International Speech Contest Topics Selection Ideas !

One out of 3 phone calls that I attend these days are about "How do I come up with speech topics for International Speech Contests"? That reminded me... "Oh! The contest season has come". There is no magic bullet for selecting speech topics. However, here are some questions that you can ask yourself about selecting topics for International Speech Contests.

Also read: Speech Topic Selection Ideas

1. What is my biggest achievement in life? Why?
2. What is my biggest failure in life? Why?
3. What is the most challenging situation that I handled in life? Why?
4. What is one thing from my life that I would like to share with the entire world?
5. What was the life changing moment for me? Why?
6. What are some key principles / ideologies that I value in my life? Why? (For ex., "Small things make perfection, but perfection isn't a small thing" or "You don't have to be great to start, but you've to start to be great")
7. What is the most unforgettable incident in my life? Why?
8. What is something that I read in newspaper that moved me very much (for ex., the death of a gang rape victim, which happened recently in India)
9. What is something that I saw in my friend's or neighbor's life that moved me very much?
10. Who is my most favorite and inspiring person / personality? Why?
11. If I have the option of changing the world, what is one change that I would like to change?
12. What is a cause that I would like to fight for or already fighting for?

Also read: How to pick the right speech topic?

If the light bulb went off in you for any of the above questions, see if you can summarize that thought/message in one line. That will be the message that you would like to deliver to your audience and you can decide on the topic, based on that. Once you've decided the topic, you can expand that into a full blown speech by including stories, anecdotes, quotes etc., 

Also read: How to expand a topic into a full blown speech? (5 wives & 1 husband technique)

Contests are NOT meant to differentiate the bronze from the silver and the gold. Contests are meant to transform a golden ore into a golden ornament. So, I encourage all of you to participate in contests to go through that transformation, which will last forever.

Also read: Speech Crafting Checklist for International Speech Contests