Discussion 1 Public Speaking

As you’re well aware, you’ll be speaking in this course. The first major speech you’ll be giving (in just a few weeks!) is an informative speech. The purpose of an informative speech is to inform others. Often, when students pick a topic, the first place they go is Google—where they pull up speech topics that have been done and redone time and again. This isn’t good informative speaking—good informative speaking comes from within. You shouldn’t have to gain a LOT of new knowledge about your chosen topic; you should already have a solid arsenal of information about this topic at your disposal.

In your initial post, you will identify three topics that you think you know more about than most everyone else in the class. You should tell us that topic area (e.g., HIV/AIDS, the impact of divorce on small children, etc.) and also tell us (1) why you care about this topic, and (2) why you think you know more than most (e.g., my father has been diagnosed with HIV; I grew up with divorced parents). Finally, tell us what an informative speech on that topic would look like—what, specifically, would you inform us about? Remember—you should do this for THREEseparate topics.

In your follow-up posts, you review the ideas of others regarding their informative speech and offer feedback. What topics are interesting to you and why? Any that you wouldn’t really want to hear about? What about ideas to tailor that informative speech in a different direction? Give each other feedback.

NOTE: Based on your interactions with peers this week, you will selectone of the three topics you posted in your initial post as your official speech topic for the informative speech. You will be able to select another (new) topic for your persuasive speech but you must pick one of the three topics you provided in the forum this week as your informative speech topic. Note that we’ll be building upon that topic in the weeks to come.

View your discussion rubric.