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| How to Find Ideas for Articles
& Speeches |
| Posted: 4-05-2006 |
| Author: Mark Saunders |
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.
More useful information can be found at the http://www.wordcontent.com/
website. |
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