Demonstrative Speech Topics

Demonstrative speech topics and speeches are judged more on their form and style of delivery rather than on their content.

To focus on your delivery, you need to feel confident about your topic. Having a certain amount of passion about the subject will help as well.

Identify Your Audience First

You can probably get a lot of excellent demonstration speech ideas by brainstorming your preferences. But don't forget to consider your audience and make sure you choose something that THEY would be interested in learning how to do.

You also need to be sure your idea is appropriate. For example, you would not want to deliver a speech on how to make a Spanish coffee to a group of AA members! It is essential to know the audience. I remember losing a speech contest in high school because I delivered a persuasive speech against the repeal of the 21st amendment to the U.S. Constitution that prohibited alcohol. My audience comprised veterans, most of whom very likely felt favorable toward freedom to choose about having a beer every so often. Oops! I realized my error too late. 

Lead-Ins Can Provoke Ideas

Lead-Ins

1. How to create  ______________
2. How to make  ______________
3. How to properly use ______________
4. How to build ______________
5. How (______________) works
6. How to repair ______________

Completed Examples:

1. How to create a home-made flytrap.
2. How to make perfume.
3. How to properly use a curling iron.
4. How to build a solar panel.
5. How does VOIP work?
6. How to repair a smartphone phone screen.

Example Linear Mindmap of a topic to narrow the focus more or discover a new idea:

Planning Your Speech

Once you've chosen your topic, write in one sentence what it is you are going to be demonstrating to your audience and why you chose that particular topic.

If, for example, you've chosen to speak about Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) then you might decide to start with:

Today I will be demonstrating how VOIP works. I believe it is critical to understand as this seems to be the wave of the future in telecommunications.

Using Visual Aids

In a demonstration speech, you must use visual aids. If you don't, then it is not a demonstrative speech, but rather an informative one. You can use whatever visual support you like and more than one if it will help you to show exactly how to accomplish what you are demonstrating.

Staying with the VOIP topic, you could bring in a laptop and clearly show how to set up SKYPE, then demonstrate what you accomplished by having someone in the audience that you can call.

You could also use a power point presentation clearly outlining the steps to take, to walk your audience through each step.

The finishing touch on this VOIP speech could be summarizing your presentation while talking to the person you've planted in the audience to receive your call.

Better still, if appropriate, have someone from the audience come on stage and make the call. Audience involvement always makes for a more inspiring speech and delivering a "how to" speech as interactively as possible gives audience members a chance to learn 'hands on.'

Have fun with your next demonstrative speech!

Return to the Top of the Page

Recommended pages: