The fourth strategy for choosing a public speaking topic is that it has to be personal. 
It is very tempting when doing a presentation to want to cover a lot of ground. Nerves can cause you to lose track of what you really wanted to say and you can end up “chasing the rabbit” and running off onto different and even irrelevant topics in the middle of your speech. That is, unless you have a clear focus for your speech.
Insecurity or lack of confidence in your expertise can also bring the temptation to cover a lot of general information rather than focusing more in depth on one subject. If you lack a specific focus or vision for your business, you may find yourself speaking in broader terms about your industry or product and covering other topics that pertain to your field.
Avoid Mediocrity
As the expression goes, it is easy to be the Jack-Of-All-Trades, but in fact, you need to be the master of something. Having just one area of mastery where you can present yourself as the expert is going to be far more profitable for your image and, therefore your business, than presenting yourself as the jack-of-all-trades but master of nothing. There are many people who are moderately good at a whole range of things. So to stand out from the crowd you need to come across as the expert in one area.
What is that one thing? What niche do you belong to or what niche appeals to you? It is far more beneficial for your personal image and your credibility with other people for you to be an expert in one niche rather than simply mediocre in many areas. The whole world is full of mediocre people and tons of mediocre general information on just about everything you can think of.
Discover Your Expertise
So, to stand out as an expert you need to look and see what areas you specialize in or what unique skills and information you have. In order to do this you need to think hard about who you are and what personal experiences you can draw from. Think back on what you do, what your expertise is, and the background you have come from. Also, consider the education you have gained- not only knowledge but also life experience and self-learning.
Where have you studied? Who have you learned from? What kind of mentorship have you received and in what areas? Over the past ten years, what have you accomplished and achieved? How many people have you helped with similar problems? These are all personal experiences that you can draw from.
Your life holds a wealth of skills learned and experiences gained which can qualify you as an expert in a very specific field. So draw from those experiences and remember to keep it personal.
