95% of my audience believed that we should only drive hybrid cars, it would be much easier to construct a speech knowing there wouldn’t be much opposition. So why even do a speech when you have an audience that already favors your position? Let’s look at a couple of examples. Some people in our society go to a place of religious worship, whether a church, temple, or mosque. If you already have a belief system, why do you need to go? Similarly, recovered alcoholics go to Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA, meetings. If you haven’t had a drink in ten years, why go to meetings? Maybe it is for personal growth, gaining knowledge, or attitude reinforcement. In each case, when you know that an audience already agrees with you, you can use the opportunity to reinforce their views.

Audiences that Disagree

When you know that an audience does not agree with your point of view, it is essential to capture their interest early. Disagreement doesn’t mean that you should not present your speech, or that you picked a bad topic. It just means that you need credible research, sound reasoning, and consideration for the type of language the audience will be receptive to hearing. It might be helpful to put your strongest argument first when you know your audience disagrees with you. It is also important that you don’t avoid topics that might be controversial because your audience disagrees. Controversial topics may prove to be the most interesting speaking opportunities and give you the chance to make a greater impact. In fact, the audience may be more receptive to a speaker who is open to acknowledging when there is validity in an opposing position while still arguing for a different point of view.

Audiences that are Neutral

Having a neutral audience is ideal. Suppose an audience has not yet made up their mind or taken a position on the topic. In that case, you can give the audience a balanced view of the topic in an informative speech, while in a persuasive speech, it is your chance to convince them. Whether you are doing an informative speech on TikTok, or a persuasive speech on the harmful effects of social media, a neutral audience most likely has not spent time critically thinking about their position. Your speech may be so compelling that some members of the audience may upload a video, or others may be motivated to delete the app.

Audiences that are Apathetic

The most difficult, or frustrating audience to speak to is the audience that doesn’t care; this is an apathetic audience. Your task is to make them care! For example, why would any group of 18 to 22-year-olds want to listen to a speech on the Social Security system? In most cases, they wouldn’t until you convince them that without reform, the Social Security program will run out of money before they are of age to collect. All of the money that you contribute from your paychecks goes to fund this system. Do you care yet? Maybe not, because you aren’t retiring for another 50 years! However, your parents or family members will retire earlier. If the system runs out of money, is it possible that you would find yourself in a position to care for your family members? You can make them care about your topic by showing them how important it is and how it can impact them. It is important to connect your topic to the audience explicitly. Sometimes public speakers ask personal questions to help show the connection between the topic and the audience. This is a useful attention-grabbing strategy and can be very effective. With apathetic audiences, however, you should also explicitly explain how the topic relates to them.

Presenting in an online environment

Chapter 11 discusses ways to deliver to a virtual environment. Like a physical speech knowing how to present information online is a necessary skill for the modern world. There are nine guidelines for a successful presentation suggested by Mary Abbajay in Forbes (2020), they are: get the lighting right, choose the right background, know the technology, play to the camera, get close (but not too close), stand up, do a sound check, plug into your modem, be yourself and have fun!

This chapter discussed how to effectively select a speech topic, identify speech purposes, craft specific purpose and thesis statements, as well as the importance of conducting an audience analysis when preparing and presenting your speech. Like a pop star crafting their live show at the Hollywood Bowl , you must keep your audience at the forefront of your mind during each step. Although you might not sing a solo during your speech or play the guitar, you can use demographic, psychological, and situational analyses to make adjustments where needed. The more you think about the audience throughout the entire process, the more likely they will listen, learn, and linger backstage for your autograph.

Reflection Questions

• Have you ever engaged in audience analysis in your personal life without realizing it? For example, in a conversation with a friend or parent or on social media? What strategies did you use to make sure you were understood?
• How have your attitudes, beliefs, and values informed some of your thoughts about people you meet?
• Which methods of audience analysis will you use in this class? How will you know which one works best?
• In what ways do the different types of audiences impact how you approach your entire presentation?

Audience Analysis

Audience-Centered

General Purpose

Specific Purpose

Thesis Statement

Introduction to Public Speaking Copyright © by Jamie C. Votraw, M.A.; Katharine O'Connor, Ph.D.; and William F. Kelvin, Ph.D. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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• 5 fun speech games

Public Speaking Activities

5 fun speech games to build skills and confidence.

By:  Susan Dugdale  

There are five public speaking activities on this page, along with numerous spinoffs.

Their principal purpose is to develop speech fluency and confidence through fun!

You'll find they are easily adaptable to groups of all ages and skill levels: from newcomers to advanced.

I've used them all and know they work. People become so enjoyably engrossed in them, they forget to be fearful!

1. Interview Introductions

Interview Introductions are a great way to break the ice with a new group of people. The exercise has them finding out about each other and then introducing the person they interviewed to the whole group.

As it's a lot less threatening or scary to talk about someone else rather than yourself, you'll find people respond really positively as they're generally eager to represent the person they interviewed well.

Instructions

• Divide your group into pairs.
• Each person interviews the other in turn. The information gained forms the basis of a brief introduction speech they'll give to the whole group when the interviewing process is complete.
• Ask them to find out their partner's name, where they live/work, what hobbies they have, what their favorite book, film, song...is, what they're most proud of (an achievement perhaps), what they hope for from the class, something funny that happened in their childhood, where they go for holidays, what they think about the latest local issue ... Obviously they can't expect to cover all of that in detail inside the brief time they spend talking with each other. One or two interesting points is enough!
• Establish a time limit for the interviews. I've found 10 minutes works well. Keep track of the time and call change at the halfway point, 5 minutes, to ensure both people get an opportunity to be interviewed and to interview.  
• When the group comes back together the introductions begin: "This is Mary from Taupo. When she's not working for the Social Welfare Department as a community social worker she's collecting stamps. She says part of their charm is that they don't answer back and are quiet!"

2. Image Starters

Picture prompts or image starters are great for sparking  imaginative storytelling and conversations.

Either use my ready-made printable file of 40 picture prompts , (which you can find out more about by clicking the link), or gather up a collection of your own to use.

You'll need interesting images/photos from magazines or newspapers - enough for everybody to have one each and then a few spare.

Place them face down and have everybody pick one.

Using the image as a prompt, what can they share about it? 

Questions to get started are:

• Where is this photo/image from? (And the answer doesn't have to be true - merely plausible! Encourage imaginative creativity.)
• What's happening in this photo/picture?
• What feelings does the image evoke?
• Is there a season or time associated with it?
• What happened after or before the photo was taken?

5 activities using image starters

If you'd like specific instructions for five different activities based around images you'll find them here: picture prompts for impromptu speeches . 

They range from introductory 'show and tell', like the starter questions above, to more advanced. There are solo as well as group activities.

3. For and Against

'For and Against' encourages flexibility: the ability to see a topic from opposing sides.

A speaker has 30 seconds to talk 'for' a topic and then another 30 seconds to speak 'against' it.

Prepare and print out a selection of controversial speech topics. You'll need one per person.

Put the topics into a non-see through bag. Have each speaker select their topic when it's their turn to speak.

Ideally what's wanted is at least two or three good points supporting both sides: for and against.

Time the speech. Call start, the half way point and, stop.

Sample topics:

• money is the root of all evil
• a country gets the government it deserves
• ' green ' politics are just the current fashion
• pets in apartments should be banned
• marriage is essentially a business contract
• 'Religion is the opiate of the masses' : Karl Marx
• poverty is a state of mind
• euthanasia is unjustifiable
• global warming is media hype
• cloning animals should be banned
• animal testing is immoral

For variation split your group into pairs and extend the time limit to 1 - 2 minutes. One person takes the 'for' position, and other takes the 'against'.  

More 1 minute speech practice

For 150 1 minute speech topics with 3 example speech outlines following the PREP (Point, Reason, Example, Point) format, the full text of three speeches plus audio, visit:  1 minute speech topics .

Get instant organizers for impromptu speeches

For more on structuring impromptu speeches quickly and effectively go to impromptu speaking templates . You'll find 7 useful speech outline organizers explained (including PREP), alongside suggestions to banish impromptu speaking blues. 

4. The Object of my Affection

Gather up a collection of small objects, enough for one per speaker. For example: a vintage toy car, a can of sardines, a hair ribbon, an old black and white photographic portrait, a pair of baby shoes .... 

Put all of them into a non-see through bag.

Each speaker puts their hand into the bag and pulls out an object. Whatever they get forms the basis of their 1 - 2 minute speech.

Ideas to help the speakers get started:

• This ... { insert the name of whatever it is the speaker has in their hand } saved my life. It happened like this...
• Whenever I see a ...{ insert the name of whatever it is the speaker has in their hand } it reminds me of the time I...
• I collect ...{i nsert the name of whatever it is the speaker has in their hand } and this one is the prize of my collection. It used to belong to ...

5. Conducted Speech

This is a group public speaking activity. It is noisy, effective and outrageously good fun! 

Select a tongue twister from this page of  diction exercises  eg. " Sister Susie sat on the seashore sewing shirts for soldiers ".

Divide your class into groups of four. Three in each group will be the speakers and the fourth, the conductor.

The speakers repeat the tongue twister responding to the conductor's direction. He/she can make them go faster or slower, louder or quieter. The conductor could even decide to make it a round by staggering when each person begins! 

The goal of the exercise is to practice articulation coupled with vocal variety ie. speech rate and volume.

It also teaches cooperation and focus, or concentration. Let your mind wander, and it's game over! You've lost it, not only for yourself but your group as well.

Swap the conductor role around to give everybody a turn.

Once everybody is familiar with the activity, give the groups turns at demonstrating their prowess to the whole class. They'll love seeing and hearing each other perform. ☺

If you liked these speech activities ...

You'll love my ebook!

28  public speaking games  (with many more variations and extensions), full instructions, PLUS printable topic, tongue twister, poem and image sheets.

A complete  one-stop-select-print-go  public speaking resource for busy people.

Find out more >>

For more freebie public speaking activities:

• 10 activities for public speaking - a collection of tried and tested speech class activities for middle school upwards
• Another 7 fun-filled public speaking games for groups
• Improv games - a collection of 5 excellent drama games for groups
• Public speaking exercises - these focus on the individual speaker- how to breathe well, stand, use eye contact effectively...

What's the difference between these freebie activities and your ebook?

My ebook contains the best of all the games from these pages and then some more strictly Susan specials, PLUS detailed instructions on how to use them.

You'll find out how to select games for a class, introduce them for maximum effect, integrate them into your lesson plans, and so on.

It also has all the topics, tongue twisters, images etc you need to play available as printables.

It's a one-stop, time saving resource that you'll return to time, and time again. Why not check it out?

Your students will thank you for it!

• Return to the top of the public speaking activities page

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Assignments

Brave space lesson.

Persuasive Speech Assignment

An assignment that helps students artfully convince an audience. Students will be given the opportunity to persuade audience members that a policy should be started, changed, or stopped, and/or urge cooperation by asking them to performs specific tasks.

Self-Introduction Speech Assignment

Select an object that represents a significant aspect of your cultural background, personality, values, ambitions, etc. Using the chosen object as a point of departure, develop a speech that explains how it relates to your life. The purpose of this speech is not to explain the object in detail, but […]

Peer Feedback Assignment

A simple form to give students so that they can evaluate and comment on their classmates’ presentations. For use in an in-person or synchronous class. Download a Word doc of the Peer Feedback form here.  

Informative Speech Assignment

An assignment by Prof. Williams that discusses and analyzes preparation for the Informative Speech.

Global Competencies Exercises

Various ice-breaker activities compiled by Prof. Williams. For use in in-person or online classes.

African Burial Ground Assignment

This is an assignment that helps students practice using different types of organizational styles when outlining their speeches. Students are asked to write an outline using two different organizational styles. Download a Word doc of Prof. Williams’ African Burial Ground assignment here.

Occasional Speech Assignment

Occasional Speech Assginment. The occasion may take place in the past, present, or future. You’ll need a specific person, place, or thing that you are praising, celebrating, reflecting on, honoring, or saying goodbye to.

  Prof. Tulloch’s Informative Speech Assignment requires students to select a subject area that provides a genuine contribution of knowledge to the class (i.e. something they do not already know).ce.

Assignment Compilation

A compilation of assignments by Professor Brianne Waychoff.  Click to find everything from Informative Speech assignments to Persuasive Speech assignments to Midterm Exam questions.

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10 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills

Few are immune to the fear of public speaking. Marjorie North offers 10 tips for speakers to calm the nerves and deliverable memorable orations.

Marjorie North

Snakes? Fine. Flying? No problem. Public speaking? Yikes! Just thinking about public speaking — routinely described as one of the greatest (and most common) fears — can make your palms sweat. But there are many ways to tackle this anxiety and learn to deliver a memorable speech.

In part one of this series,  Mastering the Basics of Communication , I shared strategies to improve how you communicate. In part two, How to Communicate More Effectively in the Workplace , I examined how to apply these techniques as you interact with colleagues and supervisors in the workplace. For the third and final part of this series, I’m providing you with public speaking tips that will help reduce your anxiety, dispel myths, and improve your performance.

Here Are My 10 Tips for Public Speaking:

1. nervousness is normal. practice and prepare.

All people feel some physiological reactions like pounding hearts and trembling hands. Do not associate these feelings with the sense that you will perform poorly or make a fool of yourself. Some nerves are good. The adrenaline rush that makes you sweat also makes you more alert and ready to give your best performance.

The best way to overcome anxiety is to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. Take the time to go over your notes several times. Once you have become comfortable with the material, practice — a lot. Videotape yourself, or get a friend to critique your performance.

Communication Strategies: Presenting with Impact

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2. Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You.

Before you begin to craft your message, consider who the message is intended for. Learn as much about your listeners as you can. This will help you determine your choice of words, level of information, organization pattern, and motivational statement.

3. Organize Your Material in the Most Effective Manner to Attain Your Purpose.

Create the framework for your speech. Write down the topic, general purpose, specific purpose, central idea, and main points. Make sure to grab the audience’s attention in the first 30 seconds.

4. Watch for Feedback and Adapt to It.

Keep the focus on the audience. Gauge their reactions, adjust your message, and stay flexible. Delivering a canned speech will guarantee that you lose the attention of or confuse even the most devoted listeners.

5. Let Your Personality Come Through.

Be yourself, don’t become a talking head — in any type of communication. You will establish better credibility if your personality shines through, and your audience will trust what you have to say if they can see you as a real person.

6. Use Humor, Tell Stories, and Use Effective Language.

Inject a funny anecdote in your presentation, and you will certainly grab your audience’s attention. Audiences generally like a personal touch in a speech. A story can provide that.

7. Don’t Read Unless You Have to. Work from an Outline.

Reading from a script or slide fractures the interpersonal connection. By maintaining eye contact with the audience, you keep the focus on yourself and your message. A brief outline can serve to jog your memory and keep you on task.

8. Use Your Voice and Hands Effectively. Omit Nervous Gestures.

Nonverbal communication carries most of the message. Good delivery does not call attention to itself, but instead conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly and without distraction.

9. Grab Attention at the Beginning, and Close with a Dynamic End.

Do you enjoy hearing a speech start with “Today I’m going to talk to you about X”? Most people don’t. Instead, use a startling statistic, an interesting anecdote, or concise quotation. Conclude your speech with a summary and a strong statement that your audience is sure to remember.

10. Use Audiovisual Aids Wisely.

Too many can break the direct connection to the audience, so use them sparingly. They should enhance or clarify your content, or capture and maintain your audience’s attention.

Practice Does Not Make Perfect

Good communication is never perfect, and nobody expects you to be perfect. However, putting in the requisite time to prepare will help you deliver a better speech. You may not be able to shake your nerves entirely, but you can learn to minimize them.

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About the Author

North is a consultant for political candidates, physicians, and lawyers, and runs a private practice specializing in public speaking, and executive communication skills. Previously, she was the clinical director in the department of speech and language pathology and audiology at Northeastern University.

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Public Speaking Activities for Secondary Students

Read on for six public speaking activities. Then, sign up for a free download of the activities that you can hopefully use in diverse ways, even as public speaking games. 

I earned an endorsement in “speech” for my teaching license. (I’m in Illinois.) In college, I took extra communication courses and observed high school speech classes. Plenty of my extracurricular activities (plus my classes) required me to prepare and deliver speeches. When I started teaching, I had experienced public speaking activities as a student and a teacher observer.

Still, I felt underprepared to teach public speaking. I had zero speech activities for high school students. My first year of teaching, I thought materials were lacking on the Internet, from textbooks, from anywhere (and I searched). This was pre-TpT and I was sinking or swimming. My textbook for the class was about sixty years old, and I had no teacher edition.

That first year I did lots of paddling, but over the years I grew confident in teaching a speech class. I developed fun impromptu speech activities and other speech activities for high school students.

That isn’t to say that I didn’t make mistakes ; I made plenty. Through messy lessons, too-short of lessons, and confused students, I learned to provide structure for students without squashing them. I realized how much preparation was needed. I changed basic rubrics to rubrics that encouraged students to set goals and take ownership of their improvement. Scaffolding and modeling became part of my class.

So! I improved and reflected. After years of teaching public speaking, I crafted ideas for what would help young speakers. Hopefully, these activities help your speech classes too.

What are some ice-breaker exercises that can be used in a public speaking activity?

Some ice-breaker exercises that can be used in public speaking activities include “Two Truths and a Lie,” where participants share two true statements and one false statement about themselves, and “Would You Rather,” where participants are asked to choose between two options and explain their choice.

What about public speaking games?

Sometimes, structure helps young speakers, so I created these public speaking activities to address common areas of concern with high schoolers. Most students fear the nature of a speech class, use too many fillers when speaking, and focus on one area, such as volume and forget about the rest: non-verbal communication, tone, eye contact, etc.

Through coaching speech, spending many weekends at speech tournaments, and teaching public speaking, I created these public speaking activities. I’ve seen variations of these or adapted these from activities geared toward younger students. These speech activities should work well with high school students, but you can modify them for middle school or college speech classes.

These are included in my public speaking unit as well because they can be used numerous times.

Fillers can distract an audience from hearing a really well-developed speech. First, not all fillers are bad. We naturally pause and add fillers. The abundance of fillers, however, can be distracting.

Sometimes speech students are unaware that they use fillers. Other times, students become nervous, pause, and fill the empty time with a filler. Talk with students about the reasons why fillers occur and if they have a time they rely on one. Showing compassion and understanding about a common problem during speeches will relax students, and they will be more likely to work on eliminating an abundance of fillers.

After showing compassion, play public speaking games to address filler words.

Before starting, choose your topic and write a list of common fillers that don’t positively add to spoken communication: um, yeah, like, uh. Ask students to contribute to the list. I normally write the list so that students can consult it.

Instruct students to speak for 30 seconds (vary the time if necessary) and not use any fillers. Students should realize how easily fillers creep into their speech. NOW! Everyone uses some fillers, and fillers can make public speaking natural. However, too many fillers can distract audiences.

Each student will give a short speech for 30 seconds. The topic isn’t too important. You can choose one for the entire class or allow students to choose.

Students must restart their speech if they use a filler. Some students will try to pause and draw out the speech by not speaking, but most students speak at a normal pace. Overall, the audience is compassionate toward the speaker because everyone realizes the difficulty of not relying on these words.

This activity is perfect after the first formal speech. Students need to decompress, but they also need to eliminate fillers. When I ask students to write goals for their future speeches, eliminating fillers is a common goal.

2. Nonverbal practice

Nonverbal communication matters. To help students experience that, ask them to perform an activity where the focus is nonverbal communication.

Students will line up in alphabetical order only using nonverbal communication. I have students line up by order of their middle names since they typically know everyone’s last names. They experiment with different forms of nonverbal communication and have fun. Most often they make a capital letter with their fingers. If some students know middle names, they will switch classmates around.

The real practice is when students realize many of them have a middle name that starts with the same letter. “A” is a common one. Then students must figure out how to communicate the second letters of Aarron, Ann, Alice, and Abraham. I will say I’ve never had a class line up correctly.

This activity is the perfect introduction to nonverbal communication. As students continue through the semester, they’ll be able to focus on purposeful movements that emphasize their points. This nonverbal activity breaks the ice as you start to work on nonverbal communication. I never plan on this nonverbal practice becoming a public speaking game, but it often does.

3. One goal

Speeches can overwhelm students. Help students focus on one goal. The best part about the “one goal” activity is that students choose their focus which creates less work for you and buy-in for students.

As students continue with class, ask them what area they see as the greatest potential for improvement. Brainstorm areas as a class. There is no right or wrong! Students normally list eye contact, proper volume level, appropriate nonverbal communication, and natural movement. Then let students decide what they desire to improve.

Students will individually decide what they want to improve in their speaking—they will each have a goal. Some students want to work on eye contact, others want to balance their volume, others want to stop fidgeting. Then I divide students into small groups. Students will practice the current speech they are creating, receiving constructive feedback when they need to correct an action to meet their goal. Their group will also tell them when they did well and moved toward meeting their goal.

(This is a bit like #1 but fillers are such a huge issue with high school orators that it gets its own activity.) I normally do this activity later in the year after students are comfortable with each other. I also don’t do this activity if I feel a class may not give meaningful feedback. Finally, I share with students that improving in an area is part of most jobs. In teaching, for example, teachers often record themselves and reflect on the video later. They then develop goals for improvement in their profession. (Sometimes it is a public speaking goal!)

This activity works well to meet individual goals and to build classroom community. My speech rubrics contain a spot for consideration on improvement of a goal. Plus, the art of reflection will serve students in any field or career, so I stress that message to them. This focused practice works well because it encourages students to work on a goal in which the teacher had very little involvement.

4. M&M/ Skittles

Who doesn’t like candy? With this fun exercise, students share information about a topic. You’ll get students talking in a low-stress, engaging way.

This candy activity is fun and quick. Bring a large bag of small candies like M&M or Skittles to class. Ask students to take as many pieces of candy as they like, but stress not to eat the candies yet. Pass the bag around. Then, students must tell a fact about themselves for each piece of candy. 15 pieces of candy? 15 facts.

This also works with review. 5 pieces of candy? Review 5 facts with the class concerning public speaking terms. After speaking, students may eat their candy. I’ve used a similar process in other classes to review material.

This activity works well as a review or as a first day of school activity. Students are publicly speaking in their speech class on the first day of school without any feedback or real regulations. Since the process is fun, their first experience in class is a positive one. Plus, the candy aspect lends itself to making a public speaking game.

5. Impromptu

Most speeches in real life are actually impromptu speeches. Interviews, business meetings, and proposal presentations require people to think quickly and to speak eloquently, all while proving their point. Body language matters too!

Activate prior knowledge with a bit of an anticipatory set. Ask students about a time they gave an impromptu speech (even though they did not probably label it “impromptu” at the time!). Most people can relate to the frustration of having ideas but not conveying them well. Many times, people think of what they should have said days later! Students probably face this frustration. Acknowledge that feeling, share they you’ve experienced it too, and supply a solution.

Thinking and speaking on your feet might come naturally to some people. With practice, even those who struggle to articulate their ideas under pressure can improve.

Have students organize a speech quickly by delivering an impromptu speech. Often I would ask a class to write a topic on a piece of paper. (Sometimes I would say that the topic needed to be persuasive or informative—but it always needed to be clean.) Students would write their topic, add it to a box, and draw from a box. The topics were great because I didn’t make them and because students knew they had the potential to draw their own.

After drawing, provide 30 seconds to outline their speech. Then, students will talk about the topic for one minute. As the school year continued, I would increase the speaking time.

Older students who have been in class for a bit will probably organize their speech with a general introductory statement, two concepts, and a concluding statement. (That varies, of course.) If students struggle with the format, create a quick outline they can apply to their topics.

Students enjoy creating their own topics and learn to speak on the spot in a mature, organized manner. At first, students groan about impromptu speaking. This area is actually where I see the most growth. Students gain confidence that they can think and speak quickly, and they start to enjoy the process.

Tone matters! Many adults don’t realize the tone that they convey shapes their communication. We should certainly work with our students concerning tone so that they are aware of its power. Not only can the wrong tone hurt speakers, but the right tone can also emphasize their message.

Define “tone” for students. Brainstorm times that students know their tone has affected them. (Normally students share stories about times they were in trouble with their parents for having the wrong tone.) Then think of times that the right tone conveyed the correct message. Students might struggle to come up with examples for best use of tone. Oftentimes, a tone that matches a speaker’s message doesn’t stand out, and that is probably because the tone was woven into the message so well.

Experiment with tone with students. Put students into groups, and assign a speaker. (Everyone will have the chance to be a speaker.) Give the speaker a list of emotions and a list of generic statements. Then ask the speaker to choose a question and an emotion that conveys tone.

Finally, the rest of the group must decide the speaker’s tone. This opportunity allows for discussion about intentional tone and miscommunication. You’ll want to circulate as students practice this.

Public speaking activities can be engaging and memorable. First, students might be nervous about giving speeches, so provide a variety of opportunities for them to practice. As you build a classroom community, these activities easily can become public speaking games.

To help nerves, work on material slowly and purposefully. By helping students see success with public speaking, they will gain more confidence in your speech class and in life. Soon, your speech activities for high school students will be personalized and fit your community.

As you incorporate these public speaking games and activities into your speech units, you’ll discover that they are easily adaptable. Plus, you’ll find the perfect timing for each exercise. Teaching public speaking requires experimentation and reflection. I hope these help!

Would you like these public speaking activities at your fingertips? Download these six lesson plans (plus many more!) when you sign up for library access.

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Public Speaking

Table of Contents

Course contents.

• About This Course
• Course Contents at a Glance
• Learning Outcomes

Faculty Resources

• Faculty Resources Overview
• Faculty & Technical Support

Course Resources

• Course Resources Overview
• Offline Content Access
• PowerPoints
• In-Class Activities
• Assignments
• Interactives
• Question Banks
• Additional Resources

Resources: Capstone Project

• Capstone: Topic, Purpose, and Central Idea
• Capstone: Researching Your Speech
• Capstone: Organizing and Outlining Your Ideas
• Capstone: Rehearsing Your Speech
• Capstone: Delivering Your Speech

Resources: Discussions and Assignments

• Module 1 Assignment: Assessing and Deflecting Communication Apprehension
• Module 1 Discussion: Speaking for Advocacy
• Module 2 Discussion: Ethical Dilemmas in Public Speaking
• Module 2 Assignment: Ethical Dilemmas
• Module 3 Assignment: Listening and Obstacles to Listening
• Module 3 Discussion: Listening
• Module 4 Assignment: Audience Analysis and Application
• Module 4 Discussion: Understanding Your Audience
• Module 5 Assignment: Gathering Quality Material to Build a Speech
• Module 5 Discussion: Selecting a Speech Topic
• Module 6 Assignment: Outlining a Speech
• Module 6 Discussion: Organizational Patterns
• Module 7 Assignment: Oral versus Written Style
• Module 7 Discussion: Attention-Getters
• Module 8 Assignment: Practice Speech
• Module 8 Discussion: Delivery
• Module 9 Assignment: Informative Speech Purpose and Structure
• Module 9 Discussion: Pre-Existing Knowledge
• Module 10 Assignment: Ethos, Pathos, Logos
• Module 10 Discussion: Identifying Possible Appeals for Persuasive Speaking
• Module 11 Assignment: Practice Special Occasion Speaking
• Module 11 Discussion: Special Occasions
• Module 12 Assignment: Engaging the Audience Online
• Module 12 Discussion: Challenges of Online Communication
• Module 13 Assignment: Creating an Agenda
• Module 13 Discussion: Pitching an Idea
• Module 14 Assignment: Working in Groups
• Module 14 Discussion: Group Roles
• Module 15 Assignment: Practice Slide Deck Creation
• Module 15 Discussion: Visual Aids

Module 1: Introduction to Public Speaking

• Why It Matters: Introduction to Public Speaking
• Introduction to Speaking Effectively
• The Benefits of Public Speaking
• What Is Communication?
• Elements in a Speech
• The Goals of a Speech
• Introduction to Speaking Confidently
• What Is Communication Apprehension?
• What Causes Communication Apprehension?
• Reducing Communication Apprehension
• Introduction to Speaking to Advocate and Activate
• Speaking as Civic Engagement
• Speaking for Change
• Introduction to Evolutions of Public Speaking
• Rhetoric in the Ancient World
• Public Speaking, Medieval to Modern
• Public Speaking and Social Movements in the United States 1730–1900
• Public Speaking and Social Movements in the United States 1900–2020
• Technologies of Public Communication
• Putting It Together: Introduction to Public Speaking
• Assignment: Assessing and Deflecting Communication Apprehension
• Discussion: Speaking for Advocacy

Module 2: Ethical Speech

• Why It Matters: Ethical Speech
• Introduction to Ethical Dimensions of Public Speaking
• Ethics, Morals, and Legality
• Ethics in Public Speaking
• Bias and Conflict of Interest
• Introduction to Free Speech and the Ethical Use of Language
• Inclusive Language
• Hate Speech
• Free Speech
• Introduction to Originality, Citation, and Plagiarism
• What Is Plagiarism?
• Citing Sources in a Speech
• Quoting and Paraphrasing
• Putting It Together: Ethical Speech
• Discussion: Ethical Dilemmas in Public Speaking
• Assignment: Ethical Dilemmas

Module 3: Listening and Responding

• Why It Matters: Listening and Responding
• Introduction To Active Listening
• Hearing versus Listening
• Types of Listening
• The Three A's of Active Listening
• Benefits of Listening
• Introduction to Strategies to Enhance Listening
• Barriers to Effective Listening
• Identify and Reduce Distractions
• Keeping an Open Mind
• Come Prepared
• Introduction to Feedback
• Three Kinds of Feedback
• Feedback While Speaking
• Elements of Effective Feedback
• Providing Feedback
• Putting It Together: Listening and Responding
• Assignment: Listening and Obstacles to Listening
• Discussion: Listening

Module 4: Considering the Audience

• Why It Matters: Considering the Audience
• Introduction to What Is Audience Analysis?
• Tailoring Your Speech to the Audience
• Factors to Consider in Audience Analysis
• Types of Audience Analysis
• Gathering Information about Your Audience
• Demographic Characteristics
• Introduction to Adapting to the Audience
• Using Your Audience Analysis
• During the Speech: Adapting to the Audience
• After the Speech: Learning from the Audience
• Introduction to Diverse and Multicultural Audiences
• Every Audience Is Diverse
• Cultural Differences and Multicultural Audiences
• Ethnocentrism and Cultural Appropriation
• Cultural Competence
• Putting It Together: Considering the Audience
• Assignment: Audience Analysis and Application
• Discussion: Understanding Your Audience

Module 5: Choosing and Researching a Topic

• Why It Matters: Choosing and Researching a Topic
• Introduction to Choosing a Topic
• Choosing a Topic
• Narrowing Your Topic
• Finding the Purpose and Central Idea of Your Speech
• Introduction to Researching and Supporting Your Ideas
• Supporting Materials
• Finding Support for Your Speech
• Assessing the Quality of Supporting Material
• Taking Notes and Tracking Sources
• Introduction to Data and Statistics
• Statistical Terms and Concepts
• The Use and Misuse of Statistics
• Using Statistics and Data in Your Speech
• Putting It Together: Choosing and Researching a Topic
• Assignment: Gathering Quality Material to Build a Speech
• Discussion: Selecting a Speech Topic

Module 6: Organizing and Outlining Your Speech

• Why It Matters: Organizing and Outlining Your Speech
• Introduction to Organizing Your Speech
• Organizing Your Ideas
• Topical Organization
• Chronological, Step-by-Step, and Spatial Organization
• Paired Sequences
• Introduction to Outlining Your Speech
• The Speech Outline
• Parts of the Speech Outline
• Methods of Speech Delivery
• The Speaking Outline
• Introduction to Documenting Your Sources
• Develop a Preliminary Bibliography
• MLA Works Cited
• APA References
• Develop an Annotated Bibliography
• Putting It Together: Organizing and Outlining Your Speech
• Assignment: Outlining a Speech
• Discussion: Organizational Patterns

Module 7: Refining your Speech

• Why It Matters: Refining Your Speech
• Introduction to Introductions
• Purpose of a Speech Introduction
• Types of Introductions
• Writing and Revising the Introduction
• Introduction to Conclusions
• Purpose of a Speech Conclusion
• Types of Conclusions
• Writing and Revising the Conclusion
• Introduction to Connectors and Transitions
• Purpose of Connectors and Transitions
• Types of Connectors and Transitions
• Revising Connectors and Transitions
• Introduction to Language and Style
• Oral versus Written Style
• Choosing Words Well
• Language Pitfalls
• Putting It Together: Refining Your Speech
• Assignment: Oral versus Written Style
• Discussion: Attention-Getters

Module 8: Delivering Your Speech

• Why It Matters: Delivering Your Speech
• Introduction to Vocal Aspects of Delivery
• Articulation, Pitch, and Rate
• Emphasis, Volume, and Pauses
• Speech Challenges
• Introduction to Nonverbal Aspects of Delivery
• Personal Appearance
• Gestures and Movement
• Facial Expressions and Eye Contact
• Introduction to Preparation, Practice, and Delivery
• Mastering the Location
• Working with Equipment
• Rehearsing Your Speech
• Putting It Together: Delivering Your Speech
• Assignment: Practice Speech
• Discussion: Delivery

Module 9: Informative Speaking

• Why It Matters: Informative Speaking
• Introduction to What Is an Informative speech?
• Objectives of an Informative Speech
• Informing the Audience
• Introduction to Types of Informative Speeches
• Informative Speeches about Objects, Processes, and Concepts
• Informative Speeches about Events and People
• Introduction to Building an Informative Speech
• Selecting a Topic for an Informative Speech
• Organizing the Informative Speech
• Supporting the Informative Speech
• Language in an Informational Speech
• Putting It Together: Informative Speaking
• Assignment: Informative Speech Purpose and Structure
• Discussion: Pre-Existing Knowledge

Module 10: Persuasive Speaking

• Why It Matters: Persuasive Speaking
• Introduction to Speaking to Persuade
• What Is a Persuasive Speech?
• Structure of a Persuasive Speech
• Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
• Needs, Values, and Motivation
• Introduction to Credibility and Evidence
• Establishing Credibility
• Evidence in a Persuasive Speech
• Errors and Fallacies
• Barriers to Persuading an Audience
• Introduction to Persuasive Strategies
• Persuasive Strategies Using Ethos
• Persuasive Strategies Using Logos
• Persuasive Strategies Using Pathos
• Putting It Together: Persuasive Speaking
• Assignment: Ethos, Pathos, Logos
• Discussion: Identifying Possible Appeals for Persuasive Speaking

Module 11: Speaking to Entertain and for Special Occasions

• Why It Matters: Speaking to Entertain and for Special Occasions
• Introduction to Speaking on Special Occasions
• Adapting Your Speech for the Occasion
• Different Language for Different Situations
• Humor in Public Speaking
• Preparing and Delivering the Special-Occasion Speech
• Introduction to Speeches about People: Toasts, Roasts, and Eulogies
• Introduction to Speakers, Awards, and Events
• Award and Acceptance Speeches
• Introducing a Speaker
• The Master of Ceremonies
• Putting It Together: Speaking to Entertain and for Special Occasions
• Assignment: Practice Special Occasion Speaking
• Discussion: Special Occasions

Module 12: Public Speaking Online

• Why It Matters: Public Speaking Online
• Introduction to Speaking Online
• Online versus Face-to-Face
• Synchronous and Asynchronous
• Verbal Communication Online
• Nonverbal and Technical Aspects of Communication Online
• Introduction to the Online Audience
• Engaging the Online Audience
• Eliminating Distractions
• Presentation Aids Online
• Introduction to Scenarios of Online Speech
• Online Meetings
• Online Interviews
• Putting It Together: Public Speaking Online
• Assignment: Engaging the Audience Online
• Discussion: Challenges of Online Communication

Module 13: Public Speaking on the Job

• Why It Matters: Public Speaking on the Job
• Introduction to Interviews
• Informational Interviews
• Preparing for a Job Interview
• Interview Situations
• Interview Questions
• Interviewing Others
• Introduction to Presentations
• Effective Presentations
• Bad Presentations
• Making a Presentation for a Meeting
• Introduction to Meetings
• Writing an Agenda
• Running a Meeting
• Pitching an Idea
• Putting It Together: Public Speaking on the Job
• Assignment: Creating an Agenda
• Discussion: Pitching an Idea

Module 14: Small Group Communication

• Why It Matters: Small Group Communication
• Introduction to Group Dynamics
• Small Group Characteristics
• Types of Groups
• Roles in Small Groups
• Challenges of Small Group Dynamics
• Benefits of Small Group Work
• Introduction to Group Meetings
• Planning Small Group Meetings
• Managing Small Group Meetings
• Leadership in Small Groups
• Introduction to Group Development and Communication
• The Five Development Stages of Groups
• The Reflective-Thinking Method for Decision-Making
• Small Group Discussions
• Presenting as a Group
• Putting It Together: Small Group Communication
• Assignment: Working in Groups
• Discussion: Group Roles

Module 15: Creating and Using Presentation Aids

• Why It Matters: Creating and Using Presentation Aids
• Introduction to Effective Visual Aids
• Does Your Presentation Need Visuals?
• Why Use Visual Aids?
• Introduction to Types of Visual Aid
• Objects, Props, and Personal Appearance as Visual Aids
• Demonstrations
• Posters, Flip Charts, Whiteboards, and Handouts
• Audio and Video
• Introduction to Slideware
• Types of Slide Presentations
• PowerPoint Basics
• Google Slides Basics
• Introduction to Slide Design
• Design Principles
• Slide Layout
• Slide Layout: Images and Charts
• Slide Accessibility
• Putting It Together: Creating and Using Presentation Aids
• Assignment: Practice Slide Deck Creation
• Discussion: Visual Aids

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Cover Image: "Untitled Image." Authored by: Reimond de Zuniga. Located at: https://unsplash.com/photos/vHwjDFwQC-M . Content Type: CC Licensed Content, Shared Previously. License: CC0: No Rights Reserved . License Terms: Unsplash License.

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