This is the "creation" competency. It entails knowing the best topics for you, as well as researching and developing the content of your presentations and performances and the skills needed to develop them. This knowledge area also includes techniques for staying on the cutting-edge of topic selection and development skills.

Topic Selection
Selecting the right topic is critical for all speakers. Careers can begin or end with topic selection.

Topic Expertise
The growing global supply of professional speakers makes it imperative that speakers master their topics.

Topic Tailoring
Each audience is different, and those speakers who choose to tailor their presentation/performance topics to accommodate its uniqueness are the true professionals.

Customizing Topics and Presentation/Performance Content
Acquiring knowledge and developing a topic is one challenge; developing a presentation/performance, with all of its content, is another. Knowledge and mastery of body and voice, choreography and theatrics, helps put the speaker's "act" together. Here, customizing is putting the "show" together.

"Cutting-Edge" of Topic Development
To be competitive in today's environment, professional speakers must stay on the cutting-edge of topic selection and development and presentation/performance design, content, technique and technology. Research cannot be an occasional activity; it must be a continuous practice.