Speech

I am in college (yea old people go to school too !!) and need a topic for an analytical speech. And state why I think that way and back it up with research. I wanted to choose "A Good Man is Hard to Find". I thought I could make this topic funny and entertaining but I am having trouble with the research portion. I need at least 2 referencs. I want to do a speech that has personal meaning and is humorous. I want my speech to provide something that helps them feel good about themselves and makes them laugh. This is a public speaking class and most of them are struggling with the class and suffer from great stage fright. I want to make them laugh and get relaxed before they have to speak. I usually go first to help lighten the pressure of being first. Any suggestions for a topic?

Hello Barbie --

As it happens, I teach speech. The first thing I'd do is confirm with the instructor that the topic is appropriate and will fulfill the expectations for the assignment.

I think that you can find research:

1. Get statistics about ratios of women to men. Women outlive men -- so the man pool gets scarcer.

2. Browse the Yahoo personals. Analyze a sample: of the first 50 men that showed up in the 35-45 age category, 46 wanted a woman at least 5 years younger than they are.

3. Search Yahoo for books about dating, finding a relationship, your man, etc. Note the sheer number of them (even though this may not satisfy the research requirement,but check with your instructor.) If you can find several of these books at the local bookstore or library, browse through the introduction and first chapter. Hopefully, you will find statistics and quotations you can use.

4. Go the the magazine racks. How many have articles on the front covers about "getting and keeping a man?" Make note of the number of articles among xx number of women's magazines. You may also find an article worth quoting here.

5. Plug in some appropriate search terms "find a man" or "woman seeking man" or "matching making." Note the number of dating services websites concerned with this. Again, you are building a case for the sheer numbers of websites, books, magazine articles that are concerned with this.

Visit some of the websites so that you can use them for information.

I suspect that you will have more than built a persuasive case that whether or not it is indeed hard to find a good man, the sheer number of matchingmaking servives, websites, books, and magazine articles suggests that people believe it is so.

Lastly, be sure to cite your sources conversationally in the speech. Conversationally means one weaves it into sentences. "Dating Universe.com reports that" . . ."Author Cindy Lohan claims."
Do not make a statement and then say, "That was from Dating Universe," as if it is an afterthought.

And do make sure that you have a reference list that uses the style required in your course, usually MLA or APA. I hope this helps.

Yeah! What WTF said. LOL

good idea!!!!