Your Key to Success: Fun Persuasive Speech Topics

Teaching argumentation and persuasion skills is an important part of the English curriculum. It doesn’t have to be all grind and no fun, though. Having these fun persuasive speech topics ready-to-go may be just the formative assessment, impromptu speech assignment, or team-building activity that you need!

I’ve found that speech-making using unique topics for speech to persuade an audience can be a fun way to engage students even during an argumentative writing or rhetorical analysis unit. 

And speech topics to persuade don’t have to be the traditional, one-by-one, in front of the class type of speech.

• Students can use Vocaroo, Canva, or even Flip to record. 
• Alternatively, students can create mockumentaries, infomercials, vlogs, or campaign speeches using WeVideo. 
• Or, have students write and share a complaint letter, sell a random object to a random audience, advocate to save a silly law, or write an emotion letter.

These speaking activities provide nontraditional ways to formatively assess students’ grasp of claim and counterclaim, as well as rhetorical appeals and devices. 

As a bonus, these persuasive activities can be quite entertaining.

Have you ever heard a teenager try to sell a Michael Scott bobblehead to the retired whale watchers society? I rest my case.

Persuasive speech topics non controversial

Another fun and non-controversial speech activity is to assign students to take a frivolous lawsuit to trial. Because these cases are so off-the-wall bizarre, taking the cases to trial proves to be interesting and engaging for students. 

Take, for example, the case of the woman who spilled McDonald’s coffee on her leg. Should she receive compensation? Individuals or teams of students take sides, do a bit of research on the original frivolous lawsuit, figure out an angle, conduct more research (such as regular coffee temperature, past McDonald’s lawsuits, etc.), and prepare arguments as the defense or prosecution. This speech topics to persuade assignment never disappoints!

Persuasive Speech Topics Lists

In the event that you are still looking for a more traditional list of fun persuasive speech topics high school students will love, I’ve got you covered. 

This list of 91 persuasive speech ideas will save you hours of trolling the interwebs searching for just the right topics. I’ve even categorized them for you. Easy peasy.

Persuasive speech topics funny

1. SpongeBob SquarePants would make a better President than Mickey Mouse.
2. The chicken crossed the road because…
3. Square is the new circle.
4. Sleeping is a competitive sport. 
5. Bulldogs are better than sheepdogs. 
6. Guilt tastes better than fear.
7. I should receive a gold medal for ___________.
8. Smartphones are portals to another dimension.
9. It’s dangerous to own a pet slug. 
10. We are aliens. 
11. Cats should run the world.  
12. Is Shakespeare dead? 
13. Sisters are better than brothers. 
14. Humpty Dumpty is not a tragedy. 
15. How to avoid embarrassment 
16. Three-year-olds are secret spies. 
17. Squirrels are evil.
18. My _________ would win a ___________ contest.
19. _________ is more interesting than _________.  
20. Children should rule the world.
21. E-vacations can replace real ones.

Persuasive speech topics on sports

1. Notre Dame football is really a cult. 
2. Phil Jackson is the greatest coach of all time. 
3. The NFL should tighten concussion rules. 
4. Is ballet an art form or a sport? 
5. Instant replay is hurting the game.
6. Fans should be censored.
7. Ads should be on jerseys. 
8. College athletes should be paid. 
9. The NBA is better than the NHL.
10. College athletes should put academics before athletics.

Persuasive speech topics on health

1. Parents should be required to feed children healthy food. 
2. Milk does a body good. 
3. Flu shots should be mandatory. 
4. Public schools should educate children about mental health issues. 
5. GMO foods are less healthy than natural foods.
6. Energy drinks should be labeled as a “drug.”
7. Organ donation should be mandatory. 
8. Healthcare should be accessible for all. 
9. Physical education should not be required in public schools.
10. Smoking in public should be banned.

Persuasive speech topics on animals

1. Pet ownership teaches responsibility. 
2. Americans love their pets more than humans. 
3. Declawing is inhumane. 
4. Humans need animals in order to be healthy. 
5. It is selfish to own more than one pet. 
6. Dogs are better than cats. 
7. If an animal bites someone, it should be euthanized.
8. Wild animals should stay wild.
9. Using animals in medical research is necessary. 
10. Antibiotics should not be given to animals.

Persuasive speech topics on music

1. Teachers should play music in their classrooms to help students focus. 
2. Every child should be required to play an instrument for at least one year.
3. Music is the best form of communication.
4. Music with offensive lyrics should not be played on the radio. 
5. Taylor Swift is a better singer than Ariana Grande. 
6. Musical genres don’t even matter anymore. 
7. “Let it Be” is the most overrated Beatles song. 
8. Beyonce is a cult leader. 
9. Marilyn Manson is the most disturbing figure in music history. 
10. Streaming music harms the careers of new artists.

Persuasive speech topics technology

1. The use of social media causes narcissistic traits. 
2. Do violent video games like call of duty and others cause people to become aggressive/violent?
3. Post-production modifications like auto-tune should be banned. 
4. Technology makes human behavior more robotic.
5. Adult innuendos in kid shows should be discontinued. 
6. Technology complicates life instead of making it easier.
7. Web filters 
8. Cell phones are addictive. 
9. What you can do to save yourself from being destroyed by social media.
10. Technology makes us more alone.

Persuasive speech topics education/teen life

1. Online education or blended learning is better than traditional classroom learning.
2. Schools should not require physical education classes. 
3. Schools should be required to teach creationism and evolution. 
4. Students should be allowed to go on strike. 
5. Students should be paid if they make the honor roll. 
6. Recess and nap time should be allowed, even in high school.
7. School is designed for extroverts. 
8. Teen angst is a healthy phase. 
9. “Ok boomer” is a slur.
10. Web filters at school are too restrictive.

Persuasive speech topics environment

1. Everyone should compost waste products. 
2. There should be limited access to single-use plastics. 
3. It’s simple to “go green.”
4. People should be fined for not recycling or for producing excess garbage.
5. Should uranium enrichment be legal? 
6. Greta Thunburg is making a positive impact.
7. Private cars should be forbidden in large cities.
8. The world would be a better place without humans.
9. Drinking water should be fluoridated. 
10. Having children is a bad idea in today’s society.

Like I said, as teachers, we never know when these persuasive speech topics will be useful, and it’s always good to help students avoid worn-out topics and choose fun, unique ones instead.

Sometimes, the best fun persuasive speech topics come in the context of my course content. For example, if I’m having students listen to Megan Rapinoe’s World Cup Parade speech, I could follow this rhetorical analysis lesson with a quick debate about equal pay in women’s soccer or about whether or not she is a “good” role model. 

I hope this post has you thinking about fun ways to build persuasive speaking skills in your classroom! Which speech topics to persuade idea is your favorite? Leave a comment below!

Ideas for Teaching Rhetoric

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