ABSTRACT
This chapter presents guidelines for selecting a topic, and explains the differences between a general purpose, a specific purpose, and a thesis statement. Topic selection is the first part of developing a topic. To choose a topic and to develop it for the particular audience and situation, setting aside some time is required to do some personal brainstorming. Another part of developing a topic is to clarify both the general and specific purposes. The general purpose identifies the type of speech one plans to give (informative, persuasive, or entertaining), and the specific purpose is a statement about what one wants the listeners to be able to accomplish because of their speech. The chapter describes rough-draft outline, why should it be used, and how does it differ from the final, more formal outline. It explains resources available for researching supporting materials, and how can plagiarism be avoided when using them. The chapter discusses the types of supporting materials used in speeches.
