Public speaking topics

How to practise public speaking with these topics

Public speaking improves with repetition more than with reading about it. The prompts on this page are sorted by the kind of speech they suit, so you can practise the event you compete in, the club meeting you attend, or the interview you have coming up. Choose a type, pick a prompt that makes you think of something, set a timer and speak out loud. Then do it again with a different prompt. Speaking ten short speeches teaches you more than planning one perfect one.

The main speech events

• Impromptu. You draw a prompt, usually choosing one of three, and prepare and deliver a speech almost at once. In the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) version you have seven minutes in total, split between preparing and speaking however you like, with a 30-second grace period. Prompts can be quotations, single words, objects, book or film titles, famous people or short scenarios.
• Extemporaneous speaking (extemp). You draw three questions about current events, choose one and have 30 minutes to prepare a speech of up to seven minutes. Extempers build files of articles before the tournament and answer the question directly, with a clear thesis, two or three points and sources for their evidence.
• Original Oratory. A persuasive speech you write yourself and deliver from memory, up to ten minutes long. Orators pick a problem that matters to them, explain why it happens and propose a change, usually mixing evidence with personal stories.
• Informative speaking. A memorised speech of up to ten minutes that teaches the audience about a subject, often with visual aids. The aim is to explain, not to argue, so clear structure and interesting detail matter most.
• Table Topics. The impromptu part of a Toastmasters meeting. A Topicsmaster asks a question and the speaker answers it on the spot for one to two minutes. A timer shows a green light at 1:00, yellow at 1:30 and red at 2:00.

Rules differ between leagues, states and countries, and middle school events often use shorter times. Check the rules of the tournament or club you are preparing for.

Speech times at a glance

The speech timer has each of these formats, including the shared seven-minute impromptu clock and Toastmasters green, yellow and red lights.

A simple structure for any short speech

1. Open with a hook. A short story, a question or a striking image that leads into the prompt.
2. State the prompt and what it means to you. Say it aloud, then give your interpretation as one clear thesis sentence.
3. Give two or three points. Support each with an example: something from history, current events, a book or film, or your own life. Explain how each example proves your thesis.
4. Conclude. Repeat the prompt, sum up your points in a sentence each, and finish by returning to your opening hook.

For a one-minute Table Topics answer, shrink this to a point, a reason, an example and the point again.

How to use the bank for practice

• Practise the prep, not just the speech. Take a quotation and give yourself one or two minutes to find a meaning and two examples. Do this for several prompts in a row without speaking; it trains the part of impromptu that feels hardest.
• Keep an examples notebook. Write down stories, historical events, books, films and news items that could support many different theses. Before a tournament, review it so the examples come to mind quickly.
• Tell 30-second stories. Each example in a short speech should take about half a minute, leaving time to explain why it matters.
• Draw three, choose one. Real impromptu and extemp rounds give you a choice. The random speech prompt has a pick-from-three mode so you can practise choosing quickly.
• Record yourself. Listen back for pace, filler words and clear endings, and watch for gestures that distract.
• Move up a level. When middle school prompts feel easy, try high school or adult prompts, or cut your prep time.

Questions