16.1: Appendix A
- Page ID
- 55012
Persuasive Speech Topic Ideas
Environmental Topics
- Citizens should try to reuse items before recycling them
- The U.S. should ban mountaintop removal as a mode of harvesting coal.
- Contemporary climate change is human-caused.
- Governmental funding for clean energy should be increased.
- All municipalities should offer public transportation.
- The U.S. should ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
- Bottled water should undergo the same quality testing as municipal water.
- Preservation is a better environmental sustainability model than is conservation.
- Hunting should be banned on all public lands.
Social Justice Topics
- The right to marry should be extended to gays and lesbians.
- Abortion should be illegal.
- State colleges should be free to attend.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. was the most influential leader of the civil rights movement
- The death penalty should be abolished.
- Convicted rapists should be sentenced to the death penalty.
- Women should receive equal pay for equal work.
- Affirmative action does not work and should be ended.
- Individuals and communities affected by environmental injustices should receive compensation.
Campus Life
- Dorm rooms should have individual thermostats.
- Professors’ office hours should be held at reasonable hours, not 7 a.m. on Mondays.
- Free coffee should be provided in all classroom buildings before noon.
- Student fees at universities are too high.
- Dining halls should provide nutritional information for all meals.
- Student government leaders should host regular forums to answer questions from the general student population.
- Plagiarism should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
Everyday Life Topics
- The legal drinking age should be lowered to 18.
- Frequent flyers should not be required to remove their shoes in airport security lines.
- Eating five meals a day is better than eating three.
- Smoking should be illegal in all public areas.
- Gmail is the best email service.
- All restaurants should offer vegan and vegetarian options or substitutes.
- Netflix and Hulu are better ways to watch movies and television shows.
- ATM fees should be outlawed.
- Proximity to religious facilities should have no bearing on alcohol sales.
Economic Topics
- Social security benefits should be guaranteed for those who pay in to the program.
- All multi-year jobs should include pension plans.
- The U.S. should spend less on wars and more on education.
- Everyone should be required to pay an equal percentage of taxes.
- A consumption tax is more just than an income tax.
- The minimum wage in the U.S. is too low.
- Multi-million dollar bonuses for corporate executives are unjust because they preclude better wages/reduced prices for others.
Organizing and Outlining
EXAMPLE PREPARATION (Full Sentence) OUTLINE SAMPLE INTRODUCTION SPEECH
INTRODUCTION:
Attention Getter: By looking at me, you might think I’m just a middle aged white woman, but we’ve all heard you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover!
Central Idea (Thesis): Diversity and experience have made me the person that I am, and sharing this with you will help you see beyond the surface and learn more about who I am.
Credibility/Relevance: Obviously, I know myself well enough to talk about myself, but you’d be surprised how one person’s experience can actually help you in your own life.
Preview: First, I’m going to tell you about my background and family. Then, I’m going to tell you about the main hobbies in my life. Finally, I’m going to tell you about a really sad and scary incident that happened when I was just 19 years old.
BODY:
- First, let me tell you a little about my background and family.
- I’m a first-generation American, born to parents who came to the United States from China during the late 1930’s.
- I have one older brother who is in the medical field.
- I’m married to my husband of 30 years.
- I have two children: a son who lives in the UK with his family, and a daughter who is a college professor.
- Internal Summary/Preview: Now that you know a little about my background and family, let me tell you about my special hobbies.
- In my spare time, I have hobbies that involve party planning and crafting.
- I own enough fine China, crystal stemware, silver flatware, napkins, napkin rings, chair covers, sashes, and more to do a party for 150 people.
- I have thrown wedding showers, baby showers, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and other special events like birthdays celebrating milestone years.
- Though I don’t charge for my services, maybe someday that will become a business for me.
- I also enjoy hobbies that tap into my creative side.
- I do chalk painting, which is a special paint that is used to go over any surface.
- I also repurpose furniture by turning a piece into something different than it was originally.
- Internal Summary/Preview: So, now that you know about my background and family, and my special hobbies, let me tell you about one of the scariest and saddest events in my young adult life.
- I own enough fine China, crystal stemware, silver flatware, napkins, napkin rings, chair covers, sashes, and more to do a party for 150 people.
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At the age of 19, I learned that a “friend” of my brother and our family, was more than he professed to be.
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After being friends for two years, we found out a terrible secret about my brother’s friend Paul.
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We thought we knew all we had to know: Paul was a Sheriff’s deputy, and third year law student.
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Paul was a friend who came over to our house all the time; and hung out with us, or sometimes just me.
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One day we opened up the newspaper only to read that Paul had been arrested on several counts of rape, and that the “ski mask rapist” had been caught.
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He was caught coming out of the apartment of the last woman he had raped.
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He was carrying the ski mask in his hand.
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That day I learned never to judge a book by its cover.
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Conclusion
Summary: Today, I’ve shared a little bit about myself. I told you about my background and family, my hobbies, and about my experience in learning that things aren’t always as they seem.
Closing Statement: I hope next time you encounter something you think is obvious, you’ll look twice before passing judgment.