Speech Topics

So, You’re an 8^th-Grader and Need a Great Speech Topic, Huh?

If you are an 8^th –grader who has been asked to write a speech, you’ve come to the right place for some great speech topics for your grade!

Writing an 8^th-grade level speech is not difficult at all once you understand what makes an interesting and memorable speech.

What you need to look for as a speech topic is what interests you and your friends the most; what do you talk about?

A Great 8^th-Grade Speech Needs to be Interesting to Other Kids and 8^th Grade Activities

A good speech does not have to be world-stopping news or awe-inspiring.

The “news” of 8^th-graders is what all the kids talk about—all the time. Listen to your friends and what subjects are most discussed like:

1. What types of things such as shopping for brand-name products like clothes  set kids apart from each other?

2. What kinds of computer games are most popular and why? Do you think playing computer games is the best kind of free-time activity? Why or why not?

3. What type(s) of music do you listen to? How did that type of music evolve? In other words, gear your speech on the history of the most popular music.
What is your favorite movie? Why? What story does the movie tell and how does it relate to you or the world around you?

4. Do you play an instrument? Who invented that instrument and how is it made? What is its “story?”

5. What is your favorite device? What is the history of the Ipod or cell phone? Why is it so important?

Interesting 8^th Grade Speech Topics that Talk about the World in and around Us

A great speech topic can talk about concerns you have in your ‘own world’ as well as concerns about world, state, and community issues.

1. What bothers you most about being an 8^th-grader? Do your parents understand that you are not a “kid” anymore? Or do you feel that kids your age are being forced to grow up too fast and “be adult?”

2. Do you think it’s more important than ever to grow your own food? Why? What’s the difference between store-bought and home-grown vegetables and fruit? Do you think that everyone should use a part of their yard to grow food instead of shrubs and grass?

3. Do you think that sexual abstinence should be encouraged? Are teenage pregnancies on the rise and how are such young parents coping with their newborns, work, and school?

4. Why do you think recycling is important? Do you recycle and, if so, how do you and your family do it? Could you think of ways to recycle more “stuff” at home? For example, you could write about making your own compost from discarded remains from fruits and vegetables to use to fertilize your yard.

5. Why are some animal species endangered? What are they and what happened to their environment? Are polar bears in trouble?

8^th Grade Speeches and Speech Topic Ideas on the Internet

A terrific speech can be written on just about anything you and your friends find interesting.

Is there something in your local newspaper or television that everyone is talking about?

One of the best and fastest ways to find a good speech topic is through the internet and news in your neighborhood and around the world.

Here are some great online resources:

1. CNN at http://www.cnn.com/ has breaking news on a variety of topics that could be used to write a speech. CNN features current affairs such as financial crisis, weather changes and problems, gun control, political and other interesting speech-worthy topics.

2. MSNBC at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ also has technical, science, and as well as late-breaking news from around the world.

3. FoxNews at http://www.foxnews.com/ has news from around the world, also broken down into sections so that you can easily find a speech topic of great interest.

Putting Your 8^th Grade Speech Together

Remember that speech writing is a lot like writing a letter: you want everything in order to explain things from beginning to end.

Also remember that it’s okay to take a stand and be controversial. Many speeches that are honest and drive home a point may not please everyone, but the speech may be talked about for quite awhile—and therefore will be remembered.

• An easy-to-follow speech-writing template is located at http://www.ismckenzie.com/outline-template-for-writing-a-speech/.

Using Experiments to Write a Speech (any age): Experiments with Easy-to-Make Objects are Fun!

The best speech topics often focus on a “show and tell” aspect that keeps the attention of the audience.

I still remember being completely enthralled when building a solar-powered radio with my dad. The radio was comprised of a wooden cigar box, mica, and a few other components and, lo and behold, it worked using the light on my bedside stand! I would fall asleep listening to all kinds of things and couldn’t WAIT to show and explain my “solar radio” to my friends and classmates.

Not only do some projects wind around to great speeches but the excitement of the presenter/speaker creates an enthusiastic air in a roomful of people. Such speeches are delightful and have the added bonus of creating a memory shared by a parent and child.

Yes, Speeches are ‘Show and Tell’

“Show and Tell” was the mainstay for many of us during our elementary school years. We brought something to talk about and wrote about what we had to say about it.

Today, the best speeches use likely takeoff’s such as the use of a specimen, a PowerPoint show to show statistics or a whole host of other visual effects to make the point of their speeches—especially those that are geared toward being persuasive. It’s a “Show Me” world and, especially with persuasive speeches, one cannot discount the use of visual aids to make their point.

I don’t know what happened during the course of the years but many children became ‘speechless’ when told they had to give a speech. Speeches for children should remain “Show and Tell” and rightly so: to remove the connotation of talking about something out of thin air without a prop.

After all, ‘speeches’ are nothing the same thing as ‘presentations’ and both use “Show and Tell” to be effective.

The Best Speeches Come from a Child’s Heart

Don’t write the speech for your child but do take an active part in listening, helping to refine it, and help your child practice without fear of ‘being dumb’. The greatest gift you can give your child is to allow them to openly express themselves and correct when and if the language is off-kilter or could be embarrassing to the audience.

A child, through innocence, is exposed to so much ‘darkness’ through the news and other inputs. Can you help your child realize a positive outcome or solution to a situation affecting your community?

Does the adoption of kittens and puppies appeal to your child? Even if you cannot own one, children can identify the need for other living things being taken care of: with heart, warmth, and food. Can your child help to raise awareness of animal cruelty?

What is the Scope of Your Child’s Ambition?

“Scope” is a word used to describe not only a goal, but the observation of the outcome—and playing a role in it.

If your son or daughter likes excavation, collection of rocks and history, then explore that. What are your native plants and how has your area developed in the last one hundred years? Great speeches perk up the mind and make people think about the present and future. After all, the future comes from us that we pass down.

The Best Speeches by Children are Often Quite Funny

More than a few young girls have waltzed into their schoolroom with a pillow under their dresses.

And those same girls proceeded to talk about how they were getting a new brother or sister. While that could be of concern to many parents, the children have told their stories in such a cute and funny way, that adults were chuckling and applauding them.

Many “just is life” topics can be used for great speeches by little ones. Many of these stories have been featured in Time Life and Reader’s Digest: “Out of the Mouth of Babes.”

Help your child to decide on a speech and have him or her give you a demonstration. Be cautious when criticizing, however: Let your child show a part of the world from his/her own eyes’.

It’s not YOUR speech. Your child’s best speech will come from their soul.

The best speeches from elementary and middle school children come from the heart that is focused on what interests them as well as their concerns. You can take a monumental speech such as saving the forest and turning it into “Let’s Save Paper So the Trees aren’t Cut Down.”

Do You Need an 8^th Grade Graduation Speech?

Are you an 8^th-grader who needs a graduation speech? Have you perhaps been chose as valedictorian for your graduating class and need to write a speech that applies well to all students?

Things to keep in mind when writing an 8^th-grade graduation speech is to keep your focus on a bright future, looking forward to being a successful individual, and providing inspiration to keep following your dreams.

Your speech can also be inspirational to adults as well; a reminder that sometimes even grownups forget some valid lessons and words of wisdom.

Centering Your 8^th-Grade Graduation Speech around a Famous Quote

One of the easiest ways to write a great graduation speech is on a topic that centers on a famous quote that you especially like.

Writing a speech, especially a graduation speech for any grade level, around a quote will be your cue as to how to formulate your speech in the first place. Writing a great speech centered on a famous quote will also give you the additional ideas to round out your speech.

Let’s take a look at some examples of famous quotes and how a speech can be written using GQ at http://www.great-quotes.com/ to find a quote to use:

• “I have heard it said that the first ingredient of success – the earliest spark in the dreaming youth – is this; dream a great dream.” John A. Appleman
  • You might first write about how important dreams are and how important it is to stick to achieving them.
  • You might then write about someone you admire who achieved his or her dream.
  • Next, consider how dreams become reality: perseverance, focus, and determination are some attributes that turn dreams into reality.
• “Men never plan to be failures; they simply fail to plan to be successful.” William A. Ward
  • How have you planned to be successful? Are you continuing on with your education?
  • What elements are in a plan to be successful? Should you create a schedule where more of your free time is devoted to your plan?
  • Why is a plan so important to successfully achieve a dream?

Centering Your 8^th-Grade Graduation Speech around an Inspirational Story

A great speech topic can talk about someone you know or an event that has personally touched you and a new way to look at the world around us.

To find an inspirational story about a person or event:

• You can go online to take a look at the news such as at
  • CNN at http://www.cnn.com/ has breaking news on a variety of topics that could be used to write a speech. CNN features current affairs such as financial crisis, weather changes and problems, gun control, political and other interesting speech-worthy topics.
  • MSNBC at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ also has technical, science, and as well as late-breaking news from around the world.
  • FoxNews at http://www.foxnews.com/ has news from around the world, also broken down into sections so that you can easily find a speech topic of great interest.
• Ask your family about someone in your personal history who was successful. What made him or her successful in his or her field?
• Write a speech about a person you admire in sports or other field. What made that person a success? Did this person have difficulties to overcome? What have their experiences taught YOU?

8^th Grade Graduation Speech Ideas on the Internet

You can find excellent graduation speeches and speech ideas on the internet but do not copy!

Your 8^th grade graduation speech should be all your own and express the person you are.

Only use examples to help give you ideas and then write a speech in your own words.

Here are a couple of websites that have speech examples that you can take a look at:

• Graduation speeches listed on 123HelpMe at: http://www.123helpme.com/search.asp?text=Graduation+Speeches
• Sample Graduation Speeches on Dave’s Guide to Speechwriting at: http://www.davegustafson.com/speech/sgrad.htm

The Best Ways To Write Your 8^th Grade Graduation Speech

• Persuasive Speeches NOW! At http://www.persuasive-speechesnow.com/graduation-speech.html has an excellent breakdown of types of graduation speeches, what their differences are, and the best ways to write your graduation speech.

Congratulations and good luck on writing your graduation and speech — and in your future!

A Favorite Topic that is Never Boring to Children: Speeches about Pets

Writing about animals and pets make for fantastic speeches for elementary and middle-school children. The plus is that adults listening also get a free “trip to the zoo.” Parents wind up winning arguments as to why a baby tiger cannot be a household pet…and snakes are also suspect.

When your child explores the history and makeup of an animal or amphibian, he or she will be more understanding of why those animals need particular habitats and some equipment to keep them comfortable could be very expensive.

While it’s a worthwhile endeavor to take on the responsibility of a cat or dog, many other species of animals need special care. Cockatiels, for example, are expensive yet very sociable birds…as long as they’re kept happy.

What does it take for your special pet to be happy and why is it?

Talk About an Animal as Person in Your Speech

In your speech, give your animal a human personality. What would make you happy in a cage? What do you like to eat? What is your favorite play toy?

Cleanliness of the environment should also be addressed. Think about YOU, as a human; would you like to go to the bathroom in the same area you eat? Do you like it when mom cleans your room for you and it’s fresh and clean? Why would it be different for any other animal?

What is the History of Your Pet? Tell it in Your Speech.

Did you know that cats were considered god in Egypt? Why is that? What kinds of cats were held in high regard and what were their attributes? Is your kitty an offspring of ‘royalty’? What markings on your cat make him or her contestant at a cat show?

The same goes for dogs. What makes your dog so special? Did you adopt your pet instead of buying a pedigree? Why?

What about fish? Do you have fish or turtles that need special care? I know I love the goldfish in my pond and I also know how they love (and help) their area to be cleaned.

Goldfish make great pets but their environment has to be well-tended to—otherwise they die. How you make your fish happy with oxygen, the right food, and playful toys in their tank(s)?

What You Need to Do:

1. Why did you adopt your pet? Why did you choose THAT pet to have?

2. What is the historic nature of your pet? Where did it come from in history?

3. Why your pet eats certain foods.

4. The importance of taking care of the pet’s environment.

5. Why you are a ‘parent’ when you have a pet; why pets rely on people.

Your Speech about Your Pet Should Answer Questions

Your speech topic about your pet should focus on why you chose your pet, what things came to mind with caring for your pet and the historic nature of your pet.
Your speech should address the audience of other kids your age as well as adults by explaining more than:

1. My turtle lives in water and land—-why is that so?

2. My turtle eats these foods and why is that?

3. My turtle comes from a prehistoric time — explain that

4. My turtle needs attention — oh, turtles are sociable creatures? Why

5. My turtle’s environment needs to be a water temperature of _____ —why?

6. My turtle likes water and light —-why?

In other words, explain not just what you do with the turtle (or any other animal) but why.

Do this with any other pet and you’ll be on your way to a great speech topic and presentation.

Don’t forget pictures!

“What I Did Last Summer” Can be Boring and is Overused

You must realize that children are as involved as adults—and often are frightened by — current events.

You can actually kill two birds with one stone by taking a fear a child has, examine it, research it, and write about it together. Not only could the speech be appealing to other students, it could help resolve the fear altogether by the speech targeting facts.

Yes, we all know that news headlines can be misleading and much has to do with the media’s ratings. Can we, instead, turn the horrific headlines into beneficial speeches presented by children so that fear is replaced with facts? Yes.

The “Gloom and Doom” of Scientific Forecasts for the Planet can Make for Great Speeches

One girl I think about made it her own campaign at home: recycling in her bedroom. She explained in a speech how she did it and how she compelled other students and family members to do likewise: just make a few paper-bag containers that discards are tossed into.

This young girl not only made it her mission to recycle her ‘own stuff’ in her home, but enlisted ‘green’ stores throughout her local area to donate reusable bags for the collecting of ‘stuff’.

She explained that while separating bottles, aluminum, and other recyclable material was great in a couple of trash cans out in the yard, she wanted to show more distinctly how her used soda bottles, paper, and other recyclable ‘trash’ led to good things to help the planet.

Discussing Your Child’s Ambitions Leads to Great Speech Topics

Find something on television or in the newspaper that relates to your child’s own ambitions and use it to start a dialog with him or her.

WHY do they want to build homes, nurse the sick, become a mathematician, or another other integral person in a particular career field?

WHY is being a police man or woman like being “Batman,” the avenger of corruption?

This gives you, as the parent, even more opportunity to explore what your ‘little person’ is all about and his or her dreams for their lives.

Jot down notes as you go and ask “interview” questions such as, “How would you fix it” and “Why is your way better than others?”

Remember that great speeches have often been formed in young minds, those yet untainted by the perceptions of other influences.

Speech Topics for Younger Children Tell a Story

Invite your child to discuss something at school that made them mad or made them think.

Together, research the topic and find information that could be helpful in situations where children do not feel they are listened to.

Describe alternatives and how your community could start a foundation for after-school exam help and what people might be interested. Can you appeal to your local newspaper, government, or a television station to highlight a request for your local “special needs?”

Younger children often talk about other kids who are behind in studies or need special attention. Focus on just one issue and allow your child to talk about it. It will give you the substance in helping you and your community in understanding the issue and some possible remedies to help heal.

Focus on a Child’s Talents for Great Speech Topics

All children possess untarnished talent.

You might have another “Edison” inventor on your hands or a child who knows how to make running scores in a sport.

How are these things accomplished? Are there great resources on the internet to help you build “the greatest” elementary or middle school science project? How did you do your research? What books were read?

Treat Your Child’s Speech like a Science Project

You and your child are “Investigators,” meaning that you are both involved with “solving the crime” in regard to what your subject matter is.

Go to the Internet, ask friends for input, but most of all, leave your child to be the expert.

“Out of the Mouth of Babe’s” was not a trite quote; often children are the most truthful and respective authors on subject matter for speeches.

Watch, Read, and Listen to the Local News in Your Area to Find the Best Speech Topics

• Your local news media, including television, newspaper, and talk radio offer an abundance of speech topics that are sure not to bore an audience.The fact is, television stations, newspaper publishers, and radio stations must create enough daily appeal to keep their ratings – yet avoid stepping on advertising sponsors’ toes.

•  Therefore, only the ‘cream of the crop’ in the news makes it and much of choosing what is aired and printed has to do with how much the topic will resonate with the public.

•  Different news publishers have different demographics that describe their readership’s and listener’s ‘common threads’ such as: location, age, and education level are among the top descriptive categories of an audience.By having demographics fully understood, this also helps publishers and station managers weed out content that could be considered inappropriate for its audience.

Great Speeches and Speech Topics are Targeted to the Audience

•  Think about this: television anchors can do an entire ‘speech’ within a minute or two. Television news is a batch of “little speeches” that answer ‘who, what, why, how, and when’.

•  When formulating your speech, you need to address these questions as well in order to avoid leaving your audience confused and with more questions.

•  Look closely to how the news is delivered; are who, what, how, why, and when addressed? Of course it is because professional journalists know instinctively how to answer those questions—they same questions their audience would have.

•  This is why most journalists begin their news coverage with a statement such as, “On October 5, 2009, a young boy of the St. Martin area accidentally fired his father’s rifle, killing a prize horse,” for example.

The Best Speech Topics are Often Found in Questions

Using the above example of a boy accidentally shooting a prized horse, what questions come to mind? Brainstorm on paper as if you were doing an interview with the family. How did the boy get a hold of the rifle? Has the boy had mental problems or disobedience issues? Why wasn’t the rifle more securely stored?

1. Ask these questions and you will wind up with several potential speech topics such as:

2. Should parents be fined for unsecured weapons? Should minor children be banned from using weapons at family gatherings (e.g. target practice)?…and so forth.

3. Paying close attention to the local news (as well as international news) can lead to great speech topics from questions that still remain.

Many speech topics can exist right in the schoolyard.

• For example, dress codes make for great speech topics; what dress codes do you feel are unfair? Are students prohibited from wearing body art such as tattoos and piercings? Who made up the rules? Do school dress codes violate civil rights?

• Other speech topics that can found at school can be written around:

1. Cafeteria and snack foods: healthy or not? Is it cheaper and healthier to bring your lunch and snacks from home?

2. Is the playground safe?

3. Should your school be “locked down” during school hours?

• If you are asked to give a speech at work, usually these speeches are focused on motivation, leadership, and success but speech topics can also be focused on employer/employee issues.

• Persuasive speeches can serve as a catalyst for change and are gaining momentum as the ‘peaceful way’ to speak out on issues that frustrate workers and employers. However, the most effective speech topics cast a positive light on potential solutions after identifying the problem.

• Such speech topics often then lead to ‘water cooler’ chats about positive solutions instead of being focused simply on the existing problem.

• Motivational speeches can be effectively written around an impacting quote and then geared toward the issue. “Rome wasn’t built in a day” can lead to “Positive steps for ABC Company to Consider with Cost Reduction.”

• Speeches that are written entirely based from one’s own perspective are usually not well-accepted.

• You want your speech to speak to your audience and show facts and figures that substantiate your position on the topic. You also want to be sure to show the other side of an argument or issue and explain why those explanations are not the best solutions.

New! Speech Topics Coming Soon!

Please be aware that this site is currently being overhauled and updated with new topics currently in process:

Speech Topics by Request:

1. How to Write a Persuasive Speech
2. The Anatomy of a Speech
3. How to Hold Your Audience’s Attention
4. Proper Formatting for High School Speeches
5. Speech Topics for Elementary School Children
6. “ for High School Kids
7. “ for College Students
8. “ for Business
9. Using PowerPoint and Other Visual Aids to Enhance Your Speech
10. Keeping Your Speech On Topic
11. Don’t READ Your Speech: Memorization Tips
12. The Best Speeches are on Topics You Know
13. Take a Course in Writing and Giving Speeches
14. Tips on Losing the Speech-Giving Jitters
15. Using Current Events for Speeches – HOT!
16. Practice Makes Perfect: Tips for Practicing Your Speech
17. Getting Feedback on Your Speech Before You Give It
18. Engaging the Audience When Giving a Speech or Presentation
19. Speeches vs. Presentations: What Are Their Differences?
20. Writing a Speech for Your Job
21. Writing a Speech for a Particular Audience
22. Writing Speeches that Take a Stand
23. Giving a Speech for Weddings and Other Special Occasions
24. How to Write a Good Acceptance Speech
25. The Best Way to Write a Speech for a PowerPoint Presentation
26. The Importance of Body Language in Speech-Giving
27. Tips for Writing Speeches that are Not Offensive
28. Why Speeches are Important in Leadership and Meetings
29. Impress Your Boss with a Speech on How to Improve Your Company
30. Creating Water-Cooler Speeches for  Work

Please check back often for the new articles and feel free to send in comments and feedback.

Also let us know if you need an article on a topic not listed and/or a request for one of the topics currently listed that you would like to read right away.

Thanks for your help and feedback!

All of you are helping to make this site the best speech website on the Internet today!

Shawna

If you are looking to take a speech class in college or high school try not to shy away from taking the class. Finding the right persuasive speech topic is not as hard as you may think.

When you are choosing a topic for you speech, you need to take into consideration how you are actually going to change your listeners’ views, and convince them to agree with what you are actually trying to say.

Once you have your initial persuasive topic, you need to then work on narrowing down your ideas, and pick out your points on what you can say to convince your listeners to agree with what you are saying.

• The main thing that you need to always remember is who your listeners are, and then you can start narrowing down your topic. You may be working with a rather controversial topic, and you need to take this step by step and tackle it at a very practical level. Remember that the more controversial topic you are working with, the harder it might be to actually convince your listeners.

• Once you have an understanding of who your listeners are, you want to then do your research and take very thorough notes on how you are going to start convincing them. Write everything down, making notes beside the most important topics. Make sure that you can answer any questions they may already have, give them hard evidence, and facts, and even use pictures to show them why you are trying to persuade them.

• Keep in mind that you too are considered a listener, and answer any questions that your audience might have. If you can, then present your audience with a strong cause and effect argument, as well as showing your listeners how you are going to solve a particular problem within you persuasive speech topic.

• Make sure that you have a very strong goal set within your topic, show them a fact claim that allows them to see where you are going to guide them. Then set your value claim and your policy claim, so that your points are valid and logical. This will help you convince your audience, and will give you the appearance of an expert.

• You should also make sure that you do your research thoroughly so you know where you need to start and where you need to go to persuade your audience with your persuasive speech topic.

• A good persuasive speech also addresses the other side of your argument. Be sure to anticipate opposing views and address them.

Here you will find public speaking topics for persuasive or informative public speaking speeches.

Informative Speech Topics:

• The Tour De France Can Not Without Doping.
• Munchausen’S Syndrome: Seek Treatment For Illnesses You Don’T Have.
• Strategic Use Of Business Intelligence.
• Filmmaker Michael Moore.
• What Do Our Kidneys Do?
• Pulitzer Prizes For Books Published In The Us.
• An Online Spell Checker Isn’t Enough For Your Research Paper Essay.
• Brain And Spinal Cord Inflammation.
• How District Attorneys Combat Violent Crime.
• How to Design Wedding Cakes.
• Barter Exchange Has Contemporary Relevance.

Persuasive Speech Topics:

• The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
• Miss World Contest.
• Famous Bollywood Actresses.
• St Patrick’s Day, Traditional Irish Holiday Celebrated On March 17.
• The Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
• Herbal Remedies For Common Diseases.
• Diplomatic Immunity Issues In Dictatorial Systems Based On Military Power.
• E Coli Bacteria.
• Back Pain Is Caused By A Spinal Problem.
• Badminton Doubles Rules.
• Hair Loss In Humans Might Be Reversible.
• The Moscow Theatre Siege.
• Alternative Remedies For The Treatment Of Avian Influenza.
• 80 Percent Of Men Suffer From Prostate Cancer.
• The Difference Between Dolphins And Porpoises.
• Mind Control In Your Back Yard.
• Diabetes Risk Factors and Complications.
• The Ideal Barbecue and Steak Sauce Recipe.
• Why We Need To Worry About Avalanches.
• Avandia Drug Side Effects And Indications.
• Buy Economic Durable Goods And Save The World!
• The Indoor Cultivation Of Chinese Bamboo.
• The Gulf War Syndrome.
• Benchmarking Methodologies of Quality.
• The Secret Service Federal Law Enforcement Agency.
• Names And Meanings For Naming Girls And Boys Babies.
• Build A Home Bar!
• Graduation Party Ideas for Entertaining Your Guests.
• Barbie and Ken Fashion.
• What Are Reformed Baptist Churches?
• Private Detectives.
• Actors Who Have Played James Bond.
• Poisonous Spiders.
• Biometric Technologies Make A Human Bar Code Possible.
• Miscarriages Of Justice and Shortcomings Of The Criminal Justice System.

Finding a persuasive speech topic itself is not difficult. But to get your listeners really change their views or to convince them to act or to agree with your opinion and solutions is another story.

Here’s how to develop and narrow down a persuasive speech idea.

Steps

1. Determine who your listeners are because the more controversial persuasive speech topics you choose, the harder it will be to convince them. Figure out the social-economic status of your audience. How old are they? Males, females, ethnicity? What is their political, educational, religious status? What are their needs and interests?

2. Note down why the topic of your choice interests you and what your clear opinion is.

3. Answer these questions: What is attitude of your public towards your persuasive speech topic? Why do they have to agree or act? Can you make the topic more relevant to them?

4. Provide evidence, hard facts, statistics, new figures, illustrations, quotations, definitions. Ask yourself, why do I think something is true or false?

5. Appeal to the morality and values of your listeners. Why do you like or dislike something? Why do your listeners have to agree that something is right or wrong, moral or immoral, valuable or worthless? Why do you want to convince them?

6. Offer examples the public will recognize, try to find common ground on related subjects and expert testimonies, and compare your idea with oppositional ideas.

7. If you suggest a change of policy then persuade that there is a problem and get the audience to agree with your solution.

8. Appeal to human needs, to reason and to emotion. Summarize the present situation, the causes and the negative effects everybody will recognize. Then present your solution to solve the problem.

9. Set the goal of your persuasive speech topic. Formulate it in a single phrase.

Examples: Fact claim: I want to persuade that the aging population has negative effects on the economy. Value claim: I want to persuade that metal detectors in schools violate the rights of students. Policy claim: I want to persuade the public that arranged marriages should be outlawed.

10. Turn your goal into an effective persuasive speech topic statement that is clearly identifying your message.

The Aging Population Hurts The Economy, Metal Detectors In Schools Violate Students’ Rights and Arranged Marriages Should Be Outlawed are examples of a catchy persuasive speech topic statements.

Tips:

• Definition of a persuasive speech topic: It has to state or claim facts, values or policies in order to get your listeners change their views or to convince them to act or to agree with your opinion and solutions. Tip: persuade and not just inform.