A lot of the time when I have a mentoring session with a student who needs help with topic selection, I hear them say, “I want to speak about something I am really passionate about.” Or even from other peers and classmates, we hear “just pick something you’re passionate about.” But, what does this really mean? Sure, I am “passionate” about animals, but how can I talk about that in a speech?

Usually this advice, to pick something you are passionate about, is not enough for some students and leads to more confusion than clarity. Some students begin to write about their favorite sport, their favorite animal, their favorite activity to do outside of school, but that speech ends up having no real purpose or substance. Instead, the student simply talks about why they like that thing!

In reality, the important thing to do is recognize what you are passionate about and add some twist of important information or advocacy. Instead of saying, “I am passionate about animals,” it is important to change your frame of mind to, “I am passionate about advocating for the safety and security of animals and eliminating animal abuse.” Look at that second statement!! One, we found more substance to build main points off of, and two, narrowed our topic to discussing the importance of recognizing and eliminating animal abuse. Here, we can turn a once very non-substantial topic into writing a persuasive speech about how college students can participate in volunteering at local animal shelters, advocating for and recognizing animal abuse, or finding ways to eliminate animal abuse. Instead of getting off track and telling our audience how “passionate” we are about animals, we can instead speak to them about how and why we are passionate, without ever having to say the word “passionate.” Think about the ways you can turn a passion into a speech with a clear purpose and end goal!

Need help developing these ideas? Come visit us at the PCC and we can brainstorm with you!