Non-abstract Conversation
The non-abstract topics generally comprise of geo-political issues, educational or environmental concern, or business information. These topics require the speaker to have knowledge on current affairs, and facts and figures pertaining to recent incidents happening in the world, etc. While speaking on a non-abstract topic, speakers don’t have the luxury of digressing from the focal point, and have to think only on the lines of the words mentioned in the topic.
For example, if we are given a topic, “The menace of terrorism”, the speaker has to stick to the theme of terrorism. He/she cannot digress from the topic and think of things not related to it. This is something unique about non-abstract topics. The speaker will have to think about the way terrorism originated, or the way it impacts our society. The speaker has to delve deeper into various facets of the phenomenon called ‘terrorism’.
Points to Consider
One important thing about non-abstract topics is that the speaker has to come to a conclusion by the end of the speech. Open-ended conclusions left for the public to understand are full of risks. If the speaker does not take a stand at the end of speech, it seems as if the speaker were like a ship without a rudder. Without a firm stand, the speech goes astray and the audience has no key takeaway from the speech. As we had already discussed in the one of the last chapters that a key takeaway is vital for a speech to be successful.
Consider Another Example
In the topic, “The role of US in world economy”, the speaker is required to think only of how the US impacts the economy of the world. It is not advisable to rope in other countries and talk about their influence in the world’s flow of cash and goods. At the end, the speaker is expected to come up with a conclusion, and end with a brief summary of what all he/she had spoken.
A few examples of non-abstract topics are as follows −
The role of media in society.
The impact of social networking on the youth of the country.
The terrorist attacks of Paris.
The rise of democracy in Africa.
Which is better – democracy or dictatorship?
Is United Nations capable of bringing up a good world order?
Non-abstract topics are favorites in panel discussions, debates, and group discussions. Please note that debates rarely have abstract topics. In the next chapter, we will find out how debates can be fought even on abstract topics.
