An interesting topic for speaking in front of an audience

Rules of performance

But you still need to remember that it is best to follow certain rules of speech that will help refine the report and make it easy to understand. In this case, you must adhere to the following simple rules:

Discrepancies between words and speech. If a person says hello, you need to raise your voice a little. You also need to talk more loudly about important points. There should be no trembling in the voice. After all, the audience will immediately feel the excitement and will certainly use this to the detriment of the speaker.
Apologies and excuses. The person himself is fully responsible for everything said in the report. Unverified information, false data - all this can be perceived extremely negatively by listeners. Especially if they know the truth.
Choice of words. When preparing a report, it is important to remember that it should not be dry. For the beauty of speech, you can use phrases, catchphrases and beautiful expressions. However, you shouldn’t use them too often, because the report should be as informative as possible. You also need to remember that you cannot use the particle “not”. For example, instead of “don’t get sick” you need to say “be healthy” and so on.
Construction of the report. Initially, you need to interest the public. Therefore, the most interesting facts should be placed in the first paragraphs of the report. But the last one is remembered better. Therefore, the most important information should be placed at the end of the speech.
Humor is the best helper. This is important to remember. However, you cannot turn your speech into a complete joke. After all, no one will take the speaker seriously like that.

Well, it’s worth remembering that you can’t behave pompously. Simplicity, lack of monotony and the presence of pauses are the key to an interesting speech. And of course, a properly selected interesting topic.

How to choose a speech topic successfully

Firstly, the chosen topic must be interesting to the speaker himself - otherwise he will not be able to reproduce it well and in an exciting way for listeners. Even if the topic is specific and not very interesting, you need to narrow it down to those points that somehow attract the speaker. Then it will be much easier to find contact with the audience.

Secondly, it is better if the lecturer knows the subject he is talking about very well (or you need to study it in depth before the speech). Otherwise, a speech on any topic will not elicit a response even from those listeners who know nothing about it, because they will feel that the lecturer is incompetent in the area he is talking about.

Even if a person does not initially know the topic very well, it is important that it is easy for him to study and understand. This usually works better if the direction of the speech is related to the professional activities or interests of the speaker.

The area of conversation is not so important - it can be poetry, theater, or politics. The lecturer must immediately plan what interesting things he can tell the audience on this topic.

It’s better if you can find a middle ground - choose a topic that the speaker understands and that is interesting to him at the same time.

It is always successful to speak on a topic that is relevant to everyone, especially if there are any controversial issues in this area.

To update your presentation, you can:

view news feeds or listen to the radio - this way you can find out about the latest news;
contact newspapers and magazines published in the city on social or political issues;
learn about the social status, age and interests of the public;
browse thematic sites and study the latest news from there.

This will allow you to select information that is relevant to a specific audience. For example, you can tell future students about entering universities or tell a funny story from student life, and you can tell expectant mothers about newborns and parenting problems.

It is best to talk about things related to a person’s personal experience - then he will be able to explain it more clearly using personal examples.

At the same time, it is important to follow the narrative and not say unnecessary facts or data that the audience does not need at the moment.

Nature and ecology

What is it, an interesting topic for speaking? Why not touch on global issues and talk about the state of modern ecology? How scientists evaluate everything that happens on earth, what cataclysms and problems are caused by this or that human action.

Here you can come up with many different interesting topics:

The problem of uncontrolled deforestation.
Pollution of the environment by vehicle exhaust gases.
The most environmentally friendly mode of transport.
Gaining energy from environmentally friendly sources.
Water pollution.
Declining global freshwater supply.

Modern Rhetoric: 7 Great Speeches

Over the past few years, the art of rhetoric has experienced a second youth. Thanks to the development and popularity of YouTube (and especially the TED conference), it is possible to watch the best speakers of our time. We have collected several speeches by famous people that you can enjoy, and also provide you with short analyzes of each of them from a rhetorical perspective.

But first, a little theory. There are four laws of modern rhetoric that every speaker tries to adhere to.

Law of harmonizing dialogue

Effective verbal communication is possible only with dialogical interaction between the participants in communication, therefore it is necessary to turn any monologue into a dialogue in order to awaken the thoughts and feelings of listeners.

The law of orientation and promotion of the addressee

It requires that the listener, with the help of the speaker, be oriented “in the space” of speech and that he feels that together with the speaker he is moving towards the goal. To do this, the speaker must use words in his speech that indicate the order of events (first, second, etc.), summary words (therefore, so), connective sentences (let's move on to the next question), etc.

The law of emotional speech

It requires that the speaker not only think, but also feel, experience emotionally what he is talking about, and be able to express his emotions in speech.

Law of Pleasure

It implies that speech is effective when it gives pleasure to the listener, which, at the same time, should not harm the meaning of the speech.

And now we present to your attention the most interesting public speeches in recent years.

Amanda Palmer "The Art of Asking", 2013

Amanda Palmer is an American singer, performer and songwriter. She was involved in theater in her youth, which was very evident during her TED talk in 2013. A million people watched her performance on the first day.

What techniques did Amanda use and why did they work? The first thing she does is put a plastic box on stage, stand on it and show the audience a daisy. Such an unusual beginning attracts viewers because they are not used to something like this. Therefore, Amanda uses the effect of surprise.

Then, before she even begins speaking, she is silent for about two seconds. This is where her passion for theater comes into play. The dramatic pause literally rivets the viewer to the chair. Thanks to this pause, Amanda seems to make it clear: “I don’t need you, but you need me.”

Throughout the performance, Amanda uses props that are on stage. She follows Anton Chekhov's injunction: “If at the beginning of the play there is a gun hanging on the wall, then it must fire.” Thanks to this, the viewer gets a feeling of fullness and professionalism of the performance. He already understands that he is not dealing with just another speaker, but with one of the best.

Manosh Vasudevan “Pull less, bend more”, 2022

With this speech, Manosh took first place in the public speaking competition.

Manosh, like Amanda Palmer, pauses at the beginning. We will see later that all speakers use this technique.

He immediately identifies the problem, and in such a way that no one in the room doubts - this is really important. To further emphasize it, he asks a rhetorical question: “Have you ever had problems?”, which emotionally connects the topic of the speech with the audience.

It is also worth noting that Manosh very harmoniously combines information and entertainment, preventing the performance from slipping into buffoonery or a boring lecture.

Ernesto Sirolli “Do you want to help someone? Shut up and listen!”, 2012

The charismatic and eloquent Ernesto Sirolli really captivated the audience in 2012, despite the fact that the topic of his speech initially interested few people. His gestures, pauses, images and metaphors are simply amazingly polished, and his energy is mesmerizing.

Sirolli begins his speech with fairly dry facts, because the topic is very serious. Therefore, he periodically entertains the audience so that they do not get bored and jokes well, achieving balance. And the expressiveness of the Italian, as we have already said, is fascinating.

In addition to techniques, of course, you should not forget about what idea you want to convey to the listener. Sirolli puts it in the title - and, in fact, never leaves it during the entire 17-minute performance. He knows that this is the glue that keeps speech from falling apart.

Tony Robbins "Why We Do What We Do", 2007

Tony Robbins has talked about this performance several times, so we know how he prepared for it.

First and most importantly, he is not used to speaking for 20 minutes (TED requirement), so his goal was to energize the audience and motivate him, which he does very well.

Thanks to his strong voice, his performances always attract everyone's attention. It is worth saying again that Robbins is first and foremost a motivator, he loves to ignite passion in people with the help of words. He does not need initial pauses and this makes him significantly different from previous speakers.

Throughout his speech, he asks many rhetorical questions, emotionally involving listeners. In the video at 19:40, Tony accidentally or intentionally does what every public speaker dreams of, he gets the audience to ask him to continue. And despite TED's strict rules, he is allowed to do this.

Radislav Gandapas “Two life scenarios”

Business coach Radislav Gandapas has been speaking in public for the second decade, so he has plenty of experience. He is considered one of the most famous speakers in the post-Soviet space.

In this talk, Gandapas doesn't use many slides, using just one, around which the whole talk revolves. This is unusual, it forces the listener to concentrate on the idea that the speaker wants to convey. In addition, he dilutes his performance with a lot of stories.

Simon Sinek "On the generation of the second millennium", 2022

Despite the fact that this is not exactly a public performance, it was impossible not to include it on our list. Many people consider this speech to be one of the most motivating speeches of the last few years.

Simon Sinek is a well-known motivational speaker and writer, the author of two popular books on the topic of leadership and achieving goals, the creator of the concept of inspiring leadership, which, according to Sinek, is followed by all successful global companies and business leaders.

Although this is not a scripted speech, it is valuable to us because it shows how easy it is to improvise when you have a passion for the topic you are talking about.

Simon does not lose the audience's attention, despite the fact that he speaks almost non-stop for 14 minutes. Why? He constantly changes something: the tone of his voice, speed, volume. At the same time, he endlessly sprinkles metaphors and analogies, which is very well absorbed by people who, it would seem, should already be tired. Also, one cannot help but mention the notorious passion: even a minute of this speech is enough to understand that Simon enjoys the topic he is talking about. This cannot be faked and the public sees it.

Will Stephen "Best Public Speaking", 2014

And finally, a video that will probably make you laugh, but at the same time will give you more food for thought than all previous performances.

Yes, despite the humor, this is actually a very good performance, even if at first glance it makes no sense. However, on the second and third too. However, it uses the best oratory techniques that attract attention and make the audience stay until the end. But this is the main reward for a speaker.

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We also recommend reading:

Storytelling
4 speaker mistakes: reasons why speeches are not successful
Oratory: exercises
Best of the year. Part three
How to make the meaning of a speech clear
Tips for working effectively with your audience
Rhetorical hand
How to Impress Your Audience: Tips from Brian Tracy
Techniques for a successful presentation: a selection of useful materials
Preparing and delivering a speech
Rhetoric: how to make your speech effective?

Key words:1Rhetoric

Social sphere

But still, people will be most interested in hearing about what is closest to them. Therefore, it is often easiest to find an interesting topic for a speech in this block. In this case, you can say:

About the main categories of people requiring social protection.
About social orphanhood.
About the most important problems of modern society. Here we can talk about drug addiction, alcoholism, smoking.
Deviant behavior.
The problem of organizing cultural leisure.

Art and the new reality in which man lives

A report can also be prepared on the topic of how important art is in the modern world. Currently, it occupies a very special place in the life of society. For example, T. Chernigovskaya, professor at St. Petersburg State University, emphasizes: the role of art in modern reality cannot be overestimated. It is art today that has the function of saving humanity from the negative influence of new technologies. People have become too addicted to gadgets, and nothing can be done about it. The virtuality of the world around us is increasing, and with it the number of mental disorders. This is a serious danger, the researcher emphasizes.

The problem of art in the modern world will be an interesting topic for presentation at school, especially in high school. The discussion can be continued by describing the problem of information accessibility. Tatyana Vladimirovna also notes that the world today has become transparent. After all, almost everything can be known about a person - right down to who he had breakfast with and what brand of wine he bought yesterday. In these conditions, the professor emphasizes, the only secret about a person remains the genome. However, even this information may soon become available - after all, the sequencing process will not be carried out by the person himself. This means that information about the genome will one way or another remain in a certain database. The only thing that can help people in this new reality, according to the professor, is art.

Work and employment

What other interesting topics are there for speaking? So, in school groups you can talk about employment problems. In this case, you can choose the following topics for the report:

Choosing a profession: what should it be based on?
Problems of youth during employment.
The most requested professions.
The highest and lowest paid professions.
Rules for writing a competent resume.
How to successfully pass an interview and what do you need to know for this?

Preparatory stage

Purpose of the speech.

Defining a goal is the key point from which work on a plan begins. The goal may be to attract students to an online school, learn to increase personal productivity, sell a new product, etc.

Determining the target audience.

The maximum success is achieved by speeches during which the speaker “is on the same wavelength with the audience,” speaks the “language of the public,” and experiences the same emotions as the audience. Therefore, each presentation is prepared for a specific target audience.

For example, the presentation of a new product among colleagues and business partners is radically different from the presentation of the same product to an ordinary consumer. There are 2 fundamentally different target audiences here. For each of them they prepare their own presentation. Colleagues, partners, investors should see the benefits from the production and sale of the product. Consumer - benefits from its acquisition and use.

Audience Specifics.

Determines the style of presentation of information, the behavior of the speaker in front of the public, and the number of tasks that can be considered during the speech. When preparing, they study and take into account the psychological characteristics of the group of people to whom they will speak.

Examples.

Adult audience . Mature people with extensive life and professional experience respond well to numbers and facts, but do not tolerate lectures and lectures. The speech is supported by graphs, diagrams, simple tables, drawings, etc.

The behavior of the speaker and his vocabulary must fully comply with the norms accepted in this circle of people. You cannot show your superiority and curry favor with the audience. Such an audience is quite capable of understanding up to 5 problems in 1 seminar.

High school students, students, graduates. It is easy to capture the attention of young people with short stories with vivid episodes, examples from personal life or the lives of people famous to the public. Useful information should be present in the first sentence and evoke emotions. The proposals are simple. The speech is supported by an abundance of pictures, infographics, and short videos.

Direct notations and a condescending tone are unacceptable. The speaker must behave freely on stage, but without arrogance, and address those present as equals. Lexicon – understandable for the audience. The optimal number of tasks is 3.

The interest of the audience in this speech.

It is necessary to assess how interesting and relevant the information the speaker is going to convey is to the target audience.

Performance time.

Defines the performance script. It also influences the number of issues to be considered during the speech.

If the time limit is short, it is recommended to fully answer 1 question. This is better than superficially touching on 4-5 issues, leaving unsolved points.

Policy

What might be interesting topics for public speaking in the “Politics” section? Here you just need to look at the situation in the country at the moment. If elections are coming up, you can do a short overview of all the parties. You can analyze the work of the government and draw certain conclusions. Or start making forecasts and tell your listeners about your guesses. However, this requires a special mindset and the presence of a certain amount of useful information. But for a schoolchild this is quite difficult. It is best in this case to simply talk about the latest political news.

Presentation at the meeting

Situations . The 2 most common types of speeches at a meeting:

Come up with a new idea
Submit new information

Diagram 11. Presentation of the idea (option 1)

There are two universal schemes for presenting ideas. Moreover, they concern both simple working ideas and large strategic ones. From general to specific, when you start with the essence of an idea and then decipher it. And from the particular to the general, when you first describe the situation and gently lead to the idea itself.

Example 1:

The essence of the idea: I propose to move the warehouse to a new location.

Why I propose: The cost of renting the old place will double from the new year, renting a new place is cheaper than the current cost.

What benefits will we receive: We will be able to save on rent, and it will be more convenient for customers to pick up goods.

How much you need to spend: The total cost of moving will be X rubles. If we move before the fall, we will actually recoup the moving costs.

What needs to be done: List the actions...

Video example : Presentation of the idea of an escape capsule for aircraft. This is an example of a visual presentation. There is no voiceover, but the entire text is written or drawn according to our scheme: why we are offering it, the essence of the idea, what benefits we get in various situations, due to what technology (what exactly needs to be done). There is not only a block about costs, but this is already described additionally. For serious presentations to investors, they now draw similar visual videos of exactly 1-2 minutes to clearly present their idea.

Diagram 12. Presentation of an idea (option 2)

Example 2:

Current situation: We have an excellent warehouse and everything is fine at the moment. But there are emerging changes. If we don't take them into account, there will be trouble.

Future problems: The cost of renting the old place will double from the new year, renting a new place is cheaper than the current cost.

The essence of the idea: I propose to move the warehouse to a new location.

How much you need to spend: The total cost of moving will be X rubles. If we move before the fall, we will actually recoup the moving costs.

What needs to be done: List the actions...

Video example : The presentation is comic, but all elements of the scheme are followed exactly.

Figure 13. Presentation of new information

When preparing this presentation, consider how the new information came to light—whether it was an emergency or a planned innovation.

Example:

What has changed: Our company is introducing new rules for registering clients in the database.

Reason for innovation: This is a requirement of new legislation.

Details of the innovation: Now you will need to enter an additional information field.

How this affects us: Customer service managers will have a new rule to ask for this information.

What needs to be done: Department heads inform all managers.

Video example: Presentation explaining changes in documents on state registration of real estate.

Free choice

If you need an interesting topic for a speech on a free topic, talk about what you know best. So, you can tell about your hobby. But it’s not easy to tell what it is. First, you need to delve into history. Next, give a few words to historical or simply famous personalities. Then just tell all the most interesting things.

If you need a report on a free topic, you can talk:

About the main problems of the city (or educational institution).
On the education of youth: new products, differences from the classical model.
About what modern youth lacks.
About the eternal problems of different generations.
About how to change, change yourself, your character.

Relationship between soul and body

An interesting topic for a speech can also be a contemporary problem of a philosophical nature chosen by the speaker - for example, the problem of the relationship between spirit, soul and body. It has interested scientists and philosophers since ancient times. For example, Aristotle opened a new era in this understanding. The physical and spiritual, according to the understanding of the philosopher, form a single inseparable reality. The soul is not a separate form - it does not “fly” somewhere outside the body, but, on the contrary, is a form of its organization. On the one hand, the soul is not a body, on the other hand, it cannot exist separately from it.

The position of Rene Descartes on this issue is also of interest. According to the scientist, the soul and body have different natures. However, the scientist offers a new interpretation of their interaction for his time. Descartes was convinced that not only the soul can influence the physical state of a person, but also vice versa. The body also affects the emotional component. For the 17th century, this idea was quite radical.

Intimate questions

And the last block, which is no less necessary and important, is sex issues. These are very interesting topics for speaking to an audience, which, unfortunately, in our society everyone tries not to touch upon. But in vain, because today’s youth really lack adequate sex education. Here is a list of sample topics:

About the first experience of sexual relations.
Sex: what is it and when does a person need it?
What are means of protection, what are they?
When and how can a girl become pregnant?
What does it mean to be parents?
When should you start having sex?

There are actually a lot of questions here. And we need to raise them. After all, modern society, unfortunately, does not have sufficient knowledge in this area.

How to discuss using pros and cons?

One of the most important basic things you must reflect when entering a debate is that your opponent is on the opposite side of the table, and your audience will have controversial opinions on your topic.

They will have a few points against your position and you need to be prepared for that. The proper way to be prepared for such circumstances is to outline the pros and cons of your chosen topic. This will help you see the whole picture.

After all, presenting arguments for and against a particular topic is a common practice in debate, so you should know how to do it properly. To that end, I've prepared an example of how you can do this with the topic "How Social Media Can Make People More or Less Sociable":

Pros: The popularity of social networks helps us meet new people and communicate faster.
Cons: with the advent of social networks, people began to communicate less in real life.
Pros: Social media helps less social people develop communication skills without discomfort.
Cons: Social media takes up almost all of our free time, making us too busy to communicate with each other in the real world.

The purpose of the speaker

Speaking in front of an audience is self-presentation. The speaker does not just convey information to the audience, he conveys his ideas, his goal is to convince and inspire. If the speaker mumbles something incomprehensible, reads from a piece of paper, and his speech does not have a clear structure and clear purpose, then the speech will be a failure.

Before preparing a public speech, you need to assess your level of competence, the amount of preparatory work, and only after that engage in speech composition, practice oratory skills, and look for interesting methods of presenting material.