Choose one of the options below. (Note that you will still need to narrow
down the scope of the options.) As you narrow down your scope, also work on determining the best
approach and organization principle for your topic, purpose, and audience.
Note: we will also do some work in class on developing topics, so if you don’t like option 1—3, but
cannot think of something for option 4, class exercises may help.
Speeches should be 8-10 minutes.
OPTIONS:
1. Attendance policies in university classes
2. The role of technology in education
3. Regulation of social media
4. Choose your own topic**
**This option can be almost anything, but keep in mind the time requirements as well as the
standard conventions of public speaking in a formal, academic setting. Some topics are not suitable
for the timeframe or the classroom context. We will work together on developing topics.
VISUAL AIDS:
You are welcome to use visual aids. If you choose to use visual aids, remember that they are not
meant to be a script for you to read from during the speech. This is an extemporaneous speech: no
reading! Use aids to supplement your speech, not replace it.
SOURCES:
You will need a variety of types of evidence (statistics, testimony, examples), and should indicate
your sources as you go. That means incorporating them in as you speak (for example, you would say
things like “evidence for this claim can be found in a 2018 study published by the CDC, in which
researchers looked at the respiratory systems of 3000 smokers who switched to vaping and
concluded that vaping poses. . .,” OR “consider the example of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who,
according to Jen Wieczner of Fortune magazine, has never received a paycheck from the company.”