Persuasive Speech Topics

1. Should high school students face a mandatory drug test?

2. In this ‘i-Pod’ generation, should music be free?

3. Should students be required to wear a school uniform?

4. Are the Olympic Games a waste of money? Or other debate speech topics on huge sports events.

5. Should all African conflicts be handled by African countries themselves, and not by third parties?

6. Is our nation/city still unprepared for disasters? Or other debate topic themes about safety.

7. Should school prayer be prohibited in public schools?

8. Should skateboards be prohibited on sidewalks?

9. Should minorities be treated differentially?

10. Should the age to vote be reduced to 16?

11. Should 16 year old people be allowed to get a tattoo? Or other speech ideas on for example ear and body part piercings?

12. Should the Double Jeopardy Rule - nobody can be tried twice for the same offence - be abolished?

13. Should junk food should be banded from school vending machines?

14. Should the use of animals in sports and entertainment be banned?

15. Should there be a curfew for people under 18 years to reduce crime?

16. Do Hollywood movies have a bad influence on the world?

17. Should homework assignments be limited to a maximum of three nights a week?

18. Do school authorities have the right to search students’ lockers? Or other education related debate topic issues.

19. Do adopted children have the right to know who their biological parents are?

20. Should there be a green tax on aviation fuel?

21. Should ‘factory farming’ of chickens be banned?

22. Is there a need for tougher gun control in our country?

23. What is the best team sport?

24. Did they really put a man on the moon in 1969?

25. Should advertising on TV should be more carefully screened?

26. Was Lady Diana’s death a cover-up or accident?

27. Should smoking should be prohibited in vehicles carrying children?

28. Does Ticketmaster have a monopoly on getting tickets?

29. Should the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports be legalized?

30. Should cell phone use in cars be banned?

31. Should school examinations be replaced with other forms of assessment?

32. Should parents be held morally and legally responsible for the actions/needs of their children?

33. Should young people be subjected to curfews as a way to reduce crime?

34. Does television have a negative influence on society?

35. Should we ban the keeping of animals in zoos?

36. Are vitamin pills really necessary?

37. Giving blood/signing an organ donor card/volunteering is good for you.

38. Who has the best medical system – Canada or the US?

39. Non-hybrid cars should be banned from our roads by 2015.

40. Macs vs. PCs – Which ones are better?

* if you choose a topic of your own, be sure to get it approved before you begin writing a speech.