***How to Select a Topic for a Persuasive Presentation

Nothing is more frustrating than finding a topic for a persuasive presentation for your public speaking class or for Toastmasters, especially if you are not one to voice your opinion on subjects that could be controversial. If you are stymied for a topic, do some soul searching and make a list of topics for which you have particular leanings. Blogs, forums, and websites that provide articles for commentary are excellent avenues to explore for topics. In fact, just listening to the news is a great place to start because there is so much controversy today. I constantly think of new topics for articles when I watch the news or read commentaries, articles, or opinion pieces. While many topics today are being discussed ad nauseum, do you have a different slant on an issue that is in the news? Selecting a topic for which you have little interest or knowledge is not the answer. Your subject should be something for which you have a passion or which affects you deeply.

• If you are committed to a particular belief, do not be afraid to voice it.

If you do decide to select a controversial issue, be prepared for some disagreement. No matter how well researched, how well planned, and how convincing your belief, you will have some who will not agree with you. It is true that you cannot please all the people all the time, but if you are well-grounded in your opinion and express yourself clearly, you will gain the respect of many within your audience. Persuasive presentations need not deal with current events however. Perhaps you enjoy gardening, cooking, hunting or fishing. Is there something about your hobby that you believe you do better than the rest? Perhaps you have discovered a better lure for fishing that is not common knowledge. Maybe you have the best recipe for tomato sauce. Or have you created a homemade fertilizer that is cheaper and more effective than store brands? The variety of topics for the persuasive presentation is endless. In fact, once you start thinking about it, you may discover that you have several possibilities and that your problem is deciding which subject to choose. You could speak on a particular product – for or against – a theory, a book, music, art, home life, pets, sports, or physical fitness. The list goes on and on. Do not limit yourself by thinking you have no topic. Anything with which you agree or disagree is a topic. It is merely a matter of choosing one.