7: Topic, Purpose Statements and Central Idea
- Page ID
- 109958
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- 7.1: Getting Started with Your Topic
- We need to think about our purpose--the reason we're speaking--and have that guide us towards selecting a topic.
- 7.2: Formulating a Specific Purpose Statement
- Your specific purpose identifies what you want your audience to gain from listening to your speech. It's important to understand that so you can use it to guide the rest of your speech development. You can use this formula in developing a specific purpose: "By the end of my speech, I want my audience to be (informed/persuaded/entertained) about (my topic)."
- 7.3: Formulating a Central Idea Statement
- While you will not actually say your specific purpose statement during your speech, you will need to clearly state what your focus and main points are going to be. The statement that reveals your main points is commonly known as the central idea statement (or just the central idea).
- 7.4: Problems to Avoid with Specific Purpose and Central Idea Statements
- This will explain how to avoid problems when writing specific purpose and central idea statements.
- 7.5: Other Resources and Chapter Activities
- Students and faculty can find additional resources and learning activities to supplement the chapter's reading material.