Persuasive Speech Tips and Topics
How to write a persuasive speech
© Naomi Rockler-Gladen
Feb 1, 2007
1.
Find an appropriate and interesting persuasive speech topic. For many students, this is one of the most difficult parts of writing
a persuasive speech.
2. Know your audience well. To be persuasive, you absolutely must identify with your audience and make your audience
identify with you. This is so important, and yet many speakers don't try. Who are the members of your audience? What is
important to them? Are they conservative? Liberal? Religious? Serious? Young? In order to write and deliver a speech that
effectively persuades an audience, you need to understand who the audience is and what kinds of appeals might persuade
them.
3. Use "local" examples. To help identify with the audience, use local examples that they can relate to. For example, if you're
giving a speech about how big chain coffee shops cause small ones to go out of business, mention a popular coffee shop
near campus that went out of business because they couldn't compete with the chains.
4. Use excellent evidence. Do your research, and pack your speech with lots of statistics, facts, quotes from credible people,
and emotional examples. Remember, don't rely too strongly on examples as evidence. You can find an isolated example of
just about anything.
5. Represent the other side accurately. When discussing the other side's point of view, make sure you are accurate. You need
to accurately represent their motives and their point of view. If you are giving a pro-choice speech, do not imply that pro-life
audience members do not care about the well-being of teen mothers. If you are giving a pro-life speech, do not imply that
pro-choice audience members do not like children. People who disagree with you will feel alienated and stop listening.
6. Represent the other side sympathetically. This can be difficult to do, but it's so important! State clearly that although you
disagree with the other side, you understand that people who disagree with you have good reasons for doing so. Never say
or imply that people who disagree with you are immoral or unkind. If you insult someone, they certainly will not be
persuaded.
7. Find common ground with the other side. The audience will identify with you if they understand that although you have
different opinions, you have similar goals and values. They also might agree with you if you persuade them your point of
view does not conflict with their values. For example, if you are giving a speech in favor of school dress codes, tell the
audience that you share their concern about students and personal freedom. Then explain to them why you feel dress codes
will actualy increase student fredoms.
8. Use good disclaimers. "Disclaimers" are statements that present an argument against your position and explain why this
argument is not correct. A good disclaimer goes like this: "I understand that many people support embryonic stem cell
research because it can lead to medical breakthroughs. While this is true, let me explain to you how adult stem cells are also
very promising." Remember, represent opposing views with accuracy and respect.
9. Ask the audience to take action-- and make it easy for them to do so. Hand out a petition for students to sign, or a selfaddressed stamped envelopes to mail to someone. Make your action step as easy as possible, because most people are
very busy and/or very lazy. If you ask them to do something like "call your Congressman," they won't.
10. Show the audience that you care very much about this topic. If the audience doesn't believe you care, why should they?
The Topic List
Instructions: You are not limited to this list, but if you diverge from it, you HAVE to approve your topic
beforehand with me. If you fail to do this, the most you can earn on your speech is a 70%. You will need to
use three documented, reliable sources. You will not need to use parenthetical citation in your speech;
however, you will need a Works Cited Page with these three sources. You must use your finding reliable
sources handout that went with your Crucible Portfolio.
POPULAR CULTURE TOPICS

Reality television as a positive or negative cultural phenomenon

Plastic surgery programs

Makeover programs

Hip-hop music lyrics

Images of women in Disney Films

Images of women in the media

Images of minorities in the media

Images of homosexuals in the media

Illegal music downloading

Violent video games

Violent movies

Television, movie, music, or video game ratings

Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction"

Explicit sexual imagery in the media

MySpace and Facebook as a cultural phenomenon

Internet cyberstalkers

Internet pornography

Internet filters

Internet privacy issues

The effect of cell phones on society

The effect of iPods on society

The amount of television and other media used by children

Advertising in the public schools

Advertising that targets children

Alcohol or cigarette advertising

Requirements for children's educational programming

Public radio/public television

Celebrity gossip and the paparazzi
SPORTS TOPICS

Salary caps for professional athletes

Sports and steroid use

Funding issues for women's sports

Publicity for women's sports

Professional athletic strikes

Drafting of athletes out of high school

The rising price of tickets to professional games

Public funding of professional stadiums

Public funding of community sports programs

Academic expectations of college athletes

College sports recruitment practices

The benefit of team sports to children

Alcohol sales at sporting events

Athletes as role models

Beer commercials

Sports gambling

Violence and sports (hockey, boxing, etc.)

The commercialization of sports

Youth athletic participation in sports like gymnastics and figure skating
Here are some more:
asked Matt Dunn, an outstanding and experienced public speaking and debate teacher at Colorado State University, for his input. He's
been compiling a list of creative, interesting persuasive speaking topics for a long time. Some of these ideas came from debate
organizations, such as the International Debate Education Association (IDEA). Other ideas on this list came from his classes.
Here's Matt Dunn's list of persuasive speaking topics. The questions are in debate form, so consider using either side of these
arguments as your topic:

Do schools have the right to search students’ lockers?

Should children be given sex education in schools, or should this be the responsibility of the parents?

Should the state fund schools run by particular faiths?

Should schools require their students to wear a school uniform?

Are beauty contests harmful?

Should Physical Education in schools be compulsory?

Should parents be held morally and legally responsible for the actions/needs of their children?

Should young people be subjected to curfews as a way to reduce crime?

Should doctors be allowed to prescribe contraception for girls under the age of 16?

Is physical force a justifiable method of punishing children?

Should governments be sending people into space?

Should governments negotiate with terrorists?

Can terrorism ever be justified?

Should negative advertising in political campaigns be banned?

Should governments censor material on the world wide web?

Should the government censor lyrics of songs that are violent or expletive, for example “gangsta” rap?

Does television have a negative influence on society?

Should flag burning as a form of protest be prohibited?

Should the state be fully privatized?

Should ‘factory farming’ be banned?

Is it morally acceptable to experiment on non-human animals to develop products and medicines that benefit human beings?

Should we be trying to prevent species becoming extinct? If so, why?

Should the present international ban on trading elephant ivory be lifted?

Should the international ban on the hunting of whales be lifted?

Should we ban the keeping of animals in zoos?

Should we ban the keeping of animals in circuses?

Should acts of hate be criminalized?

What acts should be considered hate crimes?

Is it correct for university authorities to ban hate speech?

Should schools be allowed to teach creationism alongside evolution as part of their science curriculum?

Should examinations be replaced with other forms of assessment?

Should school students face mandatory drug-tests?

Should continued office for public officials be dependent on (successfully) taking a drug test?

Should HIV positive workers have to tell their employers of their status?

Should sex offenders be named and shamed?

Can the assassination of a dictator be justified?

Should assisted suicide be legalized?

Should we legalize the sale of human organs?

Should the numbers of women in the legislature be raised artificially?

Should mothers stay at home to raise their children?

Should prostitution be legalized?

Should cell phone use in cars be banned?

Should gambling be legalized and regulated?

Should the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport be legalized?
The No-No Speeches…these are trite, over-done, and because of that BORING. You may not do the following:
Here is a list of tired persuasive speaking topics that you want to avoid:
1.
The death penalty. In my experience, this is by far the number one tired topic chosen by students. I have no idea why, as
I doubt many students have personal experience with the death penalty.
2.
Why marijuana should be legal/Why the drinking age should be 18. See #3.
3.
Abortion. This topic isn't as tired as you think, but everyone has heard these arguments before.
4.
Why you should wear your seat belt. Or why you should wear your helmet. This is not new information.
5.
Why you shouldn't smoke. Also not new information. Why you shouldn't binge drink is kind of a tired topic too, but it's
more timely.
6.
Birth Control.. An important message? Yes. A new message? No. Why you should give blood. Another useful topic
that unfortunately has been overused.
7.
8.
Why you should recycle. See #9.
Violence in the media. This topic is both tired and difficult. There's so much information out there about violence in the
media, and lots of it is conflicting. Sex in the media also is a tired topic.
9.
Why you should adopt a pet. This speech always goes the same: cute pictures of kitties and doggies, followed by
horrible stats about how many animals are put down. The get your pet spayed or neutered speech is not as tired, but
avoid any cheesy references to Bob Barker.
10.
Affirmative Action. There's nothing wrong with a controversial topic, but this one has been overused big time.