Interpersonal communication examines interactions that occur between two individuals or in small groups. It is an area to which readers and audiences immediately relate, because all humans participate in interpersonal communication. Within this area of communication, you can examine how nonverbal cues may contradict a speaker's verbal cues. Many in your audience can probably relate to an individual who tried to reassure that everything was fine, even though there may have been a look of fear or sadness on that person's face. Other topics you can explore are how cultural differences may result in a communication breakdown, or how gender might affect the way in which an individual communicates with others.
Organizational communication examines the formal and informal communication that takes place within the structure of an organization. If you have an interest in business or are taking a course within the business field, this may make an engaging topic. To examine a specific area within the topic of organizational communication, you could focus on concepts such as motivation, communication channels, corporate culture, negotiation or communication styles. You can make your topic come alive by including examples of companies that others should either be wary of or emulate. You can use multimedia to enhance your presentation, but be careful that it doesn't end up stealing the spotlight.
Advertising, journalism, social media and public relations all fall under the umbrella of mass communication. If your audience would be fascinated by an exploration of the effects of mass media on society, a topic in this field would work to your advantage. Social media are on the rise and mobile applications such as Foursquare are attracting followers in the millions. Your topic could examine whether the proliferation of social media has had an impact on television viewers and radio listeners or on advertising on these traditional channels.
Regardless of the area of communication you decide to explore, you're likely to come across some discussion of ethics. Ron Smith, author of "Groping for Ethics in Journalism," notes that while the Society of Professional Journalists has a set of standards for journalists, most news organizations have their own codes of ethics by which they expect journalists to abide. You can explore topics such as the definitions of truth, objectivity and accountability in journalism or other media. Audiences love a good story. Consider telling the tale of an individual who, or organization that, acted either ethically or unethically, and what the end result of this turned out to be. If you must deliver your topic orally, you can solicit audience participation by asking members whether certain behaviors were ethical or not, and why they believe this to be so.