High School Speech & Debate Ideas

The topic you pick and the angle from which you approach it are key elements of any successful speech or debate.

The key to any memorable speech is twofold: choosing an interesting topic and selecting a compelling angle. Without a topic that grabs your attention and a thought-provoking way to approach it, it's hard to keep yourself focused on your speech, much less to attract the attention of an audience.

Selecting Your Topic

The topic you choose will likely be influenced by the type of speech or debate in which you'll be engaging, the amount of time you have to present your points, and the audience who will receive your information. The more you know about your topic, the better equipped you will be to make choices about how to develop it effectively.

Tips for narrowing down a topic include:

1. Make a list of topic ideas that come to mind, and jot down your initial ideas of which appeals to you about each of them.

2. Refine your list based on what you can address within the time and format allowed. Knock out the ones that have too much information to trim into a brief speech, as well as the ones in which your audience will have limited interest.

3. Read extensively about your topic to get a full understanding of the issues surrounding it, and which of those issues may appeal to your audience.

Types of Angles

Your angle is the specific approach you take in discussing your topic. Because you likely will not have enough time to cover every single thing there is to know about a topic, you need to make selective choices to determine what details to share to make a compelling and cohesive speech or debate presentation. For example:

1. Human interest. How does this topic affect individuals? How has it affected a single individual whose story you may be able to share?

2. Local impact. What about this topic is of interest or relevance to your audience's immediate area?

3. Changes over time. How has this topic changed in the last six months? The last six years?

4. Overcoming adversity or solving a problem. How can this topic help the audience to deal with something they or a loved one may be confronting?

Types of Speeches

The topic you select for your speech should be guided by the type of speech you will present. There are numerous types of speeches, but the primary ones for high school students include:

1. Persuasive, in which you try to convince the audience to adopt a different point of view or change the way they do or think about something.

2. Informational, in which you provide information and details about a topic to educate or enlighten your audience.

3. Demonstrative, in which you teach your audience how to do something and show them the process to do so.

4. Entertaining, in which you amuse or otherwise delight your audience.

Of the topics and angles you identified, which fits with the type of speech you'll be delivering? How to stay safe in a house fire would be an excellent choice for an informational speech, but not appropriate for an entertaining speech.

Types of Debates

A good debater keeps in mind the type of debate when selecting a topic. There are three basic types of debates:

1. Parliamentary or academic debate. This type of debate is lively and audience oriented, with debaters speaking extemporaneously rather than from prepared remarks. There are generally two teams with two debaters and one speaker apiece.

2. Lincoln-Douglas debate (also called "value" debate). Like Abraham Lincoln and Steven Douglas, for whom this form of debate is named, the two debaters in a value debate each take one side of an issue and argue the logic, ethics, values, and philosophy that support their side.

3. Cross-examination debate (also called "team" or "policy" debate). In this kind of debate, opponents are allowed to ask each other direct questions during a designated question period. The debate is based on research by each team advocating for or against a resolution or policy change.

If you're engaging in a debate, work with your team members to select the topic and points you'll focus on in making your case.

References

• Trivium Pursuit: Debate
• University of Vermont Debate Central: Parliamentary Debate; Robert Branham, John Meaney; Spring 1998
• American Parliamentary Debate Association; A Guide to Parliamentary Debate; The Rules of Parliamentary Debate
• International Debate Education Association: IDEA Standards -- Cross Examination Policy Debate
• Ian's Messy Desk; Four Basic Types of Speeches; Ian McKenzie

Resources

• Speech Topics Help: 7,500+ Speech Topics
• Good Speech Topics: List of Speech Topics