example of a problem solution speech

Problem Solution Speech Topics, Outline & Examples

The problem solution speech is a type of informative speech that enumerates various problems and provides possible solutions to those problems.

If you have been asked to give such a speech, your goal should be to explain the problem and provide realistic and achievable suggestions to address it. In most cases, problem solution speeches are given with the hope that the audience will be inspired to do something about the problems that they are facing.

There are many pressing issues in society today that could be considered ripe material for a problem solution speech. For example, racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and ageism are all major social problems that need to be addressed.

Of course, you can’t just pick any old problem and start talking about it – you need to make sure that your topic is something that your audience will actually care about and be interested in hearing.

Problem-Solution Speech Outline

The key to delivering an effective problem-solution speech is to develop an outline and a step-by-step plan that will help focus on different parts of your speech.

Here is a basic outline that you can use for your problem-solution speech:

Introduction

Introduce yourself and give a brief overview of the problem that you will be discussing. This is also where you will need to state your thesis – that is, what solution you think is best for the problem.

Make sure that you are concise and to the point – you don’t want to give your audience too much information, as they will likely tune out if you do.

Thesis/Statement of the problem

Explain what the problem is that you will be discussing. This is where you will need to do your research and really dig into the details of the issue so it is interesting and your speech has gravity.

Also, make sure that your problem is something that can actually be solved – there is no point in discussing a problem if there is no possible solution.

Cause/Effect

Discuss the causes of the problem and the effects that it has on different people or groups. This is where you will really start to get into the nitty-gritty of your topic and show your audience that you understand the issue at hand.

Make sure to back up any claims that you make with research or data so that your speech is credible. Use attention getters to hook your audience and keep them interested.

Potential solutions

This is the meat of your problem-solution speech. Discuss different potential solutions to the problem and explain why you think they would be effective.

Again, make sure to back up your claims with research or data so that your audience knows that you have thoughtfully considered the issue and possible solutions. Keep it realistic – don’t propose a solution that is impossible to achieve.

Call to action

You have now armed your audience with the knowledge of the problem and potential solutions – now what? You will need to challenge your audience to actually do something about the issue.

This could be something as simple as signing a petition or donating to a cause, or it could be something more ambitious like starting a new organization or campaign. Whatever you choose, make sure it is achievable and that your audience knows how they can take action.

Use the outline above to tailor the specifics of your speech to fit your particular audience and situation and deliver an effective problem-solution speech.

Problem-Solution Presentation Techniques

Once you have your outline ready, it’s time to start working on your delivery. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you prepare your problem-solution speech:

• Be passionate : This is not the time for a dry, academic approach. You need to be enthusiastic about the issue at hand and really sell your audience on why they should care.
• Be clear : Make sure that your audience understands the problem and potential solutions. Use straightforward language and avoid jargon.
• Be concise : Remember, you only have a limited amount of time to make your case. Get to the point and don’t ramble.
• Use stories : A personal story or anecdote can be a powerful way to connect with your audience and make your speech more relatable.
• Use visuals : Visual aids can be a great way to engage your audience and break up your speech. Just make sure that they are clear and easy to understand.
• Practice, practice, practice : The only way to get comfortable with delivering a problem-solution speech is to practice it as much as you can. So get in front of a mirror, or even better, ask a friend or family member to listen to you and give feedback. The more you practice, the more confident you will be and overcome your fear of public speaking .

Problem-Solution Speech Topics

1. How can we make sure that all animals are treated humanely?

2. What are the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to animal welfare?

3. How can we make sure that all animals have access to proper care and shelter?

4. Why should we care about animal rights?

5. Why is wildlife conservation important?

6. Why animal testing is cruel?

7. Why should the exotic pet trade be stopped?

9. What can we do about the food industry and mass animal killing?

1. How can we make sure that our technology is accessible to everyone?

2. What are the most important things to keep in mind when using social media?

3. How can we make sure that our online information is safe and secure?

4. What should we do about cyberbullying?

6. How can we make sure that our technology is sustainable?

7. What are the most important things to keep in mind when using new technology?

8. How can we make sure that our technology is user-friendly?

9. What should we do about outdated technology?

10. How can we make sure that our technology is accessible to people with disabilities?

11. What are the most important things to keep in mind when using technology in the classroom?

12. How can we make sure that our technology is used for good and not for evil?

13. What should we do about the digital divide?

14. How can we make sure that our technology is used responsibly?

15. What should we do about the growing problem of e-waste?

16. What are the most important things to keep in mind when using technology in the workplace?

17. What should we do about the increasing dependence on technology?

Relationships

1. How can we improve communication in relationships?

2. What are the biggest problems faced by long-distance relationships?

3. How can we make sure that our relationships are built on trust?

4. What causes jealousy in relationships and how can it be overcome?

5. When is it time to end a relationship?

6. How can we deal with infidelity in a relationship?

7. How can we make sure that our relationships are healthy and balanced?

8. What causes arguments in relationships and how can they be resolved?

9. What are the most important things to keep in mind when raising a family?

10. How can single parents make sure that their children are getting the attention they need?

11. What effect does social media have on relationships?

12. How can we make sure that our relationship with our parents is healthy and supportive?

13. What should we do when our friends or family get into a toxic relationship?

14. How can we deal with envy or jealousy within our friendships?

15. How can we deal with a friend or family member who is going through a tough break-up?

16. How can new relationships be started off on the right foot?

17. What are the most important things to keep in mind when moving in with a partner?

18. What should we do when our relationship starts to fizzle out?

19. How can we deal with the death of a loved one?

20. How can therapy help us improve our relationships?

Social Issues

1. How can we make sure that everyone has access to clean water?

2. What are the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to food security?

3. How can we make sure that all children have access to education?

4. What are the most effective ways of helping people who are homeless?

5. How can we make sure that everyone has access to healthcare?

6. What are the most effective ways of combating climate change?

7. How can we make sure that our cities are sustainable?

8. What are the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to transportation?

9. How can we make sure that our economy is fair and just?

10. What are the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to social inequality?

11. How can we make sure that our government is effective and efficient?

12. What are the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to voting?

13. How can we make sure that our media is responsible and ethical?

14. What are the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to privacy?

15. How can we make sure that our technology is used responsibly?

16. What are the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to security?

17. How can we make sure that our world is peaceful?

18. What are the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to human rights?

19. How can we make sure that our world is sustainable?

20. What are the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to the environment?

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Problem Solution Speech Topics Ideas

Did you know that well-chosen problem-solution speech topics can increase audience engagement by up to 40%? Selecting the right topic for your problem-solution speech is crucial for capturing your audience’s attention and effectively communicating your message. A well-crafted problem-solution speech not only highlights a pressing issue but also offers actionable solutions, making it a powerful tool for influencing change and inspiring action.

In this article, you will find:

• A Comprehensive List of Topics: A wide range of problem-solution speech topics organized into categories such as health, environment, social issues, technology, and education.
• Tips for Selecting a Topic: Guidelines to help you choose a topic that resonates with your audience, matches your interests, and is relevant to current events.
• Examples and Breakdown: Detailed examples of how to develop a problem-solution speech, including how to identify the problem, propose solutions, and structure your speech for maximum impact.

With these resources, you’ll be well-equipped to choose a compelling topic and deliver an effective problem-solution speech that leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

How to Choose a Problem and Make the Essay Interesting

The matter of selecting a problem for discussion and critical analysis directly depends on the type of target audience you will present a paper. For instance, if the audience consists of people belonging to a specific profession or research area, then, before designing a problem-solution speech outline, it would be logical to come up with a topic connected with their area of research or the scope of their interest. There are also cases when the audience selects the topic of presentation or speech for you beforehand. If it is a general audience, then it is prudent to select topics that are controversial, appealing to the general public, or that are rather challenging, such as environmental concerns and threats, ethical dilemmas, financial aspects, crime rates in the community, international problems and challenges, and so on. With these tips in mind, you will definitely provide the best proposal speech ever.

Another method to come up with the right entertainment speech ideas is to ask the event organizer to gather ideas from the audience regarding what topics they would love to hear about and further discuss.

On the whole, whatever method of topic selection you choose, the most important thing is to make sure you have sufficient evidence and clear illustrative examples to reflect on the topic in-depth and provide convincing arguments. In any case, if you are lost among the ideas for the topic discussion, opt for one of your personal experience speech ideas.

Whatever method you use to select your problem topic, ensure that you have clear examples, convincing facts, or credible data that supports your position on the matter.

How to Find Solutions

The solutions and recommendations that you put forward should be practical and resourceful. Besides, it should be clear how exactly they can be applied to the real case you are discussing. As you are contemplating how the solution will be effective, keep in mind that your audience will be involved in their own reflection on the topic as well. So, make sure you are persuasive enough.

How to Provide Proper Support for Your Argument

Supporting examples can be related to your personal experience with the help of which you can make the argument stronger and more convincing. When critically analyzing the topic, make sure you know how much the audience knows about it. If much information is left to be explained, interpreted, and so on, make sure you do it. If there is a need to provide background information to make everything clear, then do it as well.

On the contrary, if the audience comprises experts in the scope of research you have focused on, they will surely expect more originality and novelty from you. Therefore, make sure you provide adequate problem-solving examples for your proposal paper. Generally known standard information won’t be the best option.

If the listeners are complete novices to the topic, then try to introduce them to the topic gradually. When it comes to solutions, make sure they are more related to tried and tested principles and approaches. If you are delivering a speech to an audience that is not well-versed in the topic of your proposal essay, then it is recommended to provide a detailed and clear discussion wherein you provide a solution right after each problem you mention.

Problem-solution articles can also have such a structure where you provide the causes of the issue prior to the discussion of solutions. This strategy comes in handy as concentrating on the underlying cause assists in providing more solid support for the explanations, thus providing more reliability and credibility to the solutions.

Moreover, your personal viewpoint on the central issue should be presented in the process of proposing a solution. This way, your speech will be more convincing in that you will share your experience with the people who listen to you.

Concluding your problem/solution speech, make sure you provide a brief synopsis of the core issues, particularly solutions as your audience should remember them particularly well.

The Best Problem Solution Speech Topics for College Students

Professors frequently assign problem-solution speech topics for college students either for written assignments or oral presentations. Regardless of the type of speech topics for college that you have been assigned, you need to select a topic that is of particular interest to you and your target audience. Only when you demonstrate originality in the choice of your topic will you stand out as an original speaker/ writer and will thus be more appreciated by your professor and the audience. When you want just to provide an overview of the problem, then you have to search among the list of good informative speech topics for college students. Still, when you need to demonstrate your skills in critical and analytical writing, it is recommended to organize the essay as a persuasive one.

From the persuasive writing prompts enlisted below, try to select the one that you are well versed in and that aroused the greatest deal of interest in you. Only with these two basic criteria kept in mind will you be able to provide a successfully written problem-solution persuasive paper.

A List of Problem Cause Solution Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

The list of problem-cause solution persuasive speech topics provided below will help you come up with interesting research ideas for your speech. Take a look at the numerous options for social issues and other problems in society to write about.

Environmental Issues

• The restrictions on the exploitation of the Antarctic resources should be maintained and the Antarctic should be viewed as a preserved place merely devoted to science: How can we ensure the Antarctic remains protected for scientific research?
• Recycling should be encouraged worldwide: What initiatives can promote global recycling efforts?
• Oil companies should get disaster control before engaging in offshore drilling: What disaster control measures should be mandatory for oil companies?
• The construction and building of venues before the Olympic Games should be banned by UNESCO as it harms a lot: How can UNESCO prevent the environmental harm caused by constructing Olympic venues?
• How to reduce plastic waste in our communities: What are the most effective strategies for reducing plastic waste locally?
• Promoting sustainable agriculture practices: What practices can farmers adopt to ensure sustainability?
• The impact of deforestation on global climate change: How does deforestation contribute to climate change and how can it be reduced?
• Renewable energy adoption should be accelerated: What policies can speed up the adoption of renewable energy sources?
• Conservation of endangered species: What steps can be taken to protect endangered species?
• Reducing air pollution in urban areas: What measures can cities implement to decrease air pollution?
• Managing water resources effectively: What techniques can ensure sustainable water resource management?
• The role of education in environmental conservation: How can education systems raise awareness about environmental conservation?
• Implementing green building standards: What are green building standards and how can they be implemented effectively?
• The effects of overfishing on marine ecosystems: What policies can prevent overfishing and protect marine ecosystems?
• Reducing the carbon footprint of transportation: What are the most effective ways to lower the carbon footprint of transportation?
• Online learning can be equaled to classroom education in terms of its effectiveness and accessibility: How can online learning be made as effective and accessible as classroom education?
• Dependence on ACT and SAT scores during admissions should be abolished: Why should colleges stop relying on ACT and SAT scores for admissions?
• Student-athletes representing their educational establishment in competitions should be given scholarships to cover at least partial college expenses: How can scholarships support student-athletes in their educational journey?
• All students should be encouraged to enroll in foreign language courses and speaking clubs: What are the benefits of enrolling in foreign language courses and speaking clubs?
• Usage of technological advancement in teaching: How can technological advancements enhance teaching methods?
• The usage of paperback textbooks should be eradicated and changed into e-book usage: What are the advantages of replacing paperback textbooks with e-books?
• College students should be more cautious and prudent when posting controversial or personal information online: Why should college students be careful about their online posts?
• Girls should be prohibited from participating in football and wrestling competitions: Should girls be banned from football and wrestling competitions?
• Networks in educational establishments should have special filters to prevent students from accessing inappropriate material: How can special filters protect students from inappropriate material online?
• The pressing need for school system reform: What changes are necessary for effective school system reform?
• Standardized testing should be reduced: How can reducing standardized testing benefit students’ learning experiences?
• Incorporating mental health education into the curriculum: Why is it important to include mental health education in school curriculums?
• Promoting STEM education for all genders: How can promoting STEM education encourage gender equality in these fields?
• Addressing the digital divide in education: What strategies can bridge the digital divide and ensure equal access to technology for all students?
• Encouraging project-based learning: How does project-based learning improve student engagement and knowledge retention?

Social Issues

• The problem of spying and media leaks in international and domestic communications: How can governments prevent spying and media leaks in communication networks?
• How to ensure local food movement support? Will it have a positive impact on the local entrepreneurship?: What strategies can promote local food movements and support local businesses?
• Media marketed for youths and teens convey immoral and unethical ideas: How can we regulate media content to protect youths and teens from immoral and unethical ideas?
• Tax incentives should be introduced for adopting children internationally: How can tax incentives encourage more families to adopt children internationally?
• Foreign help to dictatorships should be eradicated by the government: What measures can governments take to stop foreign aid to dictatorships?
• In-vitro fertilization should be prohibited: Should in-vitro fertilization be banned, and what are the arguments for and against it?
• The issue of minors getting tattoos should be more controlled by legal institutions: minors should either be accompanied by their guardians or be given written consent from them: How can legal institutions better regulate minors getting tattoos?
• Surveillance cameras should record all trials in court: What are the benefits and drawbacks of recording all trials in court with surveillance cameras?
• Beauty contests in schools and colleges should be banned: Should beauty contests in educational institutions be banned, and why?
• Students should not be harshly encouraged or pushed to participate in sports competitions: How can schools encourage sports participation without putting undue pressure on students?
• The federal government should adopt a law that standardizes trunk release systems in new transport: Why is it important to standardize trunk release systems in new vehicles?
• Race, ethnicity, and gender equality should be supported in politics: What steps can be taken to ensure equality in politics for all races, ethnicities, and genders?
• Mobile phone usage, texting, and Internet use in the classroom prevent students from being involved in the studying process and lower their attention span: How can schools manage mobile phone and internet use to improve student attention spans?
• The acute immigration problem will hardly ever be solved by constructing the border fence: Why is constructing a border fence not a viable solution to immigration problems?
• The contemporary taxation system does not fairly treat lower-income and middle-income population groups: How can the taxation system be reformed to treat lower-income and middle-income groups more fairly?
• Media advertisements targeted at children population should be banned by the government: Should media advertisements aimed at children be banned, and what would be the impact?
• Feminists’ standpoint devalues family and motherhood: How does the feminist perspective impact views on family and motherhood?
• The problem of identity theft is extremely aggravated and the community should pay attention to it: What steps can communities take to address the growing problem of identity theft?
• Social networks do not interfere with school education: How can social networks be used positively in the educational environment?
• Advertisements engaging children should be restricted at the government level: Why should advertisements targeting children be restricted by the government?
• Fast food restaurants should initiate the campaign of publicly displaying calories next to each meal: How can displaying calorie information at fast food restaurants help combat obesity?
• The government should release churches from tax incentives: Should churches be exempt from tax incentives, and what are the implications?
• Patients suffering from chronic mental diseases should be preserved in “halfway houses” instead of mental hospitals: How can halfway houses provide better care for patients with chronic mental diseases?
• The government should not allow the allocation of billboards on interstate highways: What are the environmental and safety reasons for banning billboards on interstate highways?
• Marriage should not be allowed before school graduation: Why should marriage be prohibited before completing school?
• Educated people should work as tutors of literacy on a voluntary basis in third-world countries: How can volunteer literacy tutoring by educated individuals benefit third-world countries?
• People molesting children should be restricted from the right to adopt: Why should individuals with a history of molestation be banned from adopting children?
• Psychologists and psychiatrists should witness and testify in the court of law representing the non-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity: What role should mental health professionals play in court cases involving insanity pleas?
• Security should be increased in motels and hotels as a means to guarantee security for all its residents regardless of their income: How can enhanced security measures in motels and hotels protect all residents?
• The National Health Insurance Program is supposed to provide basic health care for all US citizens independent of their income: How can the National Health Insurance Program ensure basic healthcare for all citizens regardless of income?

Politics and Law

• The FBI should keep the self-proclaimed militia under scrutiny: How can the FBI effectively monitor and manage the activities of self-proclaimed militias?
• Weapons should not be sold internationally across the countries: What regulations can prevent the international sale of weapons and reduce global conflicts?
• The role of the United Nations internationally: How can the United Nations be more effective in its role to maintain international peace and security?
• Campaign finance reform: How can campaign finance laws be reformed to reduce corruption in politics?
• Election security: What measures can ensure the security and integrity of elections?
• Judicial independence: How can the independence of the judiciary be protected from political influence?
• Police reform: What reforms are needed to address police misconduct and improve community relations?
• Immigration policy: What are effective and humane immigration policies that countries can adopt?
• Freedom of speech vs. hate speech: How can laws balance the protection of free speech while preventing hate speech?
• Privacy rights: What laws are needed to protect individuals’ privacy in the digital age?
• Prison reform: What reforms can improve the prison system and reduce recidivism?

Health and Wellness

• The role of art and music therapy in patients’ rehabilitation: How can art and music therapy be integrated into rehabilitation programs to benefit patients?
• Mental health awareness: How can mental health awareness campaigns reduce stigma and promote well-being?
• Obesity prevention: What strategies can effectively prevent obesity and promote healthy lifestyles?
• Access to healthcare: How can access to healthcare be improved for underserved populations?
• Preventing substance abuse: What programs can prevent substance abuse and support recovery?
• Vaccination campaigns: How can vaccination campaigns be more effective in achieving high coverage rates?
• Chronic disease management: What are effective approaches to managing chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension?
• Nutrition education: How can nutrition education programs improve dietary habits and overall health?
• Fitness and physical activity: What initiatives can promote physical activity and improve public health?

Evidently, the argument topics list entails current issues that are taking place in the contemporary world. To submit a successful paper, make sure to conduct in-depth research on your selected topic and create an impressive paper that will last in memory for a long.

Problem Solution Speech on the Topic of Policy Advocacy

The question of policy persuasive speech topics remains extremely acute for students because frequently they do not know where to start after they have read numerous essay samples. Particularly, students may be confused about the way of organizing information for a speech. To ease the task of writing a properly structured speech paper, check out the following recommended way of paper organization for a policy advocacy speech.

I. Introduction

Attention-grabber: you might provide some controversial fact, relate to personal experience, provide shocking/ impressive statistics, use a rhetorical question or a dramatic quote, etc. (all these devices are used for capturing attention from the target audience);

Relation to the audience: Pinpoint to how the issue under discussion relates to the target audience. Do it either implicitly or explicitly, but regardless of the option you choose, make sure the listeners understand their relation to the topic. If you have chosen to focus on a problem seriously affecting people, express your point of view on how exactly the problem influences the audience.

Credibility of the problem: Emphasize the problem’s significance and why it is worth others’ attention. Provide one or more reasons to make the audience understand why you have decided to speak on this subject area.

Preview: Provide a brief synopsis (overview) of the paper. You need to provide sufficient background information on the topic, especially if the audience is not well-versed in it. For example, you might briefly describe the problem in a few words and then switch over to focusing on the possible solutions.

II. Body: The Problem Identification and Solution Proposal

Identify the problem: Develop a paragraph where you provide an overview of the central problem. Appeal to ratio and emotion, as it is preferable to engage the reader both on an intellectual and emotional level. There are two recommended ways of problem identification and development – qualitative and quantitative.

According to the qualitative approach, you have to present argumentation for the claims that answer the following questions:

• What makes me indifferent about the problem? Or why should I actually care?
• How am I affected by the problem?
• How serious is the issue under discussion?

To help readers understand the problem in depth, make sure to provide examples from your personal experience or provide real-life examples related to other people. This data will not make the statistics too narrow but will add more appealing details to demonstrate how serious the issue is.

According to the quantitative approach, the arguments and support you provide should be related to such questions:

• How large is the problem?
• How much is it widespread and what is the problem scope?

When a writer investigates the scope of the problem, the larger it is – the less detailed evidence is required.

Focus on the causes: The causes of the problem should be closely examined: provide ample evidence, examples, and recent study results. Keep in mind that not every topic requires developing the problem’s causes. Still, if you think that the causes you provide will make the audience more susceptible to trusting your viewpoint. Such an approach is used when there exist multiple opinions on causes.

Put forward the solution: When investigating the possible solution(s), make sure to organize the information in the following way:

• Provide a plan: First and foremost, pinpoint the exact change in policy, law, or campaign you are suggesting. Briefly describe the step (the introduction of the new law, implementation of the new program, short synopsis of the program, etc.). The main aim at this point is to make the audience understand the kind of change you are suggesting.
• Provide supporting argumentation and evidence for the suggested solutions: You should clearly pinpoint how the solution will eliminate the ongoing risks or threats caused by the pending problem. Make sure that you link supporting evidence to the plan.

Provide credible expert evidence that clearly highlights the ways the solution would reduce the burning issue: When citing outside sources and specific examples/ materials researched by scholars, make sure you tell the audience about the credentials of the researchers. Your target audience should be sure that the information you rely on can be trusted and that is it believable overall. If you provide information that even you don’t know by whom it was put forward, then your paper will have no expert value.

Results of the study: If the research included some experimental study that aimed at supporting your solution, make sure you discuss the results and interpret them properly. Provide a brief synopsis of how many people took part in the experiment/ interview/ sociological study and what the results indicate.

Empirical evidence and pilot studies: With the help of such supporting evidence, you will emphasize that the problem has solutions related to real-life events and experiences. You might also pinpoint how small changes in the localities might affect the problem in a large-scale area. Such supporting evidence is really beneficial as it indicates that the effects happened in real surroundings with real people rather than in a laboratory environment.

Personal or peer testimony: It is not recommended to use this evidence as a priority as it is rather weak on its own. Still, if you add this evidence together with the other aforementioned types, it can significantly add up to the paper’s credibility.

Address general disadvantages: When coming up with a policy change, keep in mind that it can solve the existing problem as well as create a new one. Therefore, it is advisable to outline the potential disadvantages of the problem after you have discussed its benefits and positive effects. To make your position strong, make sure to refute the counter-arguments because when you just ignore the negative aspects, the audience will not accept or perceive your solution.

III. Conclusion

Provide a short review of the persisting problem and suggested ways out. Make sure you provide a call for action at the end of the conclusive paragraph, where you provide encouraging information that will make the audience remember your paper.

• Review of the problem and solution
• Closing thought to encourage the audience to remember the speech.

Problem Solution Topics for Your Perfect Speech

The problem solution speech topics that you will find below will help you choose, identify, and organize the way of presenting your essay. As you select the topic, you will research it properly in order to persuade the audience that a particular problem exists and that it is possible to come up with solutions to it. Moreover, you will learn how to convince the audience and make them accept your viewpoint and maybe even change their previously existing biases regarding the issue. Before you start the topic selection process, make sure you are well aware of the core elements that are necessary in such a type of writing. Check them out:

• Indicate the problem and mention specifically what factors make it an actual problem. Provide sufficient background information, pinpoint to the problem’s significance, and let the audience understand the scope of the problem and its overall effect. Make sure you appeal to reasoning and emotion: let the audience understand the needs so that it is convinced by the information you provide.
• Advocate for a solution and provide a detailed plan on how it can be applied in practice.
• Visualize the practical aspect of your solution. Demonstrate how the solutions will come in handy in improving the situation. Emphasize on their practical aspect and general effectiveness. Pay attention to a brief discussion of alternatives with which you do not agree. State how they are impractical and problematic. To put it briefly, you need to highlight the counterarguments and refute them.
• Call to action. Convince the audience to accept your position on the change implementation of the proposed policy or campaign. Or provide an implicit call to action, wherein you make a hint on the policy change.

How to Choose a Proper Problem Solution Speech Topic

If you have been invited to deliver a speech to the public, first of all, find out who your target audience comprises in terms of professional and personal interests. Despite the solid experience you might have about the research area, the audience may not find interest in your topic if it is not adjacent to their scope of interest. Therefore, be cautious when coming up with the topic of your speech or presentation. If the type of your speech has to be structured in the form of a problem-solution paper, then make sure to identify the burning issue, investigate questions and opinions concerning it, and also identify the controversy behind the issue.

When thinking of which topic might be interested in writing about, ask yourself the following questions:

• What would you like to talk about (here choose more than one option).
• How do you think – will your potential audience like the topic of your choice? Explain your viewpoint.
• How long do you plan to talk? Is your chosen topic sufficient for this type of presentation?
• What are your personal opinions and biases regarding the problem?
• Which topic are you most interested in? Which topic would be easy to talk about?
• After you have explored the professional realms of your listeners, think of the most topical problems pertaining to the topic.
• Think of whether you can provide personal experience examples or share your personal goals.

List of Speech Topics for Problem-Solution Presentation

Business area: work surroundings; career goals; bankruptcy; corporate ethics; abuse in marketing.

Teaching and education: peer pressure at school; cheating during exams; online learning versus classroom learning; education at home; sex education at school; internship opportunities.

Environmental aspects: climate change; global warming; alternative sources of energy; depletion of natural resources.

Nourishment and health: food labeling; diets and how to maintain healthy eating; problems of mentally ill people; health care in third-world countries; being vegetarian.

Politics and global issues: spying; international threats; problems with overpopulation.

Legislation and issues in the court of law: punishment for child molesters; drunk driving; frequency of juvenile aggression and delinquency; immigration and fence borders; tax incentives on church property.

Social problems: dealing with the homeless; sexual abuse; domestic violence; the effect of divorce on families; peer pressure; bullying; self-esteem; wage levels; teen drinking; gambling; discrimination on racial, ethnic, and gender backgrounds.

So far, you have a brief list of possible problem-solving essay topics. You may choose some of them for discussion or maybe they will inspire you to choose some other topic to reflect on. To properly develop the topics, make sure to examine them more closely and find some adjacent areas to them. Also thoroughly examine the dimensions of each topic investigation.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What aspects of the problem have already been researched? Why have some been omitted?
• How could one describe the existing obstacles to solving the problem?
• How long does the problem persist?
• What are the costs needed for problem-solving?
• Will the problem aggravate if no measures are taken?
• Should the problem be immediately addressed?
• Has your target audience in particular been affected by your selected problem? In what way?
• What supporting evidence could you provide to emphasize the importance of the problem?
• What argumentation can you provide to demonstrate that your solutions are right and worth attention?
• What facts/ figures/ supporting evidence could help the target audience understand the issue more comprehensively?

Working on the Solution

• Write down all potential and alternative solutions. Keep in mind various aspects, merits, and features that could convince the audience to accept your standpoint. Investigate figures and facts; provide illustrations and real-life examples as support for your solutions. Do it consistently, step-by-step for each of the proposed solutions.
• Choose the most important and effective solution to the existing problem. Pinpoint to how your solution plan can be applied in practice. Refer to outside sources; cite credible sources; consult sources written by experts in their field of study.
• Devise a step-by-step implementation plan for each of the suggested solutions. Recommend specific procedures. Investigate the cost, effect, and necessary actions.
• Call to action; time and place.
• Other required constituents for the implementation of the plan.

If your listeners comprise people from different educational backgrounds or various professional spheres, then the decisive factor for choosing the topic should lie in choosing the topic that is most topical for the majority. Another option is to come up with a topic that presumably meets the needs of the bulk of the audience. If all of your listeners are well aware of the problem, then pay more attention to the fact of how much the topic is workable and reasonable. If you want to provide counter-arguments for the change policy campaign, then focus on the probable limitations and drawbacks of the policy.

How to Provide an Outline for a Problem Solution Speech

Below you will find the most appropriate methods for developing problem-solution topics:

• Problem Solution Method

This strategy is advisable if you have chosen a contemporary social problem and have to convince the audience that your solution is the best one among those that have been previously provided. As such, provide a proper introduction where you entail sufficient background information in order to pinpoint the problem’s significance. Afterward, list the most appropriate situations and conditions that might serve as supporting evidence for justifying your position. Present a clearly defined plan for solving the problem.

• Problem Cause Solution Method

This strategy is the most appropriate for solution topics. Here you need to single out the problem and investigate its causes. Further, you have to provide a critical analysis of the causes and put forward adequate solutions.

• Problem Cause-Effect Method

This strategy comes in handy when outlining the aftermath of your problem-cause topic.

• Comparative Advantage Method

You need to compare and contrast the identified solutions to the problem outlined.

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253 Easy Problem Solution Speech Topics for 2024

Well, here’s the good news: those pesky problem and solution essays can be way better. All you need is an easy topic.

Here’s even better news: we’ve already compiled a list of 253 simple problem solution speech and essay topics for you.

• 🎓 Topics for College Students
• 🗣 Speech Topics
• 📝 Essay Topics
• 💊 Solutions

✅ Problem Solution Speech Examples

📍 problem-solution speech topics 2024.

• How to deal with school bullying?
• Air pollution: sources, effects, and prevention measures.
• What are the efficient ways of dealing with cyberbullying?
• Google’s corporate strategy, problems, and solutions.
• Better education for special needs children.
• What measures can be implemented to tame the problem of homelessness?
• How to incorporate healthy eating habits into your daily routine?
• How to improve teacher’s performance and development?
• Steps to improve healthcare organizations.
• Best methods to educate the public about the most common health issues.
• Ways to improve communication between schools and the community.
• How can child obesity in the United States be solved?
• How can lean project management improve developmental activities?
• Climate change: impact and possible solutions.
• How to reduce drunk driving incidents to a minimum.

🔧 Problem-Solution Speech. Manual

You might be wondering what a problem-solution is?

If you have never heard of such a term before, it should still be pretty straightforward that it deals with solving problems.

This article is created specifically for people who need a little extra inspiration and guidance in creating a problem solution speech or essay.

We will start with an overview of several vital aspects. 👇

Challenges of Problem Solution Speech Topics

What do we have to deal with when talking about problem solution topics in the first place?

• Problem-solution scenario appears to play an essential role in the modern world. It finds application in various areas of our lives, especially in business, education, and government-related fields.
• It is more than just sharing the view. The main aim of any problem-solution speech is to encourage the audience to take some action or support a particular idea.

• Defining the problem clearly. You should gather enough evidence to prove that the issue is quite severe and needs attendance immediately.
• Everyone should be able to understand the details. Your speech needs to be comprehensive, and its central idea – easy to grasp.
• Are people aware of your problem? Do they all realize its seriousness? There should be a short introduction if your target audience doesn’t understand the relevance of the topic.
• Research your listeners. Your main goal is to gain audience support – be aware of all the biases they are susceptible to. Find counterarguments to their opposing arguments.
• Creating convincing arguments. However, this issue should be discussed separately since every topic needs a personalized approach.
• Don’t forget to use a reasonable tone and respect your audience. Being polite and open to criticism is essential for your reputation as a serious author.

Strategies for Creative Problem Solving

You already picked a problem?

Here are helpful solution options you need to know.

The most important thing is to make the solution practical and effective.

• Suggest adding something to the existing problem . For example, many social and cultural issues would be resolved if they received additional funding or staff. The opposite approach might be as practical – removing the source of the problem. So, it’s not an issue anymore.
• Creating and enforcing specific rules or laws. It might be applied in various areas, especially in the governmental field of work and education.
• Educate and motivate people. Some of the main reasons for existing social and health problems are that people are not aware of what they should do or simply lack motivation. It appears to be the focus of campaigns against drugs, smoking, and alcohol.
• Offer to make some changes in the method . It sometimes happens that a specific instrument does not work for everyone, so it should be changed. Another example is implementing successful marketing campaigns for various products.
• Probably the current leadership and strategy do not work. In human resources, education, and any area that needs a problem solution, this strategy might be the most effective.

Problem and Solution Text Structure

The structure of any problem-solution speech or presentation is relatively universal. Even though there are two main types of outline used, the components tend to stay the same.

You should always introduce the situation , helping your listeners understand the problem’s background. Then, you should define the issue itself , explaining its urgency and significance. After that, it is time to present your solution . In the end, there is usually a quick overview of the speech and a call for action .

The methods for outlining your problem solution speech are known for those who have experience in writing essays:

• The block method divides your speech into sections according to the categories. That is, first, you state all problems you have to address. Then make a short transition paragraph. Only then explain the solutions for the issues you discussed previously.

• The chain method has the same main components but is different in structure. Each time you talk about a problem, you need to discuss a solution. Therefore, if you want to address three issues, there should be three parts of the main body solving each problem at a time.

🎓 Problem Solution Speech Topics for College Students

Now, let’s get to the examples of the most relevant issues of today:

• How to prevent the increase in temperatures predicted to reach a dangerous point by the year 2100?
• How poverty causes crime, and is there a way to deal with it?
• What are the causes and possible solutions to India’s increasing death toll related to low air quality?
• How to take China out of the risk of losing the economy’s growth in the next several decades?
• How can the problem of posing education be solved?
• Total factor productivity: the issues with evaluating India’s output that shows productivity growth.
• Stagnating productivity as the cause of the unequal distribution of the world’s wealth. What are the solutions?
• Green Construction as an answer to environmental challenges.
• How to prevent the unemployment rates from increasing due to artificial intelligence development?
• How to achieve team cohesion?
• Technology as a threat to privacy and ways to deal with the problem?
• Best ways to address the health needs of an aging population.
• Webster University’s problems and solutions.
• How to protect societies from health issues related to overeating and low physical activity?
• The causes of air pollution and possible solutions.
• Practical solutions for the rising demand for talented employees in the STEM areas and lack of candidates.
• Is the driverless vehicle a solution to the high rates of death in the crushes on the roadways?
• Architecture and urbanism: how can more ecological and equitable cities be built with the latest technologies?
• How to improve your teamwork performance?
• What are the ways to reduce the cases of domestic violence in our society?
• Human genomes : how to avoid mistakes made while implementing any intelligence and lifespan enhancement tools?
• What are the most effective strategies suitable for diagnosing, treating, and preventing drug-resistant infections from becoming a threat?
• A step towards resolving financial issues facing U.S. higher education.
• Global development: how should the latest technologies in health, education, and nutrition be distributed among societies?
• Which strategies for dealing with epidemics and preparation methods can help prevent future global outbreaks?
• Technical urban planning : how should it be improved so that developing cities can find better solutions to increased global carbon emissions?

🎤 Easy Problem Solution Speech Topics

Someone may find these issues trifling, but try to solve them 😊

• How the lack of self-confidence affects your life and ways to deal with it.
• The problem of fast fashion and ways to deal with it.
• The problem of sexual assault and possible solutions.
• Mental health problems: how can an open discussion be encouraged in our society?
• The challenges of consumerism culture and ways to solve them.
• Why do so many people face an existential crisis , and are there any ways to deal with the issue?
• What are the right ways to resolve the ethical issue of advertising a harmful product?
• How has texting affected face-to-face communication, and what are the possible solutions to the problem?
• How can music prevent insomnia and improve your sleeping habits?
• How informal organization creates problems for managers, and how can these issues be redressed?
• Is including sex education in the program as a complete course can help to prevent early pregnancy?
• Can becoming a volunteer solve the self-confidence problem?
• Gender-specific bathrooms: what is a better way to prevent sexual assaults?
• Excluding all the personal information details from the CV to reduce job market discrimination.
• How does donating and recycling clothes help with the world poverty issue?
• Student parking problem and ways to deal with it.
• What are the best ways to reduce stress and anxiety?
• Open discussions and effective communication at the workplace as the ultimate problem-solving approach .
• Some universities are not as diverse as others. How can a college attract students from various backgrounds?
• Social fatigue: how can spending some time alone help fight it?
• Best ways to address various academic and learning challenges.
• Educating couples about proper budgeting as the way to prevent money-related conflicts.
• Reducing stress from social activity by planning daily routine.
• Legalizing medical marijuana : issues and solutions.
• The effect of social media on adolescents and possible interventions to limit the negative outcomes.
• Why is implementing a vegetarian diet one of the best ways to fight obesity?
• Psychological and physiological reasons why chewing gum helps with smoking addiction .
• Risks of medical tourism and some possible solutions .
• Consumption of a specific amount of red wine as a way to help with stomach ulcers.
• Contradictory but effective solution: taking selfies to boost self-confidence .
• How well does online video chatting help sustain an excellent long-distance relationship ?
• How can online fundraising campaigns help even more people in need?
• Do newspapers switching to online bases helps to reduce waste?
• Paper and reusable bags as an easy way to help reduce plastic waste.
• How strict should be water filtration rules to reduce water pollution?
• Planting trees as a way to deal with deforestation.
• Walking as the means of solving both pollution and health issues.
• How to better prepare students for adult life in the USA.
• How does setting up more drinking fountains help with reducing plastic pollution ?
• What are the ways to increase attendance at sports events?

🍭 Problem Solution Persuasive Speech Topics

The persuasive approach is mainly different from the other with the tone of your speech. It needs to be encouraging and trustworthy enough so that your audience accepts your idea. In case you wonder what are the best problem solution persuasive speech topics, here are some examples:

• How to get at least eight hours of sleep every day, and why is it an issue?
• The strategies to stop the increased consumption of sugar that leads to obesity.
• The problem of school counseling: why do Professional School Counselors Need to Pay Attention to Ethics?
• The ways to avoid the negative influence of hate towards religions on societies.
• How to introduce more gender-neutral concepts to the job market.
• Teaching gender and equal rights at schools to help decrease gender-related social issues .
• Paper recycling as a way to deal with environmental issues.
• Internships for all college students as the solution to high unemployment rates.
• More frequent evaluation of teachers as the way to fix educational issues.
• Social media regulated by university administration: putting an end to suicides .
• Resistance to change in organizations: problems and solutions.
• Introducing intercultural studies and foreign language classes at school to fight biases.
• New technologies: the ways to encourage people to start reading books .
• The problem of expensive education: why should community colleges be free?
• The necessity to implement cyber courts to help with the issue of cyberbullying.
• The ways that science and religion can co-exist to reduce worldwide conflicts.
• Allowing students to make jokes in class as a way to make education more engaging.
• Can going online improve the existing education system?
• Saving endangered species: can the government’s involvement help to solve the problem?
• Having a pet as a way to deal with emotional stress and anxiety for college students.
• How can cultural diversity benefit the business?
• How do we prevent job discrimination related to race and religion?
• Free professional help for divorced people as a means to prevent serious psychological issues .
• How can listening to sad songs help people release their emotions when they are upset?
• The difficulties of learning: how can music improve your academic performance?
• Radical solutions: legalizing marijuana as a way of preventing crimes related to drugs.
• Allowing people with tattoos to get any job helps increase tolerance and empathy.
• Psychology: the art of being happy as a mandatory class in colleges for increasing mental health.
• Learning a second language as a way toward self-improvement.
• Strict policy regarding dating at the workplace as the means to prevent conflicts.
• Practical strategies for fighting and elevating poverty around the globe.

✨ Problem Cause Solution Speech Topics

Problem-cause-solution speech is a very effective way to persuade your audience that you are a reliable expert. It requires you to analyze the causes of the issue in detail and come up with the best solution!

• The leading causes of binge drinking on college campuses and the ways to eliminate it.
• What are the decisive reasons for the high car accident rate, and how do we decrease it?
• Causes of global warming and possible ways of solving the problem .
• Why are so many prisons getting overcrowded , and what is the most humane solution?
• Inflation and high cost of living : how to find the solution to those problems?
• The evaluation system for teachers as the means of improving the quality of school education.
• The problem of school dropouts and possible interventions.
• What are the leading causes of sex education failure in school, and how to fix it?
• Why are we so dependent on fossil fuels, and how do we solve this issue?
• What causes truancy, and how to deal with it?
• Reducing the use of plastic as a way to solve some of the environmental problems.
• What is contributing to the current obesity epidemic , and how do we stop it?
• The reasons some people are dependent on prescription drugs and ways to solve them.
• Why did London’s new ambulance service fail, and how can the issue be resolved?
• Engage college students to become more politically active as a way to raise political consciousness.
• The problem of personal vs. private privacy and ways to solve it.
• The problem of toxic relationships and ways to solve it.
• What causes violence on social media, and what are the best ways to deal with it?
• Why are many long-distance relationships unsuccessful, and what are the ways to change that?
• Communities: why have we stopped getting along with neighbors, and what are the solutions?
• Kodak company’s strategic issue and solution.
• What causes so many teenagers to fall into depression, and how can family and teachers help to solve this issue?
• The leading causes of athletes using steroids in sports, and how can we stop it?
• What causes air pollution, and how to deal with it?
• Why do some teens keep dropping out of school , and how can it be prevented?
• How should we educate parents about controlling their child’s social media use, and why is that a problem at all?
• How do parents shape children’s understanding of relationships and ways to avoid bad influences and scenarios?
• Amazon Local Company’s failure: reasons and ways to fix it.
• Hackers can attack digital transactions. What are the ways to keep them safe?
• The main reasons for information overload and how should people avoid it?

📝 Problem Solution Essay Topics for Business

• Marketing ROI: the problem of ROI assessment and the potential solutions.
• How to avoid labor exploitation.
• What are the responsible management challenges and solutions for the B.P. company?
• The issue of youth unemployment and possible solutions.
• How should companies audit their policies to ensure they discourage, rather than encourage, discrimination among workers ?
• H.R. portfolio of evidence: project management and problem-solving techniques.
• How to effectively avoid social problems in a workplace.
• How do you deal with the problem of alcoholism at work?
• How to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace?
• Ways to deal with the company’s global communication problems.
• How to deal with the food prices increase?
• How can a company maintain a good conflict-resolution strategy?
• Ways to avoid bankruptcy.
• Classic Airlines marketing problems and possible solutions.
• The problem of monopolization in America : can a small business survive?
• Ways to improve employees’ satisfaction.
• How to incorporate problem-solving into marketing.
• How can Amazon Company’s ethical problems and challenges be resolved?
• Gender pay-gap issue in the U.S. and possible solutions.
• Ways to solve management problems in the tourism and hospitality industry

💭 Problem Solution Essay Topics 2024

Let’s see which 2024 problems are the most relevant so that you can use them as a problem solution essay topic:

• Is relying on COVID-19 vaccines the right strategy to fight the world pandemic?
• University education: problems and possible ways to improve?
• Accepting the new normal or fighting for the old normal: which is more effective for stopping the outbreak?
• Employing a diverse workforce: challenges and solutions.
• How do we help the most vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 outbreak?
• How to cultivate respect for other cultures?
• Learning issues in the public school system and ways to improve the condition.
• Climate change : is being prepared for the effects a better solution than trying to prevent it?
• What are the ways in which digital giants can improve to avoid information breaches and exposure?
• Innovative strategies to make big cities more equal and less divided for their citizens.
• How using renewable resources can help deal with climate change?
• How do migrants affect public health systems, and what should we do about it?
• How can we help small-scale farmers with adaptation to climate change?
• What are the best leadership styles that can contribute to the business’s success during COVID-19?
• The new ways to fact-check information online and prevent dangerous rumors.
• Restation of local economies by helping small businesses and encouraging young talents.
• Interdisciplinary studying: benefits, challenges, and solutions.
• Right and effective leadership as a way of achieving sustainable development goals.
• How can international collaboration for every country help to achieve carbon neutrality?
• Cloud services for businesses: issues, benefits, and possible solutions.
• What are the ways to reduce the number of tobacco consumption?
• The U.N. and multilateralism : how can we achieve more by working together as humanity?
• How can market analysis benefit the company?
• How can we help cultural cohesion and stop fragmentation by avoiding multiculturalism ?
• How are social issues such as violence and racism addressed in gangsta rap and rock music?
• Making cyberbullying a criminal offense as one of the most effective ways to fight it.
• Restore humanities: teaching children how to be humans as the way to solve the global crisis.
• Way to make an advertising campaign successful?
• Promoting values and cognitive behavioral therapy to fight mental health issues.
• How can promoting open debates on essential topics help fight herd mentality?

📚 Problem Solution Essay Topics for College Students

There is a variety of disciplines in this list, so any college student can find something suitable for them here:

• One random act of kindness as a way to create happier societies.
• Funding volunteering promotion as a way to boost people’s awareness.
• Social media and its effect on the younger generation: problems and solutions.
• Can everyone having personal solar panels help to save the environment?
• How do augmented reality glasses help people with disabilities see the world?
• Can strict gun control laws reduce the number of homicide cases committed in the USA?
• The problem with dolls: why should we promote the production of dolls of different shapes and colors for children ?
• What rules should be introduced to fight market monopolization and increase competition?
• What can society do to prevent people from getting an eating disorder?
• Can students’ active involvement in the learning process improve their academic results?
• Implementing A.I. and machine learning methods to help companies build a relationship with their customers.
• Promoting a specific level of individualism in a business setting to help problem-solving.
• How can total transparency boost the customer’s trust and increase sales?
• Time management problem and possible solutions.
• How can athletes prevent injuries that take them out of competitive sports?
• Setting some responsibilities and duties for children as the way to help them become more successful in life.
• Studying abroad and graduate employability: challenges and recommendations.
• Why does developing family traditions help the more substantial relationship and reduce conflicts?
• What is the main problem with current meal plans at schools, and what is the solution?
• Educating people about herbal remedies as a way to promote over-the-counter medicines .
• The challenges and solutions of introducing a new performance management system for a multicultural team.
• What policies should be implemented to eliminate the problem of child labor?
• Is raising the prices of tobacco an effective way to make humanity healthier?
• Switching to online learning platforms as the new approach to available and affordable education.
• Can the implementation of electric cars bring some positive environmental changes and a decrease in air pollution?
• Do kids prefer to read eBooks , and how can we use them to encourage book reading?
• Setting fair prices for streaming services as the way to fight online piracy .
• How can organizational goals help the company succeed?
• Should we all use adblocking software to avoid online fraud and malware?
• Creating more natural habitats such as national parks as a way to protect endangered species.
• How do you effectively manage organizational behavior?
• Small steps: how does local buying help reduce soil pollution from big companies?
• Kids and sports: how the lack of professional sports guides can be addressed?
• Should we pay more attention to cleaning trees from invasive vegetation?
• How to stop animal poaching by promoting the use of ethical materials?

🐻 Problem Solution Essay Topics for Middle School

Here are some great examples of topics that may interest or be discussed by middle school students:

• Can a college degree be one of the solutions for reducing the risks of divorce?
• Learning to smile through pain as the way to make you feel better.
• Online learning vs. face-to-face learning: problems and solutions.
• Small changes in life as a way to treat depression .
• Listening to audiobooks as a way to improve your literacy?
• Tourism industry: why should it be supported, what challenges does it faces, and what are the solutions?
• Switching chairs in classrooms to more comfortable ones as the way to improve attendance.
• If most of the world’s population turns vegetarians, will it help climate change?
• The issues with high school uniforms and possible solutions.
• The effectiveness of placing more speed bumps to reduce the rates of accidents.
• Implementing mandatory student exchange programs in colleges to fight cultural biases.
• The danger of popular diets and ways to deal with it.
• Fixing pollution issues as the only way to secure healthy nations in the Future.
• How does a fair division of house chores help prevent family conflicts?
• Homeschooling: issues and possible solutions.
• Owning and petting a cat regularly as the best way to reduce stress ?
• What are the best ways to prevent deaths due to drunk driving?
• How to keep a workplace safe, and why is it important?
• How does playing team sports help with communication skills in teenagers?
• How to deal with challenges at work as a team leader?
• Can people using eBooks contribute to solving environmental issues ?
• How do handwritten letters help share emotions within the family during the conflict?
• How can we use online communication to learn languages more effectively?
• Dealing with conflict: strategies for responses.
• How does the cultural trend of “going green” help with environmental changes?
• Should we focus on inventing more renewable energy sources to help pollution?

💊 Problem Solution Topics. Solutions

Here are some great examples of problem solution speech topics to get an idea of what it should look like:

• Limit the time kids spend on the internet.
• Make sure that kids use only appropriate for their age websites.
• Place the computer in an open common area to easily monitor kids’ activity.
• Educate teenagers on the unprecedented danger of using the internet.
• Parents should support their kids to make sure they can resist the influence of drug abuse.
• Schools should create programs that spread awareness of the consequence of drug use.
• The community should be more involved in drug prevention activities.
• The government should implement policies that address drug use among school-age youth.
• Enforce strong laws against child abusers.
• Spread awareness regarding the problem of child abuse.
• Take matters of child abuse seriously and lead comprehensive investigations.
• Implement behavior therapy that helps patients plan and deal with their strong food cravings.
• Use a cognitive approach that helps patients to channel and be in control of their negative thoughts.
• Expose patients to interpersonal psychotherapy, which focuses on “family-based” treatment.
• Parents should talk to their kids about their future career plans and encourage their developing interests and beginnings.
• Schools should facilitate tutoring, mentoring, and out-of-school programs.
• The government should provide more social and financial support to the students and their families.
• Avoid opening suspicious messages and e-mail attachments, especially from unknown users.
• Avoid Executing any Executable Programs in the attachments.
• Avoid downloading cracked software on websites.
• Block Scripts by Default in Internet Browsers.
• Install anti-virus software ad security patches.
• Disable Autorun for C.D.s, Flash Drives, and other Removable Media.
• Switch to biodegradable materials for packaging.
• Reduce the consumption of goods that use non-biodegradable plastic. Check out this link for more perspective solutions: 10 Measures that Must Be Taken to Prevent More Flooding in the Future
• Learn to identify barriers and problems.
• Build your own self-concept.
• Try to strengthen your emotional intelligence.
• Work on your self-disclosure and be open with your partner or family members.
• Learn to handle the conflicts.
• Parents should make sure that their kids feel loved and accepted.
• Praise children when they achieve their accomplishments, and don’t criticize them in front of their peers.
• Teach children to have positive self-statements and give them a chance to evaluate themselves. Let the children see how their good actions positively affect others.

By addressing real-world problems through our speeches, we can develop a sense of responsibility toward creating positive change. For your inspiration, we have prepared a short problem-solving speech example on obesity.

Obesity Problem Solution Speech

Good morning, everyone. It’s a pleasure to be here with you today! I want to direct your attention to an issue that has been steadily growing in significance and deserves our immediate concern – childhood obesity. Did you know that in 2021-2022, 17.0% of young people aged 10 to 17 had obesity? This rise in childhood obesity is a multifaceted issue with diverse causative factors, including sedentary lifestyles, poor dietary habits, limited access to healthy foods, and societal influences. The consequences of childhood obesity are profound and alarming. It increases the risk of numerous health issues, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, obese children often face social and emotional challenges, including stigmatization and low self-esteem, which can have long-lasting effects on their mental health and overall quality of life. So, what can we do to tackle childhood obesity effectively? The solution lies in a comprehensive and concerted effort involving various stakeholders, parents, educators, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the community. Firstly, promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviors among children is paramount. This can be achieved by increasing access to sports facilities, integrating physical education into school curricula, and encouraging outdoor and recreational activities. Additionally, addressing dietary habits is crucial. Providing access to nutritious meals in schools, educating children and their parents about healthy eating practices, and limiting the availability of unhealthy food options can contribute to positive changes in children’s diets. In conclusion, combating childhood obesity requires a multifaceted approach encompassing education, environmental changes, and supportive policies. Thank you!

More Problem Solution Persuasive Speech Examples

Here are some bonus problem-solution speech examples given by TED Talk speakers.

• “The Simple Solution to Fast Fashion” — Josephine Philips In her TED Talk, Josephine Philips presents a simple solution to fast fashion. She advocates for a shift toward sustainable and ethical clothing consumption. By embracing timeless styles, supporting eco-friendly brands, and practicing mindful shopping, she believes individuals can significantly lessen the harmful effects of fast fashion on the environment.
• “A Close-to-Home Solution for Accessible Childcare” — Chris Bennett In his brilliant speech, Chris Bennett proposes a community-based approach to accessible childcare. He advocates for creating local co-op childcare centers where parents take turns supervising children. By leveraging existing resources and building a supportive network, he believes this model can provide affordable and reliable childcare for families in need.
• “The Real Solution to Global Warming” — Supratim Kundu In his TED Talk, Supratim Kundu argues that the real solution to global warming lies in harnessing the power of capitalism and private industry. He believes incentivizing the private sector to address environmental issues is more effective and efficient than relying solely on government intervention.

You got lucky when you found our list of problem solution speech topics! We will also direct you to other resources that will help you write a paper 😎

Start with this complete breakdown of how to write a problem solution essay , then create a problem solution speech structure , and—voila—you’re all set to conquer your text!

Check out more sources below in references.

And if you are still struggling with it, simply read some problem solution essay examples for both college and high school.

Have you grabbed a couple of problem solution essay topics from our list?

Good luck with solving them now🍀

🔗 References

• Transitions in Text; University of North Carolina
• Problem-Solution Essays: Definition and Examples
• Problem-Solving Skills: Definitions and Examples
• A Problem Solving Approach
• What Are Problem Solving Skills?

414 Proposal Essay Topics for Projects, Research, & Proposal Arguments

725 research proposal topics & title ideas in education, psychology, business, & more.

📕 Studying HQ

Problem Solution Persuasive Speech Topics

Rachel r.n..

• September 10, 2022
• Essay Topics and Ideas

When you are asked to speak about a problem and a solution, it can be difficult to decide on what topic to choose. In this article, we have compiled a list of problem solution persuasive speech topics to help you choose the perfect one for you.

What You'll Learn

Thirty Problem Solution Persuasive Speech Topics

1. Ending world hunger 2. Achieving world peace 3. Curing cancer 4. Eradicating poverty 5. solving the energy crisis 6. combating global warming 7. providing healthcare for all 8. eliminating illiteracy 9. making college education affordable for all 10. cleaning up the environment11. stopping child labor 12. improving public transportation 13. protecting endangered species 14. curbing gang violence 15. banning smoking in public places 16. stricter penalties for drunk driving 17. increasing funding for the arts 18. decreasing the number of abortions 19. legalizing gay marriage 20. Teaching effective financial planning in schools 21. Promoting healthy eating habits in schools 22. Encouraging more physical activity in schools 23. Making driver’s education mandatory in high school 24. Lowering the drinking age to 18 25. Requiring all students to take a foreign language in high school 26. Reinforcing basic skills in elementary and middle school 27. Offering free universal preschool 28. Vouchers for private/religious schools 29. Building more charter schools 30. Homeschooling

Thirty Problem Solution Persuasive Speech Ideas

If you’re looking for some problem solution persuasive speech ideas, then you’ve come to the right place. Below are thirty different prompts that can help you get started on your next speech.

1. The world’s ever-growing population and the consequent demand for resources. 2.How to prevent human trafficking? 3. What can be done to stop cyber bullying? 4. How can we get more people to vote in elections? 5. Should the legal drinking age be raised or lowered? 6. Are beauty pageants harmful? 7. Should the use of animals for testing be banned? 8. Should schools require students to wear uniforms? 9. Is too much emphasis placed on standardized test scores? 10. Are zoos cruel to animals? 11. How can we reduce poverty around the world? 12. Should wealthy nations be required to share their resources with poorer ones? 13. Is it fair that some countries have free healthcare while others do not? 14. How can we provide clean water for everyone in the world? 15. Should genetically modified foods be banned? 16. How can we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels?

Thirty Problem Solution Persuasive Speech topic examples

When you are assigned a problem solution persuasive speech, it is important to choose a good topic. Below are thirty problem solution persuasive speech topics to help you get started.

1. The problems with plastic surgery and how to fix them. 2. The rise of eating disorders and what can be done about it. 3. Why there needs to be more education on mental health and how to prevent suicide. 4. The ongoing issue of gun violence and what can be done to stop it. 5. Racism in America and how to fix the divide between races. 6. The wage gap between men and women and how to close it. 7. How the media needs to change the way they present images of beauty to young girls and boys. 8. The problem of child labor and what can be done about it globally. 9. Why there should be more focus on renewable energy sources and less on fossil fuels. 10. What can be done about the increasing number of homeless people in cities?

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• Problem Solution Speech Topics

When working with problem solution speech topics there are two main objectives to consider:

• to articulate clearly a particular problem, and
• to present convincing solutions.

The requirement to fix the problem defines the problem-solution speech as a persuasive presentation. You may consider any of the persuasive speech topics that you have a proposal or a plan as a question for a problem-solution speech.

Selecting Problems

Deciding on what problem or issue you want to discuss may depend on the type of audience you'll be addressing.

If they comprise people from a particular profession, industry or social group, then it's quite natural to select an issue from their field. The audience might even have selected your topic for you beforehand.

For a generic audience, matters of public interest are a good place to pick subjects, such as national challenges, community crime, environmental concerns or personal finances.

Another method is to ask the event facilitator ahead of time to get ideas from the audience as to issues they might want you to discuss. This way you'll be addressing concerns specific to the audience.

A slightly more complex approach is taking a generally accepted issue, proposing a contrary view and presenting alternative viewpoints.

For example, 'beer is healthy for you' or that 'animal-derived clothing textiles are better for the environment than synthetics'. This can only be pulled off if you are very well versed in the matter, have strong supporting evidence and fairly good speaking skills because you'll be a minority in the face of a majority audience with opposing opinions.

Whatever method you use to select your problem topic ensure that you have clear examples, convincing facts or credible data that supports your position on the matter.

Finding Solutions

The alternatives that you offer should be practical and applicable. Remember that as you are explaining the solution, your listeners will be thinking to themselves how possible it is to apply what you are saying.

Therefore, relating real life solutions, using various props and incorporating valid statistics can be really useful in supporting your argument.

Keep in mind how acquainted the audience is with the topic. If they are experts in the field, they will be expecting you to present novel ideas or innovative solutions that are over and above the standard procedures.

Handling Multiple-Aspect Problem Solution Speech Topics

When discussing several problems in one speech, organize your speech such that you present a solution after each problem you mention. This way the audience follows your argument well and doesn't get muddled about which answer is for what problem.

Problem solution speech topics can also include the causes of the problem before you give the solutions. Identifying the underlying causes help support your explanation and gives your solution more credibility.

Additionally, your personal opinion on the matter should be in line with the solutions you are presenting because your passion for the topic will come through in the delivery.

If you have bought into the solution, then your speech will be more persuasive and you will be in a better position to swing the audience to your viewpoint.

At the conclusion of the speech, summarize the issues, especially the solutions, as this is what you want your audience to remember best.

If you are having to work on problem solution speech topics in a classroom environment then you were probably given the subject you are to talk on. Keep everything above in mind when you write your speech up and you'll do great!

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48 Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, Problem-Solution, Comparative Advantages

Learning objectives.

• Understand three common organizational patterns for persuasive speeches.
• Explain the steps utilized in Monroe’s motivated sequence.
• Explain the parts of a problem-cause-solution speech.
• Explain the process utilized in a comparative advantage persuasive speech.

Organizing Persuasive Speeches

Previously in this text, we discussed general guidelines for organizing speeches. In this section, we are going to look at three organizational patterns ideally suited for persuasive speeches: Monroe’s motivated sequence, problem-cause-solution, and comparative advantages.

Monroe’s Motivated Sequence

One of the most commonly cited and discussed organizational patterns for persuasive speeches is Alan H. Monroe’s motivated sequence. The purpose of Monroe’s motivated sequence is to help speakers “sequence supporting materials and motivational appeals to form a useful organizational pattern for speeches as a whole” (German et al., 2010).

While Monroe’s motivated sequence is commonly discussed in most public speaking textbooks, we do want to provide one minor caution. Thus far, almost no research has been conducted that has demonstrated that Monroe’s motivated sequence is any more persuasive than other structural patterns. In the only study conducted experimentally examining Monroe’s motivated sequence, the researchers did not find the method more persuasive but did note that audience members found the pattern more organized than other methods (Micciche, Pryor, & Butler, 2000). We wanted to add this sidenote because we don’t want you to think that Monroe’s motivated sequence is a kind of magic persuasive bullet; the research simply doesn’t support this notion. At the same time, research does support that organized messages are perceived as more persuasive as a whole, so using Monroe’s motivated sequence to think through one’s persuasive argument could still be very beneficial.

Below are the basic steps of Monroe’s motivated sequence and the subsequent reaction a speaker desires from his or her audience.

The first step in Monroe’s motivated sequence is the  attention step , in which a speaker attempts to get the audience’s attention. To gain an audience’s attention, we recommend that you think through three specific parts of the attention step. First, you need to have a strong attention-getting device. As previously discussed, a strong attention getter at the beginning of your speech is very important. Second, you need to make sure you introduce your topic clearly. If your audience doesn’t know what your topic is quickly, they are more likely to stop listening. Lastly, you need to explain to your audience why they should care about your topic. If this sounds familiar, it should! The attention step uses the same elements as an introduction for any speech: The attention getter, relevance, credibility, thesis statement, and preview.

In the  need step of Monroe’s motivated sequence, the speaker establishes that there is a specific need or problem. This will be your first main point. In Monroe’s conceptualization of need, he talks about four specific parts of the need: statement, illustration, ramification, and pointing. First, a speaker needs to give a clear and concise statement of the problem. This part of a speech should be crystal clear for an audience. Second, the speaker needs to provide one or more examples to illustrate the need. The illustration is an attempt to make the problem concrete for the audience. Next, a speaker needs to provide some kind of evidence (e.g., statistics, examples, testimony) that shows the ramifications or consequences of the problem. Lastly, a speaker needs to point to the audience and show exactly how the problem relates to them personally.

Satisfaction

In the third step of Monroe’s motivated sequence, the  satisfaction step , the speaker sets out to satisfy the need or solve the problem. This will be your second main point. Within this step, Monroe (1935) proposed a five-step plan for satisfying a need:

• Explanation
• Theoretical demonstration
• Reference to practical experience
• Meeting objections

First, you need to clearly state the attitude, value, belief, or action you want your audience to accept. The purpose of this statement is to clearly tell your audience what your ultimate goal is.

Second, you want to make sure that you clearly explain to your audience why they should accept the attitude, value, belief, or action you proposed. Just telling your audience they should do something isn’t strong enough to actually get them to change. Instead, you really need to provide a solid argument for why they should accept your proposed solution.

Third, you need to show how the solution you have proposed meets the need or problem. Monroe calls this link between your solution and the need a theoretical demonstration because you cannot prove that your solution will work. Instead, you theorize based on research and good judgment that your solution will meet the need or solve the problem.

Fourth, to help with this theoretical demonstration, you need to reference practical experience, which should include examples demonstrating that your proposal has worked elsewhere. Research, statistics, and expert testimony are all great ways of referencing practical experience.

Lastly, Monroe recommends that a speaker responds to possible objections. As a persuasive speaker, one of your jobs is to think through your speech and see what counterarguments could be made against your speech and then rebut those arguments within your speech. When you offer rebuttals for arguments against your speech, it shows your audience that you’ve done your homework and educated yourself about multiple sides of the issue.

Visualization

The next step of Monroe’s motivated sequence is the  visualization step , in which you ask the audience to visualize a future where the need has been met or the problem solved. This will be your third main point. In essence, the visualization stage is where a speaker can show the audience why accepting a specific attitude, value, belief, or behavior can positively affect the future. When helping people to picture the future, the more concrete your visualization is, the easier it will be for your audience to see the possible future and be persuaded by it. You also need to make sure that you clearly show how accepting your solution will directly benefit your audience.

According to Monroe, visualization can be conducted in one of three ways: positive, negative, or contrast (Monroe, 1935). The positive method of visualization is where a speaker shows how adopting a proposal leads to a better future (e.g., recycle, and we’ll have a cleaner and safer planet). Conversely, the negative method of visualization is where a speaker shows how not adopting the proposal will lead to a worse future (e.g., don’t recycle, and our world will become polluted and uninhabitable). Monroe also acknowledged that visualization can include a combination of both positive and negative visualization. In essence, you show your audience both possible outcomes and have them decide which one they would rather have.

The final step in Monroe’s motivated sequence is the  action step , in which a speaker asks an audience to approve the speaker’s proposal. For understanding purposes, we break the action into two distinct parts: audience action and approval. Audience action refers to direct physical behaviors a speaker wants from an audience (e.g., flossing their teeth twice a day, signing a petition, wearing seat belts). Approval, on the other hand, involves an audience’s consent or agreement with a speaker’s proposed attitude, value, or belief.

When preparing an action step, it is important to make sure that the action, whether audience action or approval, is realistic for your audience. Asking your peers in a college classroom to donate one thousand dollars to charity isn’t realistic. Asking your peers to donate one dollar is considerably more realistic. In a persuasive speech based on Monroe’s motivated sequence, the action step will end with the speech’s concluding device. As discussed elsewhere in this text, you need to make sure that you conclude in a vivid way so that the speech ends on a high point and the audience has a sense of energy as well as a sense of closure.

This step will be your conclusion. Again, it will have the same elements as a conclusion you would use for any speech.

Application

Now that we’ve walked through Monroe’s motivated sequence, let’s look at how you could use Monroe’s motivated sequence to outline a persuasive speech:

Specific Purpose:  To persuade my classroom peers that the United States should have stronger laws governing the use of for-profit medical experiments.

Main Points:

• Attention:  Want to make nine thousand dollars for just three weeks of work lying around and not doing much? Then be a human guinea pig. Admittedly, you’ll have to have a tube down your throat most of those three weeks, but you’ll earn three thousand dollars a week.
• Need:  Every day many uneducated and lower socioeconomic-status citizens are preyed on by medical and pharmaceutical companies for use in for-profit medical and drug experiments. Do you want one of your family members to fall prey to this evil scheme?
• Satisfaction:  The United States should have stronger laws governing the use of for-profit medical experiments to ensure that uneducated and lower-socioeconomic-status citizens are protected.
• Visualization:  If we enact tougher experiment oversight, we can ensure that medical and pharmaceutical research is conducted in a way that adheres to basic values of American decency. If we do not enact tougher experiment oversight, we could find ourselves in a world where the lines between research subject, guinea pig, and patient become increasingly blurred.
• Action:  In order to prevent the atrocities associated with for-profit medical and pharmaceutical experiments, please sign this petition asking the US Department of Health and Human Services to pass stricter regulations on this preying industry that is out of control.

This example shows how you can take a basic speech topic and use Monroe’s motivated sequence to clearly and easily outline your speech efficiently and effectively.

Below is a checklist that contains a simple checklist to help you make sure you hit all the important components of Monroe’s motivated sequence.

The following video further details Monroe’s Motivated Sequence outlining each component and providing examples to provide an in-depth understanding of the organizational pattern.

For Future Reference | How to organize this in an outline |

Introduction: Attention Step

Main Point #1: Need Step

Main Point #2: Satisfaction Step

Main Point #3: Visualization Step

Conclusoin: Action Step

Problem-Cause-Solution

Another format for organizing a persuasive speech is the problem-cause-solution format. In this specific format, you discuss what a problem is, what you believe is causing the problem, and then what the solution should be to correct the problem.

Specific Purpose:  To persuade my classroom peers that our campus should adopt a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech.

• Demonstrate that there is distrust among different groups on campus that has led to unnecessary confrontations and violence.
• Show that the confrontations and violence are a result of hate speech that occurred prior to the events.
• Explain how instituting a campus-wide zero-tolerance policy against hate speech could stop the unnecessary confrontations and violence.

In this speech, you want to persuade people to support a new campus-wide policy calling for zero-tolerance of hate speech. Once you have shown the problem, you then explain to your audience that the cause of the unnecessary confrontations and violence is prior incidents of hate speech. Lastly, you argue that a campus-wide zero-tolerance policy could help prevent future unnecessary confrontations and violence. Again, this method of organizing a speech is as simple as its name: problem-cause-solution.

Comparative Advantages

The final method for organizing a persuasive speech is called the comparative advantages speech format. The goal of this speech is to compare items side-by-side and show why one of them is more advantageous than the other. For example, let’s say that you’re giving a speech on which e-book reader is better: Amazon.com’s Kindle or Barnes and Nobles’ Nook. Here’s how you could organize this speech:

Specific Purpose:  To persuade my audience that the Nook is more advantageous than the Kindle.

• The Nook allows owners to trade and loan books to other owners or people who have downloaded the Nook software, while the Kindle does not.
• The Nook has a color-touch screen, while the Kindle’s screen is black and grey and noninteractive.
• The Nook’s memory can be expanded through microSD, while the Kindle’s memory cannot be upgraded.

As you can see from this speech’s organization, the simple goal of this speech is to show why one thing has more positives than something else. Obviously, when you are demonstrating comparative advantages, the items you are comparing need to be functional equivalents—or, as the saying goes, you cannot compare apples to oranges.

Key Takeaways

• There are three common patterns that persuaders can utilize to help organize their speeches effectively: Monroe’s motivated sequence, problem-cause-solution, and comparative advantage. Each of these patterns can effectively help a speaker think through his or her thoughts and organize them in a manner that will be more likely to persuade an audience.
• Alan H. Monroe’s (1935) motivated sequence is a commonly used speech format that is used by many people to effectively organize persuasive messages. The pattern consists of five basic stages: attention, need, satisfaction, visualization, and action. In the first stage, a speaker gets an audience’s attention. In the second stage, the speaker shows an audience that a need exists. In the third stage, the speaker shows how his or her persuasive proposal could satisfy the need. The fourth stage shows how the future could be if the persuasive proposal is or is not adopted. Lastly, the speaker urges the audience to take some kind of action to help enact the speaker’s persuasive proposal.
• The problem-cause-solution proposal is a three-pronged speech pattern. The speaker starts by explaining the problem the speaker sees. The speaker then explains what he or she sees as the underlying causes of the problem. Lastly, the speaker proposes a solution to the problem that corrects the underlying causes.
• The comparative advantages speech format is utilized when a speaker is comparing two or more things or ideas and shows why one of the things or ideas has more advantages than the other(s).

German, K. M., Gronbeck, B. E., Ehninger, D., & Monroe, A. H. (2010). Principles of public speaking  (17th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, p. 236.

Micciche, T., Pryor, B., & Butler, J. (2000). A test of Monroe’s motivated sequence for its effects on ratings of message organization and attitude change.  Psychological Reports, 86 , 1135–1138.

Monroe, A. H. (1935).  Principles and types of speech . Chicago, IL: Scott Foresman.

Public Speaking Copyright © by Dr. Layne Goodman; Amber Green, M.A.; and Various is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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10.2 Using Common Organizing Patterns

Learning objectives.

• Differentiate among the common speech organizational patterns: categorical/topical, comparison/contrast, spatial, chronological, biographical, causal, problem-cause-solution, and psychological.
• Understand how to choose the best organizational pattern, or combination of patterns, for a specific speech.

Twentyfour Students – Organization makes you flow – CC BY-SA 2.0.

Previously in this chapter we discussed how to make your main points flow logically. This section is going to provide you with a number of organization patterns to help you create a logically organized speech. The first organization pattern we’ll discuss is categorical/topical.

Categorical/Topical

By far the most common pattern for organizing a speech is by categories or topics. The categories function as a way to help the speaker organize the message in a consistent fashion. The goal of a categorical/topical speech pattern is to create categories (or chunks) of information that go together to help support your original specific purpose. Let’s look at an example.

In this case, we have a speaker trying to persuade a group of high school juniors to apply to attend Generic University. To persuade this group, the speaker has divided the information into three basic categories: what it’s like to live in the dorms, what classes are like, and what life is like on campus. Almost anyone could take this basic speech and specifically tailor the speech to fit her or his own university or college. The main points in this example could be rearranged and the organizational pattern would still be effective because there is no inherent logic to the sequence of points. Let’s look at a second example.

In this speech, the speaker is talking about how to find others online and date them. Specifically, the speaker starts by explaining what Internet dating is; then the speaker talks about how to make Internet dating better for her or his audience members; and finally, the speaker ends by discussing some negative aspects of Internet dating. Again, notice that the information is chunked into three categories or topics and that the second and third could be reversed and still provide a logical structure for your speech

Comparison/Contrast

Another method for organizing main points is the comparison/contrast speech pattern . While this pattern clearly lends itself easily to two main points, you can also create a third point by giving basic information about what is being compared and what is being contrasted. Let’s look at two examples; the first one will be a two-point example and the second a three-point example.

If you were using the comparison/contrast pattern for persuasive purposes, in the preceding examples, you’d want to make sure that when you show how Drug X and Drug Y differ, you clearly state why Drug X is clearly the better choice for physicians to adopt. In essence, you’d want to make sure that when you compare the two drugs, you show that Drug X has all the benefits of Drug Y, but when you contrast the two drugs, you show how Drug X is superior to Drug Y in some way.

The spatial speech pattern organizes information according to how things fit together in physical space. This pattern is best used when your main points are oriented to different locations that can exist independently. The basic reason to choose this format is to show that the main points have clear locations. We’ll look at two examples here, one involving physical geography and one involving a different spatial order.

If you look at a basic map of the United States, you’ll notice that these groupings of states were created because of their geographic location to one another. In essence, the states create three spatial territories to explain.

Now let’s look at a spatial speech unrelated to geography.

In this example, we still have three basic spatial areas. If you look at a model of the urinary system, the first step is the kidney, which then takes waste through the ureters to the bladder, which then relies on the sphincter muscle to excrete waste through the urethra. All we’ve done in this example is create a spatial speech order for discussing how waste is removed from the human body through the urinary system. It is spatial because the organization pattern is determined by the physical location of each body part in relation to the others discussed.

Chronological

The chronological speech pattern places the main idea in the time order in which items appear—whether backward or forward. Here’s a simple example.

In this example, we’re looking at the writings of Winston Churchill in relation to World War II (before, during, and after). By placing his writings into these three categories, we develop a system for understanding this material based on Churchill’s own life. Note that you could also use reverse chronological order and start with Churchill’s writings after World War II, progressing backward to his earliest writings.

Biographical

As you might guess, the biographical speech pattern is generally used when a speaker wants to describe a person’s life—either a speaker’s own life, the life of someone they know personally, or the life of a famous person. By the nature of this speech organizational pattern, these speeches tend to be informative or entertaining; they are usually not persuasive. Let’s look at an example.

In this example, we see how Brian Warner, through three major periods of his life, ultimately became the musician known as Marilyn Manson.

In this example, these three stages are presented in chronological order, but the biographical pattern does not have to be chronological. For example, it could compare and contrast different periods of the subject’s life, or it could focus topically on the subject’s different accomplishments.

The causal speech pattern is used to explain cause-and-effect relationships. When you use a causal speech pattern, your speech will have two basic main points: cause and effect. In the first main point, typically you will talk about the causes of a phenomenon, and in the second main point you will then show how the causes lead to either a specific effect or a small set of effects. Let’s look at an example.

In this case, the first main point is about the history and prevalence of drinking alcohol among Native Americans (the cause). The second point then examines the effects of Native American alcohol consumption and how it differs from other population groups.

However, a causal organizational pattern can also begin with an effect and then explore one or more causes. In the following example, the effect is the number of arrests for domestic violence.

In this example, the possible causes for the difference might include stricter law enforcement, greater likelihood of neighbors reporting an incident, and police training that emphasizes arrests as opposed to other outcomes. Examining these possible causes may suggest that despite the arrest statistic, the actual number of domestic violence incidents in your city may not be greater than in other cities of similar size.

Problem-Cause-Solution

Another format for organizing distinct main points in a clear manner is the problem-cause-solution speech pattern . In this format you describe a problem, identify what you believe is causing the problem, and then recommend a solution to correct the problem.

In this speech, the speaker wants to persuade people to pass a new curfew for people under eighteen. To help persuade the civic group members, the speaker first shows that vandalism and violence are problems in the community. Once the speaker has shown the problem, the speaker then explains to the audience that the cause of this problem is youth outside after 10:00 p.m. Lastly, the speaker provides the mandatory 10:00 p.m. curfew as a solution to the vandalism and violence problem within the community. The problem-cause-solution format for speeches generally lends itself to persuasive topics because the speaker is asking an audience to believe in and adopt a specific solution.

Psychological

A further way to organize your main ideas within a speech is through a psychological speech pattern in which “a” leads to “b” and “b” leads to “c.” This speech format is designed to follow a logical argument, so this format lends itself to persuasive speeches very easily. Let’s look at an example.

In this speech, the speaker starts by discussing how humor affects the body. If a patient is exposed to humor (a), then the patient’s body actually physiologically responds in ways that help healing (b—e.g., reduces stress, decreases blood pressure, bolsters one’s immune system, etc.). Because of these benefits, nurses should engage in humor use that helps with healing (c).

Selecting an Organizational Pattern

Each of the preceding organizational patterns is potentially useful for organizing the main points of your speech. However, not all organizational patterns work for all speeches. For example, as we mentioned earlier, the biographical pattern is useful when you are telling the story of someone’s life. Some other patterns, particularly comparison/contrast, problem-cause-solution, and psychological, are well suited for persuasive speaking. Your challenge is to choose the best pattern for the particular speech you are giving.

You will want to be aware that it is also possible to combine two or more organizational patterns to meet the goals of a specific speech. For example, you might wish to discuss a problem and then compare/contrast several different possible solutions for the audience. Such a speech would thus be combining elements of the comparison/contrast and problem-cause-solution patterns. When considering which organizational pattern to use, you need to keep in mind your specific purpose as well as your audience and the actual speech material itself to decide which pattern you think will work best.

Key Takeaway

• Speakers can use a variety of different organizational patterns, including categorical/topical, comparison/contrast, spatial, chronological, biographical, causal, problem-cause-solution, and psychological. Ultimately, speakers must really think about which organizational pattern best suits a specific speech topic.
• Imagine that you are giving an informative speech about your favorite book. Which organizational pattern do you think would be most useful? Why? Would your answer be different if your speech goal were persuasive? Why or why not?
• Working on your own or with a partner, develop three main points for a speech designed to persuade college students to attend your university. Work through the preceding organizational patterns and see which ones would be possible choices for your speech. Which organizational pattern seems to be the best choice? Why?
• Use one of the common organizational patterns to create three main points for your next speech.

Stand up, Speak out Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Problem/Solution Speech Topics

Kori morgan.

A problem/solution presentation is a type of persuasive speech that not only identifies an issue and its causes, but also gives you the chance to propose a way to solve it. To give a successful speech, you must select a topic that is both significant and manageable enough to create a potential solution. You can select a meaningful, significant topic for your problem/solution speech by considering issues of safety, health and recreation that affect you and your peers.

Explore this article

• A Deadly Driving Distraction
• Stamping Out School Violence
• School Sports Safety
• Double Click for Addiction

1 A Deadly Driving Distraction

In 2014 the National Safety Council estimated that cell phone use while driving resulted in 26 percent of all car accidents. A problem/solution speech on this topic might begin by discussing the causes and effects of this issue, such as what makes drivers obey the compulsion to use phones in the car. Beware of potential solutions that don't really help the problem. Hands-free devices or car systems are seen by some as a better alternative, but a review in the Journal of Safety Research in 2009 found that "performance while using a hands-free phone was rarely found to be better than when using a handheld phone." Some possible solutions you might describe and research could include banning all cell phone use in traffic or encouraging parents to set a good example by putting their phones away in the car.

2 Stamping Out School Violence

In 1940, disrespectful speech, gum chewing, running in the halls and littering were among the biggest discipline problems in public schools. Today, teachers and administrators are more concerned with school shootings, knife violence, bullying and assault. Your problem/solution speech can address violence in schools, its consequences and what's caused this dangerous behavior. To create a solution, you might consider options like incentive systems that reward good behavior, parental involvement and peer mediation training, as well as traditional methods like disciplinary measures and increased school security.

3 School Sports Safety

Football, basketball and other sports may be enjoyable physical activities for students, but serious injuries like concussions can quickly end the fun. Approximately 173,285 children and teens are treated for traumatic brain injuries per year, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Use your problem/solution speech to not just offer a way to solve this issue, but teach your classmates about an important sports safety topic. You might address solution ideas like mandatory safety training for student athletes or a program for elementary school students to teach them about traumatic brain injuries early in life.

4 Double Click for Addiction

Social media, online role-playing games and YouTube videos can be fun in moderation, but for a growing number of people the Internet has become much more than that. Internet addiction is a condition that causes preoccupation with games and social connections to the point that it harms your job, grades, relationships and other responsibilities. Your speech can address these serious causes of Internet addiction, as well as how society's increased dependence on technology has fueled this problem. You might consider discussing solutions like an increased emphasis on the arts in schools and apps that log time spent on various Internet sites.

• 1 National Safety Council: Annual Estimate of Cell Phone Crashes 2014
• 2 National Public Radio: Working to Stop Teens Texting Behind the Wheel
• 3 Policy Study: Strategies to Keep Schools Safe
• 4 University of Michigan: School Violence
• 5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Concussions in Sports and Play
• 6 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Injury Prevention and Control: Traumatic Brain Injury
• 7 Journal of Safety Research: Is a Hands-Free Phone Safer Than a Handheld Phone?

About the Author

Kori Morgan holds a Bachelor of Arts in professional writing and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and has been crafting online and print educational materials since 2006. She taught creative writing and composition at West Virginia University and the University of Akron and her fiction, poetry and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals.

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Passive Agreement Speech

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How to Make More Persuasive Speeches: Topics, Outlines, and Great Examples

A persuasive speech aims to inform, educate, and convince the audience on a topic or action. You want to convince the audience of your viewpoint. The best persuasive speeches are thought-provoking and clear. 

When choosing a topic for your persuasive speech, choose one that you already have some knowledge of and an opinion on. You’ll need to be able to argue your topic and stand behind your points. Not only will you need to know your own opinion, but you'll be able to discuss the opposite viewpoint accurately.

This article will look at the different types of persuasive speech to help you choose the right one. We’ll also look at tips on what makes a good persuasive speech. Also, some persuasive speech topics that'll help you get started.

Different Types of Persuasive Speech

There are several different organizational structures for persuasive speeches. They include:

• Problem-solution
• Problem-cause-solution
• Comparison/contrast

Each type of speech has a different purpose and a unique structure. For example, a causal speech explains what happens as a result of a cause. (Source: bizfluent ). A comparative advantage speech examines two or more things and explains why some are better than others. (Source: Virtual Speech Coach )

Problem-solution speeches and problem-cause-solution speeches are related. In a problem-solution speech you present a problem followed by the solution to that problem. The problem-cause-solution speech is basically the same, except it examines the cause of the problem before presenting the solution. (Source: popsOpenText )

11 Tips on How to Write a Persuasive Speech

Writing a persuasive speech can be difficult. You want your persuasive speech to be successful in persuading the audience. Here are 11 tips to help you write a successful speech:

1. Choose the Right Topic

When looking at ideas for persuasive speech topics, it’s important to have a speech that's interesting to your audience and you. Also, consider whether your topic is appropriate for your audience. Choose a topic your audience would be interested in. 

For example, if you're giving a speech to a dentist, then a persuasive speech on how brushing your teeth isn’t essential wouldn’t be appropriate. But an audience of dentists might be interested in the benefits of mouthwash. 

2. Write How You Talk

Part of writing a persuasive speech is creating a persuasive speech outline and writing out your speech. As you're writing out your speech, consider writing how you talk. This means using short words and sentences.

Avoid any sentence that would cause you to stumble when speaking. A speech is meant to be spoken, not read off a sheet of paper. If you don’t have much experience in writing how you talk or aren’t confident, try reading the sentence aloud as you're writing. This will give you an idea of how easy your speech is to read, and it'll flow better.

3. Start Strong

Start your persuasive speech strong by letting your audience know what topic you're discussing, why your topic matters, and what you hope to convince them to do your speech. There are several ways to start strong.

• Grab their attention . This is a statement or visual that grabs your audience’s attention.
• Connect to the audience . This is where you show your connection to the audience, whether it’s a similar background or an emotional connection.
• Show evidence . This is where you show your knowledge or authority on the subject of your speech to your audience. Plus, you can highlight your research or professional experience.
• Share your goal . Explain what you hope the speech will accomplish for your audience.

4. Tell a Story

A good speech tells a story. A persuasive speech's story should tell the problem, cause, and solution. Having those essential elements makes your speech more persuasive than if it didn’t have them.

If you want to connect with your audience an excellent way to do that's to tell a relevant story about the topic you’re discussing. Sometimes a good story has more power than facts and statistics.

5. Structure

Figuring out your persuasive speech outline structure is challenging, but it's an important step. Sort your facts and points so they'll impact your audience. Your speech will be more persuasive if it's logical and clear.

A structured speech is your way of navigating your audience through your topic. Without structure, you could end up with a scattered, unprofessional speech that leaves the audience confused.

6. Be Concise

It can be harder to create a concise, persuasive speech than one that isn’t. Being concise is important. Giving your audience too much information makes it difficult for them to know what information is essential. Being concise makes managing your audience’s attention and focus easier.

7. Research Your Topic

When writing your persuasive speech, it’s essential to research your topic. Research shows your audience that you're creditable and did your research. This makes your speech more persuasive.

Remember, when finding persuasive speech topic sources, you must ensure that your sources are relevant. Some examples of relevant sources are: 

• official documents
• online academic references

Using professional sources shows the audience that your points are creditable. Also, the main point of your persuasive speech topic should be able to be backed up by logical evidence that'll support your claims.

8. Discuss Counter-Arguments

When planning your persuasive speech topic, consider adding a counter-argument to your speech. Adding a counterargument will increase your creditability. Also, by discussing the counterargument, you'll have the chance to argue the point directly.

But, when debating the counterargument, make it a short discussion and free of bias and language that's angry, hostile, or passionate. If you present the counterargument with bias or angry language, the audience may think you aren't creditable and stop listening.

9. Authenticity

When considering your persuasive speech ideas , choosing a topic you believe in is best. Selecting an issue you believe in allows you to write your speech more easily. You’ll also easily convince the audience if you believe in your topic. If you want to connect to your audience, tell a story about why you believe in your persuasive speech topic.

10. Write it Well

When writing your speech, you must ensure that you do it well. Writing an excellent persuasive speech can be difficult, but it's rewarding to see the reaction to your speech. A good persuasive speech is thought-provoking, daring, and precise. Know and objectively state counterpoints.

11. Have a Call to Action

Use a call to action when creating your persuasive speech outline. Your audience can become committed to the action you’re calling them to and will become more persuaded.

20 Interesting Persuasive Speech Topics

One essential tip for creating a good persuasive speech is to have an interesting persuasive speech topic . When choosing your speech topic, you must have your audience in mind. Ask yourself:

• Would my audience be interested in this persuasive speech idea ?
• Is the topic appropriate for my audience?
• Would my audience benefit from the topic?

When you're considering what your speech topic should be, keep those questions in mind. Here are some topics to write a persuasive speech on :

• Is graffiti art?
• Which is better, paper books or e-books?
• Should interns be paid for work?
• Should the federal minimum wage be raised?
• Should cursive still be taught in schools
• Should college athletes be paid for being on a sports team?
• Should schools teach all children how to swim?
• Should schools teach high school students how to pay taxes?
• Do Robots help or hurt humanity?
• Should libraries be given unlimited access to e-books?
• Does technology isolate people?
• Should students get paid for having a high GPA?
• Should students who bully others be expelled and have a permanent mark on their permanent record?
• Are students wearing uniforms beneficial?
• Would it be beneficial for schools to require a foreign language?
• Should Black Fridays be banned?
• Should gym classes affect a student’s GPA?
• Are genetically modified foods harmful?
• Should genetically modified foods be banned?
• Should Pluto be considered a planet?

Learn More About Making a Speech

Do you want to learn more about creating a speech? Here are some helpful articles:

The Best Source for Digital Assets for Persuasive Speeches

If you're using a presentation as a part of your speech, you'll most likely use digital creative assets. Examples of digital assets that could really help your persuasive presentation include:

• stock images
• PowerPoint presentation templates

All the digital elements are created by professionals, which means they're high quality. 

Here's how you can have access to premium creative assets:

Envato Elements . It’s a subscription service with unlimited access to premium digital elements. If you pay a low monthly fee and subscribe , you'll have access to an Envato Elements subscription. It’s the best value for anyone who will need these digital elements.

Choose a Persuasive Speech Topic Today!

Now that you’ve read tips on making a good persuasive speech, use them when writing your next speech. If you're using a presentation when you’re giving your speech, try using a premium presentation template from Envato Elements. We’ve given you the tools to write a good speech. Now it’s up to you to use them. Good Luck!

Editorial Note: This content was originally published in June 2022. We're sharing it again because our editors have determined that this information is still accurate and relevant.

Composition Type: Problem-Solution Essays

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

In composition , using a problem-solution format is a method for analyzing and writing about a topic by identifying a problem and proposing one or more solutions. A problem-solution essay is a type of argument. "This sort of essay involves argumentation in that the writer seeks to convince the reader to take a particular course of action. In explaining the problem, it may also need to persuade the reader concerning specific causes" (Dave Kemper et al., "Fusion: Integrated Reading and Writing," 2016).

The Thesis Statement

In many types of report writing, the thesis statement is posed front and center, in one sentence. Author Derek Soles writes about how the thesis statement in a problem-solution paper differs from a straight "report of findings" type of text:

"[One]  expository  mode is the problem-solution essay, topics for which are typically framed in the form of questions. Why did fourth-graders from poor families score low on a nationwide math test, and how can educators improve math education for this group? Why is Iran a threat to our national security, and how can we reduce this threat? Why did it take the Democratic Party so long to select a candidate for the 2008 presidential election, and what can the party do to make the process more efficient in the future? These essays have two parts: a full explanation of the nature of the problem, followed by an analysis of solutions and their likelihood of success."

("The Essentials of Academic Writing," 2nd ed. Wadsworth, Cengage, 2010)

Readers need additional context before you get to your thesis, but that is not to say that the thesis has to be posed as a question in the introduction:  

"In a problem-solution essay, the thesis statement usually proposes the solution. Because readers must first understand the problem, the thesis statement usually comes after a description of the problem. The thesis statement does not have to give details about the solution. Instead, it summarizes the solution. It should also lead naturally to the body of the essay, preparing your reader for a discussion of how your solution would work."

(Dorothy Zemach and Lynn Stafford-Yilmaz, "Writers at Work: The Essay." Cambridge University Press, 2008)

Sample Introductions

It can be helpful to see completed examples before writing in order to examine what makes for an effective piece. See how these introductions give some context before posing the topic and lead naturally into the body paragraphs, where the evidence will be listed. You can imagine how the author has organized the rest of the piece.

"We buried my cousin last summer. He was 32 when he hanged himself from a closet coat rack in the throes of alcoholism, the fourth of my blood relatives to die prematurely from this deadly disease. If America issued drinking licenses, those four men—including my father, who died at 54 of liver failure—might be alive today."

(Mike Brake, "Needed: A License to Drink."  Newsweek , March 13, 1994)

"America is suffering from overwork. Too many of us are too busy, trying to squeeze more into each day while having less to show for it. Although our growing time crunch is often portrayed as a personal dilemma, it is, in fact, a major social problem that has reached crisis proportions over the past twenty years."

(Barbara Brandt, "Whole Life Economics: Revaluing Daily Life." New Society, 1995)

"The modern-day apartment dweller is faced with a most annoying problem: paper-thin walls and sound-amplifying ceilings. To live with this problem is to live with the invasion of privacy. There is nothing more distracting than to hear your neighbors' every function. Although the source of the noise cannot be eliminated, the problem can be solved."

(Maria B. Dunn, "One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor: The Problem of Noise")

Organization

In "Passages: A Writer's Guide, " how to organize a problem-solution paper is explained:  

"Though to some extent [your organization of the paper] depends on your topic, do make sure that you include the following information:

Introduction: Identify the problem in a nutshell. Explain why this is a problem, and mention who should be concerned about it.

Problem Paragraph(s): Explain the problem clearly and specifically. Demonstrate that this is not just a personal complaint, but a genuine problem that affects many people.

"Solution Paragraph(s): Offer a concrete solution to the problem, and explain why this is the best one available. You may want to point out why other possible solutions are inferior to yours. If your solution calls for a series of steps or actions to be followed, present these steps in a logical order.

"Conclusion: Reemphasize the importance of the problem and the value of your solution. Choose a problem that you have experienced and thought about—one that you have solved or are in the process of solving. Then, in the essay itself, you may use your own experience to illustrate the problem. However, don't focus all the attention on yourself and on your troubles. Instead, direct the essay at others who are experiencing a similar problem. In other words, don't write an I essay ('How I Cure the Blues'); write a you essay ('How You Can Cure the Blues')."

(Richard Nordquist, Passages: A Writer's Guide , 3rd ed. St. Martin's Press, 1995)

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Teaching Problem and Solution in Speech

Determining problem and solution is one of those skills that is addressed in just about every grade over the course of each year. Beginning in 4th grade, students are expected to “Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.” CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.5. This concept is extended to finding the problem and solution within 2 texts in 5th grade, and continues to be addressed throughout a student’s school career. 

Problems and solutions within texts are sometimes explicitly stated, and sometimes they have to be inferred. Making inferences is a skill that many students struggle with, and some students even struggle with identifying problems that have been stated explicitly. Fortunately, there are many ways that we can help our speech students with problem and solution, all while working on speech goals!

Why Teach Problem and Solution?

We teach problem and solution because it helps students dig deeper into the text. They can put themselves in a character’s shoes and think about what they would do or how they would feel if they were in that character’s position. This helps students to not only read the words on the page but to gain a better understanding of the situations happening in the story. 

Finding the Problem

If the problem in a text is not explicitly stated, there are some questions that you can ask your students to help them find the problem. These include: 

• What made the character or characters upset?
• How did the story change for the characters?
• What went wrong in the story? How did this make the character or characters feel? 
• Could the problem have not happened? How or why? 

By using these questions, you can work on speech goals in several areas. Asking these questions aloud and letting the student answer orally can help them to work on articulation, answering “wh” questions, voice, pragmatics, narrative development, and fluency. 

Finding the Solution

Once the student has found the problem in a passage, then they must find the solution or solutions that are given. One way to do this is to ask questions like the following: 

• What did the character or characters do to solve the problem?
• How did they solve the problem?
• How would you have solved the problem if you were in this story?
• Did they try any solutions that did not work? If so, why did these not work? 

When determining the solution or solutions to the problem in the text, students can work on the following speech skills:

• Articulation by answering these questions and talking through the solutions orally. 
• Receptive language skills like answering questions by writing down, highlighting, or circling the solutions to the problem. 
• Completing a sort of problems and solutions can work on expressive language and pragmatic goals like inferencing. 

Determining Pros and Cons  

Sometimes, more than one solution to a problem is presented in a story. The student may have to determine the best solution or decide what they would do in a character’s situation. To do this, the student can list or discuss the possible solutions and decide what the pros and cons of each solution are. This discussion or writing activity can address goals in the areas of expressive language, articulation, conversation, and narrative development. Then, the student can decide what solution is the best one for the problem presented in the story. 

I hope you found this helpful and if you need more ideas on how to teach problem and solution in speech, then check out my no-prep problem-and-solution stories for the year! 

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