Top 10 Impressive & Interesting English Speech Topics for Students

A speech is a formal or informal talk given in front of an audience. Through a speech, a person can express ideas, thoughts and opinions. Speeches are of different types and with varied purposes. They are delivered in different circumstances, to varied sets of audiences and for multiple purposes. Based on these distinctions, the most common types of speeches are as follows:

• Informative speech – This speech is used to make the listeners aware of a certain topic or concepts, and uses facts, data and statistics to back up the claims made in the speech. A speech given by the school head boy to inform about new rules is an informative speech.
• Entertaining speech – With its aim to amuse or humour the audience, this type of speech is shorter and more focused on a topic or theme. This is not structured and flows based on audience participation and reactions. An example of this could be a principal’s speech before a humorous poetry competition in the school.
• Demonstrative speech – With audio-visual aids, the purpose of this speech is to make the audience aware of an idea or concept they do not know about. It is also used to demonstrate the use of certain things. For example, a tech company demonstrating new lab equipment in the school uses demonstrative speech for the students.
• Persuasive speech – When students participate in the Model United Nations and talk about a topic, they are utilizing persuasive speech. They try to convince the audience that they have the correct perspective on any global issue. This speech is generally on more serious societal issues like politics or human rights.
• Debate speech – As the name suggests, this speech is used while debating on topics, with each speaker taking the opposite views to the debate topic. The purpose of the debate speech is to bring out different aspects of the same idea. This speech follows a set of rules and is time-bound.
• Motivational speech – When someone is trying to encourage others to undertake tasks, participate in competitions or challenge one’s capabilities to excel in their studies or other aspects of their life, it is called a motivational speech. A speech on Independence Day asking students to become model citizens is an example of a motivational speech.

The above broad categories of speeches can be differentiated into various categories or niches. Making speeches for social causes and promoting and working towards equitable education opportunities are popular and socially relevant themes. Science-related research or innovation,  environmental sustainability and talking about renowned personalities for setting a good example to students and youngsters, are also popular speech niches. These make some of the best speech topics for students and are used by the top international schools in Pune and other cities as part of their yearly calendar of events.

Once we have understood the types of speech, the next point to consider is which speech topic to choose. While there are no best topics for speech, yet few topics are more suitable for school students, and these are:

• Social media boon or bane – With increasing technological use starting with the school years and even before, this makes an engaging and a unique topic for a speech. The speech giver can list the benefits and dangers of social media and encourage responsible use of the internet among students. IGCSE boarding schools in India generally include this topic in their morning assembly speeches.
• Why should every citizen vote – This speech topic rates among the best speech ideas for students since the need to grow as a positively contributing voter and knowing about one’s right to vote should be inculcated in students early in life.
• Importance of books and reading – Reading stimulates the brain, grows imagination and critical thinking and helps increase one’s knowledge and vocabulary. Thus this is a good English speech topic. Most residential schools in Pune stock their libraries well to help the students read.
• Importance of extracurricular activities – To develop a holistic profile, students must have good extracurricular interests and academic pursuits. Most schools in Pune have extracurricular offerings for students. Hence this is the best topic for speech for informative purposes.
• Education for girl child – With the percentage of girls in higher education much less than that of boys even in the present, a speech on this topic that outlines the importance of girls’ education will make a motivating speech and impact people’s thoughts in a positive manner.
• Plastic waste and how to tackle it – This is a great speech idea for students as it will help make them responsible for preserving the earth and reducing pollution that is killing many animals, birds, and fish species.
• How to overcome exam fear – With many students feeling anxious and fearful before exams, this speech topic is a wonderful way to help alleviate their fears and instil in them the confidence that they can do well in their exams.
• Smart studying tips – Making a speech about study strategies can help students decipher good ways to learn and retain their texts and consequently do well in their exams.
• Health is Wealth – This is a pertinent topic for speech for students since good habits that promote positive health and well-being are to be ingrained in children from a young age. With this topic, the speaker can enumerate the importance of regular exercise, good nutrition and meditation. Most IB schools in Pune and other Indian cities introduce holistic health practices for students.
• Respect and care – A very important speech topic that must be a part of every school curriculum and calendar of events. This helps students grasp that respect and care are two pillars of human behaviour that strengthen human societies.

Whatever the topic may be, it is crucial that the person making the speech should prepare it in detail and practise it so that the presentation, language flow, and confidence with which the speech is delivered are of high quality. At MIT Gurukul, we incorporate speeches during assemblies, events, other functions, and national festivals. For this, we help our students develop good stage presence, pronunciation, and public speaking skills. We encourage the parents too to help their children develop confident speech making abilities by talking to them on a variety of subjects and encouraging public speaking skills in them