What do Golden Corral, Amazon, and YouTube have in common?
If you visit one of these looking for something to eat, buy, or watch, you will find seemingly endless options. Tray after tray of food at Golden Corral, millions of products at Amazon, and billions of videos on YouTube. (Yes, billions.)
At the start of the speech and debate season, you may find yourself in a situation similar to scrolling through Amazon deciding which of the 427+ Squishmallows to buy next . . . how do you pick a good topic when there are endless options?
Selecting a speech topic is a big decision because you are going to spend a lot of time researching, writing, and practicing your speech. And, every time you give your speech to an audience, you have an opportunity to influence and impact.
To help you narrow down your options and get started on writing that great speech, let’s look at ways to discover potential topics, evaluate the possibilities, seek guidance, and take the next steps.
Discover Potential Topics
To discover potential topics, set a timer for 10 minutes and ask yourself these questions. (This is brainstorming, so there are no “wrong answers”—write down or type up anything that comes to mind!)
- What do I know? Think about personal experiences, subjects you have explored, and topics you enjoy discussing. What have you been studying or reading? What has God taught you through his Word or his world?
- What do I love? Think about topics with which you have a personal connection. What are you known for? What unique interests or passions has God put in your heart?
- What could I learn? Researching, writing, and presenting a speech is an excellent way to learn something new. What is something you wish you knew more about or understood better? What subjects, ideas, and news headlines have captured your attention lately? What topic is God inviting you to discover?
- What message could I share? You have an opportunity to share something meaningful that influences and impacts others. What do you know or do or believe that other people would benefit from too? What message is God inviting you to share?
Evaluate the Possibilities
Next, take your big list of potential topics and evaluate the strength of each one with four key criteria.
- Personal passion is a powerful and compelling enthusiasm for a topic. You want to enjoy researching, writing, and presenting it for an extended period of time. You want your passion to spark interest in others. Ask, do I love this topic?
- Growth potential is the opportunity to increase your capacity and push toward your potential. You will invest a lot of time and energy in this endeavor. Make sure the topic is well-suited to you and will challenge you to discover ideas, learn lessons, or gain perspective. Ask, will this topic challenge me to grow?
- Redemptive value is the importance of bringing God’s hope and restoration into the world. In giving a speech to an audience, God gives us an opportunity to glorify him—not ourselves. Ask, will this topic glorify God?
- Audience impact is the lasting effect your topic will have on the people who hear your speech. Is your topic relevant? Will it enable you to offer encouragement, provoke thought, or promote action? Ask, will this topic help others?
After applying the key criteria, highlight the 3-5 topics from your original list that successfully meet all four and stand out to you personally. Now, as you get closer and closer to picking your working topic, it is time to seek guidance.
Seek Guidance
At this point, I want to encourage you to do two things: pray and invite some other people into the process.
First, pray for God’s guidance. Ask him to help you discern the very best topic for your speech. Be sensitive to how he is leading you. As Solomon teaches in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (ESV).
Then, run your ideas by your parents, coach, or teacher. These adults know you well and will have some excellent insight on which topic you should pursue. Listen to their feedback and take it into consideration as you make your final decision.
Take the Next Steps
Once you have your working topic, it’s time to research, outline, and write your speech. During these next steps you may discover that you need to narrow, widen, or shift the focus of your topic. Be flexible and ready to pivot!
While there is no “perfect” topic, I am confident that you can pick a great one that will be rewarding for you and meaningful to your audience. Best wishes!
(This post is adapted from Lesson 2 in the new Foundations of Speech Curriculum. For more guidance and speech-writing help, you can purchase your own Student, Teacher, or Family Bundle in the NCFCA Shop.)
