How to Find Ideas for Articles & Speeches
BY ROBERT F. ABBOTT
Do you have problems finding ideas for
articles and speeches?
I know have had at times, and others
tell me the same thing. At my Toastmasters club, for example, I've often
heard members say they have difficulty finding topics for speeches.
But, I've learned, like others who
write and speak a lot, to start with what I know. To use my own
experiences or perspectives to make even a simple subject uniquely my
own. And you can do the same.
Indeed, what seems mundane to you may
fascinate someone else. Suppose, for example, you work in a fast food
restaurant — tell me about the best and worst customers, or tell me
about the processes and training that make it possible to go from order
to delivery in just a couple of minutes.
Here's a real-life example from my own
experiences. I have a part-time job as a directory assistance operator
for a telephone company, and that produces some interesting stories,
like the time a woman called because the door knob to exit her borrowed
apartment was broken, and she couldn't figure out how to get out. She
didn't know who to call except Directory Assistance, and we had an
interesting time figuring out a solution. Now there's a story to get an
article or speech started, and perhaps even a theme such as "Strange but
true stories from a directory assistance operator."
Then, there's the idea of providing
insights for others. If you drive a truck, for instance, you might
create a Top Ten list of common mistakes you see on the streets and
highways. As a professional driver, you have special insight into the
patterns of amateur drivers.
Beyond your personal experiences, think
about issues that intrigue you. If you're interested, doing research and
thinking about a subject will be enjoyable and easy. Perhaps you can
even satisfy your own curiosity as you prepare an article or speech that
enlightens someone else.
These approaches should lead you to any
number of story ideas. Make a list, of say five or ten possible topics.
Now, ask yourself which of them will be the most enjoyable or easiest to
develop. You also might ask yourself if you have enough examples to
illustrate the points that fall under a specific topic.
Now, write an outline, to set out the
main themes in your speech or article. By the time you finish outlining
these themes, you'll probably have a number of new topics that could be
developed into topics that stand on their own.
For example, looking back at the
contents of this article so far, I see that discussing something others
don't know much about is one of the points. That would open the door to
what I call the "Everybody knows" syndrome, the unfounded assumption
that others know what we know. Perhaps you think that your parenting
experiences are just like everyone else's. Yet, your feelings may very
well be unique and of great interest to other parents.
If all else fails, get ideas from
others. For example, I subscribe to many online newsletters because I
write a lot of articles myself. As potential story ideas come in I store
them away in a folder, ready to be searched when I don't have anything
available in the top of my mind.
I can use the original article as the
starting point, creating something new and unique by using my own
experiences and ways of doing things. Or I can abstract someone else's
article in my own words, again creating something new in the process. In
both cases, I'm creating something new based on my unique experiences or
perspectives.
So, never be stuck for an idea for an
article or speech! You already have enough experience and knowledge;
it's simply a matter of developing one of those ideas within that
framework.
And here's a bonus: If you're writing
or speaking about something that's happened in your life, you won't have
to work hard to create the article or speech. Just follow the path
through your memory.
Robert F. Abbott writes and
publishes
Abbott's Communication Letter. Each week subscribers receive, at no
charge, a new communication tip that helps them lead or manage more
effectively.
 |
