Speech Topics

Posts Tagged ‘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/.

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.

Keep in mind, that almost all demonstration speeches are judged on style rather than the content. Make sure to provide an audience analysis so that you don’t end up giving presentation about the theory of relativity to 12 year old kids.

• How to use a washing machine
• How to make fruit salad
• How to make lemonade
• How to make your own valentine card
• How to make a kite
• How to take photographs
• How to clean a keyboard
• How to sponge paint a wall
• How to make a God’s Eye
• How to make a book cover
• How to make beer
• How to make a balloon animal
• How to carve a pumpkin
• How to make ice cream
• How to host a party
• How to treat a bee sting
• How to bake cookies
• How to perform a magic trick
• How to set up a gold fish bowl
• How to paint
• How to wrap a present
• How to sew
• How to arrange flowers
• How to tie a tie
• How to play the guitar
• How to shoot for a film

Here is a list of funny speech topics. Keep in mind that funny speeches can be informative or persuasive. The funniest speeches come from some of the most simple of subjects.

For example, the late comedian, George Carlin, came up with the funniest topics by simply looking at the world around him and asking the question, “Why is that?” Why is a hot dog called a “hot dog”? Where did the name come from? And, speaking of hot dogs…

• What 5 things can you do with a hot dog besides eating it?
• The advantages and disadvantages of wearing long pants or skirts/dresses
• The best optical illusions to create the look of a clean house before parents come home.
• How to keep a very boring conversation going at a party.
• Ways to use stickers that aren’t sticky anymore.
• How to make a 3-course meal using a coffee maker.
• Foolproof ways to avoid someone you don’t like.
• 5 things you can do with the lint from a dryer.
• What it’s like raising an obnoxious pet.
• The craziest thing you ever tried to cook or bake.
• Nutty ways to condition your hair so you can save money.
• 5-10 off-beat ways to raise money for a good cause.
• How many ways can you change the letters in your name to show different sides of your personality.
• How to make your bedroom look clean in less than 5 minutes.
• What to do with gum in places you can’t chew it.
• How to hide food you hate on a plate, napkin, in a glass, etc.
• The best hiding places for your most treasured stuff.
• What do you think your teacher does when not teaching?
• If you were President, how would you make life more fun?
• 10 reasons why you shouldn’t have to clean your room every day.
• Things you should never say or ask on a first date.

Related

How To Write A Speech

Best Informative Speech Topics

5 Phrases You Never Want To Hear In A Speech

A list of persuasive speech topics for 3-5 minutes

1. Quit Making Excuses
2. Spend Some Time With Yourself
3. Figure out What you Want-Then Go Get It
4. Stop Talking and Start Doing
5. Stop Being – Start Living
6. Stop Being a People Pleaser
7. Discover Your True Abilities
8. Curb Obesity in Children
9. Control Your Emotions With Meditation
10. Don’t Worry Be Happy
11. Pro-Life or Pro-Choice It doesn’t Matter
12. Are You a Dangerous Drinker?
13. Use Your Sixth Sense
14. Friend or Acquaintance -Do You Know?
15. Endings or Beginnings
16. Get Out Of Bed
17. Eliminate Self Imposed Age Discrimination
18. Guess Your True Independence
19. Organ Donation
20. Get Happy – Easy As 1-2-3
21. Get Independent
22. Acquire Your Communication Skills
23. What Drives You
24. Recognize The Power Of Intuition
25. Setting Goals Could Be A Set Up
26. Cults
27. Picking The Right Partner In Only 5 Steps
28. Think Before You Share Your Secrets
29. Happiness – What To Do To Create It
30. Depression and Pregnancy
31. No Really…Who Are You?
32. Step Into The Good Life – Change It Up
33. Being Different – That Makes Two Of Us

Related:

• How To Write A Speech
• Informative Speech Topics

The best informative speech topics are normally related to current events and how the world around us affects us in our individual lives.

Here is a list of speech topics sure to cause discussion—and be remembered:

1. Speeches about money: the best ways to save it, spend it, and earn it.

2. Why is NASA going to cut more trips to outer space? Also, consider writing a speech on the most important advances made in NASA such as the Hubble.

3. Why has there been an increase in law-breaking? Which crimes are on the rise and why?

4. On this day in history, what remarkable things were happening during different years?

5. What does social responsibility mean to you? Consider writing a speech about how you contribute to your community and why it’s important for each person to assume responsibility.
6. Write a speech about what you think people’s greatest fears are and why. Along the same lines, where do phobias come from?

7. Write a speech about how television commercials slant viewpoints (such as “being the best) or why sometimes television news is slanted. Who owns the station and why do they allow slanted or biased views to air?

8. Write a speech about how you would overcome poverty and why poverty is still a problem in major countries such as the United States, Australia, Great Britain, and Canada. How did the poverty begin?

9. Write a speech about why the strawberry is considered a part of the rose family or why tomatoes are considered fruit.

10. Which is worse: life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty? Write a speech about your views on each or both and explain the impact on society.

11. Write a speech about how women are different from men.

12. What experience have you had that has made the biggest impact on your life?

13. Write a speech about how to start a charitable event, what charity you would choose, and why.

14. Write a speech about how outsourcing jobs has affected your country.

15. Do you think global warming is true? Write a speech about what each person can do to help curb global warming.

16. What is your favorite book of all time? If it was/is a best-seller, why do you think so many other people like the same book you do?

17. Write a speech about why people should know another language (be bi-lingual). Why would this be so important?

18. What does it take to be a great leader? Write your speech around confidence, knowledge, communication skills, and other qualities that make people leaders.

19. Write a speech about gun control: do you believe in it or oppose more restrictions on personal ownership of weapons.

20. Is the “doomsday” date of December 21, 2012 just another Y2K? Write a speech about why you think it is or isn’t due to differences.

21. Do you think immigration laws should be tougher or more lenient? Consider writing a speech about an ancestor who immigrated to the country you reside in and what the ‘rules’ were then.

22. Write a speech about why certain prejudices still exist and why people should be treated equally.

23. Write a speech about your experience writing your speech! How did you find your topic, how did you begin writing it, and if memorization and/or ‘props’ such as a PowerPoint presentation or handout enhances or detracts from a speech.

24. Do you think there should be more restrictions on imports from third-world countries? For example, there have been issues with tainted wheat imported into the United States from China.

25. Write a speech about the widespread obesity problem in children, along with the rise in their getting diabetes. What makes a person obese; not reading food labels, not having regular balanced meals, etc.

26. Is purchasing goods and services over the internet better than buying products or hiring people locally? Write a speech about the differences.

27. Write a speech about advances in medical research. You can choose one area, such as cancer, or sum up several other areas.

28. Write a speech about the differences between pharmaceutical drugs versus home remedies.

29. Write a speech about your country’s biggest asset and its history (such as oil, for example).

30. Are polar bears and penguins endangered? Write a speech as to how this has occurred.

Tips:

Keep your speech to the point.

Limit your speech to 10 minutes.

Practice your speech in front of a mirror.

Make sure you’ve researched your speech topic.

Let others read or listen to your speech and ask for their critiques.