Public Speaking

66 CHAPTER^5 Selecting Your Topic and Purpose

Key TeRmS

Review your Flashcards. The terms below are defined in the margins throughout this chapter.

affective effects 62

behavioral effects 63

central idea 63

cognitive effects 62

general purposes 61

preview 65

specific purpose 62

thesis statement 63

CRITICal ThINKINg   exeRCISeS

1. Use a piece of blank paper to brainstorm ideas for speeches. Fold it into eight sections
   and label each, using a different category such as people, places, controversies,
   education, media, concepts from other courses, or historical events. Jot down possible
   topics in each category. After you’ve brainstormed in this way, select one or two of the
   most promising topic areas and make a mind map that further narrows the subject.
   File this paper for use during the term.


2. Obtain additional information on a site devoted to St. Augustine, one of the great figures
   of rhetoric, and read Chapters 12 and 13 of his treatise on rhetoric. He gave this advice
   seventeen centuries ago. Which principles still apply?


3. Some professors refer to the central idea or thesis statement by other names, including
   the core idea, the subject sentence, or the residual message. Which of these terms
   best clarify the concept for you? Why?

applICaTIoN exeRCISeS

1. Discuss in a small group some ways you could add the element of novelty to the follow-
   ing common topics: using seat belts, making a sandwich, watching television violence,
   writing a résumé.


2. For each of the following topics, tell how you could create one speech to inform, one
   to persuade, and one to entertain: negotiating a raise at work, attending an opera,
   evaluating cable news programs, planning spring break, taking a recreational hike.


3. Choose one of the topics above and write a general purpose, specific purpose state-
   ment, central idea or thesis statement, and preview that match the ideas you had for
   informative, persuasive, and entertaining speeches.


4. Work with a small group of your classmates to create a mind map based on a very
   general international topic such as China, global diseases, ethnic conflicts, or natural
   disasters. Record your mind map in such a way that you can show and explain it to the
   entire class.

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