Persuasive speech topics
Every idea below is a thesis worth a debate, with ethos, pathos and logos in reach: statistics to cite, a story to tell and the counterargument your listeners will raise.
- Technology & Artificial Intelligence
- School & Campus Life
- Health & Well-Being
- Environment & Society
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of 60 topics shown
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Technology & Artificial Intelligence
AI in Education
Schools should teach students to use AI tools in the open, with clear honesty rules.
- Starter fact
- Pew Research Center: 26% of US teens 13 to 17 used ChatGPT for schoolwork in 2024, up from 13% in 2023.
- Fits
- 10 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Cheating gets easier.
Digital Literacy
Every middle school should teach students to check a source before they share it.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Parents can teach that.
Algorithm Transparency
Social apps should show users why each post landed in their feed.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- It exposes trade secrets.
Quiet Chats
Group chats should go quiet after 10 p.m. by default.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Night owls lose out.
School Esports
Competitive video gaming should count as a school sport.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Gaming is not exercise.
Robot Drivers
Self-driving cars should pass the same road test as human drivers.
- Fits
- 10 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Software needs other tests.
Easy Deletion
Every app should offer a one-tap way to delete your account and data.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Companies need that data.
Library Laptops
Public libraries should lend laptops and hotspots like books.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Devices get lost.
Deepfake Labels
Videos that fake a real person's face or voice should carry a visible label.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- Labels get cropped out.
Coding Credit
Coding should count toward a high school language requirement.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- Code is not a language.
School & Campus Life
Mental Health Days
Students should get two excused mental health days each semester.
- Starter fact
- CDC: In 2023, 40% of US high school students had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
- Fits
- 10 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- Students will skip tests.
Group Project Grading
Group projects should give each student an individual grade.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Teamwork is the point.
Financial Literacy
A personal finance class should be required to graduate high school.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Schedules are already full.
Dress Code Input
Students should help write the school dress code.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Adults set the rules.
Five Basic Meals
Every student should learn to cook five basic meals before graduating.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Families teach cooking.
Content Over Calm
Class presentations should be graded on content, not on how calm you look.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Delivery is a skill too.
Presentation Finals
One final exam per year should be replaced by a public presentation.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- Shy students suffer.
Middle School Recess
Recess should continue through middle school.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- It cuts class time.
Student Budgets
Student government should control a real share of the school budget.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- Teens lack experience.
Homework Breaks
Homework should be optional over long weekends.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Students fall behind.
Health & Well-Being
Caffeine & Energy Drinks
Stores should not sell energy drinks to anyone under 18.
- Starter fact
- FDA: Energy drinks generally carry 54 to 328 mg of caffeine per 16 fluid ounces, and medical experts advise against them for children and teens.
- Fits
- 10 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Coffee has no age limit.
Junk Food Marketing
Junk food ads should be banned from shows and apps made for kids.
- Fits
- 10 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Parents decide, not ads.
First Aid Training
Every high school student should learn CPR and basic first aid before graduating.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- Training costs money.
Soda Labels
Sugary drinks should carry warning labels.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- People ignore labels.
Gym Choice
Gym class should let students choose their activity.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Everyone picks the easiest.
Outdoor Prescriptions
Doctors should be able to prescribe time outdoors.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Parks are not everywhere.
Screen Counters
Social apps should show a daily time-used counter by default.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Phones already track it.
Park Sunscreen
Free sunscreen should be available in every public park.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Refills cost money.
Label Reading
Every teen should learn to read a nutrition label.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- That is common sense.
Paid Checkups
Workers should get paid time off for medical appointments.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- Small firms cannot pay.
Environment & Society
Fast Fashion Taxes
Clothing brands should pay a fee for the garments that end up in landfills.
- Starter fact
- EPA: The US generated 17 million tons of textiles in 2018; 11.3 million tons went to landfills and the recycling rate was 14.7%.
- Fits
- 10 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- Clothes will cost more.
Public Transit Access
Buses and trains should be free for students and young workers.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Taxpayers foot the bill.
Overconsumption by Influencers
Shopping haul videos should carry the same ad label as any paid post.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Not every haul is paid.
Native Plants
Every park should trade one lawn for native plants.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Lawns are for playing.
Unsold Food
Grocery stores should have to donate unsold food that is still safe to eat.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Stores fear lawsuits.
Bike Parking
Every new building should include bike parking.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- It raises building costs.
Cutlery on Request
Plastic cutlery should be opt-in for takeout orders.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- People forget to ask.
Voting at Sixteen
The voting age for local elections should drop to 16.
- Fits
- 10 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- Teens copy their parents.
Right to Repair
Phone owners should be free to repair their own devices.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Home repairs are unsafe.
Parking Trees
Cities should plant a tree for every new parking space.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Trees need upkeep.
Work & Money
Salary Ranges
Job ads should list the salary range.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Employers lose leverage.
Paid Internships
Unpaid internships should be banned.
- Fits
- 10 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- Fewer internships would exist.
Wages Over Tips
Tipping should be replaced by fair wages.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Menu prices will rise.
Teen Banking
Teens should be able to open a bank account on their own at 16.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Scammers target teens.
Four Day Week
State governments should test a four-day work week.
- Fits
- 10 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Services would slow.
Personal Days
Every worker should get one paid personal day each quarter.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Costs add up.
Shorter Meetings
Meetings should default to 25 minutes.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- Big topics need time.
Remote Work
Remote work should be a right for jobs that can be done from home.
- Fits
- 10 minutes, A panel or judges
- They will say
- Teams lose touch.
Training Budgets
Companies should publish how much they spend on training per employee.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, General public
- They will say
- That is private business.
Plain Contracts
Every first job should come with a written contract in plain words.
- Fits
- 5 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Small shops lack lawyers.
Fun & Light
Breakfast for Dinner
Breakfast for dinner should be a weekly tradition.
- Fits
- 2 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Pancakes are not dinner.
Cats First
Cats make better first pets than dogs.
- Fits
- 2 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Dogs teach responsibility.
Juggling
Everyone should learn to juggle three balls.
- Fits
- 2 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Nobody needs it.
Board Games
Board games beat video games for a family night.
- Fits
- 2 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Video games are social too.
Window Seat
The window seat is the best seat on any plane.
- Fits
- 2 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- The aisle is roomier.
Public Pianos
Every town needs a public piano.
- Fits
- 2 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Neighbors will complain.
Socks and Sandals
Socks with sandals deserve a comeback.
- Fits
- 2 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- It looks odd.
Best Season
Fall is the best season of the year.
- Fits
- 2 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Summer has vacation.
Handwritten Letters
Handwritten letters should make a comeback.
- Fits
- 2 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Texts are faster.
Nap Rooms
Every office should have a nap room.
- Fits
- 2 minutes, Classmates
- They will say
- Naps look lazy.
Tips for Choosing and Delivering Your Speech
Avoid Clichés
A persuasive speech topic is a claim people can reasonably disagree with, narrow enough to argue in your time limit. Per AmberWillo's topic guide, a strong one sparks debate and matches your passion and knowledge to what listeners care about, so opinions shift or people act. Skip the ones every class has heard, like phone bans.
Structure with a Goal
Monroe's Motivated Sequence, built by Alan H. Monroe in the early 1930s, has five steps (AmberWillo's persuasive speaking page covers it):
- Attention: hook them.
- Need: show the problem.
- Satisfaction: give your fix, your main argument, early.
- Visualization: picture life after the fix.
- Action: end on a firm call to action.
Back It Up
A 2015 meta-analysis in Health Communication found:
| Evidence type | Stronger effect on |
|---|---|
| Statistics | Beliefs and attitudes |
| A story | Intention to act |
- Ethos
- Why you deserve trust.
- Pathos
- The feeling behind it.
- Logos
- The facts and reasoning.
How long should a persuasive speech be?
AmberWillo's speech writing guide says to confirm the exact time limit first and write slightly under it; contest speeches often run 3 to 5 minutes.
| Time limit | How many reasons | Evidence per reason |
|---|---|---|
| 2 minutes | One | One fact or one story |
| 5 minutes | Two or three | One each |
| 10 minutes | Three, plus a rebuttal | One or two each |
Practise it out loud
Picked a topic? Hear yourself argue it
A topic is half the job; the other half is saying it like you mean it. Thirty seconds in the app reveal how your look and voice land before you face the class. Confidently then rates delivery from zero to ten.
Take the free 30-second testFree on iPhone and Android
Then test it on people
To try your argument on real listeners first, sign up for a small online practice group, deliver your opening and hear how it landed. AmberWillo runs those video rooms, capped at fifteen, free to join.
Or rehearse your opening claim tonight.
Reader questions
What should my topic be for a persuasive speech?
Pick something you care about, that listeners can act on and someone could dispute. Then filter by your time limit.
How long should a speech be?
The time you are given, minus a little. Plan one to three reasons as in the table above.
What are 10 good topics for a speech?
Take the first card of each theme, then add Content Over Calm, Right to Repair, Salary Ranges and Public Pianos.
Can you provide some examples of persuasive speeches?
Two classics: the Gettysburg Address argues the living must finish the work of the fallen, and Kennedy's inaugural address asks what Americans can do for their country.
What is the easiest speech topic?
Any Fun & Light card: low stakes, opinions you already hold. Say it once with the free phone test.
What are 100 good topics for a persuasive essay?
All 60 claims work as essays. An essay can hold more statistics; a speech needs one story.
Sources
- Statistical vs narrative evidence, Health Communication, 2015.
- Teens and ChatGPT, Pew Research Center.
- 2023 YRBS results, CDC.
- Textiles data, EPA.
- Caffeine limits, FDA.
- The Gettysburg Address, National Park Service.
- Kennedy's inaugural address, National Archives.
- Persuasive speech topics, AmberWillo.
- Persuasive speaking, AmberWillo.
- How to write a speech, AmberWillo.
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