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Chapter 11
Topic Selection and Development
What you’ll know:
• How to identify an appropriate speech topic
• How to adapt your speech to meet the needs and expectations of your audience
• Three different types of sources you can draw from to develop your speech
• How to locate, evaluate, and cite sources
What you’ll be able to do:
• Select an appropriate speech topic and goal based on audience analysis
• Collect audience demographic and subject-related data
• Write an effective specific-speech goal statement
• Conduct secondary and primary research
• Record information and sources effectively
• Correctly cite sources orally during your speech
Chapter Outline
Action Step 1
Determine a specific speech goal that is adapted to the rhetorical situation
III. Analyze the Audience
A. Demographic data
B. Subject-related data
C. Data-gathering methods
1. Conduct a survey
2. Observe informally
3. Question a representative
4. Make educated guesses
D. Ethical use of audience data
1. Marginalizing: ignoring the values, needs, interests, and subject-specific knowledge of
some audience members
2. Stereotyping: assuming all members of a group have similar knowledge levels, behaviors,
or beliefs simply because they belong to that group
3. Audience diversity: the range of demographic characteristics and subject-specific
differences represented in an audience
IV. Examine the Occasion
A. What is the intended purpose of the speech?
B. What is the expected length?
C. Where will the speech be given?
D. When will the speech be given?
E. What equipment is necessary and available?
Action Step 2
Gather and evaluate material to develop your speech
VI. Locate and Evaluate Information Sources
A. Personal knowledge and experience
1. Primary research: the process of conducting your own study in the real world
2. Secondary research: the process of locating information about your topic that has been
discovered by other people
3. Credentials: your experiences or education that qualifies you to speak with authority on a
subject
B. Secondary research: the process of locating information about your topic that has been
discovered by other people
C. Evaluate sources
1. Authority: test the expertise of the author and the reputation of the sponsoring
organization
2. Objectivity: test the impartiality of the presentation
3. Currency: test the currency to ensure it is timely
4. Relevance: information directly applicable to your speech
D. Primary research: the process of conducting your own study to acquire information for your
speech
1. Surveys: polls used to get information about people’s ideas and opinions
2. Interviewing
3. Examining artifacts or original documents
4. Experimenting
VII. Identify and Evaluate a Variety of Information
A. Factual statements: statements that can be verified
VIII. Record information by preparing note cards
A. Annotated Bibliography: a preliminary record of the relevant sources you find as you conduct
your research.
B. Research Cards: individual cards or facsimiles that record one piece of relevant information for
your speech
IX. Cite Sources
A. Oral footnote: references to an original source, made at the point in the speech where
information from that source is presented
Discussion and Assignment Ideas
I. What is the difference between an audience analysis and stereotyping?
II. Quotes: These can be used to introduce topics, question perspectives, or gain individual opinion.
Providing students with a quote and prompting them to write or reflect on their personal feelings
about the quote can help to spark discussion and interest. Suggested prompts may include “Define this
concept in your own words”; “Do you agree with this statement? Explain”; “What text material can be
used to support or refute this idea?”
When one person calls you a donkey, don’t worry. When four people do, go out and buy a
saddle.
—Anonymous
If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.
—Isaac Asimov
III. Is it more difficult to select a topic that does not directly relate to your classmate audience? Why
or why not? How much impact should your audience’s interest have on your speech?IV. How
might a thorough audience analysis guide your choice of information types (e.g., examples,
statistics, narratives, comparisons, quotations)? Explain with an example.
V. How can you determine the credibility of a website’s information? If material is on the Internet, is
it necessarily fact? Recall the discussion of how to separate facts from inferences in Chapter 7 of
your textbook. Apply this discussion to a hypothetical web search that results in a great quote on
your topic but has no name or source attached to it.
Technology Resources
Access cengagebrain.com Web Link 11.7: Conducting Surveys. What are the consequences of a poorly
worded survey? Can you think of a speech topic that would benefit from conducting a survey? Who would
you survey and how?
Other Media Resources
Chapter Activities
11.1: Brainstorming Speech Topics and Analyzing Your Audience
Purpose: To help students understand the difference between a subject and a topic, and to work
together to generate potential speech topic ideas that are appropriate for the
classroom audience
Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Process: Have students work in small groups to brainstorm at least three different topics under
each of the following subject areas:
Baseball or basketball
Popular music
Famous person
Conflict in the Middle East
11.2: Speech Goals
Purpose: To give students practice in framing and evaluating speech goals
Time: 30 minutes
Process: Since students often have difficulty creating a well-worded speech goal, this exercise
11.3: Audience Analysis
Purpose: To give students practice in doing an audience analysis
Time: 30 minutes
Process: Divide the class into groups of four or five students each. Give each group an
11.4: Using Examples
Purpose: To help students develop the skill of citing examples that support generalizations
Time: 20 minutes
Process: Begin with enough 3 x 5 cards to pass out at least two cards each to groups comprised
of three to four students. On each card write a generalization that is easily developed
with examples, such as the following:
• When one television show becomes a hit, the other networks often try to bring out
similar shows.
• (Your city) has many fine restaurants.
• Many recreational activities don’t cost a lot of money.
• The skyline of the state capital has changed considerably over the years.
• Wrestling programs are popular on cable and non-network television shows.
• Each year computers get more powerful.
• Many Americans choose exotic vacations in the South Pacific and Asia.
• The end never justifies the means.
• Students find many different ways to spend their spare time.
11.5: Recognizing Inappropriate Research
Purpose: To enable students to recognize inappropriate research of supporting materials for a
speech
Time: 40 minutes
Process: Divide students into groups of four. Give each group a card with one of the following
sets of instructions on it. Allow the groups 10 minutes to create their “incorrect”
scenario. Each group should select one person to deliver the scenario. Proceed by
having students attempt to guess the incorrect or inappropriate research technique
demonstrated by each scenario. Use each scenario as an opportunity to reinforce
important material from the chapter.
Instruction sets
Journal Assignments
A. Freedom of Speech
Make a list of speech topics that would be inappropriate for your speech class. Explain your reasoning
for each (e.g., audience analysis shows disinterest). Should your freedom of speech be restricted in a
speech class? Describe the legal and cultural restrictions on freedom of speech in the United States.
How would you amend the restrictions on freedom of speech if you could? Why would you make these
amendments?
B. Political Correctness
Ask three people of differing ages to define “political correctness.” Compare and contrast their
definitions with your own. Is there a difference between political correctness and using respectful
language? How would you respond to an offensive speech? If we all avoided speech topics that might
offend someone, would persuasion ever occur? Explain.
C. Audience Analysis
Pick a speech topic for an upcoming speech assignment, and write three paragraphs on how you
would adapt this topic to your audience, answering the following questions:
1. What are the main points of the speech?
2. Do you think your audience knows a lot about this topic? Are they interested in it?
3. What is their attitude toward this topic? Do you have any evidence to back up any of your claims?
4. Given what you think you know of the audience, what will you do to gain their attention and
interest? How will you relate the topic directly to them?
D. Supporting Evidence for Editorials
Select an editorial or a letter to the editor from a national, local, or campus newspaper. (It’s okay to use
online newspapers.) Research the topic discussed in the editorial and locate material that either supports
or contradicts the statements made in the editorial. Find an example of distorted facts on this topic.
Discuss this example.
E. Diverse Perspectives in Supportive Evidence
On the topic of parental rights, affirmative action, or same-sex marriage, find five different
perspectives by consulting information from diverse groups.
