Instructions
At this point you ought to be thinking about your Definition Speech Topic. Remember, in definitional speeches the speaker attempts to set forth the meaning of a concept, a theory, a particular philosophy or an issue that may be unknown to the audience. So our General Purpose will be to Inform. (To teach your audience of classmates.) Upcoming you will need to develop a Specific Purpose, a Thesis Statement, and Main Points. But let’s start with the Topic.
Ask yourself–
What am I interested in?
What do I already know something about?
How will my audience react to the topic?
What might intrigue them?
What might be important to them at this point in their lives?
Remember also–
1. When analyzing your audience, contemplate demographics such as the gender, age range, marital status, race, and ethnicity of the people in your audience. Another, perhaps less obvious, demographic factor is socioeconomic status, which refers to a combination of characteristics including income, wealth, level of education, and occupational prestige. Each of these dimensions gives you some information about which kinds of topics, and which aspects of various topics, will be well received.
2. When analyzing your audience contemplate psychographics which is more personal and more difficult to predict than demographics. Psychographic information involves the beliefs, attitudes, and values that your audience members embrace. Respecting your audience means that you avoid offending, excluding, or trivializing the beliefs and values they hold. So you need to ask yourself– What does my audience believe in? What do they already know? What are their attitudes about certain issues and ideas? What do they value?
3. When analyzing your audience contemplate issues of diversity. While the term “diversity” is often used to refer to racial and ethnic minorities, it is important to realize that audiences can be diverse in many other ways as well. Being mindful of diversity means being respectful of all people and striving to avoid racism, ethnocentrism, sexism, ageism, elitism and other assumptions.
Your audience analysis should guide your choice of a topic so that you select one that is relevant and useful to your classmates. Controversial topics can be excellent topics, but be sure to consider your audience when selecting your topic and deciding how to approach it. Ultimately, your audience analysis requires that you adapt to the needs of the audience; this includes considering cultural diversity, making your message clear, avoiding offensive remarks, and speaking with sincerity.
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As you develop this written discussion, state the topic you’ve chosen for your definitive speech then explain why you believe your audience (of classmates) will connect or relate to the topic. Refer back to audience demographics, psychographics, and diversity. You will need to include at minimum a paragraph of 15 to 20 sentences for this assignment.
Afterwards, respond to at least 5 of your classmates regarding their speech topic. Be honest with them. Are you interested in their topic? Why? Why not? Help them decide how they might best approach this assignment so they can reach their audience of classmates.