{"id":666,"date":"2015-11-03T16:21:11","date_gmt":"2015-11-03T16:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/zelixcst110\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=666"},"modified":"2015-11-03T16:21:11","modified_gmt":"2015-11-03T16:21:11","slug":"what-if-you-draw-a-blank","status":"web-only","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/chapter\/what-if-you-draw-a-blank\/","title":{"raw":"What If You Draw a Blank?","rendered":"What If You Draw a Blank?"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-highlight\">\n<h3 class=\"im_title\">Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n<ul id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_l01\" class=\"im_orderedlist\"><li>Understand and conduct a basic personal inventory.<\/li>\n\t<li>Explain how to identify and use finding aids for topic selection.<\/li>\n\t<li>Examine the importance of polling one\u2019s audience to determine speech topics.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\nUh-oh, what if you have no clue what to speak about at all? Thankfully, there are many places where you can get help finding a good topic for you. In this section, we\u2019re going to talk about a range of ways to find the best topic.\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Conduct a Personal Inventory<\/h2>\nThe first way to find a good topic is to conduct what we call a personal inventory. A <span class=\"im_margin_term\"><span class=\"im_glossterm\">personal inventory<\/span><\/span> is a detailed and descriptive list about an individual. In this case, we want you to think about you. Here are some basic questions to get you started:\n<ul id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_l01\" class=\"im_itemizedlist im_editable im_block\"><li>What\u2019s your major?<\/li>\n\t<li>What are your hobbies?<\/li>\n\t<li>What jobs have you had?<\/li>\n\t<li>What extracurricular activities have you engaged in?<\/li>\n\t<li>What clubs or groups do you belong to?<\/li>\n\t<li>What political issues interest you?<\/li>\n\t<li>Where have you traveled in life?<\/li>\n\t<li>What type of volunteer work have you done?<\/li>\n\t<li>What goals do you have in life?<\/li>\n\t<li>What social problems interest you?<\/li>\n\t<li>What books do you read?<\/li>\n\t<li>What movies do you watch?<\/li>\n\t<li>What games do you play?<\/li>\n\t<li>What unique skills do you possess?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAfter responding to these questions, you now have a range of areas that are unique to you that you could realistically develop into a speech. Here are some unique inventory items that could be turned into speeches for some of the authors of this textbook:\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s01\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Jason S. Wrench<\/h2>\n<ol id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s01_l01\" class=\"im_orderedlist im_editable im_block\"><li>Grew up as an Air Force dependent and lived on the island of Crete<\/li>\n\t<li>Is a puppeteer<\/li>\n\t<li>Has two puggles (half pug\/half beagle) named Daikin and Teddy<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s02\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Anne Goding<\/h2>\n<ol id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s02_l01\" class=\"im_orderedlist im_editable im_block\"><li>Worked as a teacher for the Medicine Chief of the Bear Tribe Medicine Society in Spokane, Washington<\/li>\n\t<li>Was codirector of Bear Tribe Publishing Company<\/li>\n\t<li>Specializes in storytelling<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s03\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Danette Ifert-Johnson<\/h2>\n<ol id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s03_l01\" class=\"im_orderedlist im_editable im_block\"><li>Is an avid fan of the Baltimore Orioles<\/li>\n\t<li>Spent a month in South Korea as part of a study\/travel group<\/li>\n\t<li>Is a history buff who likes visiting historic sites and national parks<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s04\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Bernardo Attias<\/h2>\n<ol id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s04_l01\" class=\"im_orderedlist im_editable im_block\"><li>Briefly lived in the Dominican Republic with his family as a young boy<\/li>\n\t<li>Is a DJ<\/li>\n\t<li>Occasionally practices yoga<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nWe wanted to note these interesting facts about our personal lives to illustrate the fact that each and every one of us has done unique and interesting things in our lives that could make really interesting and informative, persuasive, or entertaining speeches.\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Use Finding Aids<\/h2>\nIf you\u2019re still just stumped after conducting a personal inventory, the next recommendation we have for helping you find a good topic is to use a finding aid. A <span class=\"im_margin_term\"><span class=\"im_glossterm\">finding aid<\/span><\/span> is a tool that will help you find lists of possible topics. Let\u2019s look at four of them: best-seller lists, organizations that tally information, media outlets, and the Internet.\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s01\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Best-Seller Lists<\/h2>\nA best-seller list is a list of books that people are currently buying. These lists often contain various subdivisions including fiction, nonfiction, business, advice, or graphic novels. Table 1 \"Best-Seller Lists\" contains a range of best-seller lists to examine:\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s01_t01\" class=\"im_table im_block\">\n\n<span class=\"im_title-prefix\">Table 1.<\/span> Best-Seller Lists\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><thead><tr><th>Name<\/th>\n<th>Website<\/th>\n<\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>New York Times<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/pages\/books\/bestseller\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/pages\/books\/bestseller<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>Amazon.com<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/bestsellers\/books\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/bestsellers\/books<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>USA Today<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/life\/books\/leb1.htm\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/life\/books\/leb1.htm<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>American Booksellers<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bookweb.org\/indiebound\/bestsellers.html\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.bookweb.org\/indiebound\/bestsellers.html<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>Publisher\u2019s Weekly<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.publishersweekly.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.publishersweekly.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>The Washington Post<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/artsandliving\/books\/bestsellers-list\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/artsandliving\/books\/bestsellers-list<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>Business Week<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.businessweek.com\/lifestyle\/books.htm\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.businessweek.com\/lifestyle\/books.htm<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>CNN<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/books\/bestsellers\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/books\/bestsellers<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\nIt is important to realize that your goal in looking at best-seller lists is not to choose a book to serve as the topic of your speech\u2014unless you\u2019ve been assigned to give a book review! The point is that while all these lists indicate what people are reading, you can use them to find out what topics people are generally interested in right now.\n\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s02\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Polling Organizations<\/h2>\nIn addition to numerous sources for best sellers, there are also a number of polling organizations that regularly conduct research on the American public. Not only are these organizations good for finding interesting research, but generally the most recent polls are an indication of what people are interested in understanding today. For example, The Gallup Organization regularly conducts polls to find out Americans\u2019 perceptions of current political issues, business issues, social issues, and a whole range of other interesting information. Often just looking at the Gallup Organization\u2019s website can help you find very interesting speech topics.\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s02_t01\" class=\"im_table im_block\">\n\n<span class=\"im_title-prefix\">Table 2.<\/span> Tallied Information\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><thead><tr><th>Name<\/th>\n<th>Website<\/th>\n<\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>The Gallup Organization<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gallup.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.gallup.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>US Census Bureau<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.census.gov\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.census.gov<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>Polling Report<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pollingreport.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.pollingreport.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>Rasmussen Reports<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.rasmussenreports.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.rasmussenreports.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>Zogby International<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.zogby.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.zogby.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>Pew Research Center<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/pewresearch.org<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s03\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Media Outlets<\/h2>\nThe next great ways to find interesting topics for your speeches are watching television and listening to the radio. The evening news, the History Channel, and the National Geographic channel can all provide ideas for many different speech topics. There are even a host of television shows that broadcast the latest and most interesting topics weekly (e.g., <em class=\"im_emphasis\">Dateline<\/em>, <em class=\"im_emphasis\">20\/20<\/em>, <em class=\"im_emphasis\">60 Minutes<\/em>). Here are some recent segments from <em class=\"im_emphasis\">20\/20<\/em> that could make interesting speeches: former <em class=\"im_emphasis\">Tarzan<\/em> actor, Steve Sipek, has lived with tigers for forty years; the science behind the <em class=\"im_emphasis\">Bachelor<\/em> phenomenon; the world of childhood schizophrenia; and a girl born with a rare \u201cmermaid\u201d condition.\n\nAs for listening to the radio, talk radio is often full of interesting possibilities for speech topics. Many of the most prominent talk radio shows have two or three hours to fill five days a week, so the shows\u2019 producers are always looking for interesting topics. Why not let those producers do the investigative work for you? If you\u2019re listening to talk radio and hear an interesting topic, write it down and think about using it for your next speech.\n\nAs with the best-seller list, it is important to realize that your goal is not to use a given television or radio program as the basis for your speech, much less to repeat the exact arguments that a talk radio host or caller has made. We are not advocating stealing someone\u2019s ideas\u2014you need to do your own thinking to settle on your speech topic. You can certainly use ideas from the media as contributions to your speech; however, if you do this, it is only ethical to make sure that you correctly cite the show where you heard about the topic by telling your audience the title, station, and date when you heard it.\n\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s04\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">The Internet<\/h2>\nYou can, of course, also look for interesting speech topics online. While the Internet may not always provide the most reliable information, it is a rich source of interesting topics. For example, to browse many interesting blogs, check out <a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.blogcatalog.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.blogcatalog.com\/<\/a> or <a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.findblogs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.findblogs.com\/<\/a>. Both websites link to hundreds of blogs you could peruse, searching for a topic that inspires you.\n\nIf you find yourself really stumped, there are even a handful of websites that specialize in helping people, just like you, find speech topics. Yes, that\u2019s right! Some insightful individuals have posted long lists of possible topics for your next speech right on the Internet. Here are some we recommend:\n<ul id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s04_l01\" class=\"im_itemizedlist im_editable im_block\"><li><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/mauispeech\/html\/infotopichelp.html\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/mauispeech\/html\/infotopichelp.html<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/web.sau.edu\/WastynRonaldO\/topics.html\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/web.sau.edu\/WastynRonaldO\/topics.html<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/daphne.palomar.edu\/kerbe\/documents\/inform_speech_topics.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/daphne.palomar.edu\/kerbe\/documents\/inform_speech_topics.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/cas.bethel.edu\/dept\/comm\/nfa\/journal\/vol9no2-6.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/cas.bethel.edu\/dept\/comm\/nfa\/journal\/vol9no2-6.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nUsing the Internet is a great way to find a topic, but you\u2019ll still need to put in the appropriate amount of your own thinking and time to really investigate your topic once you\u2019ve found one that inspires you.\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s03\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Poll Your Audience for Interests and Needs<\/h2>\nThe last way you can find a great topic is to conduct a simple poll of your audience to see what their interests and needs are. Let\u2019s handle these two methods separately. When you ask potential audience members about their interests, it\u2019s not hard to quickly find that patterns of interests exist in every group. You can find out about interests by either formally handing people a questionnaire or just asking people casually. Suppose it\u2019s your turn to speak at your business club\u2019s next meeting. If you start asking your fellow club members and other local business owners if there are any specific problems their businesses are currently facing, you will probably start to see a pattern develop. While you may not be an expert on the topic initially, you can always do some research to see what experts have said on the topic and pull together a speech using that research.\n\nThe second type of poll you may conduct of your potential audience is what we call a needs analysis. A <span class=\"im_margin_term\"><span class=\"im_glossterm\">needs analysis<\/span><\/span> involves a set of activities designed to determine your audience\u2019s needs, wants, wishes, or desires. The purpose of a needs analysis is to find a gap in information that you can fill as a speaker. Again, you can use either informal or formal methods to determine where a need is. Informally, you may ask people if they have problems with something specific like writing a business plan or cooking in a wok. The only problem that can occur with the informal method is that you often find out that people overestimate their own knowledge about a topic. Someone may think they know how to use a wok even though they\u2019ve never owned one and never cooked in one. For that reason, we often use more formal methods of assessing needs.\n\nThe formal process for conducting a needs analysis is threefold: (1) find a gap in knowledge, (2) figure out the cause, and (3) identify solutions. First, you need to find that a gap in knowledge actually exists. Overall, this isn\u2019t very hard to do. You can have people try to accomplish a task or just orally have them explain a task to you, and if you find that they are lacking you\u2019ll know that there is a possible need. Second, you need to figure out what is causing the gap. One of the mistakes that people make is assuming that all gaps exist because of a lack of information. This is not necessarily true\u2014it can also be because of lack of experience. For example, people may have learned how to drive a car in a driver education class, but if they\u2019ve never been behind the wheel of a car, they\u2019re not really going to know how to drive. Would giving a speech on how to drive a car at this point be useful? No. Instead, these people need practice, not another speech. Lastly, when you determine that the major cause of the need is informational, it\u2019s time to determine the best way to deliver that information.\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>KEY TAKEAWAYS<\/h3>\n<ul><li>Conducting a personal inventory is a good way to start the topic selection process. When we analyze our own experiences, interests, knowledge, and passions, we often find topics that others will also find interesting and useful.<\/li>\n\t<li>A speaker can investigate finding aids when searching for a good topic. Various finding aids have their positives and negatives, so we recommend investigating several different finding aids to see what topic ideas inspire you.<\/li>\n\t<li>One way to ensure a successful speech is to identify your audience\u2019s interests or needs. When the speaker\u2019s topic is immediately useful for the audience, the audience will listen to the speech and appreciate it.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-info\">\n<h3>EXERCISES<\/h3>\n<ol><li>Look at the questions posed in this chapter related to conducting a personal inventory. Do you see any potential speech ideas developing from your personal inventory? If yes, which one do you think would impact your audience the most?<\/li>\n\t<li>Take a broad subject area and then use two of the different finding aids to see what types of topics appear. Are you finding similarities or differences? The goal of this activity is to demonstrate how taking a very broad topic can be narrowed down to a more manageable topic using finding aids.<\/li>\n\t<li>For an upcoming speech in your public speaking class, create a simple survey to determine your audience\u2019s needs. Find out what your audience may find interesting. Remember, the goal is to find out what your audience needs, not necessarily what you think your audience needs.<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-highlight\">\n<h3 class=\"im_title\">Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n<ul id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_l01\" class=\"im_orderedlist\">\n<li>Understand and conduct a basic personal inventory.<\/li>\n<li>Explain how to identify and use finding aids for topic selection.<\/li>\n<li>Examine the importance of polling one\u2019s audience to determine speech topics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Uh-oh, what if you have no clue what to speak about at all? Thankfully, there are many places where you can get help finding a good topic for you. In this section, we\u2019re going to talk about a range of ways to find the best topic.<\/p>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Conduct a Personal Inventory<\/h2>\n<p>The first way to find a good topic is to conduct what we call a personal inventory. A <span class=\"im_margin_term\"><span class=\"im_glossterm\">personal inventory<\/span><\/span> is a detailed and descriptive list about an individual. In this case, we want you to think about you. Here are some basic questions to get you started:<\/p>\n<ul id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_l01\" class=\"im_itemizedlist im_editable im_block\">\n<li>What\u2019s your major?<\/li>\n<li>What are your hobbies?<\/li>\n<li>What jobs have you had?<\/li>\n<li>What extracurricular activities have you engaged in?<\/li>\n<li>What clubs or groups do you belong to?<\/li>\n<li>What political issues interest you?<\/li>\n<li>Where have you traveled in life?<\/li>\n<li>What type of volunteer work have you done?<\/li>\n<li>What goals do you have in life?<\/li>\n<li>What social problems interest you?<\/li>\n<li>What books do you read?<\/li>\n<li>What movies do you watch?<\/li>\n<li>What games do you play?<\/li>\n<li>What unique skills do you possess?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After responding to these questions, you now have a range of areas that are unique to you that you could realistically develop into a speech. Here are some unique inventory items that could be turned into speeches for some of the authors of this textbook:<\/p>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s01\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Jason S. Wrench<\/h2>\n<ol id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s01_l01\" class=\"im_orderedlist im_editable im_block\">\n<li>Grew up as an Air Force dependent and lived on the island of Crete<\/li>\n<li>Is a puppeteer<\/li>\n<li>Has two puggles (half pug\/half beagle) named Daikin and Teddy<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s02\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Anne Goding<\/h2>\n<ol id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s02_l01\" class=\"im_orderedlist im_editable im_block\">\n<li>Worked as a teacher for the Medicine Chief of the Bear Tribe Medicine Society in Spokane, Washington<\/li>\n<li>Was codirector of Bear Tribe Publishing Company<\/li>\n<li>Specializes in storytelling<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s03\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Danette Ifert-Johnson<\/h2>\n<ol id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s03_l01\" class=\"im_orderedlist im_editable im_block\">\n<li>Is an avid fan of the Baltimore Orioles<\/li>\n<li>Spent a month in South Korea as part of a study\/travel group<\/li>\n<li>Is a history buff who likes visiting historic sites and national parks<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s04\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Bernardo Attias<\/h2>\n<ol id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s01_s04_l01\" class=\"im_orderedlist im_editable im_block\">\n<li>Briefly lived in the Dominican Republic with his family as a young boy<\/li>\n<li>Is a DJ<\/li>\n<li>Occasionally practices yoga<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>We wanted to note these interesting facts about our personal lives to illustrate the fact that each and every one of us has done unique and interesting things in our lives that could make really interesting and informative, persuasive, or entertaining speeches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Use Finding Aids<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re still just stumped after conducting a personal inventory, the next recommendation we have for helping you find a good topic is to use a finding aid. A <span class=\"im_margin_term\"><span class=\"im_glossterm\">finding aid<\/span><\/span> is a tool that will help you find lists of possible topics. Let\u2019s look at four of them: best-seller lists, organizations that tally information, media outlets, and the Internet.<\/p>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s01\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Best-Seller Lists<\/h2>\n<p>A best-seller list is a list of books that people are currently buying. These lists often contain various subdivisions including fiction, nonfiction, business, advice, or graphic novels. Table 1 &#8220;Best-Seller Lists&#8221; contains a range of best-seller lists to examine:<\/p>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s01_t01\" class=\"im_table im_block\">\n<p><span class=\"im_title-prefix\">Table 1.<\/span> Best-Seller Lists<\/p>\n<table cellpadding=\"0\" style=\"border-spacing: 0px;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Name<\/th>\n<th>Website<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>New York Times<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/pages\/books\/bestseller\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/pages\/books\/bestseller<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Amazon.com<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/bestsellers\/books\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/bestsellers\/books<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>USA Today<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/life\/books\/leb1.htm\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/life\/books\/leb1.htm<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>American Booksellers<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bookweb.org\/indiebound\/bestsellers.html\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.bookweb.org\/indiebound\/bestsellers.html<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Publisher\u2019s Weekly<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.publishersweekly.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.publishersweekly.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>The Washington Post<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/artsandliving\/books\/bestsellers-list\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/artsandliving\/books\/bestsellers-list<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Business Week<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.businessweek.com\/lifestyle\/books.htm\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.businessweek.com\/lifestyle\/books.htm<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>CNN<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/books\/bestsellers\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/books\/bestsellers<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>It is important to realize that your goal in looking at best-seller lists is not to choose a book to serve as the topic of your speech\u2014unless you\u2019ve been assigned to give a book review! The point is that while all these lists indicate what people are reading, you can use them to find out what topics people are generally interested in right now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s02\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Polling Organizations<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to numerous sources for best sellers, there are also a number of polling organizations that regularly conduct research on the American public. Not only are these organizations good for finding interesting research, but generally the most recent polls are an indication of what people are interested in understanding today. For example, The Gallup Organization regularly conducts polls to find out Americans\u2019 perceptions of current political issues, business issues, social issues, and a whole range of other interesting information. Often just looking at the Gallup Organization\u2019s website can help you find very interesting speech topics.<\/p>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s02_t01\" class=\"im_table im_block\">\n<p><span class=\"im_title-prefix\">Table 2.<\/span> Tallied Information<\/p>\n<table cellpadding=\"0\" style=\"border-spacing: 0px;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Name<\/th>\n<th>Website<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>The Gallup Organization<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gallup.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.gallup.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>US Census Bureau<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.census.gov\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.census.gov<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Polling Report<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pollingreport.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.pollingreport.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Rasmussen Reports<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.rasmussenreports.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.rasmussenreports.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Zogby International<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.zogby.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.zogby.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pew Research Center<\/td>\n<td><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/pewresearch.org<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s03\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Media Outlets<\/h2>\n<p>The next great ways to find interesting topics for your speeches are watching television and listening to the radio. The evening news, the History Channel, and the National Geographic channel can all provide ideas for many different speech topics. There are even a host of television shows that broadcast the latest and most interesting topics weekly (e.g., <em class=\"im_emphasis\">Dateline<\/em>, <em class=\"im_emphasis\">20\/20<\/em>, <em class=\"im_emphasis\">60 Minutes<\/em>). Here are some recent segments from <em class=\"im_emphasis\">20\/20<\/em> that could make interesting speeches: former <em class=\"im_emphasis\">Tarzan<\/em> actor, Steve Sipek, has lived with tigers for forty years; the science behind the <em class=\"im_emphasis\">Bachelor<\/em> phenomenon; the world of childhood schizophrenia; and a girl born with a rare \u201cmermaid\u201d condition.<\/p>\n<p>As for listening to the radio, talk radio is often full of interesting possibilities for speech topics. Many of the most prominent talk radio shows have two or three hours to fill five days a week, so the shows\u2019 producers are always looking for interesting topics. Why not let those producers do the investigative work for you? If you\u2019re listening to talk radio and hear an interesting topic, write it down and think about using it for your next speech.<\/p>\n<p>As with the best-seller list, it is important to realize that your goal is not to use a given television or radio program as the basis for your speech, much less to repeat the exact arguments that a talk radio host or caller has made. We are not advocating stealing someone\u2019s ideas\u2014you need to do your own thinking to settle on your speech topic. You can certainly use ideas from the media as contributions to your speech; however, if you do this, it is only ethical to make sure that you correctly cite the show where you heard about the topic by telling your audience the title, station, and date when you heard it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s04\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">The Internet<\/h2>\n<p>You can, of course, also look for interesting speech topics online. While the Internet may not always provide the most reliable information, it is a rich source of interesting topics. For example, to browse many interesting blogs, check out <a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.blogcatalog.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.blogcatalog.com\/<\/a> or <a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.findblogs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.findblogs.com\/<\/a>. Both websites link to hundreds of blogs you could peruse, searching for a topic that inspires you.<\/p>\n<p>If you find yourself really stumped, there are even a handful of websites that specialize in helping people, just like you, find speech topics. Yes, that\u2019s right! Some insightful individuals have posted long lists of possible topics for your next speech right on the Internet. Here are some we recommend:<\/p>\n<ul id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s02_s04_l01\" class=\"im_itemizedlist im_editable im_block\">\n<li><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/mauispeech\/html\/infotopichelp.html\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/mauispeech\/html\/infotopichelp.html<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/web.sau.edu\/WastynRonaldO\/topics.html\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/web.sau.edu\/WastynRonaldO\/topics.html<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/daphne.palomar.edu\/kerbe\/documents\/inform_speech_topics.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/daphne.palomar.edu\/kerbe\/documents\/inform_speech_topics.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"im_link\" href=\"http:\/\/cas.bethel.edu\/dept\/comm\/nfa\/journal\/vol9no2-6.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/cas.bethel.edu\/dept\/comm\/nfa\/journal\/vol9no2-6.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Using the Internet is a great way to find a topic, but you\u2019ll still need to put in the appropriate amount of your own thinking and time to really investigate your topic once you\u2019ve found one that inspires you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrench_1.0-ch06_s03_s03\" class=\"im_section\">\n<h2 class=\"im_title im_editable im_block\">Poll Your Audience for Interests and Needs<\/h2>\n<p>The last way you can find a great topic is to conduct a simple poll of your audience to see what their interests and needs are. Let\u2019s handle these two methods separately. When you ask potential audience members about their interests, it\u2019s not hard to quickly find that patterns of interests exist in every group. You can find out about interests by either formally handing people a questionnaire or just asking people casually. Suppose it\u2019s your turn to speak at your business club\u2019s next meeting. If you start asking your fellow club members and other local business owners if there are any specific problems their businesses are currently facing, you will probably start to see a pattern develop. While you may not be an expert on the topic initially, you can always do some research to see what experts have said on the topic and pull together a speech using that research.<\/p>\n<p>The second type of poll you may conduct of your potential audience is what we call a needs analysis. A <span class=\"im_margin_term\"><span class=\"im_glossterm\">needs analysis<\/span><\/span> involves a set of activities designed to determine your audience\u2019s needs, wants, wishes, or desires. The purpose of a needs analysis is to find a gap in information that you can fill as a speaker. Again, you can use either informal or formal methods to determine where a need is. Informally, you may ask people if they have problems with something specific like writing a business plan or cooking in a wok. The only problem that can occur with the informal method is that you often find out that people overestimate their own knowledge about a topic. Someone may think they know how to use a wok even though they\u2019ve never owned one and never cooked in one. For that reason, we often use more formal methods of assessing needs.<\/p>\n<p>The formal process for conducting a needs analysis is threefold: (1) find a gap in knowledge, (2) figure out the cause, and (3) identify solutions. First, you need to find that a gap in knowledge actually exists. Overall, this isn\u2019t very hard to do. You can have people try to accomplish a task or just orally have them explain a task to you, and if you find that they are lacking you\u2019ll know that there is a possible need. Second, you need to figure out what is causing the gap. One of the mistakes that people make is assuming that all gaps exist because of a lack of information. This is not necessarily true\u2014it can also be because of lack of experience. For example, people may have learned how to drive a car in a driver education class, but if they\u2019ve never been behind the wheel of a car, they\u2019re not really going to know how to drive. Would giving a speech on how to drive a car at this point be useful? No. Instead, these people need practice, not another speech. Lastly, when you determine that the major cause of the need is informational, it\u2019s time to determine the best way to deliver that information.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>KEY TAKEAWAYS<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Conducting a personal inventory is a good way to start the topic selection process. When we analyze our own experiences, interests, knowledge, and passions, we often find topics that others will also find interesting and useful.<\/li>\n<li>A speaker can investigate finding aids when searching for a good topic. Various finding aids have their positives and negatives, so we recommend investigating several different finding aids to see what topic ideas inspire you.<\/li>\n<li>One way to ensure a successful speech is to identify your audience\u2019s interests or needs. When the speaker\u2019s topic is immediately useful for the audience, the audience will listen to the speech and appreciate it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-info\">\n<h3>EXERCISES<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Look at the questions posed in this chapter related to conducting a personal inventory. Do you see any potential speech ideas developing from your personal inventory? If yes, which one do you think would impact your audience the most?<\/li>\n<li>Take a broad subject area and then use two of the different finding aids to see what types of topics appear. Are you finding similarities or differences? The goal of this activity is to demonstrate how taking a very broad topic can be narrowed down to a more manageable topic using finding aids.<\/li>\n<li>For an upcoming speech in your public speaking class, create a simple survey to determine your audience\u2019s needs. Find out what your audience may find interesting. Remember, the goal is to find out what your audience needs, not necessarily what you think your audience needs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-666\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Public Speaking: Practice and Ethics. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Anonymous. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Anonymous. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/books\/public-speaking-practice-and-ethics\/\">http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/books\/public-speaking-practice-and-ethics\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":277,"menu_order":10,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Public Speaking: Practice and Ethics\",\"author\":\"Anonymous\",\"organization\":\"Anonymous\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/books\/public-speaking-practice-and-ethics\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-666","chapter","type-chapter","status-web-only","hentry"],"part":644,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/277"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":757,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/666\/revisions\/757"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/644"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/666\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=666"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=666"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelicst110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}