Hey guys, I have to do a 3 minute oral presentation on surfing for one of my university courses. Problem is, I could talk about surfing for days. Just wondering what you guys think are the most important aspects I should speak about. Keep in mind I'll be speaking in front of about 200 non surfers. Thanks in advance!
I. General Intro: What is surfing? II. History of surfing: Origins and early manifestations III. Modern surfing: General info on how things have changed in the past few decades (You don't have time to go into detail, so don't do it!) In general, if you're talking to 200 people who know next-to-nothing about your topic, it's best to start at the most basic level -- things that they can understand -- especially if it's only a 3-minute speech, which is a ridiculous length in the first place. Anyway, good luck!
i did one of these last semester for my public speaking class. narrow down your topic but make it something interesting that even a non surfer can stay interested in. maybe the dangers of surfing? or something like that. use a youtube clip of something exciting to get everyone's attention right off the bat. i used a clip of some guy getting absolutely smashed at pipe in the beginning of mine and i had everyones attention for the whole five minutes. good luck man
China pop outs vs. local shapers. The impact of using cheap overseas labor vs buying American made products should be an easy topic for them to understand.
Surfboard construction. Surfing culture. Economics of the surfing industry. Origins of surfing. A bio of your favorite surfer.
you could talk about Kelly and his 11 titles. I think most non-surfer types would be able to understand the competitive aspect and you could frame it around the question of whether or not those titles make him the best athlete in any sport. You could also touch on whether or not surfing is a "sport," but I think that would probably be too hard for non-surfers to understand.
totaly agree with KRL. get them hooked wwith a video and than talk about some dangers, (everyone likes to see someone get smashed)
*Obligatory comment about making surfing sound sh¡tty and uninteresting so none of the 200 audience members will be crowding the lineup next week* On a serious note, if it needs to be a structured speech I think kielsun has a good idea, but you won't be able to tackle much in 3 minutes. If it's just a casual, conversational speech, I'd probably prefer talking about what surfing means to me and why I surf. Sort of like Billabong's "I surf because..." promo. Most/all non-surfers don't understand what it's like to be drawn to surfing and connected to the ocean. Describe some of your best or most surreal moments in the water, like being in the lineup with your buddies during a rainstorm, after which a pod of dolphins swims by within spitting distance as a rainbow crops up on the horizon (one of my personal favorites). Moments that you can't experience in any other sport or in any stadium. Things that you wouldn't otherwise be able to appreciate unless you're a surfer.
Grab the audience in the first 30 seconds to differentiate the normal storyline. Origins of surfing, e.g., something along the lines that surfing did not originate at Malibu with Gidget and the gang; nor did surfing originate in Hawaii; surfing originated in... many places around the world but primarily by the peoples of oceania. Then go back and hit each of those topic points quickly and your 3 minutes will be up!
macPSU has good idea, use your own experiences, but a clip of somebody eating sh** is always a bonus!
