150+ Good Persuasive Speech Topics for college Students

There are several different types of speeches, but the most common one is a persuasive speech. In order to be successful at persuading your listeners, it’s important that you know what makes people tick and how they react to certain stimuli. This means understanding things like their values, beliefs, thoughts about themselves, and more.

Persuasive speech meaning

What is a persuasive speech? A persuasive speech is a type of public speaking in which the speaker tries to convince their audience that they should believe or do something.

Persuasive speeches are delivered in many different types of situations, such as to persuade people to buy products, agree with an idea, join a cause, or change behavior. They are often used in business, education, politics and other fields where the audience might be persuaded to take some form of action.

Just like a persuading essay, A persuasive speech can be formal or informal and is usually 10-15 minutes long. The most important aspect of a persuasive speech is the introduction because it’s what hooks your audience and makes them want to listen for more. It can also make them not want to listen at all if it doesn’t grab their attention right away!

Persuasive speeches can be given after any event has happened in order so that those listening will make changes in their future actions with the new knowledge.

Persuasive Versus Informative Speech

Informative

Informative speech is meant to provide knowledge or understanding about a subject.

This type of persuasive speech may include the history, use and regional variants of an object or topic among other things. For example, someone could give an informative speech on what it takes to become a nurse in order for their listeners to better understand this career path.

Persuasive

These speeches are used by speakers who want their audience members to adopt certain actions or beliefs—these types of speeches usually have three main points that are put forth as evidence; they may also contain anecdotes, statistics and facts which support the point being made.

Elements of a Good persuasive speech

A persuasive speech is one that strives to persuade the audience to change their beliefs or actions. Good persuasive speeches have a clear thesis, evidence, and logical reasoning.

There are three parts of a good persuasive speech:

introduction,
body paragraphs with supporting details
and conclusion.

The introduction should be brief but powerful enough to catch the attention of the audience members and entice them into listening for more.

The body paragraph should contain specific information about your point which you then back up with facts in order to strengthen your argument. Finally, the conclusion wraps up everything nicely by reiterating how what you said relates back to your original statement as well as reminding listeners of why they might want this new idea or opinion instead of what they already believe in Purdue OWL.

How to write a Persuasive speech

These are the steps to follow when writing a persuasive Speech:

The first thing you want to do before writing any text for a speech is come up with your main argument (also called the thesis statement).
Next, you need to present evidence from external sources that supports this claim – use some kind of visual aid if possible!
Finally, we recommend adding a call-to-action at the end so people know what they should take away from it all.

Types of Persuasive speech

Argumentative speech topics

A great persuasive topic is a controversial issue that sparks people’s interest. It can be any issues, like social media addiction or the legalization of marijuana.

The first step to writing an argumentative speech is selecting your side and making your point clear.
Next you will establish points on why your stance should prevail over others’.
Lastly, offer some rebuttals in case someone disagrees with you so they have something to consider when debating with you later on.

For example, if discussing whether or not marijuana should be legalized—a good point would be how it has been proven by researchers that cannabis (the plant) does not cause lung cancer while cigarettes do; another point would be how legalizing marijuana could lead to higher revenues for the government.

Moral Speech

This type of a persuasive speech is used to persuade an audience on what they should or shouldn’t do in order for themselves and others to be happy. You can establish your point by telling the story about how someone else may have been hurt if he/she didn’t follow that rule, showing statistics proving why it’s better not to drink alcohol while pregnant (or at all), or giving personal experiences about how you came across certain consequences from something you did but believe now was wrong.

For instance, let’s say I want my audience members to stop smoking cigarettes because it has been proven that this habit leads them down a path with many health problems; as such, their lifespan will decrease significantly—a good point would be to tell a story about how someone you knew quit smoking and saw his/her health improve.

Another good point could be to show statistics showing the vast number of people who have died from second-hand smoke, or discuss why it’s been proven that nicotine is as addicting as heroin!

The key here is to not get stuck on one particular approach: there are many different ways in which you can make your points. For example:

Point #1: “You should stop using plastic straws because they’re more harmful than originally thought.”

Point #2: “If we want our planet (Earth) to stay healthy for future generations, we need to start doing things differently now — such as recycling old electronics like laptops instead of throwing them away.”

Point #3: “Stop using plastic water bottles to avoid the negative consequences of drinking bottled water, such as pollution and a ton of waste!”

Original Persuasive Speech Topics and Ideas

Persuasive Speech Topics for High School

Do you think that those who commit crimes and are released from jail, because there is no way to hold them accountable for their own behavior?
Do you think that the government should ever use torture as a tactic?
Is it wrong for people to cheer on their favorite sports team in any way other than politely clapping at the end of each game?
What is your opinion about dating someone new after a divorce or breakup, and what are some tips for making this process less painful from the beginning?
How do we know when something has gone too far sexually, emotionally or physically between two partners involved with one another romantically? What actions must be taken when lines have been crossed?
Would there be anything wrong with “reprogramming” young children’s minds so they would not want things like drugs or alcohol before they hit puberty or adulthood?
Should military personnel have to pay taxes on the salary they earn while serving their country, or should this be exempt?
What are some ways to improve our community and make it a better place for people of all ages?
How do we know when something has gone too far sexually, emotionally or physically between two partners involved with one another romantically?
Do you think that your generation is living up to the high expectations set by previous generations in terms of values such as loyalty, honesty and work ethic?
To what extent does fear play into how humans behave toward each other socially and politically? What can we do about it so that there will not continue to be prejudice against certain groups based solely on irrational fears from false information? How might these fears be, in turn, linked to as a result of the negative effects that they might have on the world?
What are some good ways for people to persuade others when it comes to topics such as religion and politics without being rude or disrespectful?
How can we make our society more inclusive so that everyone feels welcomed and accepted no matter where they come from or what their sexual orientation is?
Do you think that there will ever be peace throughout all of Earth’s lands?
What is your opinion about how this would change if one side has nuclear weapons while another does not?
Is technology making us lazy, hooked on screens instead of other activities like reading books face-to-face with friends and family members physically next to each other?
Are Americans too complacent about the fossil fuel industry and its environmental impacts on our planet?
Do you think that there should be a limit to how many children someone can have in order for us to protect natural resources better?
Should obesity still be considered an illness when we know it is brought about by individual behaviors such as eating healthy food, exercising more often, or following guidelines from the American Heart Association?
The benefits of having a diverse work place
What is the impact of Covid-19 on Workforce patterns?
Do you think that the United States should have a mandatory national service program for all American citizens? Why or why not?
Should we raise tuition to make college more accessible and affordable for low income families?
Is it time for America to abolish daylight savings so people can get their sleep back without losing one hour of valuable time every summer day, which is necessary in order to feel refreshed after waking up at sunrise each morning.
The benefits of increased trade with China on US jobs: do Americans know what they are getting into when trading fair share deals with countries like China who take undue advantage of its workforce by paying them less than the minimum wage as well as providing poor working conditions?
If someone had an immense amount of money, what would they do with it?
Do you think the implementation of a federal tax on carbon emissions will help America reduce its dependence on fossil fuels?
Can Western culture be preserved in China’s fast-paced modernization process without losing all the things that make it great today?
Are there any positive outcomes from having an aging population?
How does our perception of time affect how we spend our lives and why is this important to ponder considering society’s obsession with instant gratification. What are some common misconceptions about immigrants living in your country? Are these myths accurate or based off misunderstandings?
Wouldn’t education be better if students were allowed to learn at their own pace by providing them with different teaching methods such as Piaget’s theory?
What are some challenges facing people living in poverty today and how can we work together to help them out of their situation.
Some say that being vegan is the way to go while others disagree, what do you think about this? What would happen if everyone recycled instead of using plastic for everything they needed like milk cartons or straws?
How does your country feel about LGBTQ+ rights such as same-sex marriage or gay adoptions?

Persuasive speech topics for college

Should the US have a universal healthcare system?
How would you feel if your child was diagnosed with cancer?
What are the pros and cons of using animals in laboratory experiments?
Should we have a gender wage gap or not?
Do college students need mental health care on campus?
Is Apple the best company in America?
Should there be a ban on semi-automatic weapons?
What are your thoughts about vaccinations and immunizations?
How has technology changed our society for better or worse, and what should we do now to prevent even more harm from being done to future generations because of it?
Are you pro-choice or anti-abortion rights advocates, why is that so important to you personally, and how does this issue affect other people around us in different ways than we might have first thought.
Write a persuasive speech about the causes and effects of global warming.
Do advertising campaigns like “Got Milk” really work on kids who aren’t old enough to make any rational decisions themselves yet about whether they need milk or not. Does this marketing tactic teach children bad eating habits that they carry with them for the rest of their lives?
How does a person s upbringing or culture influence things like religious beliefs, ethnicity, and sexual orientation?
Is it possible to be both pro-life and believe in capital punishment at the same time because some people are so heinous we need to make an example out of them?
In your opinion is there any one thing more important than anything else when you look back on your career as a parent what was/is most important, and why did you think this way or feel this way about parental priorities?
What will happen if our country continues on its path towards becoming more socialist instead of capitalist – will America eventually fall into third world status without enough jobs due to the lack of economic freedom?
How to find a college major that is right for you.
What are some ways we can prevent obesity in children and adolescents, from the perspective of a parent?
Who should have custody of military kids if their parents’ divorce or separate while one spouse continues service overseas – mom, dad, other relatives like grandparents, etc.? Why do you think this way? What would be your best solution to help these families who need assistance with childcare when they’re apart on duty for long periods of time related to war efforts abroad?
Is it better for us as Americans to give up our privacy and freedoms by installing surveillance cameras everywhere in exchange for increased security against terrorists because not all terrorist attacks will happen at malls or in public?
What is the best way to keep our environment healthy and clean for generations to come – should we continue using coal-powered electricity plants or switch over to solar power which would be more expensive in the short term but better overall for everybody?
Would you rather have a guaranteed salary of $25,000 per year no matter what happens with your career OR take on freelance work that could result in years where you make as much as $120,000 annually BUT there are also years when you might only earn around $14,500. Which option do you prefer given these tradeoffs? What’s the most important thing about this decision if they were both equally good choices financially (assuming it wouldn’t affect other factors like family)?
Do you think it would be better for the economy if people spent money on new clothes in a year when we have more jobs OR should they wait until next year and buy now, so that there will be less unemployment?
Do you prefer to work with others or by yourself?
What are some of your hobbies/interests outside of school and work? Why do you enjoy them?” – “I love these types: ____,” _____.
What would happen if we didn’t hold elections in America every four years?
Is it unethical to own an animal for its fur or skin?
A five dollar minimum wage is needed to ensure that all Americans can live comfortably. Why shouldn’t some workers earn more than others? What about those who don’t want to work at $15/hour but could be happy earning less money and enjoying their life as they please?
Is animal experimentation cruelty at its best?
Should having McDonalds on campus create healthier habits among students, staff, and professors by providing them with better food choices?” “McDonalds provides fresher, healthier food choices than other fast-food chains.
Should students be allowed to use their smartphones in class?” “Some professors believe that the use of cellphones distracts from learning and prevents the student from taking notes during lectures.”
Does banning plastic straws help save our environment? “Plastic is a nonrenewable resource which takes hundreds of years to decompose. By switching to paper or metal straws we can reduce fossil fuel consumption by five million barrels per day.

Funny Persuasive Speech topics

Live every day as if it were your last!
If you’re not a vegetarian, try eating one meal of meat free per week.
You can never have too much coffee (or tea)!
The world would be a better place without mosquitoes.
Eat more fruits and veggies!
Save money by switching to reusable shopping bags. Stop buying bottled water; buy the same thing in bulk instead.
Your actions have an impact on climate change, so don’t sit around and do nothing about it. What are you waiting for? Start doing something now!
Smile more often to make people around you feel better!
Dealing with haters on social media
Creative ideas for dirty laundry day.
Cats are better than dogs
Hair is for wimps only (short hair).
You should always wear matching socks, and never go sockless! (matching socks, no socks)
Dogs deserve a lot of love too!

Interesting Persuasive Speech Topics

Honey Bees are disappearing and we should care about them.
Whether or not to have a dress code in school, that’s the question.
How can you advance higher education while also reducing costs? We’ll show you!
English Majors vs. Business Majors – which degree is better?
What are the benefits of attending college online?
Should college athletes be paid? Why or why not?
Childhood Poverty and Education: How does a low socioeconomic status impact learning in school?
The Importance of Critical Thinking Skills to Successful Learning: Do students today think critically enough, especially when it comes to important issues such as climate change and gun violence?”
Is Technology Making Kids Smarter Than Ever Before?
Talking Trash: One Student’s Perspective on Waste Management Issues
Is Voting Really That Important?: An Argument Against Mandatory Voter Registration
Living with an Excuse: Why Students Should Stop Using Poor Grades as a Reason to Quit
What’s Wrong With Being A Haver? What We Can Learn From The Habitual Line-Stepper
My Experience with Childhood Poverty and Its Impact on Education
The Argument Against School Choice Reforms in the United States: Do All Schools Need To Be Equally Good?
A Defense of Standardized Testing for College Admissions Processes.
Is Technology Making Kids Smarter Than Ever Before?
Online Learning vs Traditional Classroom Instructional Methods: Which is Better For Student Success?
Championing Critical Thinking Skills In STEM Curricula Today’s Society Needs More Of It!
Sports: The best sports player ever was (insert name) because he/she did (specific reason).
How video games impact people’s lives.
Why the summer should last longer than three months.
What could make school better? How we can fix our education system so it’s more enjoyable for everyone involved? What problems do teachers face every day in their classrooms?

Easy Persuasive Speech topics

Argument against animal testing
The importance of developing renewable energy sources -Artificial intelligence will lead our world into the future
How sugar causes diabetes
The importance of language
Legalization of Marijuana
Humanitarian Intervention -Should the US government increase minimum wage?
Argument against gun laws in America
Whether or not it is ethical for humans to conduct experiments on other animals
Is social media good for us?
The importance of developing renewable energy sources
The importance of being vaccinated against Covid-19
How the plastic straw threatens our environment
Argument against wearing fur clothing
The dangers of smoking / vaping (choose one side)
A claim for a higher minimum wage -Arguments for and against gay marriage rights.
Why we should teach cursive writing in schools today?
The pros and cons of having an iPhone or Android phone?
Should students be allowed to bring cell phones into school ?
The importance of a strong learning environment
How to tell if someone is lying
Argument against the death penalty
What can we do about global warming?
Active shooter drills in schools -Do they work?
Argument for universal health care coverage.
The need for equal pay among genders, races and sexual orientations.
Why college shouldn’t cost too much money
Is there such thing as being “too nice”?
What are some good ways to deal with toxic people?
Which gender has more power or privilege today?
Can men be feminists too–and should they be called that at all times?

Outline and Structure of A Persuasive speech

It needs a clear:

Introduction
Body
Conclusion

Each point should have its own line within the paragraph to make it easy for listeners understand how you are building on top of one another throughout your talk – this will create unity!

A good persuasive speech will have a thesis statement that is supported by evidence.
You’ll want to include visual aids like graphs and charts where necessary too!
End with a call to action so people know what they should take away from it all!

Case Study

Persuasive speeches can also be given as a form of protest or activism for example, someone could give a speech about how fast food chains like McDonalds are bad and should no longer exist because they don’t feed people healthy foods which will make them healthier in the long-term.

The speaker would then use facts to support this point such as statistics that show more people have diabetes than ever before due to unhealthy eating habits from places like McDonalds. They’d talk about how it is cheaper for these companies to offer prepared meals rather than fresh ones, and that there’s been an increase in obesity rates among children who eat at these types of chain restaurants every day instead of cooking themselves breakfast.

A speech like this would go into how the speaker is not against eating at restaurants or fast food chains, but that he wants people to have more options for when they eat out and stop going back to places with unhealthy principles. The person could say Mcdonalds was great because it helped fuel their love of technology in the 80’s, but now there are better alternatives such as Chipotle which offers a healthier menu option while still providing an enjoyable dining experience. Finally, arguments about why McDonalds should be banned from college campuses due to its bad reputation among health professionals may also be made.

The world feels divided on whether McDonalds has been good for our society or if they’re actually doing harm by continuing operations and marketing tactics. This topic is perfect for a persuasive speech since it allows the speaker to use personal experiences and opinions while still providing evidence from outside sources.

Persuasive Speech Examples

Sample 1: Persuasive speech on global warming

“Global Warming is one of the most serious environmental problems we are facing these days. But do we really know what it means? Well, I don’t know if the world consists only of two kinds of people, those who took a look at its definition and understood everything they should know about it and those who didn’t take a look at its definition (and hence have no clue about…) but believe me – there are more than 2 kinds of people in this world! So I think the best way to approach is by showing you some facts. The rest will supply by itself.

What is Global Warming?

First of all, let’s talk about global warming…What does it mean? Well, the term might sound a little controversial. But don’t worry! As you will see, there is no real controversy involved in this issue – just a lot of confusion and misunderstandings. So let me dispel them for you…

In short words we are talking about “the gradual increase of the average temperature of Earth’s near-surface air and oceans since the late 19th century and its projected continuation.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming)

OK. The definition might be a little bit complicated, but don’t worry – I will make it clearer for you! One of the most important aspects is that we are talking about global warming, not just local one. That means it takes place on the whole planet Earth.”

Sample 2: Persuasive Speech on Vaccinations

“When it comes to vaccinations, there seems to be two extremes; those who think they are great and keep urging others to get them and those who think they can cause serious harm and discourage others from getting them at all. Of course, both groups are right to some extent.
What do I mean?
If you look at the matter from a purely logical perspective, then vaccinations work quite efficiently and there is little doubt that they are efficient in preventing diseases and keeping the population growth under control. But if you look at it from a rational perception, many people have complained about suffering from various side effects after getting vaccinations. And when such incidents happen repeatedly with different individuals, doubts start creeping in regarding their efficiency and safety.
For instance, let us take a brief look at the measles vaccination campaign which took place on April 19th this year. It was an ambitious plan by our government aimed to provide protection against measles infection to all children under 5 years of across the country. The plan was aimed at providing a safe environment for children to grow up in without the fear of contracting the disease.”

Sample 3

Persuasive speech about women in politics

Thesis: Women have a right to be involved in politics just like men do!

“Women have the ability to act, think and speak just like men do. That means that women should be given opportunities in politics because they are able to make a difference!

Many accomplished female politicians were overlooked for elections merely on account of their gender. This can’t continue happening if we want equal representation in government – everyone deserves the chance to serve their country! Moreover, when you look at history’s most successful leaders many of them happened to be females such as Angela Merkel who was named Time Magazine’s Person Of The Year 2015; or Indira Gandhi who became Prime Minister of India three times between 1966-1984 making her the first woman prime minister in the world.

These examples show how women are incredible leaders and should be given the chance to prove themselves in politics by 2020 when there will be elections for president of United States where females have been too slow on the rise: only 19% of members of Congress are female – this needs to change!

A recent study conducted by Gallup revealed that a majority of people believe the country would benefit from more women in leadership positions- now is our chance to do something about this problem! The United States needs more political equality than just females for president – 50% of all state legislature seats should be held by females which only stands at 28%. We need an equal representation before laws can truly represent the population and not just one gender group.

No matter what your opinions on feminism may be, it is undeniable that there are many strong female leaders in today’s society and we need to start listening to their voices!”

Sample 4

President Trump’s 2017 Presidential Address to Congress on February 28th

“I am here tonight to deliver a message of unity and strength, and it is a message deeply delivered from my heart.

“A new chapter of American Greatness is now beginning.” (Leading idea)

The first sentence in this passage sets the stage for what follows and reveals a message about unity and strength that Trump attempts to deliver throughout his speech. He starts by establishing “a new chapter of American Greatness”, which reiterates one major point he has been making since announcing his campaign—America will no longer be asked to do more than it can, but instead share responsibility with other countries from tackling problems like terrorism and climate change together. The next two sentences also serve as an introduction to the following content: I am here tonight…to deliver a message not just meant for you, but for the whole world”. This means Trump’s intention was to make his speech not just to the audience in attendance, but also for the whole world.

Once all of these introductory sentences have been read, Trump uses a thesis statement that has two points: “We cannot allow our nation to become a victim of economic sabotage” and “The U.S.” must take steps to protect its own national interests”. These are elements that he will build upon throughout his content. He then continues with an example on how America was being sabotaged economically by foreign countries—specifically Mexico which is sending us drugs, crime and rapists”, with another major point built off this sentence stating it’s time we get smart and stop them from ripping us apart while rebuilding American industry at the same time”. The next three paragraphs are spent elaborating on his point, and then he concludes the post with “We can’t let Mexico continue to send us drugs while it robs our country of jobs. We need a president who will defend America’s interests first.”

Persuasive Speech Example pdf Format

Sample persuasive speech on vaccination pdf version

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