These first six steps in preparing a public speech entail a variety of specific skills. place a check mark next to those skills you most want to work on. 1. when preparing a public speech, i follow a logical progression of steps, such as the sequence outlined here. 2. i select appropriate topics, purposes, and theses and narrow them to manageable proportions. 3. i analyze my audience in terms of members’ sociological and psychological characteristics, and i adapt the speech on the basis of these findings. 4. i research topics effectively and efficiently and critically evaluate the reliability of the research material. 5. i collect materials relevant to my topic, purpose, and thesis—for instance, examples, statistics, and visual aids and with logical, emotional, and ethical proofs. 6. i identify my major propositions from my thesis statement. 7. when organizing the speech’s main points, i select a pattern appropriate to the subject matter, purpose, and audience.