Communications: Persuasive Speech

Here are some tips to help you with your topics.

Points to Consider

• Not everything is a persuasive topic or will have sources supporting different sides. Search your topic and see is the data supports your argument before locking yourself in to a topic.
• Choose something that appeals to you.
• Your topic should be neither too broad nor too narrow.

Places to Go for Topic Ideas

• Talk with friends or family.
• See what's trending on social media.
• Check out Wikipedia articles -- don't use the article in your speech, but the article may help you by identifying people, events and organizations.
• Search Google -- you may find an organization's website that will help you broaden or narrow your topic.
• Watch the news, or read a newspaper or current magazine.

Sources to consider for Topic Ideas:

• 200 Prompts for Argumentative Writing
  • Access the above list in PDF format.
• List of Persuasive Speech Topics
• ProCon.org
• Intelligence Squared Debates
• www.myspeechclass.com 

• Education: More awareness needs to be made about how are girls educated in third world countries. College should be free in the US.
• Race: More training should be provided for teachers to understand a diverse student body. 
• Health: Foods and drinks high in sugar content should be taxed heavily. 
• Technology: The Internet has/or hasn't improved education. Using drones in private areas is an invasion of privacy.  Social media should be more tightly regulated.
• Globalization: The United States should be less into the global market and keep more business at home. The US shouldn't trade with countries that allow child labor.

Verbal Citations

Like written citations in a paper, verbal citations should include:

1. Author (and credentials)
2. Title
3. Date

Use signal words to introduce sources and quotes in your speech. For more information on verbal citations, visit the tab above.

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