290 Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

For a good persuasive speech, choose a topic that seems easy and catchy to you.

For an excellent persuasive speech, the first thing to do is to find a catchy topic. Oh, are you looking for such? Our article provides the easiest persuasive speech topics for college students.

Easy because they are unique, controversial, funny, & discuss the most acute issues. We’ve also added some tips and examples to make your preparation even more exciting.

Already intrigued?

Let’s move on without further ado!

πŸ” Speech Topics for College Students 2024

  1. Should all school graduates take a gap year before applying to university?
  2. Vaccination can stop wearing masks.
  3. Should compliments from strangers be accepted as harassment endeavors?
  4. Does watching TikTok videos reduce our attention span?
  5. People need to stop traveling by plane due to global warming?
  6. It is harmful to the kids to listen to modern rappers’ songs.
  7. Should such significant events as Burning Man and Cannes be banned in 2024?
  8. We need to rethink enjoying movies with actors accused of sexual assault.
  9. Why e-smoking should be banned In public places
  10. Gun control should become stricter than it is today.
  11. Is it necessary to construct the wall between Mexico and America?
  12. Should we start taking cryptocurrency seriously these days?
  13. Do we need to reconsider our privacy and stop taking photos on smartphones?
  14. Does the medical drugs policy need to become less tight for ill people?
  15. Trailer Park residents need to be provided with new lodgings by the government.
  16. Kids should be taught how to manage finances at school.
  17. Should cursing on the Internet be banned?
  18. The government authorities cannot continue spending money on warfare.
  19. Eurovision contestants have to be tested for drugs before the competition.
  20. Public institutions should provide prayer rooms for those who are into religion.
  21. Do kids need to have mandatory ethics and etiquette courses at schools?
  22. Should tattooed people be rated as insufficiently professional?
  23. Do such movies like “50 Shades of Grey” romanticize violence?
  24. Can mindfulness practices be equated with full-value traditional psychotherapy?
  25. Is it OK to censor social media platforms?
  26. Is the higher education fee reasonable and justified?
  27. Should the USA participate in regulations of other countries conflicts?
  28. Cancel culture should be canceled?

πŸ“ What Is Persuasive Speech?

Oh, it seems we’ve missed something essential.

In the section below, you’ll learn about persuasive speech definition and outline. You’ll also find many topics that are short, fun, and relevant for 2024!

Persuasive Speech Definition

Persuasive speech aims to alter your audience’s attitude towards some controversial and acute topic. It is your message to the listeners when you have a firm opinion on a particular issue and want to deliver it most effectively.

You’re going to need some working tools for accomplishing that.

The most significant pillars of a good persuasive speech are the following:

  • A claim is a central idea, the message you’re carrying, and the statement you’re making on a particular problem.
  • Evidence – with its help, you will back your claim up. You will need solid arguments to appeal to the listeners, right?
  • A warrant is an implicit connection between the parts mentioned above. It’s usually a bit under the surface, so you have to make logical conclusions.

Outline of a Persuasive Speech

OK, now let’s dig a little deeper into the structure of an excellent persuasive speech. But, first, what does it look like?

1️⃣Introduction with a hookAn introduction with an engaging hook is a must. You need to draw the attention of your audience right away. So try to start with a little-known, mind-blowing hook to engage the listeners in the topic.
2️⃣Claim/Thesis statementA thesis statement or claim – make your main idea clear for the audience. What are you standing for?
3️⃣EvidenceSolid evidence will be composed in three verbal paragraphs with specific examples in each of them. Explain why the problem relates to the listeners and what benefit they get from resolving it.
4️⃣WarrantMake sure your evidence has a consistent connection with the claim.
5️⃣ConclusionA conclusion may contain a call to action. For example, you would like your listeners to change not only their attitude but also their habits. It also summarizes your evidence into a logical unity.
The image depicts 5 key components of a persuasive speech.

Persuasive Speech Tips

The year 2023 has passed; it’s 2024 in full swing; everybody wants straightforward lifehacks to any problem or task.

Well, students, here are the most helpful tips for delivering your persuasive speech:

  • Appeal to Ethos, Logos, and Pathos in your speech.
  • Develop Ethos by drawing reliable sources, telling true stories, and using proper vocabulary and speech patterns.
  • Logos help you make the structure of your message logical and sequential. It relates to reasoning, making conclusions out of certain information.
  • With the help of Pathos, you can influence the emotions and senses of your listeners.
  • Try to avoid logical mistakes and express your ideas consistently.
  • Use the power of your voice: intonation, pitch levels, stress are your right-hand tools.

πŸŽ“ 22 Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

If you study at college, you may be looking for persuasive speech topics for college students.

Alright, we won’t be playing at anything now!

Check this:

  1. Should smoking be strictly forbidden on campuses?
  2. Is it ethical to skip classes that you are not interested in?
  3. Does the government need to care about low-income students more?
  4. International students better study separately.
  5. Higher education has to be mandatory for everyone.
  6. Prospective university students need to take a gap year after graduating from high school.
  7. Is money-making or vocation the essential factor when choosing a career?
  8. Should college students have longer holidays?
  9. Morality classes need to be included in the college curriculum.
  10. Mental health awareness classes are necessary for the college curriculum.
  11. Financial literacy needs to become a mandatory major in colleges.
  12. Is it ethical to cheat on an exam?
  13. Would it be more efficient to make education completely distant?
  14. Public transport has to be free for college students.
  15. Should regular textbooks be replaced with modern interactive devices like iPads?
  16. Is it ethical to use your smartphone during the lecture?
  17. Do we need to make handwritten notes mandatory for students in class?
  18. Should the government provide students with better options than student loans?

🌾 Agriculture Persuasive Speech Topics

Ladies and gentlemen, we are happy to present the first set of topics to you! Use these agriculture persuasive speech topics to talk about various issues occurring in the rural world.

  1. Should the government encourage young people to stay in rural areas?
  2. Should the wide use of pesticides be restricted?
  3. Do farmers need to invest in modern agricultural technologies?
  4. The government needs to provide rural smallholders with modern farming equipment.
  5. Is it right that the government constantly places restrictions on agricultural development?
  6. Should farmers have an opportunity to decide on their own what and where to plant, sell and transport?
  7. Does farming damage environment?
  8. We need better training programs to prepare more qualified agricultural specialists.
  9. Is it ethical to exploit honey bees for our benefit?
  10. Is it appropriate to involve immigrants in working in rural areas?
  11. Can farmers use chemicals to control invasive species spreading?
  12. Child labor in agriculture must be prohibited.
  13. Should the federal authorities admit that horses and burros are feral animals?
  14. Seeds and stock genetic engineering need stricter control.
  15. The government and social institutions need to pay more attention to rural stress issues.
  16. It is fair to reduce property taxes in rural areas.
  17. Should petty crime convicts be involved in collecting rubbish from cropping areas?

🐈 Persuasive Speech Topics on Animals

Want to reveal the difficulties that all creatures, great and small, face during their life on Earth? Here are persuasive speech topics on animals that we have carefully prepared for you!

  1. Should drivers be more responsible for killing animals on the roads?
  2. Anti-poaching activities laws should become tighter.
  3. People need to be more ethically obligated towards biological species.
  4. Is it ethical to keep and display animals for shows in circuses?
  5. Should the government pay more attention to animals?
  6. What can be done to regulate cruel animal treatment in private stockyards?
  7. Should those who abuse animals be placed under exceptional control?
  8. Is it ecologically ethical to breed hybrids and clones of existing species?
  9. We shouldn’t spend ridiculous amounts of money on pets when there are so many animal shelters.
  10. Bullfighting and dogfighting need to be banned.
  11. Should we admit that wild animals and pets have their consciousness?
  12. Is it acceptable to dye dogs’ hair and carry out other modifications to pets?
  13. Can we raise money to save a pet if it’s terminally ill?
  14. Kids shouldn’t be shown animals in the circus.

πŸ’Ό Business Persuasive Speech Topics

Entrepreneurship, marketing, and product value are more than plain words for you? Check out our selected business persuasive topics!

  1. Are masterminds essential constituents of a successful business venture?
  2. Does launching your own business make you lonely?
  3. Is there a chance that old marketing methods are still working?
  4. Should the government give additional support to small businesses?
  5. Is it a good idea to launch a business venture with a friend or relative?
  6. Should investors interfere in the process of start-up development?
  7. Owners should provide friends and acquaintances with discounts on their products.
  8. A business owner should manage all the processes, or is it better to delegate?
  9. Business owners have to provide employees with free training programs.
  10. Should start-up owners take credit for their projects?
  11. Business management basics need to be taught at schools.
  12. Should we be concerned about others in the harsh and competing working environment?
  13. Is it ethical to hire employees from abroad with this level of unemployment?
  14. Can penalty schemes be used as a motivation tool in companies?

πŸ‘¨β€πŸŽ“οΈ Persuasive Speech Topics about Education

It’s never too late to learn! Look through our persuasive speech topics about education, and you are sure to find something you’d like to talk about!

  1. Education fees in top universities have to be reduced.
  2. Is it ethical for college professors and tutors to criticize students’ behavior and lifestyle outside college walls?
  3. College staff needs to be more liable for abuse and inappropriate behavior towards students.
  4. Should we set professional standards in the education system to ensure students possess the necessary skills before graduating from high school?
  5. Higher education institutions have to offer more simplified application conditions to international students.
  6. Should career guidance programs for high school students be developed in collaboration with universities?
  7. Class size is better made smaller for higher education quality.
  8. Is it ethical to separate talented students from their peers for individualized education?
  9. Should female students be more encouraged into science, technology, engineering, and math?
  10. Outdated teaching methods need to be replaced with new, advanced techniques.
  11. High school dropouts are better regulated on an entirely different level.
  12. Should those caught cheating be instantly dropped out of school?
  13. We should ban using technological devices at schools to reduce cheating.
  14. The traditional year-round schooling system is outdated and should be reconsidered.
  15. Should kids be encouraged to get higher education when there’s TikTok, where they earn millions of dollars?

🌍 Environmental Persuasive Speech Topics

Perhaps, here we have the most debatable topic in the whole Universe! Choose one of our environmental persuasive speech topics to present to your listeners.

  1. The use of plastic should be banned completely.
  2. Is it ethical to keep on consuming meat?
  3. Can we continue to keep stock in stockyards with awful conditions?
  4. Is it ethical to support brands that test their products on animals?
  5. The governments can’t let the vast territories of forests be cut out.
  6. If everyone starts gardening, it will contribute to planet-saving.
  7. Should we invest in environmental organizations?
  8. The U.S. is responsible for 16 percent of global CO2 emissions, and we should admit it.
  9. Mining cryptocurrency damages the environment more than we can imagine.
  10. Does it make sense to take actions against global warming when the situation is already so neglected?
  11. Should we stop supporting fast fashion and unsustainable brands?

🀯 Mental Health Persuasive Speech Topics

Study these mental health persuasive speech topics to make your audience aware of the importance of their and others’ mental state!

  1. Mental illnesses like schizophrenia or BPD should not be stigmatized by society.
  2. Should mindful practices be considered actual therapy methods?
  3. Is it necessary to ask a person you will date if they receive therapy?
  4. Do people with aggressive issues have to go through therapy?
  5. Are mental disorders a relevant excuse for committing crimes?
  6. Should the antidepressants be on free access?
  7. A person needs to see a psychotherapist when they notice the slightest traces of depression or other mental disorders.
  8. We finally should admit that mental health plays a significant role in the general well-being of society.
  9. Does the government have to provide low-income earners with proper mental health care?
  10. Should we stay away from social media to retain our mental health?
  11. Can we stay at home during the pandemic when it has so many negative impacts on our mental health?
  12. Can a partner be forgiven after a physical abuse case?
  13. Parents should keep from divorce for the sake of their children’s mental health.

🎡 Persuasive Speech Topics About Music

Do you have a clue about musical industry issues? If not, look through our persuasive speech topics about music!

  1. Can labels take over artists’ rights to their music?
  2. Should musicians go on tours and give live performances while the pandemic is still on?
  3. Is it ethical to ask your musical idol for an autograph when you come across them in a public place?
  4. Heavy metal music is the best genre.
  5. Do we need to put music through censorship?
  6. The illegal downloading of music should be severely punished.
  7. Is it appropriate for a musician to do outrageous things to capture a wider audience?
  8. Jazz is boring.
  9. The musical heritage of late artists needs to be public.
  10. Elvis Presley is the greatest singer ever.
  11. Should children be enlightened in classical music at school?
  12. Is it right to think that Instagram killed genuine music?
  13. Are artists who hire ghostwriters to write the lyrics for them genuine?
  14. Should RIAA File-Sharing Lawsuits stop interfering in the music industry?
  15. Musicians should start to get royalties from radio stations.
  16. Is it right to think that music stopped developing at its best?

πŸ‘” Political Persuasive Speech Topics

This topic is essential because we all are connected to politics somehow. We suggest political persuasive speech topics that are effortless to discuss!

  1. Do government policies against exploitative corporations have to become stricter?
  2. Should the politicians start protecting delivery drivers on a higher level?
  3. Voting age: does it need to be increased or reduced?
  4. The government has to spend less money on military needs.
  5. The state authorities need to reconsider the anti-corruption policy.
  6. Should the politicians have a limited tour of duty?
  7. People who want to go in for politics need to undergo psychiatry testing.
  8. Sexual assault and abuse in political institutions need exceptional control.
  9. Political parties in the US have lost their power.
  10. The U.S. should join the Paris Climate Accord again after pulling out.
  11. Abusive language has to be excluded from elections.
  12. The US should have good relations with North Korea.
  13. Should youngsters be convicted and jailed for marijuana?
  14. Politicians better reveal more about their private life.

🧘🏻 Psychology Persuasive Speech Topics

Here are psychology persuasive speech topics for a debatable and fruitful conversation!

  1. Is it ethical to let pick-up training keep on spreading over?
  2. Young psychologists with no considerable experience can’t consult clients.
  3. Hippotherapy can be used more extensively as an autism treatment method.
  4. Is it appropriate to send alcohol and drug addicts to rehab institutions without their consent?
  5. Can treatment sessions be finished when a patient doesn’t have an opportunity to pay anymore?
  6. Should psychologists become friends or partners with their clients?
  7. Is it ethical to consider minor boundary crossings to be leading to inappropriate consequences?
  8. The victims of violence should always be regarded as innocent.
  9. Can we text or call our therapist outside session hours?
  10. Psychiatry testing has to become mandatory for cosmetic surgery.
  11. Should a therapist ever appear as vulnerable before the client?
  12. Is it the responsibility of a therapist to report a client’s illegal actions?

πŸ“ Sports Persuasive Speech Topics

Sports is life, isn’t it? Should we all take up sports? Choose one of the sports persuasive speech topics from the list and try to make your listeners believe you!

  1. It is more rational when parents decide for their small children to take up big sports.
  2. Is it ethical to give people advice to go in for sports, fitness, yoga, you name it?
  3. All sportsmen should be tested for drug use before games and contests.
  4. Using doping in sports should be severely punished.
  5. Is it appropriate to pay football players vast sums of money when many other fields need funding?
  6. Cybersports have to be included in the Olympic games program.
  7. Should parents allow children to go in for traumatic types of sports?
  8. Professional athletes’ chronic illnesses need to be discussed openly.
  9. Should violent sports exclude women?
  10. Is it reasonable that small children participate in tough contests, get judged and rated?
  11. Sports activities need to get mandatory for people with obesity issues.
  12. Professional players and athletes deserve pensions in all kinds of sports.
  13. Can politics have anything to do with sports?

πŸ€– Technology Persuasive Speech Topics

Our next set is dedicated to urgent matters related to technologies in the modern world. With these technology persuasive speech topics, you’ll be able to convince Elon Musk himself!

  1. Should we put our smartphones away at night to improve the quality of sleep?
  2. The government has to offer courses on modern technologies to older people.
  3. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Euphorium can be used instead of real money.
  4. Technology impacts on new generation of children
  5. Should we continue to develop artificial intelligence, or is it high time we stopped?
  6. Is it ethical to keep the distribution of drones free and unregulated?
  7. Should screen time be somehow regulated for users?
  8. Anti-piracy software needs to become more reliable.
  9. Do we need to regulate online gambling more strictly?
  10. Television will evaporate from our lives as a relic of the past.
  11. Should music streaming laws in the U.K. be altered on demand of famous artists?
  12. Our old engine cars need to be replaced with Teslas.

πŸ•ΉοΈ Video Game Persuasive Speech Topics

Last but not least – video game persuasive speech topics for you. It seems that everything has already been said on this subject. It’s far away from reality, we can assure you!

  1. Is it ethical for video game creators to have gamers waiting for new versions for years?
  2. Should cybersports gain more financial support from the government?
  3. Violence in video games needs to be somehow restricted.
  4. Parents have to control their children’s gaming time.
  5. Are video games a reason for violence among youngsters?
  6. Is it good that video games are that graphic and lifelike?
  7. Should abusive language be banned in video games?
  8. The government has to encourage a more proper study of video game impacts.
  9. Is it ethical to picture video games’ female characters in a sexualized way?
  10. Are video games a reason for children’s obesity and low social activity?
  11. Is it right to blame video games for mass shooting cases?
  12. Is video game addiction a severe problem?
  13. Should V.R. and A.R. technologies for gaming become more affordable?

Boom! These were 290 easy persuasive speech topics for you!

Still not enough?

Well.

Try to find something with the help of our Free Essay Topic Generator.

Finally, to work your way to the top, keep in mind these simple rules:

  • Show the conflict in your topic;
  • Pick an overlooked issue;
  • Consider it objectively.

Follow these pieces of advice, and you’ll come up with wonderfully good informative topics!

πŸ”— References

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