International Speech Contest Topics

International speech competitions promote excellence in public speaking worldwide.

International speech contests help business people and others develop their public speaking and leadership skills. Clubs that participate in international speech competitions are primarily a part of the Toastmaster Organization. Toastmasters International is an educational organization with over 200,000 members worldwide. The organization holds an international speech competition every two years and has several categories for public speakers. Each category has some recommended topics to help participants get started on their speeches for the competition.

Fun, Informative

The fun, informative category takes light-hearted topics and provides listeners with little-known facts. Some topics in this area include: the history of St. Valentine's Day and how it's celebrated in different parts of the world; St. Patrick's Day parades, Irish fun run and pub-decorating ideas; funny and rare patents and inventions; etiquette and manners; and the history of April Fool's Day.

Five-Minute Speeches

Five-minute speeches are typically about international nonprofit or nongovernmental organizations, trade institutions or well-known institutions. Organizations like Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity International, League of Arab States, Arctic Council and the World Health Organization are all examples of appropriate topics. Within these five-minute speech topics, the speaker is expected to organize her speech in the following format: meaning of the organization; goals and purposes; policies; history; membership states and requirements; organs and governing bodies; role in the world or region; current issues; conflicts; controversies; symbols; and flags.

Descriptive

Descriptive speeches describe in detail a place, event or time period. Descriptive speech topics vary, but have the same format and should cover the topic in the same manner. When describing a place as your topic, cover the following facts: history, colonization when appropriate, conflicts and wars, geography, government, languages, currency, population, culture, symbols, traditions, sports and climate. For events, use these key points: country or people group involved, motivation (what caused the event), things leading up to the event, time period, cultures effected and people involved in making the event happen. To describe a time period in history include: culture of the day, environment, society, religious influence, wars and conflicts and important people influencing the time period.

Oratory

Oratory speeches are based on something the speaker feels strongly about. They are meant to inform and challenge the listener to make a decision about the topic after the speech is over. Oratory topics usually deal with current events, political situations and policy issues. Some examples of oratory speech topics are: cellular phones and radiation risks; placing loves ones in nursing-home care; video games promoting violence; deadly force used by police officers; and safety versus freedom of speech.

References

• Speech Topics, Help, Advice and Ideas: 300 Toastmaster Speech Topics
• Northrise: 50 Table Topic Ideas
• District One: Toastmasters, Unbeatable Together