Brainstorming Activity: In groups of three or five, brainstorm at least five possible informative speech topics for each of these general headings:

business, education, sports, social issues, how-to topics, relationships, ethics, and health.

When finished, read through the list of topics in Figure 11.1 adding any you especially like to your lists. Compare lists with other groups. Finally, select two topics and complete the following:

 List possible main points for each topic.

 Write an exact purpose statement for each topic beginning with “After hearing my presentation, the audience will . . .” See pages 308–310 for help on writing exact purpose statements.