TOPIC SELECTION AND

DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 11
THE RHETORICAL SITUATION
GENERATE A LIST OF
POTENTIAL TOPICS
▪ Subject is a broad area of knowledge, such as contemporary cinema.
▪ A topic is a narrow, specific aspect of a subject.
▪ So, if your broad subject area is contemporary cinema, you might feel
qualified to speak on a variety of topics such as how the Academy Awards
nomination process works.
▪ Brainstorm and Concept Map
▪ Brainstorming is an uncritical, non-evaluative process of generating
associated ideas
▪ Concept mapping is a visual means of exploring connections between a
subject and related ideas
ANALYZE THE AUDIENCE
▪ Demographic Data
▪ Subject-related Data
▪ Data-Gathering Methods
1. Conduct a survey
▪ Two-sided items force respondents to choose between two answers (e.g., yes/no,
for/against).
▪ Multiple-response items give respondents several alternatives from which to choose.
▪ Scaled items measure the direction of intensity of respondents’ feelings or attitudes
toward something (e.g., on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being “very likely,” . . .).
▪ Open-ended items encourage respondents to elaborate on their opinions without
forcing them to answer in a predetermined way.
2. Observe informally
3. Question a representative
4. Make educated guesses
Ethical Use of Audience Data
• Marginalizing ignoring the values, needs, interests, and subject specific
knowledge of some audience members
• Stereotyping assuming all members of a group have similar knowledge
levels, behaviors, or beliefs simply because they belong to that group
• Audience diversity the range of demographic characteristics and subject
specific differences represented in an audience
 EXAMINE THE OCCASION
1. What is the intended purpose of the speech?
2. What is the expected length?
3. Where will the speech be given?
4. When will the speech be given?
5. What equipment is necessary and available?
SELECT A TOPIC
▪As you review your topic list, compare each to your audience
profile.
▪ Are any topics too simple or too difficult for this audience’s
knowledge base? If so, eliminate those topics.
▪Are some topics likely to bore the audience and you can’t think of
any way to pique their interest?
UNDERSTANDING GENERAL AND
SPECIFIC SPEECH GOALS
▪The general goal is the overall intent of the speech.
▪ Most speeches intend to entertain, inform, or persuade, even
though each type can include elements of the others.
▪The specific goal (or specific purpose) is a single statement that
identifies the desired response a speaker wants from the audience.
▪For a speech about “vanishing honeybees,” you might state a
specific goal as, “I want my audience to understand the four
reasons honeybees are vanishing” if your general goal is to inform.
LOCATE AND EVALUATE
INFORMATION SOURCES
▪Secondary research the process of locating information about your
topic that has been discovered by other people
▪Primary research the process of conducting your own study in the
real world
▪Skimming rapidly viewing a work to determine what is covered
and how
▪Scanning