Rhetoric and Specific Purpose
What is Alopecia?
Why did this student choose this topic?
What did this student assume about the audience when preparing for this speech? Generally speaking… you “choose” a topic for a speech based upon the audience, occasion and/ or your qualifications
How will you choose your topic?
Two starting options….
1. What is something you know a lot about – something about which you are an expert?
2. What is something that you wish you knew more about?
Picking something that is very familiar to you will……
• Reduce your research efforts
• Give you confidence as a speaker
• Help you relate personal issues to your audience
• Help you discover ways to “identify” with your audience
Picking something that you want to know more about will…
• Motivate your research efforts
• Give you enthusiasm as a speaker
• Help you relate new information to your audience
• Help you invent ways to identify with your audience
Familiar
1. Reduce anxiety
2. Confidence
3. Personal issues
4. Discover
New
1. Motivate
2. Enthusiasm
3. New information
4. Invent
Generating a list
• Personal Inventories (experience’s, hobbies, skills, beliefs, etc.) – Familiar Topic
• Clustering
There are generally three purposes for speaking:
1. To inform [ explain, report or demonstrate]
2. To persuade [ sell, advocate or defend]
3. To honor [ praise, remember, celebrate]
Example: Base Jumping
1. My purpose is to explain base jumping.
2. My purpose is to sign-up new base jumpers
3. My purpose is to honor the Calgary doctor who died while base jumping in the Grand Canyon
Examples: Poker
1. What would be an informational approach to speaking about poker?
2. What would be a persuasive approach to speaking about poker?
Once you have your topic, determined what your general purpose is. For this class, your general purpose will be given to you. Advice: pick a topic that can serve more than one purpose.
Once you have determinged your GENERAL purpose, you now must
Why did this student choose this topic?
What did this student assume about the audience when preparing for this speech? Generally speaking… you “choose” a topic for a speech based upon the audience, occasion and/ or your qualifications
How will you choose your topic?
Two starting options….
1. What is something you know a lot about – something about which you are an expert?
2. What is something that you wish you knew more about?
Picking something that is very familiar to you will……
• Reduce your research efforts
• Give you confidence as a speaker
• Help you relate personal issues to your audience
• Help you discover ways to “identify” with your audience
Picking something that you want to know more about will…
• Motivate your research efforts
• Give you enthusiasm as a speaker
• Help you relate new information to your audience
• Help you invent ways to identify with your audience
Familiar
1. Reduce anxiety
2. Confidence
3. Personal issues
4. Discover
New
1. Motivate
2. Enthusiasm
3. New information
4. Invent
Generating a list
• Personal Inventories (experience’s, hobbies, skills, beliefs, etc.) – Familiar Topic
• Clustering
There are generally three purposes for speaking:
1. To inform [ explain, report or demonstrate]
2. To persuade [ sell, advocate or defend]
3. To honor [ praise, remember, celebrate]
Example: Base Jumping
1. My purpose is to explain base jumping.
2. My purpose is to sign-up new base jumpers
3. My purpose is to honor the Calgary doctor who died while base jumping in the Grand Canyon
Examples: Poker
1. What would be an informational approach to speaking about poker?
2. What would be a persuasive approach to speaking about poker?
Once you have your topic, determined what your general purpose is. For this class, your general purpose will be given to you. Advice: pick a topic that can serve more than one purpose.
Once you have determinged your GENERAL purpose, you now must