# Soliciting ideas for a Demonstrative Speech **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 9, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348 "2011-05-09T23:35:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/1 "2011-05-09T23:35:15Z")
This is for a college Public Speaking class. What I need to do is make a speech, approximately 7 minutes long, including visual aids, where I show the class **how to do something**. The problem here is that I have no idea what I should talk about. It can’t be too complicated (or it would go over the time limit) and it can’t be too simple (like how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich). Like Napolean Dynamite, my problem is that I don’t have any cool skills. 😛 I hope the venerable members of the Straight Dope can give me some suggestions for a topic. I have to come up with something by Friday, May 13th. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/2 "2011-05-10T00:06:59Z")
How to tie a shoe was a big favorite back in the day. Shining shoes would also work. Maybe tying a necktie? Bake a cake? Clean a fish/small game/waterfowl? Set up a tent? Change a tire (fieldtrip to parking lot optional)? ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/3 "2011-05-10T01:03:49Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > How to tie a shoe was a big favorite back in the day. Already pre-emptively off limits, per the teacher. Too simple for a college audience. > [@](#): > > Shining shoes would also work. Maybe tying a necktie? Bake a cake? Clean a fish/small game/waterfowl? Set up a tent? Change a tire (fieldtrip to parking lot optional)? Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/4 "2011-05-10T01:49:17Z")
I teach seventh grade - yes, way too young for your college class - but feeding a baby and changing a baby were done, making non-bake cookies, and polishing silverware. With the dearth of home ec in schools, even sewing a button or ironing a shirt would work. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/5 "2011-05-10T01:52:28Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > I teach seventh grade - yes, way too young for your college class - but feeding a baby and changing a baby were done, making non-bake cookies, and polishing silverware. With the dearth of home ec in schools, even sewing a button or ironing a shirt would work. Non bake desserts could be a good choice for me. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/6 "2011-05-10T01:57:15Z")
Can it be sexual? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/7 "2011-05-10T02:59:59Z")
How to kill Osama bin Laden. There are a lot of fresh animations available. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/8 "2011-05-10T03:00:59Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Can it be sexual? 😃 Or, how to fuck Osama bin Laden. There’s probably a lot of videos for that too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/9 "2011-05-10T03:09:08Z")
My daughter did the change-a-tire in high school. That gets my vote here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/10 "2011-05-10T03:11:02Z")
Well, when I was in speech class (back in 1986), a team did a demonstrative speech as Bob & Doug McKenzie cooking “back bacon”. They brought in a camp stove and had “brews” (IBC Root Beer) while they cooked. While I realize that you (and/or your fellow students) might not get that particular joke, it’s not a bad starting idea. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/11 "2011-05-10T03:39:31Z")
Origami? ---
**Author:** ![Finally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/67e7ee/32.png) [@Finally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finally)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/12 "2011-05-10T15:17:14Z")
Can you demonstrate on a person? I pierced a girl’s ears in high school (but in reality they were already pierced, I just put ice on them and stuck a needle thru). ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/13 "2011-05-10T16:26:20Z")
I was also the “model” for another girl in my class to do a “How to apply Makeup” speech; she chose me because I didn’t use makeup and it was easier. However, it did result in a photo of me with cold cream all over my face making it into the yearbook… ---
**Author:** ![Cryptic\_C62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cryptic\_C62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cryptic_C62)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/14 "2011-05-10T16:55:41Z")
I took a speech class during my senior year of high school, and we also had to do a demonstrative speech. I chose to give a brief lesson about writing programs on the TI-83 calculator. It helped that the math department had nifty devices that could directly connect the calculator to an overhead projector. Some other ideas: - How to correctly use hyphens, dashes, and semicolons. - How to play chess - How to interpret different time signatures in progressive music - How to draw a jellyfish while blindfolded - How to put together a good-looking resume ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/15 "2011-05-10T17:00:31Z")
In college, I did a demonstrative speech on how to perform CPR. As a bonus, it’s always a great thing if you can teach someone how to save a life. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Surb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Surb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Surb)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/16 "2011-05-10T17:23:33Z")
I brought in an electric skillet and made an omelet. Bonus was eating the demo piece for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![DivineComedienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c67d28/32.png) [@DivineComedienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DivineComedienne)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/17 "2011-05-10T17:26:27Z")
My niece did this same thing, she did fancy napkin folding. The instructions for folding are simple to find on the internet, and she gave a napkin to each class member so they could follow along (audience participation is always a big hit). I think she got the cloth napkins at the dollar store, although if the class has more than a few students I suppose you could get them at a thrift shop or maybe use paper napkins. Origami would be along the same lines, teach everyone how to make a swan! ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/18 "2011-05-10T17:32:10Z")
How to Play Chess Demonstrate how each piece moves using a board, pieces, etc. If you go to [chess.com](http://chess.com) they even have blank instructional boards that you can use. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-ideas-for-a-demonstrative-speech/581348/19 "2011-05-10T20:58:16Z")
How to play cribbage. While the rules are simple, I find them very challenging to explain.