Learn how to give an impressive persuasive speech and explore our comprehensive list of persuasive speech ideas 

Introduction

What makes a good persuasive speech topic?

How to create and deliver a compelling persuasive speech

110 interesting persuasive speech topics

Introduction 

Are you having a hard time coming up with the right persuasive speech topic? One that isn’t boring or cliche? Are you looking for a persuasive speech topic that will both interest you and captivate your audience? It’s easier said than done, right?

Creating and delivering an interesting persuasive speech is a major endeavor. The last thing you want is to get stuck on the first step—selecting a persuasive speech topic. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. To help you identify the perfect persuasive speech topic for you, we’ve compiled a list of 110 compelling persuasive speech ideas. Every single one of these ideas has the potential to be an outstanding persuasive speech. 

In addition, we’ll peel back the curtain to teach you what makes a good persuasive speech topic and give you expert tips on delivering a successful persuasive speech that will convince and astound your audience.

What makes a good persuasive speech topic?

There are three questions you can use to determine which persuasive speech topics will lead to enthusiastic applause and standing ovations. 

Does the persuasive speech topic interest you?

A major part of writing a persuasive speech is doing ample research on the subject you choose. So one of the first things you should ask yourself when considering a potential persuasive speech topic is, “Would I enjoy learning about this subject extensively?” If you can’t answer that question with an emphatic, “Yes!” you might want to continue your topic search. You don’t want to spend hours diving into a subject you don’t enjoy.

Plus, an audience can easily pick up on boredom or lack of interest in a persuasive speech, and you clearly don’t want that. On the other hand, if you’re explaining a subject you’re passionate about, your audience will get caught up in your excitement—resulting in a much more compelling and persuasive speech.

Here’s another word of advice. Some people will tell you to pick a persuasive speech topic you’re already an expert in, and that’s certainly one way to go about it. While we won’t tell you being an expert in the subject should be your top deciding factor, this approach has its advantages—you’re already familiar with the lingo and the basics of the subject are. This helps you significantly speed up your research process. But if you have the time and willingness to tackle an entirely unfamiliar subject that utterly fascinates you, we say go for it!

Will the persuasive speech topic interest your audience?

So you’ve found a few persuasive speech topics that interest you. But what about your audience? Do they share your interest? Even if you argue your points with enthusiasm, will they be bored by your subject? 

To answer these questions, you have to understand your audience well. Study them to learn what grabs their attention. What do they care about? What topics are relatable to their lives or their communities? What subjects will they be more likely to get emotionally invested in?

When you find persuasive speech topics that equally interest you and your audience, you’re setting yourself up for success.

Has the persuasive speech topic been covered too many times?

This is the last question you should ask yourself before committing to your persuasive speech topic. Has this topic been overdone? Even if your audience is invested in the subject, they’ll be quickly bored if they’ve listened to ten similar speeches prior to hearing yours. You won’t be persuasive if your listeners can predict each of your arguments before you give them. 

Instead, search for persuasive speech topics that are unique and fresh—something your audience hasn’t heard a hundred times before. The one exception to this is if you can approach an overworked topic with a completely fresh and unusual perspective. For example, maybe you can approach the gun control debate as someone whose friend died from an accidental shooting, but your family still owns guns and enjoys hunting as a pastime. 

How to create and deliver a compelling persuasive speech

Once you’ve chosen your persuasive speech topic (our list of 110 riveting persuasive speech ideas is coming next!) and completed your research on the subject, you’ll begin the writing process. Use this step-by-step approach to produce an outstanding speech that easily persuades your audience to adopt your viewpoint.

1. Determine your thesis. What opinion or belief are you convincing your audience to embrace? Are you asking them to take a specific action after listening to your speech? Just as you do when writing a college essay, make sure your thesis or call-to-action is crystal clear before you start writing.

2. Organize your main arguments. Create an outline of the evidence or points you’ve collected to support your thesis. Make sure your ideas flow logically into each other and build your case.

3. Support your arguments with facts and examples. You’ll want to use multiple sources for your evidence, with a preference for well-known or reputable sources. (Please don’t cite Wikipedia!) You can also get personal by using anecdotes from your own life or the lives of someone close to you. This will increase your persuasive speech’s impact.

4. Add emotional connections with your audience. Make your argument more powerful by appealing to your audience’s sense of nostalgia and common beliefs. Another tactic (which marketers use all the time) is to appeal to your listeners’ fears and rely on their instincts for self-preservation.

5. Address counterarguments. Rather than waiting for your audience to think up objections to the points you make, do it yourself. Then dispute those objections with additional facts, examples, and anecdotes. 

6. Wrap up your persuasive speech with a strong conclusion. In your closing, restate your thesis, tug on your audience’s heartstrings one last time with an emotional connection, and deliver your decisive call to action.

Now that you have a strongly written persuasive speech, your final task is this: practice, practice, and practice some more! We guarantee your delivery won’t be perfect on your first attempt. But on your tenth or fifteenth, it just might be.

Record yourself delivering your persuasive speech so you can play it back and analyze your areas needing improvement. Are your pauses too long or not long enough? Did you sufficiently emphasize your emotional points? Are your anecdotes coming out naturally? How is your body language? What about your hand movements and eye contact?

When you’re feeling more comfortable, deliver your speech to a friend or family member and ask for feedback. This will put your public speaking skills to the test. Ensure they understood your main points, connected emotionally, and had all their objections answered. Once you’ve fine tuned your persuasive speech based on your warm-up audience’s feedback, you’ll be ready for the real thing.

110 interesting persuasive speech topics

Now for the fun part! We’ve compiled a list of 110 persuasive speech topics—broken down by category—for you to choose from or use as inspiration. Use the set of three questions we shared above to determine which of these interesting persuasive speech topics is right for you.

Art, Media, and Culture

1. Should tattoos still be considered “unprofessional”?

2. Do romantic movies and books glorify an unrealistic idea of love and lead to heartbreak?

3. Should offensive and inappropriate language be removed from classic literature?

4. Does watching TV shows or movies about teenage suicide encourage it or prevent it?

5. Is creating films and documentaries about criminals glorifying them and inspiring some to become criminals themselves?

6. Should art and music therapy be prioritized over traditional talk therapy?

College and Career

1. Should the cost of college be reduced?

2. Are income-share agreements better for students than taking out student loans?

3. Should college athletes be paid like professional athletes are?

4. Are same-sex colleges beneficial or antiquated?

5. Should everyone go to college?

6. What are the benefits of taking a gap year before starting college?

7. Would removing tenure and job-protection from professors improve or reduce the quality of higher education?

8. Has the traditional college model become outdated in the age of the Internet?

9. Should you pursue a career based on your passions or a career based on earning potential?

Economy and Work

1. Should the federal minimum wage be increased?

2. Is the boom of e-commerce harmful or beneficial to small communities?

3. Should everyone receive paid maternity and paternity leave?

4. Is capitalism a harmful or beneficial economic system?

5. Should manufacturing and outsourced work be moved back to the United States?

6. Would three-day weekends increase work productivity?

7. Should working from home be the new standard?

8. Why should we pay more to support small businesses and services instead of going to large companies and retailers? 

9. Should the US establish mandatory military service for all its young people, such as the countries of Israel and South Korea do? 

10. Should there be a mandatory retirement age?

Education

1. Should classes about mental health and wellness be added to school curriculum?

2. At what age or grade should sex education be taught in schools?

3. How can sex education be taught more effectively?

4. Should school funding be dependent on taxes of district residents or should all schools receive an equal amount of funding from the state?

5. What are the benefits of year-round schools?

6. Are charter schools hurting or helping low-income communities?

7. Is homeschooling beneficial or harmful to children?

8. Should students on the Autism spectrum be integrated into regular classrooms?

9. What should be the qualifications for books to be banned from schools?

10. Should advanced math classes in high school be replaced with more practical courses on financial literacy and understanding taxes?

11. Are grades an accurate representation of learning?

12. Should we switch to the metric system?

13. What is the most important book every high school student in America should read?

14. What are the benefits of teaching art and music classes in high school?

15. Should independent learning be offered as a larger option in high school?

16. What are the benefits of making preschool free to all families?

Environment and Conservation

1. Should fuel-run vehicles be banned?

2. How does it benefit nature to reduce human paper consumption?

3. Should it be okay to own exotic animals as pets?

4. Should hunting be made illegal?

5. What is the biggest current threat to the environment and how would you suggest we remedy it?

6. Should disposable diapers be banned?

7. Should zoos and animal theme parks (such as Sea World) be closed?

Family and Religion

1. Should children have the right to virtual and physical privacy from their parents?

2. “It takes a village to raise a child.” How important is a community in raising children?

3. Is it better for a young child to attend daycare or stay home with a parent?

4. Should children be told to believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy?

5. Nature vs. nurture—which is the most powerful influence on a person’s character?

6. Should parents have to give approval in order for their minor children to receive birth control?

7. How does learning about family ancestors impact you in the present and future?

8. Should parents teach their kids about sex or is it the responsibility of the school system?

9. What is the most beneficial parenting style and why?

10. Should cults receive protection under freedom of religion?

11. What are the benefits of belonging to a religious community?

12. Should parents force their children to go to church or let them decide for themselves?

Government and International Relations

1. Should states have the ability to secede from the U.S.?

2. Should Puerto Rico be added as a state to the U.S.?

3. How long should judges serve on the Supreme Court?

4. Should the U.S. have open borders?

5. Should the U.S. get involved when leaders of other countries commit human rights violations against their own people?

6. Is the U.S. overly dependent on manufactured goods and imports from other countries?

7. Should the government focus on increasing revenue or reducing spending?

Health and Medicine

1. Should universal health care be freely given to everyone? 

2. Should soda and candy be banned from school campuses?

3. Should tobacco products be completely banned in America?

4. Is a plant-based diet better than a meat-based diet?

5. Should addiction counseling and treatment be covered by health insurance?

6. Would taxing fast food help combat obesity?

7. Should we ban all genetically modified foods?

8. What would be the benefits of making all birth control methods (e.g. condoms, the pill) free of charge?

9. Should homeopathic and alternative medical treatments be covered by health insurance?

Politics and Society

1. Should voting become mandatory?

2. What could politicians do to appeal to younger generations of voters?

3. Should prisoners have the right to vote?

4. Would it be better in the U.S. if elected politicians were younger?

5. Should the police use rubber bullets instead of real bullets?

6. Are private, for-profit prisons a threat to prisoners’ rights?

7. Should U.S. military funding be increased or decreased? 

8. Should there be stricter or looser restrictions to qualify for welfare assistance?

9. Is our current two-party political system good enough or in need of replacing?

10. Should major corporations be eligible for tax breaks?

11. How can the current policy on undocumented immigrants in America be improved?

12. Should it be illegal for politicians to receive donations from large corporations?

Science and Technology

1. Should animal testing be banned?

2. Should organ donation be optional or mandated for all?

3. Is artificial intelligence a threat?

4. Should parents be allowed to scientifically alter their children’s genes?

5. What is the best option for renewable energy?

6. Should military forces be allowed to use drones in warfare?

7. Should self-driving cars be illegal?

8. Do the benefits of the internet outweigh the loss of privacy?

9. Should it be illegal for companies to sell their consumers’ information?

10. Should the government more strictly regulate the Internet?

11. How much screen time is too much?

12. Should everyone receive free internet?

13. Should we build a colony on the moon?

Social Media

1. At what age should children be allowed to be on social media?

2. Should schools be responsible for teaching safe social media education?

3. When should children be allowed to have a cell phone?

4. What should the punishment be for cyberbullying? 

5. Do online friendships have the same benefits as in-person friendships?

6. Are social media influencers beneficial or harmful to society?

7. Has the popularity of “selfies” increased self-confidence or self-centeredness?

8. Is cancel culture a positive or a negative thing?

9. What are the most reliable, unbiased sources to receive news and information?