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Your friend Rona has a presentation next week, but no idea what to speak about. Over lunch, she says that her public speaking textbook lists several websites to help students find speech topics. She's inclined to choose one of the suggested topics at random and asks for your thoughts. 1. Given that she only has a week before her presentation, what advice do you give her? 2. Do you think audiences can tell if a speaker chose a topic at random? If so, what "tells" might give it away?​

User Rodorgas
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Answer: If Rona only has a week before her presentation, my advice would be for her to choose a topic that she is passionate about or has some personal connection to. This will allow her to have more confidence when speaking, and engage the audience more effectively. If she cannot find a topic that fits this criteria, she could also choose a topic that she is knowledgeable about or that she has previously studied, so that she can prepare thoroughly and give a well-informed presentation.

Yes, audiences can tell if a speaker chose a topic at random, especially if the speaker is not knowledgeable about the topic or lacks enthusiasm when speaking. Tells that might give it away include a lack of eye contact, poor posture, monotone delivery, and a general lack of engagement with the audience. In these cases, it's important for the speaker to do their best to prepare thoroughly and show genuine interest in the topic they have chosen, even if it wasn't their first choice.

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User Andrei Goldmann
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