270 Persuasive Speech Topics for Any Assignment

Introduction

So, you must write a persuasive speech and are bereft of ideas. There are so many topics, but will you write a speech that resonates with your audience? First, every paper writer must know their audience, who they are writing for, and what issue they want to be persuasive on. Persuasive speeches can be fun to write, but require research, as well as personal passion.

Good Persuasive Speech Topics

Is obesity really tied to health outcomes?
Does fat shamming make people lose weight?
Does the average person know what foods are good for us – some misconceptions.
Marriage expectations have changed in the US compared to other countries.
Does getting a job as a teenager prepare us for adulthood?
Should the retirement age be raised just because we live longer?
Living in the country versus living in the city promotes a longer life.
Why do people who are married live longer? Is marriage good for us?
Should older people adopt a senior dog to help each other live longer?
Do the schools need to teach sex, gender identification, and other controversial topics?

Easy Persuasive Speech Topics

Why are there health benefits of petting a dog or cat, and can it lower blood pressure and increase social skills?
Should children be taught finance in school?
Should children be given chores when they are under 10?
Should children receive an allowance each week, and do they need to earn it?
What if every dog park had a dog washing station?
Taxes should not be imposed on capital gains from selling a house.
Women work harder than men, as they often have a "second shift" when they return home.
Should non-violent drug sellers be sentenced to life under the "3 strikes" laws?
The value of buying a house versus renting.
Should children of bilingual parents be taught a second language from birth?

Fun Persuasive Speech Topics

There are benefits to learning non-traditional forms of art, rather than just painting.
Having a small garden is fun, but it's not cheaper than buying food.
Adopting a "grandparent" in a nursing home that doesn't have family can be a rewarding experience.
Why visiting a museum is an enriching experience.
Why does using self-checkouts feel like you are working for the store?
Why is delivery better than going shopping in the store?
Should male children be taught traditionally female housekeeping skills?
Should girls be taught skills to work on their own cars?
Why is having your children when you are younger better?
Why do children want fast food rather than vegetables?

Best Persuasive Speech Topics

How do we create a better environmental impact?
Why are toxic waste dumps often located in lower socio-economic neighborhoods, yet it is not often discussed?
Recycling is a hot topic, but we often overlook how frequently we discard our clothing for the latest fashion trends.
Could we be doing better and look to the future of recycling our waste?
Should every child receive vaccinations?
Should every person over 50 receive vaccinations?
How men and women communicate differently and why that can be a problem in relationships
Waiting until 30 to get married and living alone for at least 3 years.
Does renting hinder the average American from accruing wealth?
Why older women need to marry younger men.

Funny Persuasive Speech Topics

Why are older people not as good at interpreting slang language as teens are?
Should there be parenting classes for adults with teenagers?
Why does having younger friends keep us feeling younger?
Why does having a couple of older friends give us perspective on our own future?
What would we do without our cell phones for one day? Week?
Should social media shut down for one week a year to give everyone a mandatory break?
Why does every teenager need to work on a farm for their summer vacation?
Does every teenager need to take home the "living baby" from their high school for a few days to illustrate parenthood?
Should daycare be government-subsidized so that everyone can work?
Why sewing and cooking should be required for boys and girls in high school.

Interesting Persuasive Speech Topics

Are AI, bots, and other robotic functions out of hand? Is AI really accurate?
Why AI should not be used for homework, and the merits of searching for answers.
Why should we care who is training AI?
Why self-driving cars might not be the best idea.
Should there be self-driving Ubers and Taxis?
Is an AI dog really a companion pet?
Should every K-12 student be required to take Spanish?
Why should children be taught their own culture?
Should there be a multicultural day in the US where communities celebrate with music, food, and parades?
Should the President and White House celebrate every religious holiday?

Unique Persuasive Speech Topics

Is reality TV really real?
Should reality shows be banned?
Should reality shows be rebranded, not as reality shows, but as scripted, almost real shows?
Should women change their last name when they get married?
Should children be taught dance as a form of exercise like other sports?
Can herbal medicines be good for people?
Should everyone need to take a gun safety course for handguns?
Should the voting age be lowered to 16 and registration coincide with getting a driver's license?
Why teachers should teach cursive writing.
Are there more autistic children now, and why?

Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics

Is the death penalty a deterrent to future crimes?
Why legalization of certain drugs is/isn't a great idea.
Is it okay to talk on a cell phone while in a waiting room?
Should there be laws, like the no-texting-while-driving laws, about when it is permissible to use a cell phone?
Should employees be allowed to work a 4-day work week?
Should employees be able to choose to work from home if employers don't provide daycare?
Are prenuptial agreements good for all or most married couples, even if they don't have assets?
Should we be playing God with stem cell research?
Those convicted of being a pedophile should be locked up for life.
Should a woman be legally required to tell a man she is pregnant with his child?

Great Persuasive Speech Topics

Why we need to stop stigmatizing mental health diagnoses and treat them more like medical illnesses.
Erecting a specialized free school for students with autism that helps them progress.
Community awareness of homelessness and ideas for communities to come together and assist those in need.
Mandatory education classes in the prisons for those who will be leaving after serving their sentence.
Every child and adult should be taught to swim and survival techniques for escaping a submerged car.
When will there be racial equality in the United States?
Does gender matter at work?
Why should the average person be in contact with their US representatives on controversial matters?
Weight loss surgery and drugs should be free if someone has a BMI over 30.
Why is obesity a disease and not laziness?

Creative Persuasive Speech Topics

Should we have a designated welcoming committee for aliens?
Is there a plan for making sure aliens don't blow up the Earth?
Is our space trash making the aliens mad?
Why do we need to be very careful in collecting samples from the melting permafrost – what if there is a hidden disease?
Why art is essential to learning math and other mandated topics.
Should STEM be STEAM?
Should Internet access for lower socio-economic families be free?
Should those receiving food stamps have an acceptable list of foods they can purchase?
Should the driving age, the voting age, the age to drink alcohol, and the age to serve in the military be the same?
Should families that are lower socio-economic and receive food stamps and other government assistance receive a voucher for one free pair of shoes per child?

Persuasive Speech Ideas by Academic Level

Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

How to select a career that is both fulfilling and pays well.
Why do you need to work part-time while you are in college?
Living on campus versus living off campus.
Community colleges build character and provide a more affordable starting point for education.
Why are advanced degrees becoming more necessary?
How to stay safe while taking night classes.
How to find your passion, rather than just a job.
Failure is an option, but not your defining moment.
Does everyone need a college degree?
Why is studying in college different than studying in high school?

Persuasive Speech Topics for High School

Who are you, and who do you want to be as an adult?
Do you think you need college? Why?
The difference between jobs and careers, and the pay difference.
Why is social media addictive, and why does it cause depression?
"There is Life after High School."
Are you a bully?
Kindness matters, good grades matter, being involved matters, but the people who label you, bully you, or make fun of you cease to matter after high school.
Safe dating: tips for having a good time and being safe.
Should parents be allowed to access their high school students' phones and texts without a warrant?
Violent video games: does this blow off steam or damage the brain?

Persuasive Speech Topics for Middle School

Don't be the bully.
Internet safety and identifying sex offenders in your neighborhood.
Why being kind isn't being weak.
Why is it important to spend time with your grandparents?
Staying safe and being aware of adults with bad intentions.
Why is it important to join community activities?
Why is it important to join activities at school?
How drugs change your relationships with your family and community.
Should all students get a participation award?
How to handle embarrassment.

Persuasive Speech Topics for Kids

Why homework is fun and can help you with better grades.
Why should we limit tablet and computer gaming time and spend more time outdoors?
Why grandparents and time spent with them matter, even if they are in a nursing home. If they are out of state or in another city, FaceTime is important.
How art helps you with other subjects.
Why getting your way all the time is not a good thing.
Being kind to those who are different from you is important for you.
When telling the teacher on another kid isn't snitching?
Understanding what parents want.
Is your friend very important to you?
Why cleaning up after yourself is important.

Topics for Persuasive Speech by Subject

Sports Persuasive Speech Topics

Meeting your hero can be disappointing.
Team names and mascots should reflect cultural sensitivity and respect.
Should sports figures make what "Real" people make?
Do we purchase products endorsed by sports figures?
Should sports seasons overlap?
Should sports figures be required to work with children from lower socio-economic backgrounds in their hometowns?
Why sports figures should be required to give 5% of their income, or more, to charities they support.
Should signing autographs be prohibited after games? Or should sports figures be required to sign autographs for 20 minutes after each game for fans?
Should sports be co-ed?
Should female athletes make the same large salaries as their male counterparts when their events are not as well attended?

Persuasive Speech Topics About Mental Health

Why was deinstitutionalization a bad idea, and why was it the burden of housing those with mental illness?
Why the jail isn't the place for the mentally ill.
Are the homeless our mentally ill in disguise?
The jails and the prisons have now become the alternative housing for the mentally ill, and they are not prepared.
Should the most severely mentally ill be provided with housing and care?
Why is there a need to return to mental hospitals with long-term stays?
Should mental health centers be required to do more for the homeless in the community?
Should general practitioners be trained to treat mental illnesses so that individuals are not stigmatized by having to go to a separate doctor?
Why every doctor's office needs a psychologist for patient care.
Why children exhibiting antisocial behavioral patterns need to be removed from their homes.

Policy Persuasive Speech Topics

Mandatory voting for anyone over the age of 18, including Internet voting.
Mandatory recycling, as in Germany, where non-compliance is met with fines that are used to rebuild lost habits.
Why is there a need for a redefinition of poverty in the United States?
Should minimum wage be a living wage?
Campaign mailings and advertisements should be limited to two months before elections rather than 1 year.
Should the Federal Government be allowed to shut down just because the parties disagree on the budget?
Every state should make recall elections easier when a politician fails to act in the best interest of their state.
Should the presidential term be longer or unlimited?
Should immigration policies be revised?
Should affirmative action policies be reversed in employment?

Persuasive Speech Topics About Music

Rap and other music from the streets, while raw, is authentic and necessary for expressing the feelings of those who are marginalized today.
Music that includes violence and sexually explicit lyrics should not be sold or made available on any streaming platforms without those words being removed, since children of all ages are exposed to it through streaming platforms.
Music should be played while children are at school in the lunchrooms, classrooms, and during study times. This will help them stay calmer and value music more in their lives.
Should music history be taught in the school systems along with math and reading?
How calming music helps with mental health.
Should calming music be played at different times in jails and prisons?
Should all students be allowed to play a musical instrument in school without a parent having to purchase the instrument?
Should all students be taught how to compose music?
Children should be taken to concerts (age and sound appropriate) to expand their knowledge of music.
Do violent lyrics cause violence?

Persuasive Speech Topics About Animals

There is a difference between service animals and emotional support animals, but should they have the same privileges?
Should large public venues have an indoor bathroom for service animals?
Are dogs not the only animals capable of providing this level of support for their humans?
Could a cat, monkey, or snake be just as good for service animals?
Where do we draw the line on the variety of supports, or even end it if someone is allergic to your service animal?
Should every classroom have a pet that students need to care for on a daily basis?
Should every high school student be required to work in an animal shelter or a private shelter to understand the number of animals that are abandoned?
Should dogs be allowed to be with their dying owners in a hospital?
Should all hotels and motels be animal-friendly?
Why small breeds are just as good as larger breeds as service animals.

Persuasive Speech Topics About Social Media

Should there be an age limit to join social media, and should it be set at 18?
Why is cyberbullying just as harmful as in-person bullying?
There should be a separate social media platform for expressing political views to prevent them from cluttering mainstream social media sites.
Discussing your problems on social media can be cathartic.
Why the government should use social media to keep the public informed on congressional bills.
Should ads be limited on social media?
Should social media etiquette be taught in school?
Users on social media should be required to take an ethics tutorial before joining these platforms.
Does there need to be a Facebook for those under 18? Youth book?
Should adults post their infants' and children's pictures on social media with so many pedophiles watching and copying the picture?

Business Persuasive Speech Topics

Why you should use other people's money to fund your start-up.
What are the responsibilities of crowdfunding?
Creeping credentialism and why you should stay aware and participate in getting and keeping certifications.
Why banks should support small businesses launching new ventures in their area, rather than relying solely on a person's credit score.
Why does an e-commerce start-up need to be funded at the same rate as a brick-and-mortar?
Students need to have a senior project that involves starting a viable business as a team.
Why it is important to invest in the stock market and how to do it with just $20 as a starting point.
Why art is also a business.
Should Chambers of Commerce be required to help businesses merge when there are multiple businesses of the same type in their community?
Why every employee needs to be taught profit and loss for the business.

Persuasive Speech Topics About Health

Why do people feel guilty about dedicating time to self-care?
Alternative self-care can include alternative medicines, chiropractic medicine, massages, meditation, Yoga, Mani-Pedis, red light facial treatments, and general facials.
Why is good mental health important?
Should doctors be required to spend more time with their patients rather than 10 minutes per visit?
Should more doctors be advised to specialize as per community needs?
Should the government subsidize the health care system?
Should every employer with over 10 employees be required to offer "good" insurance?
Is socialized medicine the answer to the health care problem?
Should every care provider be required to accept what the insurance company pays and not charge the patient the excess?
If there were more in-home healthcare, fewer people would need to go to a nursing home.

Persuasive Speech Topics About Food

Why parents need to teach their children about healthy relationships regarding food.
Children and adults don't just eat when they are hungry; they eat when they are bored or can't think of anything else to do.
How to read a food label and what ingredients are harmful to us.
Why do children want McDonald's rather than their mom's cooking?
Is there a real difference between organic foods and non-organic foods, and does it matter?
Should the US increase the importation of healthy food from other countries? Limit?
Are vegans healthier?
Should we teach portion control in school prior to adulthood?
In the land of plenty, why are there food insecurities?
Do those who "find" food in the dumpsters and cook it suffer related illnesses?

Education Persuasive Speech Topics

Why is doing away with End of Grade testing good for children?
Prohibit participation awards
Give larger amounts of money to those schools that are underperforming rather than the other way around.
Are learning disabilities more prevalent in schools?
Is the US education model the best in the world?
Why is it so hard to get raises for teachers that keep them competitive?
Could colleges and universities reduce their costs?
Should textbooks be less expensive now that many of them are online?
It is time to extend the school year, as children are no longer needed on the farms. This will assist with better learning.
Businesses could be required to pay for K-5 field trips for child enrichment.

Agriculture Persuasive Speech Topics

Should the government subsidize American growers and give incentives for them to grow more crops?
Using abandoned warehouses for NFT and Aqua farming or aquaponics that are not reliant on farmland, but on growing in water, with grow lamps.
Should farmers receive a stipend from the government to farm or expand farming?
Farming needs to be a topic taught in the school system.
There needs to be a subsidy for animal breeding and husbandry.
Chicken production and other edible foods should not be given growth hormones or any substances that cause them to mature prematurely.
Unsellable fruit and vegetables (just blemished, not rotten) should be donated to food banks or outreach centers serving lower socio-economic populations.
Should the government limit the overproduction of some farming products while asking farmers to increase others?
Why agri-business is big business.
Should the SBA give more money to farm start-ups?

Persuasive Speech Topics: Social Issues

Should prisons warehouse non-violent offenders when they are reaching capacity?
The criminal justice field is biased against minorities; therefore, more minority men are incarcerated.
Why "who" the victim is matters in society.
Victim impact statements are allowed in some courtrooms, but an argument can be made that these are statements of emotion in trials that are based on logic. Should those statements be considered when sentencing the offender?
Should euthanasia be allowed in the United States, or should one have the right to do so if one is terminal?
Should incarcerated married adults be allowed conjugal visits?
Should there be a separate prison for women who are pregnant, where they give birth and are allowed to have their children with them?
Why every prisoner needs to be in school and working a job in prison.
Why children should be taught tolerance (race, culture, religion, etc.) in the school system.
Why is caring for pets and strays a social issue?

Conclusion

These are just a few of the topics that might interest you. There are many others that you might want to explore. Remember to keep it relevant to your audience, speak with passion, as it is a persuasive speech, and never give a speech on a topic you are not familiar with.

And if you don’t know when to start, you might want to read our post on how to write a speech. For more inspiration, check out our post with topics for a public speech.