There are many potential public speaking topics to choose from when crafting a speech to practice your skills as an orator. The best place to start is with your own knowledge. Try this handy exercise, required of applicants to the Kaplan tutoring program to demonstrate their abilities to create a coherent lesson plan. The goal is to create a five-minute lesson plan, on a subject of your choice that could explain your main idea to an audience that has no experience in your field.

If you are a mechanic, pilot, nurse, or member of any other profession, practice this speech as an “introduction to…” any aspect of your training. You can practice giving this lesson plan as a verbatim recitation of a pre-written speech, or an extemporaneous implementation of a general outline. Because you are comfortable with the topic, this is an ideal technique for beginners.

When you have tried this tactic and achieved success, you are ready to move on to less familiar territory. Consider the style of public speaking that you would life to emulate- are you inspired by a politician, a comedian, or a friend? Choose a topic that fits your inspiration for pursuing public speaking. For example, you may be a fan of cooking shows, and would enjoy as well as benefit from staging your own speech on cooking. Other public speaking topics include historical subjects, current events, health and fitness, and religion.

Another easy public speaking topic, for practice in private, is to take a famous speech that you appreciate and deliver it yourself. This exercise also helps budding orators to understand the structure of compelling speeches, knowledge that will come in handy when they need to write their own presentations. Whichever public speaking topic you choose, remember to practice, practice, practice and enjoy!