Demonstration Speech Topics

A demonstration speech is often one of the easiest to write because in most cases it's based on students' existing knowledge and doesn't require some additional research. However, while the process itself might seem simple to many, this still doesn't mean that you're not going to do any work.

What is a demonstration speech?

A demonstration speech explains how to do something or how to achieve something using either physical demonstration itself or some kind of visual aid. Most of the demonstration speech ideas for college students sound like «How to do something» because that's what you need to answer in order to please your audience.

But would picking any «How to» topic actually work for you? We doubt that. There are a couple of things to consider while crafting your speech and coming up with demonstration speech ideas. Read them if you want to make your speech as good as possible.

How to ace your demonstration speech?

1. Find out how much time you have.

Sometimes a professor tells you that before you even get to writing and sometimes you need to figure this out by yourself. Either way, it's important to know how much time do you exactly have before you even start writing.

Keep in mind that demonstrative speech is probably the most time-specific. There's no way you'll be able to fit a 30-minute demonstration in 5 minutes if you suddenly find out you have less time than you expected. So always be sure to find this out first. There are plenty of 5-minute demonstration speech ideas and there are plenty of longer ones, so you'll be able to craft a good speech either way.

2. Get to know your audience.

The topic of your speech could be easy or hard, basic or industry-specific - and this all depends on the audience you're giving this speech to. Let's assume you have come up with some good demonstration speech ideas with food but don't know which one to pick. If you're going to give this speech to fellow students, you should focus on something they could relate to and find useful - for example, on some basic meal planning, on low-budget meals, or quick meals that are easy to cook in a dorm.

However, if your audience is professional cooks, such topics would look very basic and irrelevant to them. In this case, you'll need to pick something more complex.

Always ask your professor who your audience will be or do a small research on your own. This would ease the process of picking the right topic for you a lot.

3. Don't underestimate the most common topics.

Sometimes students discard certain topics because they find them very basic and think that everyone knows how to do that certain thing - send an email, for example. However, this also largely depends on the audience. If your audience is elder people, they might have some struggles with that.

Moreover, sometimes people really don't know how to do certain things the right way - tie a tie, for example. So it's always better and safer to conduct a small research just to make sure whether a certain topic is actually basic or not.

4. Pick a topic you know well.

Sure, you need to think about your audience while picking the topic - but what about yourself? If possible, you should come up with good demonstration speech ideas that both you and your audience finds interesting - and not only because it would be more pleasant for you to write such speech.

When you pick a topic you like and are familiar with, you're able to offer something besides the basic tips and knowledge. Moreover, the passion always shows, so if you write with passion and true interest, it would be easier for you to win the attention of the audience.

5. Rehearse and rehearse again.

So you've come up with some easy demonstration speech ideas and even wrote your speech. But this is only half of the task done.

You know that you need to not only craft a speech but to arrange the demonstration process as well. You might want to demonstrate everything by yourself but we recommend asking either a fellow student or someone from the audience to help you. This would make the whole process look more interesting to the audience and in the second case will also make them more engaged in the process.

However, in order to ensure that everything will go smoothly, you'll need to rehearse your speech properly. Try doing it with someone - a friend or a fellow student - to see whether your tips are actually understandable and easy to implement in life or not.

How do demonstration speech topics look like?

If you learn best by example, here's a list of demonstration speech ideas for you. Maybe they'll inspire you to come up with your own ones.

1. How to bake a cake
2. How to tie a Windsor Knot
3. How to be a vegan
4. How to craft a mask for Halloween
5. How to fix a flat tire
6. How to play the violin
7. How to clean your car
8. How to change a credit card
9. How to dress for a prom
10. How to savor wine
11. How to make a smoothie
12. How to organize a surprise party
13. How to eat oysters
14. How to edit photographs in Lightroom
15. How to make a latte
16. How to read music notes
17. How to count calories
18. How to brew your own bear
19. How to sing properly
20. How to grow a plant
21. How to create a website
22. How to blog
23. How to clean a swimming pool
24. How to make a summer salad
25. How to make candles
26. How to sew a dress
27. How to plan your wedding
28. How to paint with watercolors
29. How to change the way you think
30. How to do public speaking
31. How to create an animal shelter
32. How to apply for an internship
33. How to pack your suitcase
34. How to apply for a visa
35. How to do first aid
36. How to learn a foreign language
37. How to make a YouTube video
38. How to write a script
39. How to make honey
40. How to write a business email
41. How to train your brains
42. How to make a genealogical tree
43. How to snowboard
44. How to make a sand castle
45. How to prevent injury
46. How to do burpees
47. How to write a persuasive speech outline
48. How to sell an item on Etsy
49. How to learn speed reading
50. How to lead a team

That's pretty much all you need to know to write a strong demonstration speech. It might not come easy for you at first - just like it wasn't easy for you to come up with good persuasive speech topics once - but time and practice will do their thing, and you will become good in that!