PRDV008: Preparing and Delivering Presentations

Brainstorming is one method to finding the right topic for a speech.

Learning Objectives

Employ brainstorming as a method to help you generate topic ideas

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• Brainstorming can be a helpful way to find the topic for your speech.
• Brainstorming is a helpful method to generate a large numbers of ideas in a spontaneous manner.
• During a brainstorming session, give yourself a time limit and then let yourself consider any thoughts you have in considering what the topic of your speech will be.

Key Terms

• brainstorming: A method of problem solving in which individuals or members of a group contribute ideas spontaneously.

You have considered your areas of expertise. You have considered your areas of interest. And you are still trying to choose the right topic for your speech. In addition to these other methods of finding and selecting the right topic, brainstorming is an effective means for generating potential speech topics.
Think of a brainstorming session in terms of what happens during a real storm. Think of the ideas as rain. Good storms have lots of rain, and a good brainstorming session should generate lots of ideas. And hopefully your brainstorming session will have a lightning strike, or an "ah-ha! " moment, where you identify the perfect topic for your speech.

Speech Topics: Brainstorming allows you to generate topics for your speech.

The goal of a brainstorming session is to let yourself quickly generate a large number of ideas, commonly in relation to a specific purpose. When brainstorming for speech topics, write at the top of a fresh piece of paper: "What topic should my speech be about? " Then, under the question, let yourself write down what comes to your mind for a pre-established period of time. Let yourself generate as many different answers to the question as come to mind.

Brainstorming is one of many ways to help you find and select the best topic for your speech. Brainstorming should feel less stressful than other methods of generating ideas. Use brainstorming as a creative way to come up with different topic ideas. Use the creative topic ideas that you have generated during brainstorming to help decide what your speech will be about. A well-chosen topic is key to the success of a good speech.

Lightning Strikes: Lightning strikes, or "ah-ha" moments, during brainstorming mean that you are coming up with ideas.