Got Podium Panic? Speech Topic Deactivates Fear
Having Persuasive Speech Topics Can Deactivate Podium Panic
But as an adult, giving a persuasive speech ranks right up there with fear of death. Even if you’ve been programmed for the podium since childhood. My grandfather was captain of his high school debate team. His yearbook motto, “On argument alone, my faith is built,” informed his life. He once carried a sack onto the stage, announced, “Now I’m gonna spill the beans!” and emptied the bag of beans down the aisle.
No stage fright in my paternal lineage, that’s for sure. You’d think stepping out before hundreds would be easy for me. Ha! I could’ve used a few persuasive speech topics to deactivate my terror.
Persuasive Speech Topics Start With The Talk’s Purpose
Sometimes persuasive speech topics are obvious. Maybe you’re running for local office and need to persuade the town’s residents to vote for you. Or a nuclear power plant is about to be built in your city. Your speech topic might be, “How Nuclear Radiation Will Affect Your Health.” This would be an informative speech that’s also persuasive. Or let’s say it’s your in-laws’ 50th wedding anniversary. Clearly, time for a special occasion speech.
Choose Topics Based On What You Love-and Your Audience
Generate persuasive speech topics by considering what’s closest to your heart-and what type of audience you wish to reach. For instance, my life work focuses on personal and collective evolution. Depending on whether I’m addressing a Rotary Club, a new-thought church, a business or a health spa, my persuasive speech topics might be building a visionary business, creating conscious relationships, high-level wellness or spiritual development. Sometimes the topics can overlap audiences, which is especially helpful if you’re called on to give an impromptu speech!
Terrific Titles Animate Persuasive Speech Topics
A fabulous title will get people interested in hearing what you have to say. They’ll be “warmed up” before you ever get on stage, receptive to your persuasive speech. Topics that weave humor into the title and talk also make them more memorable. For example, my relationship speech uses the metaphor of blackberry picking. I call it, “Blackberry Love: Picking the Relationship That’s Ripe for You.” Once they hear the topic title, people are intrigued.
Similarly, one of my business persuasive speech topics is, “Renewable Y-O-U: Nine Practical Tools to Disembark the ‘Stress Express'”. Since everybody can relate to having too much stress in their lives at one time or another, the audience is eager to discover how to get off that train and into relaxation. This is also an example of an “overlap” topic: it will work equally well in a business environment and a health club.
Brainstorming Persuasive Speech Topics
So, how can you create persuasive speech topics of your own? The trick is taking what you know, and seeing it in a broader context.
Let’s say you’re a marketing manager at a mid-size company. Do you know the secret to creating buzz around a new product? Are you an expert on the 4 Ps of marketing: product, placement, promotion, price? Can you teach people to apply those same attributes to package, promote, price and place themselves correctly in the marketplace for a better job, or in order to initiate a career change? Turning your expertise into “how-to’s” for others creates instant persuasive speech topics.
You’re More Of A Topic Expert Than You Realize!
You are definitely expert in at least one topic area, and probably in dozens. If you’re a mother, you might develop a personal narrative speech on child rearing and incorporate humor along the lines of writer Dave Barry. Persuasive speech topics on parenting are almost guaranteed to be very funny, because kids are funny-just like life.
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Amara Rose is a professional speaker, life purpose coach, wisdom circle facilitator, published writer and business alchemist. You can subscribe to her FREE inspirational monthly newsletter, What Shines, through http://www.liveyourlight.com. Contact Amara at: amara@liveyourlight.com.
