Selecting a Speech Topic

Finding a topic for your speech might seem daunting at first sight. But the number of speech topics out there is infinite! The two main sources of speech topics are personal experiences and reference materials.

Personal experiences include the following:

  • Your life so far – “I remember the first time I visited London. We went to Hamley’s …”

  • Your dreams & motivations – “I would like to open an orphanage in Nepal one day.”

  • Your career – “I’m an engineer, I fix and improve things!”

  • Your hobbies & interests – “I love baking puff pastries and pies. Here are my top tips …”

  • Your travels – “Last summer I went to sunny Bali with my boyfriend and his parents”

  • Your family & pets – “Today I’ll tell you all about my pet rabbit Kunik”

  • Much, much more! This list is far from exhaustive!

Reference materials range from books, to magazine articles to the Internet. They can be the source of very good standalone speech topics or be used to complement speeches based on your personal experiences.

Remember that typically speeches in Toastmasters don’t last more than 7 minutes. Use this to your advantage as it allows you to only cover part of a potentially much larger topic.

Never hesitate to “go with the flow” and follow your intuition if you come up with what you think is a great idea for a speech topic!

The purpose of your speech will condition to an extent your choice of speech topic. Speech purposes can be divided into three main types, each of which lends itself to different topics.

  • Informative speech – This magazine article you’ve read on the economic history of Britain can form a very good backbone to a good informative speech.

  • Inspirational speech – The subject must resonate with on a deep emotional level and the audience must relate to it.

  • Entertaining speech – Vast category that encompasses everything from storytelling to humorous speeches. ‘Lighter’ subjects are preferred here.

Once you have a rough idea of what your speech topic could be. Refine it further through a series of steps.

Knowledge of subject

The more you know about a particular subject, the easier it is to speak on it. If you don’t hold the knowledge yourself, further research of the topic of your speech might be necessary. Don’t try to bamboozle the audience with too many facts, so focus your efforts on finding key facts and stories and anecdotes to bring them to life.

Emotional content

Consider here if you have a connection to the speech’s subject. This connection can be personal if you are one of the characters of a story. Or more indirect if you’re very passionate about the subject in question. It is possible to inject emotional content even in very informative & factual speeches by through stories and anecdotes.

Your audience

This step is far more important when speaking outside of Toastmasters than to a Toastmasters audience. Do consider though what the average age of your club membership is, what their occupations, interests and hobbies are. When selecting a speech topic, NEVER assume that your audience will know it as well as you do. Keeping things simple is therefore always a rather good move!

By the end of this process you should have a solid speech subject at your disposal that’s ready to be turned into one speech or several! A good subject is one which you master content-wise, that has an emotional element to it and that your audience can understand and latch onto.

r career – “I’m an engineer, I fix and improve things!”

  • Your hobbies & interests – “I love baking puff pastries and pies. Here are my top tips …”

  • Your travels – “Last summer I went to sunny Bali with my boyfriend and his parents”

  • Your family & pets – “Today I’ll tell you all about my pet rabbit Kunik”

  • Much, much more! This list is far from exhaustive!

Reference materials range from books, to magazine articles to the Internet. They can be the source of very good standalone speech topics or be used to complement speeches based on your personal experiences.

Remember that typically speeches in Toastmasters don’t last more than 7 minutes. Use this to your advantage as it allows you to only cover part of a potentially much larger topic.

Never hesitate to “go with the flow” and follow your intuition if you come up with what you think is a great idea for a speech topic!

The purpose of your speech will condition to an extent your choice of speech topic. Speech purposes can be divided into three main types, each of which lends itself to different topics.

  • Informative speech – This magazine article you’ve read on the economic history of Britain can form a very good backbone to a good informative speech.

  • Inspirational speech – The subject must resonate with on a deep emotional level and the audience must relate to it.

  • Entertaining speech – Vast category that encompasses everything from storytelling to humorous speeches. ‘Lighter’ subjects are preferred here.

Once you have a rough idea of what your speech topic could be. Refine it further through a series of steps.

Knowledge of subject

The more you know about a particular subject, the easier it is to speak on it. If you don’t hold the knowledge yourself, further research of the topic of your speech might be necessary. Don’t try to bamboozle the audience with too many facts, so focus your efforts on finding key facts and stories and anecdotes to bring them to life.

Emotional content

Consider here if you have a connection to the speech’s subject. This connection can be personal if you are one of the characters of a story. Or more indirect if you’re very passionate about the subject in question. It is possible to inject emotional content even in very informative & factual speeches by through stories and anecdotes.

Your audience

This step is far more important when speaking outside of Toastmasters than to a Toastmasters audience. Do consider though what the average age of your club membership is, what their occupations, interests and hobbies are. When selecting a speech topic, NEVER assume that your audience will know it as well as you do. Keeping things simple is therefore always a rather good move!

By the end of this process you should have a solid speech subject at your disposal that’s ready to be turned into one speech or several! A good subject is one which you master content-wise, that has an emotional element to it and that your audience can understand and latch onto.