By 
The seventh project in the Toastmaster’s Competent Communicator Manual is entitled “Research Your Topic” and focuses on creating a speech based upon independent research. The idea behind this project is that speeches can be made more effective if they are supported by external facts and statistics. It is no surprise that the first objective for this project is to gather information about the topic selected for this particular speech. For example if a speaker decided to deliver a speech about the effect of water damage Utah upon a house he or she might want to research all the different types of damage that water can do to a house including but not limited to rot, mold, warping and rust.
The second objective of project number six is for the speaker to carefully support his or her selected points and opinions with specific facts, examples and illustrations gathered through the performance of independent research. Using the example of a speaker who chose to speak on the topic of water damage Utah, he or she might address the objective in several different ways. First of all, he or she may choose to research the various health effects that mold can have on a person. Second of all, he or she may choose to research the potential cost of repair for the different types of damage that water can create. Whatever particular way the speaker wishes to approach the research of the chosen topic, the speaker should use the specific facts or data obtained in a way that most effectively supports both the general purpose and the specific purpose of the speech. The goal is to convince the audience of a particular point of view. Accordingly, the research cited should work to further this goal directly. This is the lens through which the speaker should approach the information he or she is researching.
