1. For the big picture, have a look at “Ten Sources for Public Speaking Sources” below.
2. Start a speaking journal. Keep your journal with you. If you are always at a computer, start a speaking file.
Jot down your speech ideas as they come to you. As you deliver speeches, record your successes and areas for development. Make a list of potential organizations such as service clubs where you can use your topics for public speaking.
3. Scan the list of hundreds of topics for public speaking below.
Choose three potential topics.
“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” Jamie Paolinetti
1. Interests
2. Newspapers and magazine articles, internet, books, histories.
3. Current events.
4. Events from your past.
5. Signs, posters, billboards.
6. Issues that concern you.
7. Observations.
8. Stories you've heard.
9. Proverbs.
10. Books and movies.
Topics for Public Speaking
Accelerated learning
Accidents
Adult training
Aids
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alternative Education
Alzheimer’s Disease
Athletics in schools
Answers
Athletics for students
Attitude
Audience
Automobiles
Beauty
Boards of Directors
Body clock
Body language
Book critique
Books
Bulletin boards
Burn Out
Camping Skills
Censorship
Chairman
Change management
Children
Christmas
Clothing
Coaching
Colors
Comics
Communication styles
Compliment
Composting
Conscience
Consultant
Conversation
Cooking
Cooperation
Courage
Crafts
Cravings
Creativity
Credibility
Crime & Law
Culture
Cycling
Dancing
Dating
Decisions
Difficult people
Discipline
Diversity
Dreams
Drugs
Embarrassing moments
Empathy
Empowerment
Endangered Species
Enthusiasm
Entrepreneurship
Exercise
Expectations
Eye Contact
Facilitation
Family
Family history
Family tree
Fashion
Fitness
Folk arts
Foreign aid
Freedom of speech
Friends and enemies
Friendship
Gambling
Garage sales
Garbage
Gardening
Genealogy
Goal setting
Goals
Habits
Handwriting
Health
Health programs
Helping others
Hibernation
History
Hockey
Horse racing
Technological change
Human Rights
Humor
Ideal society
Illiteracy
Imagination
Immigration policies
Inflation
Interviews
Job search
Jury duty
Language
Law
Leadership
Learning Problems
Life cycle
Listening
Literature
Logic and emotions
Managing stress
Marriage
Media
Mistakes happen
Money
Motivation
Music
Mutual trust
Nature
Negotiation
Nervousness
Network
Niche Marketing
Nutrition
Organ donation
Painting
Paperless society
Pensions
Personal efficiency
Personal growth
Personality
Pets/animals
Philosophy
Photography
Playoffs
Pollution
Positive thinking
Potential
Problem solving skills
Procrastination
Productivity
Professional
Publicity
Publishing
Quotes and famous sayings
Recent advances in sciences
Recognition
Recycling
Romance
School
Sculpture
Secrets of power presentations
Self Discovery
Self esteem
Self image
Self talk
Self-confidence
Self-renewal
Selling
Short stories
Signs & symbols
Smiling
Songs
Spring fever
Stars
Story telling
Success
Survival Skills
Team building
Teamwork
The secret of happiness
Theater/cinema/dance
Time management
Travel
Trivia
Truth
Vacations
Violence in our schools
Violence on television
Visuals
Volunteerism
Wealth
Wealth creation
Wild animals
Wine tasting
Workplace
Writing
Yachts & boating
Yoga
Zodiac
Zoology
How to Manage Your Topics for Public Speaking List
1. Print the list.
2. Scan it quickly, checking off potential ideas.
3. Cross off the least interesting 15 public speaking ideas.
4. Find a focus for each of your five potential topics.
5. Use a mind map like the hand drawn web you see on the right to find a speech perspective. Write your topic in the center. Then draw lines radiating from the center.
For each of these lines, add a possible focus. Or instead of a mind map, make a list of potential focuses for each of these topics. Finding a focus will help you find your best topic for public speaking.
Find out the top way to create a mind map now!
Check out these journal writing prompts for more great topics for public speaking ideas.
