Informative Speech Topics
(Part 1 of 2)
Below you will find a list of 125 of 250 potential informative speech topics. Be sure to analyze your audience and time limit before selecting a topic.
These topics can be used as they are, or you might have to make them more precise to suit the situation (available time, class requirements, etc.).
Informative Speech Topics
(Part 2 of 2)
Below you will find a list of 125 more potential informative speech topics. Be sure to analyze your audience and time limit before selecting a topic.
These topics can be used as they are, or you might have to make them more precise to suit the situation (available time, class requirements, etc.).
Persuasive Speech Topics
(Part 1 of 2)
Below you will find 125 of 250 persuasive speech topics. Use this list as a last resort, student speeches are almost always more successful when the student chooses a topic that genuinely interests them, rather than merely picking one from a list. Keep your audience and time limits in mind, as well.
Persuasive Speech Topics
(Part 2 of 2)
Below you will find 125 more persuasive speech topics. Use this list as a last resort, student speeches are almost always more successful when the student chooses a topic that genuinely interests them, rather than merely picking one from a list. Keep your audience and time limits in mind, as well.
Special Occasion Speeches
Special Occasion Speaking
There are a number of social situations in which you might find yourself asked to make a speech. This page examines some of those situations and offers some advice on how to handle them.
Writing Informative Speeches
Informative Speaking
In an informative speech situation, as in any speech situation, it is important to have your audience in mind at all times.
Persuasive Speeches
In any speech situation it’s important to analyze your audience, naturally. This is never more important, though, than it is in a persuasive speaking situation.
There are a couple questions that you need to ask yourself after you’ve selected a persuasive speech topic:
Audience Analysis
Adapting to Your Audience and Situation
At every point in the speech making process, you need to ask yourself: “Self, what does my audience want from me?” It is the audience and situation, and not you (the speaker), that should determine the object and form of your speech.
Speech Introductions
Writing the Introduction
It’s no accident that most good Hollywood movie scripts follow this pattern: exciting opening (think Saving Private Ryan), an interesting and easy to follow story line, and a memorable finish (think Shawshank Redemption). Screen writers realize that their audiences put a lot of stock into first and last impressions. Guess what? Your audience does, too. Because of this is, your introductions and conclusions always need to be exceptional.
Writing a Speech
Writing the Speech Body
Every speech should have one central idea around which the speech is built. If your audience remembers nothing else, they should remember this, essentially the point of your speech.
To support the central idea, your speech should have between 3-5 main points. Trying to squeeze in too many main points will just confuse the audience. Your main points should be clear, meaningful, and memorable and an equal amount of speech time should be given to each point if they are all of equal importance.