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Topics for Persuasive Speeches for High School Students

Madhura Pandit
When it comes to speech topics, you have endless ideas. Here is a compilation of some good and interesting speech topics for high school students.
Some of the all-time popular or timeless speech topics are:

Effects/use of Internet

Animal rights
Gender equality
Freedom of speech and expressing one's thoughts
Same-sex marriage
Delivering a speech is not an easy task. However, one need not get intimidated by it, as with a lot of prep and practice, you can surely succeed. Speech or oratory is an art which can be developed with practice. You just need to know the proper technique and improve your skills with practice.
Persuasive speech is one of the most interesting types of speeches. It differs from an ordinary informative speech as the speaker needs to persuade the audience to have a particular viewpoint. Hence, the speaker himself must have a thorough knowledge of the speech topic of his/her speech in order to convince the audience effectively.
Although it may seem tempting to go for the contemporary issues, it is always better to go for the subject of one's interest for an effective speech. Having some background information about the subject, or talking about something that you genuinely like or believe in, always helps.
Here is our list of persuasive speech ideas for students. You can look for the topic you like, choose a contemporary one, or simply take a cue from the list, modify it and come up with something of your own.
Good Persuasive Speech Topics for High School Students
  • Is imprisonment an effective punishment?
  • Should body piercing/tattooing be banned?
  • Should learning foreign language be made mandatory in schools?
  • Are chat rooms safe?
  • Is censorship effective/appropriate?
  • Teachers should be paid according to performance.
  • Press rights/freedom of press should be severed.
  • Human cloning is a boon/bane.
  • Ban on mobile phones in certain areas.
  • Should paparazzi be banned?
  • Gender equality is a must in every nation.
  • Severe eligibility criteria should be set for diplomats and statesmen.
  • Use of arms is essential for personal security in high tension areas.
  • Should casinos be banned?
  • Computers should be provided for free to students.
  • Ban on keeping certain animals as pets.
  • Juvenile criminals should be subjected to psychiatrist treatment.
  • Proper diet and sleep is very essential.
  • Use of fireworks should be banned.
  • Juvenile criminals should be sentenced like adult criminals.
  • Sex education should be mandatory in schools.
  • Vaccinations should be made compulsory.
  • Wrestling/boxing should be banned.
  • Immigration laws should be severed/relaxed.
  • Use of animals for any form of entertainment should be banned.
  • Voting should be mandatory.
  • Use of solar power should be made mandatory in tropical regions.
  • Drinking should not be permitted without a license.
  • People should be made aware of pollution and its harmful effects.
  • There should be a standardized system of measurement all over the world.
Interesting Persuasive Speech Topics for High School Students
  • Which is better: Hamlet or Macbeth?
  • Paper is the most useful thing on the Earth.
  • Being a single parent can also be fun.
  • Life without Internet is impossible.
  • Working women face more difficulties than housewives.
  • Do ghosts exist?
  • Is there life after death?
  • Unsolicited phone calls/junk mail be banned.
  • Use of artificial sweeteners.
  • Do movies actually inspire people?
  • Fad diets can be life-threatening.
  • Tipping for service should be banned.
  • Charity/community service should be made compulsory.
  • Is Internet dating harmful?
  • Small towns/villages are better than metro cities.
  • Finance education should be compulsory in high school.
  • Safety measures in college laboratories.
  • Beauty pageants set false rules on beauty.
  • All citizens in the world should have the right to practice any religion.
  • Advancement in technology is a boon/bane for children.
These speech topics can also be used for writing persuasive essays.
While preparing for a speech or writing an essay, make sure you include evidence, statistics, and recent data to make a good impression. Lastly, remember that a thorough research, deep knowledge, and confidence can help you be a successful speaker.