Have you ever struggled to find a speech topic?

The speakerโ€™s version of โ€œwriters blockโ€ is โ€œtopic block.โ€

Speech Inspiration From My ClosetAn Unusual Source of Speech Inspiration

This problem was on my mind one morning while I was getting dressed for a workout. I looked at my stack of t-shirts and got an idea:

Your t-shirts are a window into your life.

What does that mean?

T-shirts โ€“ the ones with logos or pictures โ€“ give insight into whatโ€™s important to you. Or, those specialย moments in your life.

These everyday clothesย can give you speech subjects that are important to you.

For example, this is a sample of logos on some of my shirts:

  • Star Wars (four of them)
  • The Indianapolis 500 (three) and a local go-cart racing facility
  • Toastmasters and TED X Cincinnati

Insight Into Whatโ€™s Important to You

Not only do these give me speech ideas, they also give you insight into me.

What can you assume about me from these t-shirts?

Iโ€™m a geek, speed freak who likes to speak!

What topics could they inspire?

  • The heroโ€™s journey (Star Wars)
  • The importance of music to support your story (Star Wars)
  • How teamwork can be the difference between winning and losing (Indianapolis 500)
  • Itโ€™s not always the fastest who wins the race (Indianapolis 500)
  • How I won every time I lost a speech contest (Toastmasters)
  • How I became a better speaker by coaching other speakers (TED X)

There’s no limit to the number of speeches I can create. The key to these subjects is that they are important to me. They inspire ideas that matter to me.

How I Wove a Race Into a Speaking Video

For instance, I recently recorded a video at the Indianapolis 500. It was the opening for one of my videos in the โ€˜Your Weekly Dose of Public Speaking Medicineโ€™ series. The subject was the power of teamwork to improve your speeches. The video clip from the race personalized my message, and gives viewers more insight into my life.

This is a critical subject for speakers. I teach it to others. And using my experiences at that race, I can use it as a metaphor for my topic.

So, what does your t-shirt drawer say about you?

What topics can you write about, related to the subject of those shirts?

You donโ€™t need to stress over a speech topic. You just need to look around. The answer may be in your drawer, your closet or on your body, right now.

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An Unusual Source of Speech Inspiration ultima modifica: 2017-07-08T21:20:07-04:00 da Michael Davis