Table of Contents
Introduction
A persuasive speech is meant to educate, inform, incite and motivate an audience to/into doing a thing or taking on a particular task or activity. The primary purpose of a persuasive speech is to nudge an audience into seeing the valid points behind your opinions concerning a particular subject.
Persuasive speech topics are typically thought of as brain-teasing, thought-provoking, insightful and very concise about its position on the matter at hand. On the one hand, you are expected to only make persuasive speeches on topics you are quite conversant and knowledgeable about, so you are able to hold down a strong argument and be always ready for objective counter-arguments.
Things To Consider Before Choosing A Topic
Choosing a persuasive topic is not always a work over as there are ton of factors that usually come into play when trying to come up with a topic. Some of these factors, we will be addressing below.
127 our experts are availableright now
Choosing A Topic Of Interest
One great way to come up with a topic is researching on an area you have the most interest in. This is because the mind is more attuned to what it naturally enjoys doing, and as such, you will find out that the process because very easy and flows smoothly. You will most likely feel a rush of ideas when you are passionate about a particular subject, that coming up with bullet point topics will be in timely order.
When you stick to only topics that fancy your interest, the audience will naturally see and share your enthusiasm too when you are making your presentation which ultimately makes your speech more convincing.
Visualize The Topic
Now you might want to consider picking out topics that lets you spread your tentacles and be as expressive as possible. What this means is, you will need a topic that allows to be very descriptive. This way, you are able to properly communicate your presentation to the audience.
Visual presentations like Power Point slide presentations add a special touch to your public addresses. That is like the proverbial icing on the cake! A visual representation will help explain the topic at hand better as the brain processes pictorial depictions easier, which will consequently pick the audiences interest better.
Have The Audience’s Interest In Mind
This is a strong point to consider before giving a persuasive speech. Every speech you will ever make will certainly be targeted to a class of people. The audience must be interested in the topic in question. The attention of your audience is very important, so come up with a topic you know they will be interested in hearing about. Lay out your questions in a logically manner that will be captivating to the audience.
Touch On Emotional topics
One of the greatest catalyst to making a successful public speech is building up emotions. Being able to sway the emotions of an audience is a great skill, because emotions act as deep motivators, so much that the audience is incited and is more likely to be sentimentally tilted towards your stand point or request.
The Topic Should Be Relatable
Generally, people are often endeared to issues that happen around or affect them and their local environment or community. They connect better to hearing topics that are very relatable and not farfetched. Before coming up with persuasive speeches, try to find topics that center around local issues within a small group and discuss more on them.
Avoid Being Generic
Most time when people get exposed to same subject over and over again, there is the likelihood they might tune off as there is nothing fresh and unique being added to what they already know before. Have this at the back of your mind when drafting persuasive speech topics so you do not come off as too generic or cliché.
Of course they can be few exceptions in this case. Where the topic of discussion is one that has been overflogged, you can add a little twist by coming up with fresh idea from your own personal understanding of the topic. Make sure you are adding something new and unique to what is already established. Otherwise steer clear off such subjects.
Have A Goal In Mind
Finally, you must have a goal in mind. This should entail what you expect of your audience after listening to your speech. You can achieve this by coming up with a call-to-action conclusion. Like when convincing people to adopt eco-friendly habits to curb climate change, you can point them towards adopting new small but conscious day-to-day habits that are beneficial to the environment, like recycling plastic, using energy saving bulbs, taking a walk instead of driving, or opting for a more vegan diet etc
Persuasive Speech Topics And Ideas
Below are a list of topics broadly spaced out across different niches.
Business And Work:
- The importance of niche marketing.
- Advertising can be a tons of mind games.
- Advertising standards should be much higher.
- Owning a Business will toughen you.
- You should not mix business and pleasure.
- Reasons introverts make good leaders.
- Owning a business can make you lose your friends.
- To be a business owner, you must learn to be well organized.
- Is it important that a business should have brand?.
- You should never go into business with family members.
High School Education:
- Should teachers be required to pass a test every decade in order to renew their certifications.
- Should a new set of skills tests be introduced for students just before they graduate high school?
- Do you think high school students should complete community service hours in order to graduate?
- Should cyberbullies be expelled from school?
- Should high school tuition be free to poor kids?
- Should high school students be allowed to use cell phones while at school?
- Should only honors student play sports?
- Art and music programs in public schools are an essential part of education.
- Schools should have the right to search students’ backpacks and lockers to combat drugs in schools.
- Are students allowed to listen to music during hall study?
Environment:
- Stricter laws should be past concerning endangered species
- Should only native plants be grown in gardens?
- Reasons why hydraulic fracturing should be completely banned.
- We should not use disposable diapers.
- Should more people use public transportation.
- Should there be a limit to the use of natural resources?
- Hybrid cars are great for the environment.
- We should use algae to make oil in place of drilling.
- Pollution is negatively affecting humanity.
- We our community should be kept clean.
Government:
- Should there be stricter federal restrictions regarding content on the internet?
- Can employers be allowed to post job opportunities on a government-run website?
- The government should provide shelter for the homeless.
- Zoning laws are rather common sense.
- Should Puerto Rico be made a state?
- The nation’s justice system needs to be overhauled.
- Is the government supposed to have a say in our diets?
- Should the state fund schools run by religions?
- Whose national hero should be printed on the latest bank note?
- The government should increase funding of Amtrak.
- Fixing potholes should be a priority of local government.
- Eminent domain should be used rarely.
- The war on drugs is a failure.
- The military budget must be decreased.
- Should people get drug tested for state aid?
- How policy works in local government.
College Students:
- Students should be acquainted other students.
- Is it smart to get the harder classes first out of the way first.
- Taking summer classes will help students get ahead of schedule.
- Should iPads be used in place of textbooks?.
- Mobile phones should be off during a lecture.
- College students are not allowed to skip classes.
- Students should not study something that they are not passionate about.
- Gap years should be a very great idea.
- Notes are always required to be taken in class.
- Students should be wary of expensive student loans.
Politics:
- Is it legal for politicians to accept campaign contributions from corporate lobbyists?
- Why do we vote?
- Abusive language should be banned in elections.
- Zimbabwe is the next drama in world politics.
- Central Asian states are becoming a threat.
- America is not the world’s policeman.
- Globalization is good for world politics.
- We should know more about Bernie Sanders.
- Term limits need be honored and respected.
- Give Kurdistan back to the Kurds.
Religion:
- Should religion be taught in public schools?
- Students should be allowed to practice their religion in school.
- Why religious cults are dangerous.
- Faith should be protected.
- Why Islam is a peaceful religion.
- Fundamentalism is not true to the Islamic faith.
- Should women be made priests.
- Religious conflicts must be avoided.
Fundraising:
- More funding is needed for public television and radio.
- Should high school football programs receive less funding?
- Should college sports teams receive more funding?
- Can state fund schools be run by religions?
- Should government increase funding of Amtrak.
Technology:
- Will artificial intelligent take away a lot of jobs?
- What age should children be let to own a cell phone?
- Should new buildings be made energy efficient?
- Is Net Neutrality a good or bad thing?
- Should libraries be replaced with more access to e-books?
- How has technology helped to connect people or isolate them?
- Should self-driving cars be made legal?
- Do violent video games encourage negatively affect players in real life?
Media:
- Freedom of the press has gone too far?
- Should some T.V. shows have age restrictions?
- Is the media to be blamed for eating disorders.
- Is the media responsible for the moral degradation of teenagers?
- Should advertising be aimed at children?
- The media does not force us to worship false icons.
- Is it wrong for the media to promote a certain beauty standard?
- Why promoting certain beauty standards on TV negatively affects the people.
- More funding is required for public television and radio.
- Should the Russian have beat Rocky.
- Cable TV monopolies destroy the competition.
- Should violence on television should be regulated?
- The benefits of reading comic books.
- Some TV shows are quite educational.
- Why you should study photography.
- TV should be made more educational.
Health:
- Should high schools provide free condoms to students?
- Should the US switch to single-payer health care?
- Should healthy people be required to regularly donate blood?
- Should assisted suicide be made legal?
- Should minors be able to purchase birth control without their parent’s consent?
- Should hiding or lying about your HIV status with someone you’re sleeping with be illegal?
- Should governments tax soda and other sugary drinks and use the revenue for public health?
Motivational:
- School leaders must shape high-achieving learning curricula for students.
- Set a clear goal and devote all your positive energy toward reaching it.
- How to overcome stage fright.
- Having a moral standard set for kids under 18 years old.
- Be straightforward about what project you hope to undertake, and evaluate what you want to achieve often in between the completed parts of the total planning.
- How to cater for people who are battling depression and have no motivation to live.
- Why it is always difficult to follow up on your dream.
- What keep most of us from following our heart when it comes to what we love?
- Why prudence is a great virtue.
- Moral imagination is the ingredient for intellectual and spiritual development.
