Social Speech Topics

Get as much information about your audience as possible.

Social topics can be every bit as controversial as political ones. Depending on the venue and audience for your speech, you may need to consider the divisiveness aspects and choose your topic accordingly. Confer carefully with the speech organizers to get a feel for the audience make-up as much as possible. Practice your speech, enlisting the help of friends and peers who ideally have differing viewpoints. This not only helps your speech preparation by identifying weaknesses, but can pinpoint potential volatile situations so you can plan accordingly.

Health Care Topics

Health-care issues affect doctors as well as patients.

The recent discussions and changes in the U.S. health-care laws have made this topic current and relevant, but the problems associated with affordable health care, or lack thereof, have been around for years. The movie "John Q" provided dramatic highlights on shortcomings in the system even with health insurance. Issues within this topic include indigent care; prescription drug coverage; rising costs of care that hospitals face and pass on to patients; medical malpractice costs; and medical liens that hospitals may be able to file for unpaid costs.

Drug Legalization Topics

You can narrow drug legalization to just one drug, such as marijuana.

You can take a broad approach to drug legalization, arguing the pros and cons in consideration of the recent violence in Mexico; or discuss specific drugs such as marijuana, either in general or for medicinal purposes.

You can also explore the merits in and potential issues with allowing states to pass their own laws -- as is the case in the U.S. with medicinal marijuana laws -- or whether the laws must be passed at the federal level. Is drug legalization really comparable to the alcohol prohibition laws of the past? Why or why not?

Same-Sex Marriage

Individual states have varying laws regarding same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage laws offer another opportunity to explore state's rights versus federal law, and the problems of states passing individual laws that are contrary to a federal mandate. It can also be explored from a human-rights standpoint; are we as a country denying individuals their inalienable rights by dictating who may or may not get married in accordance with the recognized marriage laws for a man and woman?

Affirmative Action/Reverse Discrimination

Does affirmative action deny rights to white males?

Affirmative action is not a new topic, but interesting sub-topics arise that can reignite or change the flavor of older, familiar arguments. For example, the Hispanic population has risen considerably in the U.S. and in some states will likely become a majority. Does that make affirmative-action programs moot? What about opportunities that are offered exclusively to whites -- are they necessary? Are they discriminatory?

References

• Govspot: Health Care
• KPBS: Ex-Mexican President: End Bloody Drug War Through Legalization
• The Wall Street Journal: Latinos Fuel Growth in Decade
• Statesman.com: Texas State students offer scholarships exclusively for white males

Resources

• Multnomah County Library: Social Issues
• Govspot: Health Care
• National Conference of State Legislatures: Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships