“What should I talk about?”

Unlike students in a communication course, most presenters are required, invited, or compelled to speak because they are experts on a subject, passionate about a topic, or recognized leaders. For example, a cybersecurity expert might be asked to speak to a company about well-known phishing scams, or a football coach may be called to speak about teamwork during a halftime huddle. Whether by requirement or invitation, “What should I talk about?” isn’t usually their first concern.

But in a speech course, you’re not speaking because you’re a leader or a recognized expert. You’re speaking to demonstrate your ability to develop and deliver an effective presentation. Most likely, you’ll get to choose your topic—the subject of your presentation. And if you can talk about anything, how do you choose what you’ll talk about?

It’s tempting to pick the first topic you think of or one that seems easy. You might be tempted to use a search engine or generative AI for a list of possible topics. But if you choose one randomly, without giving serious thought to your reasons for selecting it, your presentation may fall flat. You won’t have a clear purpose, your delivery may be uninspired, and you may not know where to start when it comes to research. In short, if you don’t care about your topic, why should your audience? To reach your full potential as a speaker, look for topics that align with your OCCASION (61–68) as well as the interests, abilities, beliefs, and values of you and your audience. In this chapter, we’ll provide advice for doing just that.