Persuasive Speech Topics: How To Waste A Ton Of Time Online

If you have managed to get to this article, the chances are great that you have been searching for persuasive speech topics.

Please allow me to tell you right now that you might as well be looking for the mailing address for the tooth fairy.

Sure, you can find a ton of websites online with list after list of topics that have been deemed “persuasive speech topics”.

But here’s the real deal…

It’s not the topic that makes a speech persuasive – it’s the presenter and their delivery of their speech or presentation. Hear me out and I will save you a TON of time.

As you surf the Internet looking for that “special” persuasive speech topic, keep these things in mind if you REALLY want to deliver a killer speech that persuades your audience (and gets you a good grade if you are doing this for school):

1. ANY topic can be a persuasive speech topic IF you have interest, enthusiasm and passion about the topic.

2. It will ALWAYS be your delivery of the speech, not the topic, that persuades your audience, whether you are in 8th grade, a politician or a speaking professional.

3. As you find list after list of persuasive topics online, pay close attention to those topic titles that REALLY spark your interest to the point that you are willing to spend the time to conduct additional research on information related to that topic.

4. Don’t be afraid to use your sense of humor as you are presenting your topic. Studies have shown that there is a 50% increase in memory retention among audience members if you generate laughter during your speech or presentation.

Having your audience actually remember what you said is a HUGE factor in persuading an audience with your speech or presentation topic.

5. Don’t offend your audience with your views on any particular topic. Offended audiences are not persuaded—exactly the opposite occurs.

6. Present “both sides” of the argument when presenting your persuasive speech or presentation. This will automatically give you an air of experience, credibility and display to the audience that you did your homework before presenting your persuasive speech topic.

7. Ask questions during your presentation. If you really want to persuade an audience, ask them questions that they can only answer in an affirmative way to the key points that you provide in your speech.

I would also highly recommend that if you really want to persuade an audience that you:

1. Keep constant eye contact with your audience. This is a HUGE factor that affects the level of confidence that an audience perceives you to have.

2. Rehearse your persuasive speech or presentation extensively in advance.

3. Don’t just be another “talking head”, merely spouting out facts and figures in a mechanical way. Your body language, facial expressions, and voice tone inflections represent a whopping 93% of the effectiveness of your communication with an audience.

4. Use personal stories or relevant news stories to support your persuasive speech topic points or positions.

If you want to use funny, strange or unusual news stories to do this, you may want to check out the Comedy Fuel System that I developed.

Interest, enthusiasm, belief and passion are the real keys to delivering a persuasive speech topic—it’s not the topic.