When it comes to good public speaking topics, I think quotes about public speaking by the CEO of Stew Leonards hits the nail on the head:
Never give a speech on something unless it is something you like yourself.
In case you are not familiar with Stew Leonards (I was not) it is a family-owned and operated, farm-fresh grocery stores once called the “The Disneyland of Dairy Stores” by The New York Times. It has entertainment and employees in costumes. The store is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having “the greatest sales per unit area of any single food store in the United States” and was recognized by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! as “World’s Largest Dairy Store.” I believe part of the Stew Leonards success is because the founder, Stew Leonard’s father, incorporated into his stores things he likes – the farm life, farm animals, and fun.
Public speaking strategies for success
We can glean some public speaking strategies for success from the Stew Leonards marketing strategy – the incorporation of tips for learning in his stores. A visit to one of his stores is a visual, auditory and kinesthetic experience. From Wikipedia:
“The store’s fame comes from its innovative in-store marketing, which includes a barnlike wood decor, a winding path for shoppers instead of straight, parallel aisles, and animatronic singing animals perched above the shelving. Stew Leonard’s have created animatronics characters called the “Farm Fresh Five.” This animatronics are lifelike, and perform songs and dance that entertain the customers of all ages.”
I believe these elements of learning are more readily incorporated into a talk when it is about something you like.
Good public speaking topics
As Stew Leonard, Jr. suggests, the good public speaking topics for YOU are topics you like.
The image accompanying Stew Leonards words is of a cat named Maude owned by a computer technician, Circe Denyer. Circe is passionate about computers, especially about protecting the computer from malware, spyware, viruses, etc. Circe likes talking about computers. And it shows every time she delivers a talk. She makes it fun, too, by sharing another thing she really likes – her cat. She may incorporate stories and even photos of her cat, Maude protecting Circe’s computer by laying her big fat furry body right over the keyboard so Circe cannot use it.
By Circe incorporating into her talks two things she likes, computers and cats, it is easier for her to bring in two of the three elements of learning – visual and auditory. The visual comes from the slides, especially the photo of Maude. The auditory comes from her vocal variety as she talks to the cat blocking her from using the computer. She might even mimic how Maude responds (Maude is a very talkable kitty.) As for the kinesthetic elements, she may have students practice creating a strong password by writing one out using the suggestions she provides.
Public Speaking Anxiety Tips
Talking about something you like makes the preparation and delivery of your speech SO much easier. Having been in Toastmasters for over 25 years and watching literally hundreds of individuals give speeches; those speeches based on what the speaker likes are more enjoyable to listen to. I always coach people to talk about something they know about and more importantly, something they like.
For me, and I know this is true for others because they have said so, your public speaking anxiety drops a bit when you are talking about something you like. Why? Because changes are likely you know a lot about it (knowledge of your topic is a huge reducer of anxiety), you have personal stories to tell associated with it. Personal stories mean less reliance on notes, more animation in the delivery of it, great illustration tool, and entertaining.
In conclusion, one of the important public speaking strategies for success is to TALK ABOUT SOMETHING YOU LIKE.
