50+ Persuasive Speech Topics For High School Students in 2023

econtentsol Published: February 15, 2023 13 min read

Unique Topics For Persuasive Speech

Good persuasive speech topics needs to be interesting and captivating. It’s easier said than done. It’s true that choosing the right topic for a persuasive speech is a time-consuming process.

You need to speak on something that isn’t cliché and grabs the listener’s attention. The type of speech also involves generating a convincing argument and making your audience sways to your side. 

This factor makes topic selection a significant endeavour. But, if you don’t know how to write a speech on such topics, don’t worry because we’ve got you covered. This detailed blog features engaging and easy persuasive speech topics with other essential information. 

What is a Persuasive Speech?

Before we discuss topics, it’s good to understand what is a persuasive speech. 

You can consider it a special kind of speech in which a speaker convinces the audience to agree with his point of view. As a speaker, you need to organize your speech and present one idea at a time. 

Moreover, persuasive speeches have the ultimate objective to make the audience understand your point of view. 

There’s no denying that persuading the entire audience to agree to one idea with one speech isn’t an easy task. You can seek assistance and opt for speech writing services to make maximum listeners agree on your point of view. 

Persuasive Speech Components

It isn’t a secret that every speaker wants to ace their speech. But they don’t always manage to do it. That’s why they often look for tips and tricks about how to write a speech.

The case is somewhat similar to persuasive speech. To nail it, you need to maintain a balance between logical and emotional appeals. 

Let’s elaborate on logical and emotional appeals further. 

Logical Appeals 

It refers to incorporating well-researched and authentic facts and figures into your persuasive speech. You need to use comprehensive stats in the logical appeal to persuade the audience. 

This way, you can make listeners agree with your point of view. For example, when speaking about the adverse effects of global warming, you can include stats about marine life.

You can also talk about the dangers of melting glaciers or others to make your speech valuable. 

With logical appeals, you can emphasize the practical applicability of your speech and encourage your audience to think that such data-driven speech can be true. 

Emotional Appeals

Emotional appeals are great to fill the gap between stats and the audience’s connection to it. This component involves narrating a story to increase the value of a logical statement. 

For example, you can talk about glaciers melting at an “X” rate. Your statement will be informative but not persuasive. To persuade your audience, tell a beautiful narrative about the data and the consequences associated with it.  

To deliver an effective persuasive speech, it needs to have balanced components. The absence of stats or storytelling will defeat the purpose and ruin your efforts.

Significance of a Persuasive Speech 

What if we tell you that persuasive speeches have real-world value? Therefore, as a student, don’t fret when you’ve to prepare to deliver a speech. 

You can also find engaging, persuasive speech topics for college students that you can ace while maintaining the balance of stats and emotions.

Moreover, the art of delivering a persuasive speech will serve as an asset to every student. These speeches can help students make a strong stand based on facts and stats. They also incorporate emotional appeals to connect to them.

How to Choose the Right Persuasive Speech Topic for High School?

When it comes to choosing a topic for a persuasive speech, here are a few factors you need to consider. 

Familiar Topic

Try to go for the topics that you’re familiar with. This way, you will prepare it quickly and in less time. 

Unique Speech Topics 

Selecting a unique speech topic that genuinely interests you is the best. It might involve plenty of research. 

But when your audience will see and feel the enthusiasm when you’re speaking, add more persuasiveness to it. 

Avoid Cliché Topics

When choosing a topic, ensure that you don’t select something overdone or cliché. The reason is that they don’t keep the listeners engaged for more than a few minutes. 

If you’ve new data for such a topic, make it clear at the beginning of your speech. 

Choose Relatable Topics

You need to go for a relatable topic as people like to hear about the ideas that affect them and their community. You can research local issues and turn them into an engaging and persuasive topic. 

Focus on Emotional Topics

Emotions are motivators, and speaking on an emotional topic will help persuade your audience. However, don’t overdo it and strike a balance between emotion, facts, and figures. 

Focus on Visualization

You need to opt for a topic that allows you to be descriptive. The descriptive nature of a topic will enable your audience to visualize, which ultimately persuades them. 

Focus on the Desired Outcome

Do you want any kind of outcome from your audience as a result of your speech? Ask this question to yourself and use it as a guide to choose the right topic. 

Consider Audience’s Interest

Your audience’s interest in the topic also matters. You can’t afford to lose their attention; therefore, you need to select a topic that keeps the listeners engaged till the end. 

Persuasive Speech Topics 

You can find plenty of topics to deliver a persuasive speech. However, keep an eye on persuasive speech topics to avoid, and don’t waste your efforts on mundane topics.  

Here’s a list of interesting topics to write a persuasive speech.

Easy Persuasive Speech Topics For High School

  • Science courses must include topics regarding mental health.
  • Should learners be allowed to use smartphones on school premises?
  • Degree or skill – which one is essential in 2023?
  • Rising cost of education is depriving students of higher studies. 

Persuasive Speech Topic Related to Technology

  • What is the scope of paper media in the digital age?
  • Should cyberbullying be considered in-person bullying? 
  • Are automated or self-driving cars our future?
  • Are robots a threat to human employment? 

Persuasive Speech Topics Related to Business & Economy

  • Introverts make great leaders – is it true?
  • Do we need to make tips essential in restaurants?
  • Unpaid internships should be banned.
  • Is it reasonable to offer bonuses or incentives for walking or biking to work?

Persuasive Speech Topics Related to Ethics

  • Does equality exist? 
  • Is it essential to ban guns in the U.S?
  • Can negotiations stop a war?
  • Do we need to legalize cannabis for medical reasons?

Persuasive Speech Topics Related to Media

  • Why is it wrong to promote a particular beauty standard in the media?
  • Freedom of the press is widely misused.
  • Moral degradation of teenagers – is the media responsible? 
  • Should we keep children away from social media?

Persuasive Speech Topics Related to Sports

  • Do schools need to teach swimming to all students?
  • Does parental pressure affect the performance of young athletes?
  • Should female athletes be paid more than males athletes? 
  • Would it be harmful to allow doping in professional sports?

Persuasive Speech Topics Related to Science & Environment

  • The long-term impact of recycling on the environment
  • Adverse effects of smoking in public on infants.
  • How plastic bags have ruined the environment over the decades?
  • Genetically modified foods – do we need them?

Topics Related to History, English, or Humanities

  • Were women oppressed in an ancient culture?
  • Did Jane Austen play a significant role in early Victorian feminist literature?
  • Were ancient Egyptians smart?
  • Wealthy people are consumed by power and arrogance. 

Topics Related to Social Issues

  • Factors that changed speaking English in America.
  • Does setting a retirement age necessary?
  • Do we need to promote prayer time in schools?
  • Public display of affection – do we need to reconsider our values? 

Topics Related to Politics/Government

  • The U.S education system needs more budget.
  • Who was the best president and why?
  • Are government branches important? 
  • What present president needs to learn from former presidents?

Interesting Persuasive Speech Topics 

  • Streaming services such as Netflix have changed entertainment.
  • What is the future of magazines and newspapers?
  • Do award shows nominate celebrities in real or is it a different case? 
  • Are all actors paid equally?

Persuasive Speech Topics for College

  • Significance of volunteer work for college or university students.
  • Are high schools capable enough to handle bullying?
  • Do we need high-tech classrooms to facilitate learning?
  • Significance of physical education in schools.

Funny Persuasive Speech Topics

  • Who gossips more? Boys or girls.
  • Blaming your horoscope for making silly decisions.
  • Autocorrect can be dangerous for relationships.
  • Why does mathematics feel like mental abuse?

Persuasive Speech Topics for Kids

  • Students should be allowed to bring pets to school  
  • We need longer lunch breaks
  • Is homework necessary for school goers?
  • Do kids need pocket money?

Public Speaking Persuasive Speech Topics

  • Is television censorship necessary?
  • Why does the internet need to be free?
  • Do you think music should be played in mental health therapies?
  • Relationships in the digital era.
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Creating and Delivering Speeches 

Just choosing a persuasive topic, writing, and delivering a speech on that topic is also essential. You can create a persuasive speech outline to ease the process. 

Keeping it concise, using rule of three and following these steps help you compose a compelling persuasive speech. 

Find your Argument

Start writing your speech by finding an opinion or belief you want your audience to agree with. If you want them to take any action after listening to your speech, ensure that you add a clear call to action. 

Organize your Argument

It’s best to stay organized to ease the entire speech writing process. Think about creating an outline containing evidence or points that support your argument. Make sure that these ideas flow logically and make your argument stronger. 

Examples, Facts, and Stats

You need facts and stats to support your ideas. It’s also best to use real-life examples to boost the effectiveness of your persuasive speech.

Add Emotions 

It isn’t a secret that persuasive speeches contain a balance of logic and emotions. These emotions enable your audience to connect with the argument. It helps them to evoke their sense of nostalgia and shared beliefs. 

Incorporate Counterarguments 

Don’t wait for your audience to object. Do it yourself, then include additional facts, examples, and anecdotes to make a strong counterargument. 

Conclude your Speech

Restate your argument in the closing lines and connect with your audience one last time. You can use emotional appeals and finish your speech with an awesome call to action.

Persuasive Speech Examples

Writing a persuasive speech can become interesting if you know how to do it. Here are a few examples that will help you compose a fantastic speech.

Example for Students

Public schools encourage students to participate in speech competitions. It also enables teachers to evaluate student’s creative writing and public speaking skills. 

However, speaking in front of a group of people can be challenging which you can overcome by practicing speaking skills. You can also follow the example to ace your overall experience.

For example, if you’re speaking on topics related to crime or criminal, you can begin your speech with a quote or question. It’s also best to incorporate facts, real-life examples, and stats to make your speech credible. 

Example for Adults 

Convincing adults to agree on a particular idea isn’t an easy task. However, you can try doing that by delivering a persuasive speech. It may require lots of research to gather authentic information but may achieve your objective. 

Take the topic “distracted driving” as an example. The topic is directly referring to adults who drive and get distracted at times too. 

You can talk about the dangers of getting distracted while driving. More importantly, you can discuss distraction as a cause of life-threatening accidents. 

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Final Word

Brainstorming good persuasive speech topics can be time-consuming. The list we’ve incorporated in the blog contains various topics from different domains. It should help you find a topic to compile a remarkable speech.

Moreover, you can go for the topics you’re most interested in. But, ensure that the topic you choose is unique and keeps your audience engaged as well.

You can also talk on a common topic, incorporating new research, facts, and stats to make it interesting. To write a persuasive speech, you need to start from research and should spend most of the time on it.

Researching will provide ample information to cover your topic from every angle. Lastly, don’t forget to consider your audience before working on your speech. 

Struggling to compile a persuasive speech? Get in touch to get a speech written by professional writers.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What is a good persuasive speech topic for college?
College students can speak on a variety of persuasive topics such as:
– Which is better, e-books or paper books? 
– Do students need to learn an instrument in school?
– Is it necessary to make national museums accessible for all citizens? 
2. What are examples of persuasive speeches?
You can find plenty of examples of persuasive speeches, such as:
– Teenager convincing his parents to allow him to stay out till 11 pm on weekends.
– A student council president is trying to take permission to organize a dance after the finale of a football game season.
3. What makes a good persuasive speech topic?
A good persuasive topic for a speech shouldn’t be overdone. It could be something that people care about. It can be related to arts, culture, economics, education, ethics, government, and politics.
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