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Problem-Solution Speech [Topics, Outline, Examples]

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Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

problem solution

In this article:

Problem-Solution Outline

Problem-solution examples, criminal justice, environment, relationships, teen issues.

What to include in your problem-solution speech or essay?

Problem-solution papers employ a nonfiction text structure, and typically contain the following elements:

Introduction: Introduce the problem and explain why the audience should be concerned about it.

Cause/Effect : Inform the audience on what causes the problem. In some cases, you may also need to take time to dispel common misconceptions people have about the real cause.

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Thesis Statement: The thesis typically lays out the problem and solution in the form of a question and answer. See examples below.

Solution : Explain the solution clearly and in detail, your problem-solving strategy, and reasons why your solution will work. In this section, be sure to answer common objections, such as “there is a better solution,” “your solution is too costly,” and “there are more important problems to solve.”

Call to Action: Summarize the problem and solution, and paint a picture of what will happen if your final solution is adopted. Also, let the reader know what steps they should take to help solve the problem.

These are the most used methods of developing and arranging:

Problem Solution Method Recommended if you have to argue that there is a social and current issue at stake and you have convince the listeners that you have the best solution. Introduce and provide background information to show what is wrong now.

List the best and ideal conditions and situations. Show the options. Analyze the proper criteria. And present your plan to solve the not wanted situation.

Problem Cause Solution Method Use this pattern for developing and identifying the source and its causes.

Analyze the causes and propose elucidations to the causes.

Problem Cause-Effect Method Use this method to outline the effects of the quandary and what causes it all. Prove the connection between financial, political, social causes and their effects.

Comparative Advantage Method Use this organizational public speaking pattern as recommendation in case everyone knows of the impasse and the different fixes and agrees that something has to be done.

Here are some examples of problems you could write about, with a couple of potential solutions for each one:

Marriage Problem: How do we reduce the divorce rate?

Solution 1: Change the laws to make it more difficult for couples to divorce.

Solution 2: Impose a mandatory waiting period on couples before they can get married.

Environmental Problem: What should we do to reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

Solution 1: Use renewable energy to fuel your home and vehicles.

Solution 2: Make recycling within local communities mandatory.

Technical Problem: How do we reduce Windows error reporting issues on PCs?

Solution 1: Learn to use dialogue boxes and other command prompt functions to keep your computer system clean.

Solution 2: Disable error reporting by making changes to the registry.

Some of the best problems to write about are those you have personal experience with. Think about your own world; the town you live in, schools you’ve attended, sports you’ve played, places you’ve worked, etc. You may find that you love problem-solution papers if you write them on a topic you identify with. To get your creativity flowing, feel free to browse our comprehensive list of problem-solution essay and paper topics and see if you can find one that interests you.

Problem-Solution Topics for Essays and Papers

  • How do we reduce murder rates in the inner cities?
  • How do we stop police brutality?
  • How do we prevent those who are innocent from receiving the death penalty?
  • How do we deal with the problem of gun violence?
  • How do we stop people from driving while intoxicated?
  • How do we prevent people from texting while driving?
  • How do we stop the growing child trafficking problem?
  • What is the best way to deal with domestic violence?
  • What is the best way to rehabilitate ex-cons?
  • How do we deal with the problem of overcrowded prisons?
  • How do we reduce binge drinking on college campuses?
  • How do we prevent sexual assaults on college campuses?
  • How do we make college tuition affordable?
  • What can students do to get better grades in college?
  • What is the best way for students to effectively balance their classes, studies, work, and social life?
  • What is the best way for college students to deal with a problem roommate?
  • How can college students overcome the problem of being homesick?
  • How can college students manage their finances more effectively?
  • What is the best way for college students to decide on a major?
  • What should be done about the problem of massive student loan debts?
  • How do we solve the global debt crisis?
  • How do we keep countries from employing child labor?
  • How do we reduce long-term unemployment?
  • How do we stop businesses from exploiting consumers?
  • How do we reduce inflation and bring down the cost of living?
  • How do we reduce the home foreclosure rate?
  • What should we do to discourage consumer debt?
  • What is the best way to stimulate economic growth?
  • How do we lower the prime cost of manufacturing raw materials?
  • How can book retailers deal with rising bookseller inventory costs and stay competitive with online sellers?
  • How do we prevent kids from cheating on exams?
  • How do we reduce the illiteracy rate?
  • How do we successfully integrate English as a Second Language (ESL) students into public schools?
  • How do we put an end to the problem of bullying in schools?
  • How do we effectively teach students life management skills?
  • How do we give everyone access to a quality education?
  • How do we develop a system to increase pay for good teachers and get rid of bad ones?
  • How do we teach kids to problem solve?
  • How should schools deal with the problem of disruptive students?
  • What can schools do to improve reading comprehension on standardized test scores?
  • What is the best way to teach sex education in public schools?
  • How do we teach students to recognize a noun clause?
  • How do we teach students the difference between average speed and average velocity?
  • How do we teach math students to use sign charts?
  • How can we make public education more like the Webspiration Classroom?
  • How do we stop pollution in major population centers?
  • How do we reduce the negative effects of climate change?
  • How do we encourage homeowners to lower their room temperature in the winter to reduce energy consumption?
  • What is the best way to preserve our precious natural resources?
  • How do we reduce our dependence on fossil fuels?
  • What is the best way to preserve the endangered wildlife?
  • What is the best way to ensure environmental justice?
  • How can we reduce the use of plastic?
  • How do we make alternative energy affordable?
  • How do we develop a sustainable transportation system?
  • How can we provide quality health care to all our citizens?
  • How do we incentivize people to stop smoking?
  • How do we address the growing doctor shortage?
  • How do we curb the growing obesity epidemic?
  • How do we reduce dependence on prescription drugs?
  • How do we reduce consumption of harmful substances like phosphoric acid and acetic acid?
  • How can we reduce the number of fatal hospital errors?
  • How do we handle the health costs of people living longer?
  • How can we encourage people to live healthier lifestyles?
  • How do we educate consumers on the risk of laxatives like magnesium hydroxide?
  • How do we end political corruption?
  • How do we address the problem of election fraud?
  • What is the best way to deal with rogue nations that threaten our survival?
  • What can our leaders do to bring about world peace?
  • How do we encourage students to become more active in the political process?
  • What can be done to encourage bipartisanship?
  • How can we prevent terrorism?
  • How do we protect individual privacy while keeping the country safe?
  • How can we encourage better candidates to run for office?
  • How do we force politicians to live by the rules they impose on everyone else?
  • What is the best way to get out of a bad relationship?
  • How do we prevent cyberbullying?
  • What is the best solution for depression?
  • How do you find out where you stand in a relationship?
  • What is the best way to help people who make bad life choices?
  • How can we learn to relate to people of different races and cultures?
  • How do we discourage humans from using robots as a substitute for relationships?
  • What is the best way to deal with a long-distance relationship?
  • How do we eliminate stereotypical thinking in relationships?
  • How do you successfully navigate the situation of dating a co-worker?
  • How do we deal with America’s growing drug problem?
  • How do we reduce food waste in restaurants?
  • How do we stop race and gender discrimination?
  • How do we stop animal cruelty?
  • How do we ensure that all citizens earn a livable wage?
  • How do we end sexual harassment in the workplace?
  • How do we deal with the water scarcity problem?
  • How do we effectively control the world’s population?
  • How can we put an end to homelessness?
  • How do we solve the world hunger crisis?
  • How do we address the shortage of parking spaces in downtown areas?
  • How can our cities be made more bike- and pedestrian-friendly?
  • How do we balance the right of free speech and the right not to be abused?
  • How can we encourage people to use public transportation?
  • How do we bring neighborhoods closer together?
  • How can we eliminate steroid use in sports?
  • How do we protect players from serious injuries?
  • What is the best way to motivate young athletes?
  • What can be done to drive interest in local sports?
  • How do players successfully prepare for a big game or match?
  • How should the revenue from professional sports be divided between owners and players?
  • What can be done to improve local sports venues?
  • What can be done to ensure parents and coaches are not pushing kids too hard in sports?
  • How can student athletes maintain high academic standards while playing sports?
  • What can athletes do to stay in shape during the off-season?
  • How do we reduce teen pregnancy?
  • How do we deal with the problem of teen suicide?
  • How do we keep teens from dropping out of high school?
  • How do we train teens to be safer drivers?
  • How do we prevent teens from accessing pornography on the Internet?
  • What is the best way to help teens with divorced parents?
  • How do we discourage teens from playing violent video games?
  • How should parents handle their teens’ cell phone and social media use?
  • How do we prepare teens to be better workers?
  • How do we provide a rational decision-making model for teens?
  • How do we keep companies from mining our private data online and selling it for profit?
  • How do we prevent artificial intelligence robots from taking over society?
  • How do we make high-speed internet accessible in rural areas?
  • How do we stop hackers from breaking into our systems and networks?
  • How do we make digital payments more secure?
  • How do we make self-driving vehicles safer?
  • What is the best way to improve the battery life of mobile devices?
  • How can we store energy gleaned from solar and wind power?
  • What is the best way to deal with information overload?
  • How do we stop computer makers from pre-installing Internet Explorer?

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Public Speaking Resources

80+ Problem Solution Speech Topics

A problem/solution speech takes the approach of highlighting an issue with the intent to provide solutions. It is a two-phase approach where first the speaker lays out the problem and explains the importance. Secondly, a variety of solutions are provided to tackle the said issue. The best solutions are those that can be actively applied.

The first problem to tackle is picking a topic. It is a good idea to pick something topical but then again, the world just supplies so many options that it can be overwhelming.

When you are assigned to write a problem-solution essay or research paper, choosing a good topic is the first dilemma you need to work out. 

The world is full of issues that need to be resolved. However, it is not sufficient to simply pick a subject because it is topical. Ideally, you should pick a subject that is important to you on some level as well. Speaking about an issue you care about brings out an irreplicable passion that people are sure to respond to. If you’re still confused, we have included a wide variety of topics so that you can pick one that calls out to you.

Let’s get started!

Problem Solution Speech Topics

Table of Contents

  • Introduction: 
  • Thesis Statement: 
  • Cause/Effect: 
  • Call to Action: 

Problem Solution Method

Comparative advantage method, social issues, environment, relationships, wrapping up, problem/solution speech outline.

Before we jump into the topics, it can be handy to understand the speech structure of a problem-solution speech. Understanding how to approach a speech script can have an effect on the topic you pick. Oftentimes, we are confident we can speak about a subject but once we begin the draft, we realize we don’t actually have that much to say.

So take a good look at what elements you need to include in your problem/solution speech:

Introduction:  

The introduction is a key part of any speech. This is where you will try to grab the audience’s attention, establish the problem statement, and highlight your key points. It is in your introduction that you will need to explain why the presented issue is an issue. The objective is to convince the audience that the problem at hand is one that requires attention.

If you need help with effective attention-grabbers, you can browse our article on 12 Effective Attention-Grabbers for your speech .

Thesis Statement:  

The thesis statement is where you will present the problem you are about to tackle. Typically the problem is laid out in the form of a question. You will also be talking about your stance on the presented problem.

Cause/Effect:  

Before you launch into giving solutions after highlighting the problem, you need to explain the gravity of the problem at hand. You can do so by explaining what negative consequences occur due to said problem. The more you personalize the effects, the more likely you are to capture their attention.

Solution:  

Once you talk about all the negative impacts of the presented problem, it is time to give the audience the solutions. Explain all the solutions step-by-step and talk about the evidence why the said solution will work. Make sure not to give solutions that are too vague. If there are common misconceptions about the solutions, address them as well. Discuss both pros and cons of the proposed solutions and explain why the pros outweigh the cons.

Call to Action:  

The most important part of a problem/solution type speech is the call to action. This is when you encourage the audience to take the necessary steps to solve the problem. You can do so by painting a picture of the expected results of your proposed solutions. Don’t end on a vague note that sounds like “Together, we can.” Instead, give actionable steps, such as “I encourage each and every one of you to go home and separate your recycling trash.”

Problem/Solution Presentation Techniques

There is more than one way to present a problem/solution model. You might want to look into these techniques to switch up your speaking style.

The classic take is best used for taking a stance against a social or current issue. In such a case, you will highlight a known issue and suggest probable solutions for it. You can approach this method by informing the audience about the issue, a brief history, all geared to explain why the topic is a problem in the first place.

Follow that up by describing an ideal condition without the said issue. Once you create a tempting picture, offer up more than one solution that is applicable to the situation. Explain the hurdles and how they can be overcome. Make sure it is clear that you’ve thought about the problem from both sides of the issue.

Comparative advantage models are useful when tackling a problem that seems to be at an impasse. It is when an issue is well known and has multiple fixes with their own group of supporters. Here, you can take a comparative approach to show the pros and cons of all the different solutions. The key difference is that the general consensus is already there about the importance of tackling the problem, but only the correct solution needs to be selected.

Problem-Solution Speech Topics

Here is our extensive list of problem/solution speech topics:

  • Adopting dogs is more ethical than getting a new puppy.
  • How education can solve generational poverty.
  • Tackling anxiety by adopting a pet.
  • Ebooks over books to save the environment.
  • One-child policy: unethical but effective.
  • Donating as a solution to fight global poverty.
  • Do your part, go vegan to fight world hunger.
  • Keep wikipedia alive for free information with donations.
  • Kindness can begin with a compliment.
  • What can we do to ensure government sanctions against companies using child labor?
  • Sorting out your waste and what it can do for the environment.
  • The necessary switch to bicycles to tackle pollution.
  • Why encouraging volunteering at an early age can produce better citizens.
  • High time to make the switch to solar and wind energy.
  • Self-driving cars are the future of road safety.
  • Bike lanes and bike laws enhance traffic safety.
  • Effective gun sales management can help reduce reckless deaths.
  • Normalize selling colored dolls in all shapes and sizes to promote confidence in children.
  • How data became the new oil?
  • How to stay private in an increasingly social world?
  • Why is high-speed internet still not considered a basic need for rural areas?
  • Ethical hacking and why is there a draw to it?
  • Digital payments and how to guarantee security.
  • Change your passwords. Why your data is in danger!
  • Self-driving vehicles, should we handover 100% of the control?
  • Have lithium batteries on mobile phones already reached their peak?
  • How can technology promote the use of renewable energy?
  • How to keep up with the overwhelming news cycle?
  • How can we destigmatize video game addiction?
  • How can we shift education to a virtual platform?
  • How to smoothen the transition from home-schooling to college.
  • What are some new methods to tackle the rampant cheating on exams?
  • How can we reduce the illiteracy rate?
  • It’s high time to end bullying in schools.
  • How to normalize homesickness as a problem and tackle it?
  • Education is not enough, students need life management skills.
  • Is accessibility to quality education sufficient currently?
  • How can we guarantee sufficient pay for quality teachers?
  • How can problem-solving be taught in schools?
  • Is detention an effective solution for disruptive students?
  • How you can help your suicidal friend.
  • Are we doing enough to improve standardized test score results?
  • Effective ways to increase attention in class.
  • How can we make sex education mandatory in public schools?
  • Creative ways to get students to love maths.
  • Does looking at the stars stimulate brain activity?
  • How can we tackle the growing obesity epidemic?
  • How spending time outdoors can boost your mood.
  • The Pomodoro Technique and why it works for productivity.
  • Can meditation be the answer to growing stress?
  • Can we incentivize smokers to give up smoking?
  • How to increase responsibility for fatal hospital errors?
  • Fitness apps and how it can benefit health.
  • How augmented reality glasses can be a gamechanger for people with disabilities.
  • How does taking baths reduce stress and anxiety?
  • Burnout: the need to go offline.
  • Better posture to tackle back pain.
  • Does reading out loud help improve critical thinking?
  • Child obesity: a preventable evil.
  • Encouraging more greens to help children improve their memory.
  • How global pollution can be tackled locally.
  • Climate change. Why it is too late and what can still be done.
  • Does lower room temperature really help reduce energy consumption?
  • How to do our part in preserving natural resources?
  • Is it time to stop depending on fossil fuels?
  • How to preserve wildlife from going extinct?
  • Are current environmental laws sufficient to keep it protected?
  • Improving public transport to reduce the number of private cars.
  • How can we upgrade our transportation to be more sustainable?
  • Why hunting should be illegal in any circumstances.
  • It is high time to replace plastic. What are our options?
  • Is it enough to make alternative energy affordable?
  • Signs of a toxic relationship.
  • How to pull yourself out of an emotionally abusive relationship.
  • Should parents be allowed to control teens’ social media accounts?
  • How to manage expectations in a relationship?
  • Recognize negative people and take active steps to avoid them.
  • How to help domestic violence victims?
  • Why it is pointless to try changing someone.
  • How to say “no” in a way that they listen?
  • How to maintain a work-life balance in today’s world.
  • Why couples counseling needs to stop being taboo.
  • Is it possible to bridge the gap across different races and cultures?
  • How technology is capitalizing on the growing need for human contact.
  • Long-distance relationships. Can you make it work?
  • Modern-day relationships and how expectations have changed.

A problem/solution speech is a great topic as it falls under the informational category. As such, it is much easier to capture the audience’s attention. In terms of delivery, make sure you sell the problem before handing out the solution. Following the above outline and tips paired with your amazing content, we are sure you will be able to win over any audience with ease. Make sure you do your research well and triple-check your sources. All that is left to do is practice. See you on the stage!

Public Speaking Mentor

Problem Solution Speech Topics, Outline & Examples

delivering problem-solution speech

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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example of problem solution speech

Find a Suitable Problem Solution Speech Topic

70 Custom Problem Solution Speech Topics On Each Subject

If you need to give a problem solution speech, it requires a lot of work. You have to pick a subject, research it, and compare data. However, it all starts with choosing a topic. If you have a great topic, it is easier to work on the project. Nevertheless, picking the right topic is a hard task. Not only should you keep in mind your interests but also analyze the target audience and your average listener. 

We understand your problems and want to help you overcome them. In this article, you will find 70 inspiring problem solution topics examples. Also, we made a comprehensible guide to choosing a relevant topic. It will help you come up with the right topic without challenges. As a bonus, you will get a list of expert tips on how to get well-prepared and succeed in giving a speech. 

What Is the Peculiarity of the Problem Solution Speech?

As you can understand by name, this type of task should solve some problems. The fact is that you must find this problem, explain it, and show solutions. The concept of the assignment is quite simple because you know where the beginning of speech is and where the ending is. Only one problem will be present in your speech, and all arguments will be directed to its solution.

Problem solution speech resembles the argumentative one. Your task is to find ways to solve the problem and provide them in the form of arguments. Your speech should be logical and consistent so as not to confuse the audience.

In the introduction, you must provide a problem and explain its significance. The main part of your speech should be devoted to the publication of ideas and ways to solve the problem. In the final part, you should summarize the work on the problem and briefly refer to the solution.

Essentials of the Problem Solution Speech

Before you start researching the topic, you should understand what the critical elements of the problem solution speech are. Use them to come up with the speech structure and create an outline:

  • Introduction.  You have to show the problem and persuade the audience that this is important. Place the arguments to strengthen your opinion; 
  • Reason.  Explain what caused that issue and how it influences social life or science. Also, you can dispel myths or gossips on that topic;
  • Thesis.  Make a statement to show your attitude to the problem. It is a thesis that you will be strengthening during the speech;
  • Solution ideas.  Express your ideas on how to solve an issue in different ways. Explain the pros and cons of each method. Assume which way is the most suitable;
  • Conclusion.  At the end of the speech, you should summarize the ideas and reinforce the thesis statement. Explain the future of the subject if the problem is solved. Share your feelings and encourage the listener to help you solve the issue.

Comprehensible Guide to Picking a Suitable Topic

As we said, the thing you should start with is choosing a topic. Even experienced writers have problems with choosing the right topic. If you have no experience, your guide is to help you come up with a great topic.

  • Write down your interests.  Make a list of topics you are ready to research. You should devote yourself to the topic, so make sure it is interesting for you;
  • Analyze the target audience.  Write down the critical information about your average reader. The success of your speech directly depends on the audience’s reaction. Take your time to understand the pains of your target audience.
  • Research the sources.  Browse through the Internet and books to find some strong evidence. Make sure there are enough credible sources so that you do not take a risk when mentioning useful data;
  • Brainstorm the subject.  Allocate a few minutes to come up with a couple of strong arguments. If you cannot focus on the topic and brainstorming does not yield anything engaging, look for another topic;
  • Rehearse the performance.  Try to perform with the topic, so that you understand whether it feels natural to you. Ask your friends to watch you giving a speech, then, let them evaluate your effort;
  • Evaluate the topic.  Make sure it sounds bright and is engaging. Your goal is to interest the audience with the topic. It has to be strong and accurate so that everybody listens to you.

The right topic just feels natural to you. Once you find it, you will stop looking for other variants.

70 Professional Problem Solution Topics For a Bright Speech

We understand you need some inspiration to come up with a suitable speech topic. Our experts have been working with problem solution topics for more than five years. That is why we asked them to compose a list of good topics examples. We divided them into seven most frequently used categories so that you will find the necessary one.

1. Economics and finances

  • How to avoid a recession and economic crisis?
  • Should children be taught financial literacy?
  • How to make money work for you?
  • Why does saving prevent me from earning more?
  • How to manage your family budget?
  • Does the profession of an economist become irrelevant?
  • How to reduce interest rates on loans?
  • How does the unemployment rate affect the country’s economy?
  • How to increase average wages?
  • What professions stimulate economic growth?

2. Education

  • Why are school lessons not interesting for children?
  • How to increase students’ knowledge?
  • How to distribute the budget allocated for education?
  • What should control methods be used for exams?
  • How to improve the results of state exams?
  • What hinders the assimilation of educational material?
  • Why is the curriculum not optimized for children?
  • How to assess the level of knowledge of teachers?
  • What tests should be created for teachers?
  • What lessons should be added to the school curriculum?

3. Health Care

  • How to optimize the health system?
  • Why do many families not go to doctors?
  • How is the high price of health insurance justified?
  • Why do we need a healthy lifestyle?
  • How does fast food spoil our DNA?
  • Why do children not care about their health?
  • What habits strengthen our health?
  • How to get rid of drug addiction?
  • Why is it worth investing in healthcare?
  • Why must you not self-medicate?

4. Social Life

  • How to protect a child from bullying?
  • Why are homeless animals abused?
  • How to reduce crime?
  • How to get rid of fear when meeting people?
  • How to make contact with new neighbors?
  • How to motivate people to be tolerant?
  • How to protect yourself from public humiliation?
  • How to establish oneself in a new environment?
  • Why is it difficult for us to find true friends?
  • How to encourage people to donate to charity?

5. Family and relationship

  • How to reduce the number of divorces?
  • How to prevent domestic violence?
  • Why is it difficult for us to find the perfect partner?
  • What prejudices prevent you from building a happy relationship?
  • How to identify toxic relationships in the early stages?
  • Why do a lot of families break up after the birth of a baby?
  • Why should you turn to a family psychologist?
  • How to recover after breaking up?
  • How to start trust each other again after a quarrel?
  • Why do parents lose contact with their children?

6. Social Media

  • How to protect yourself from blackmail in social networks?
  • Why do we become addicted to social networks?
  • Why do social networks lower our self-esteem?
  • How should bullying on the net be punished?
  • Why do we want to get more likes on Instagram?
  • How to get rid of Internet addiction?
  • Why are social networks harmful to mental health?
  • How to teach a child to use social networks?
  • Why should we control the Internet activity of children?
  • How to reduce the time spent on social networks?
  • Why is sport essential for everyone?
  • How to choose a suitable sport?
  • How to find motivation for playing sports?
  • How to avoid injury while jogging?
  • Why do football players have such high salaries?
  • What safety measures should be observed when playing sports?
  • How to combine professional sports and study?
  • How to recover from a complex injury?
  • How to make sure that the athlete is not using steroids?
  • How to choose a balanced diet?

Essential Tips for a Perfect Speech Performance

Although you can be more than satisfied with the topic and subject of the speech, it is not enough to give a bright performance. However, some tips are to help you improve the speech. A piece of advice is never superfluous, so we highly recommend you to learn these tips.

  • Follow the logical sequence in the speech.  The speech has to be coherent so that each person can follow your thoughts. Ask somebody to read your text and evaluate its understandability;
  • Perform in front of your colleagues.  Rehearse the speech and ask your friend for feedback. Keep in mind their comments to improve the text; 
  • Stay cold-blooded.  Focus on the problem and solution, avoid getting emotional when talking. Stay calm and confident and do not freak out if you make a mistake;
  • Communicate with the audience.  Use rhetorical questions and refer to other people’s opinions. Make your speech lively;
  • Stick to your plan.  Write an outline with the appropriate speech structure and follow it. Make small notes and look at them in case you forget something.

Make Your Speech Unforgettable

Problem solution speech requires comprehensive preparation. You should create an outline, pick up a relevant topic, and rehearse it. Follow our step-by-step guide to find a suitable topic and improve your speech. Keep in mind we have other articles on how to write different types of essays or texts for speech. Stay self-confident, and you will get it done.

You may bump into some challenges when preparing a speech. If you get stuck in the middle of the task, contact our online writing service immediately. We will find an available expert with the relevant experience and provide them with the requirements. We guarantee fast delivery and free additional revisions. Do not miss the chance to order professional writing help at the best price!

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Problem Solution Speech Topics Ideas

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.

Primary steps in Problem Solving.

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.

Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth!

  • 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.

Changing the leadership King ->People.

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 .

Problem and Solution Structure.

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.

Block Method structure of a problem-solution speech.

  • 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.

Chain Method structure of a problem-solution speech.

🎓 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?

The major U.S motion picture studios lost $6.1 billion in 2005 to piracy worldwide.

🐻 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?

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10 Chapter 10: Persuasive Speaking

Amy Fara Edwards and Marcia Fulkerson, Oxnard College

Victoria Leonard, Lauren Rome, and Tammera Stokes Rice, College of the Canyons

Adapted by Jamie C. Votraw, Professor of Communication Studies, Florida SouthWestern State College

Abubaccar Tambadou

Figure 10.1: Abubaccar Tambadou 1

Introduction

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded on April 10, 1866. You may be familiar with their television commercials. They start with images of neglected and lonely-looking cats and dogs while the screen text says: “Every hour… an animal is beaten or abused. They suffer… alone and terrified…” Cue the sad song and the request for donations on the screen. This commercial causes audiences to run for the television remote because they can’t bear to see those images! Yet it is a very persuasive commercial and has proven to be very successful for this organization. According to the ASPCA website, they have raised $30 million since 2006, and their membership has grown to over 1.2 million people. The audience’s reaction to this commercial showcases how persuasion works! In this chapter, we will define persuasive speaking and examine the strategies used to create powerful persuasive speeches.

Dogs in a cage

Figure 10.2: Caged Dogs 2

Defining Persuasive Speaking

Persuasion is the process of creating, reinforcing, or changing people’s beliefs or actions. It is not manipulation, however! The speaker’s intention should be clear to the audience in an ethical way and accomplished through the ethical use of methods of persuasion. When speaking to persuade, the speaker works as an advocate. In contrast to informative speaking, persuasive speakers argue in support of a position and work to convince the audience to support or do something.

As you learned in chapter five on audience analysis, you must continue to consider the psychological characteristics of the audience. You will discover in this chapter the attitudes, beliefs, and values of the audience become particularly relevant in the persuasive speechmaking process. A key element of persuasion is the speaker’s intent. You must intend to create, reinforce, and/or change people’s beliefs or actions in an ethical way.

Types of Persuasive Speeches

There are three types of persuasive speech propositions. A proposition , or speech claim , is a statement you want your audience to support. To gain the support of our audience, we use evidence and reasoning to support our claims. Persuasive speech propositions fall into one of three categories, including questions of fact, questions of value, and questions of policy. Determining the type of persuasive propositions your speech deals with will help you determine what forms of argument and reasoning are necessary to effectively advocate for your position.

Questions of Fact

A question of fact determines whether something is true or untrue, does or does not exist, or did or did not happen. Questions of fact are based on research, and you may find research that supports competing sides of an argument! You may even find that you change your mind about a subject when researching. Ultimately, you will take a stance and rely on credible evidence to support your position, ethically.

Today there are many hotly contested propositions of fact: humans have walked on the moon, the Earth is flat, Earth’s climate is changing due to human action, we have encountered sentient alien life forms, life exists on Mars, and so on.

Here is an example of a question of fact:

Recreational marijuana does not lead to hard drug use.

Recreational marijuana does lead to hard drug use.

Questions of Value

A question of value determines whether something is good or bad, moral or immoral, just or unjust, fair or unfair. You will have to take a definitive stance on which side you’re arguing. For this proposition, your opinion alone is not enough; you must have evidence and reasoning. An ethical speaker will acknowledge all sides of the argument, and to better argue their point, the speaker will convince the audience why their position is the “best” position.

Here is an example of a question of value:

Recreational marijuana use is immoral .

Recreational marijuana use is moral .

Questions of Policy

A question of policy advances a specific course of action based on facts and values. You are telling the audience what you believe should be done and/or you are asking your audience to act in a particular way to make a change. Whether it is stated or implied, all policy speeches focus on values. To be the most persuasive and get your audience to act, you must determine their beliefs, which will help you organize and argue your proposition.

Persuasive speeches on questions of policy must address three elements: need, plan, and practicality . First, the speaker must demonstrate there is a need for change (i.e., there is a problem). Next, the speaker offers the audience a plan (i.e., the policy solution) to address the problem. Lastly, the speaker shows the audience that the solution is practical . This requires that the speaker demonstrate how their proposed plan will address the identified problem without creating new problems.

Consider the topic of car accidents. A persuasive speech on a question of policy might focus on reducing the number of car accidents on a Florida highway. First, the speaker could use evidence from their research to demonstrate there is a need for change (e.g., statistics showing a higher-than-average rate of accidents). Then, the speaker would offer their plan to address the problem. Imagine their proposed plan was to permanently shut down all Florida highways. Would this plan solve the problem and reduce the number of accidents on Florida highways? Well, yes. But is it practical? No. Will it create new problems? Yes – side roads will be congested, people will miss work, kids will miss school, emergency response teams will be slowed, and tourism will decrease. The speaker could not offer such a plan and demonstrate that it is practical. Alternatively, maybe the speaker advocates for a speed reduction in a particularly problematic stretch of highway or convinces the audience to support increasing the number of highway patrol cars.

Here is an example of a question of policy:

Recreational marijuana use should be legal in all 50 states.

Recreational marijuana use should not be legal in all 50 states.

Persuasive Speech Organizational Patterns

There are several methods of organizing persuasive speeches. Remember, you must use an organizational pattern to outline your speech (think back to chapter eight). Some professors will specify a specific pattern to use for your assignment. Otherwise, the organizational pattern you select should be based on your speech content. What pattern is most logical based on your main points and the goal of your speech? This section will explain five common formats of persuasive outlines: Problem-Solution, Problem-Cause-Solution, Comparative Advantages, Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, and Claim to Proof.

Problem-Solution Pattern

Sometimes it is necessary to share a problem and a solution with an audience. In cases like these, the problem-solution organizational pattern is an appropriate way to arrange the main points of a speech. It’s important to reflect on what is of interest to you, but also what is critical to engage your audience. This pattern is used intentionally because, for most problems in society, the audience is unaware of their severity. Problems can exist at a local, state, national, or global level.

For example, the nation has recently become much more aware of the problem of human sex trafficking. Although the US has been aware of this global issue for some time, many communities are finally learning this problem is occurring in their own backyards. Colleges and universities have become engaged in the fight. Student clubs and organizations are getting involved and bringing awareness to this problem. Everyday citizens are using social media to warn friends and followers of sex-trafficking tricks to look out for.

Let’s look at how you might organize a problem-solution speech centered on this topic. In the body of this speech, there would be two main points; a problem and a solution. This pattern is used for speeches on questions of policy.

Topic: Human Sex Trafficking

General Purpose: To persuade

Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience to support increased legal penalties for sex traffickers.

Thesis (Central Idea): Human sex trafficking is a global challenge with local implications, but it can be addressed through multi-pronged efforts from governments and non-profits.

Preview of Main Points: First, I will define and explain the extent of the problem of sex trafficking within our community while examining the effects this has on the victims. Then, I will offer possible solutions to take the predators off the streets and allow the victims to reclaim their lives and autonomy.

  • The problem of human sex trafficking is best understood by looking at the severity of the problem, the methods by which traffickers kidnap or lure their victims, and its impact on the victim.
  • The problem of human sex trafficking can be solved by working with local law enforcement, changing the laws currently in place for prosecuting the traffickers and pimps, and raising funds to help agencies rescue and restore victims.

Problem-Cause-Solution Pattern

To review the problem-solution pattern, recall that the main points do not explain the cause of the problem, and in some cases, the cause is not necessary to explain. For example, in discussing the problem of teenage pregnancy, most audiences will not need to be informed about what causes someone to get pregnant. However, there are topics where discussing the cause is imperative to understanding the solution. The Problem-Cause-Solution organizational pattern adds a main point between the problem and solution by discussing the cause of the problem. In the body of the speech, there will be three main points: the problem, the cause, and finally, the solution. This pattern is also used for speeches dealing with questions of policy. One of the reasons you might consider this pattern is when an audience is not familiar with the cause. For example, if gang activity is on the rise in the community you live in, you might need to explain what causes an individual to join a gang in the first place. By explaining the causes of a problem, an audience might be more likely to accept the solution(s) you’ve proposed. Let’s look at an example of a speech on gangs.

Topic: The Rise of Gangs in Miami-Dade County

Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience to urge their school boards to include gang education in the curriculum.

Thesis (Central Idea): The uptick in gang affiliation and gang violence in Miami-Dade County is problematic, but if we explore the causes of the problem, we can make headway toward solutions.

Preview of Main Points:  First, I will explain the growing problem of gang affiliation and violence in Miami-Dade County. Then, I will discuss what causes an individual to join a gang. Finally, I will offer possible solutions to curtail this problem and get gangs off the streets of our community.

  • The problem of gang affiliation and violence is growing rapidly, leading to tragic consequences for both gang members and their families.
  • The causes of the proliferation of gangs can be best explained by feeling disconnected from others, a need to fit in, and a lack of supervision after school hours.
  • The problem of the rise in gangs can be solved, or minimized, by offering after-school programs for youth, education about the consequences of joining a gang, and parent education programs offered at all secondary education levels.

Let’s revisit the human sex trafficking topic from above. Instead of using only a problem-solution pattern, the example that follows adds “cause” to their main points.

Preview of Main Points: First, I will define and explain the extent of the problem of sex trafficking within our community while examining the effects this has on the victims. Second, I will discuss the main causes of the problem. Finally, I will offer possible solutions to take the predators off the streets and allow the victims to reclaim their lives.

  • The cause of the problem can be recognized by the monetary value of sex slavery.
  • The problem of human sex trafficking can be solved by working with local law enforcement, changing the current laws for prosecuting traffickers, and raising funds to help agencies rescue and restore victims.

Comparative Advantages

Sometimes your speech will showcase a problem, but there are multiple potential solutions for the audience to consider. In cases like these, the comparative advantages organizational pattern is an appropriate way to structure the speech. This pattern is commonly used when there is a problem, but the audience (or the public) cannot agree on the best solution. When your goal is to convince the audience that your solution is the best among the options, this organizational pattern should be used.

Consider the hot topic of student loan debt cancellation. There is a rather large divide among the public about whether or not student loans should be canceled or forgiven by the federal government. Once again, audience factors come into play as attitudes and values on the topic vary greatly across various political ideologies, age demographics, socioeconomic statuses, educational levels, and more.

Let’s look at how you might organize a speech on this topic. In the body of this speech, one main point is the problem, and the other main points will depend on the number of possible solutions.

Topic: Federal Student Loan Debt Cancellation

Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience to support the government cancellation of $10,000 in federal student loan debt.

Thesis (Central Idea):  Student loans are the largest financial hurdle faced by multiple generations, and debt cancellation could provide needed relief to struggling individuals and families.

Preview of Main Points: First, I will define and explain the extent of the student loan debt problem in the United States. Then, I will offer possible solutions and convince you that the best solution is a debt cancellation of $10,000.

  • Student loan debt is the second greatest source of financial debt in the United States and several solutions have been proposed to address the problem created by unusually high levels of educational debt.
  • The first proposed solution is no debt cancellation. This policy solution would not address the problem.
  • The second proposed solution is $10,000 of debt cancellation. This is a moderate cancellation that would alleviate some of the financial burden faced by low-income and middle-class citizens without creating vast government setbacks.
  • The third proposed solution is full debt cancellation. While this would help many individuals, the financial setback for the nation would be too grave.
  • As you can see, there are many options for addressing the student loan debt problem. However, the best solution is the cancellation of $10,000.

Monroe’s Motivated Sequence Format

Alan H. Monroe, a Purdue University professor, used the psychology of persuasion to develop an outline for making speeches that will deliver results and wrote about it in his book Monroe’s Principles of Speech (1951). It is now known as Monroe’s Motivated Sequence . This is a well-used and time-proven method to organize persuasive speeches for maximum impact. It is most often used for speeches dealing with questions of policy. You can use it for various situations to create and arrange the components of any persuasive message. The five steps are explained below and should be followed explicitly and in order to have the greatest impact on the audience.

Step One: Attention

In this step, you must get the attention of the audience. The speaker brings attention to the importance of the topic as well as their own credibility and connection to the topic. This step of the sequence should be completed in your introduction like in other speeches you have delivered in class. Review chapter 9 for some commonly used attention-grabber strategies.

Step Two: Need

In this step, you will establish the need; you must define the problem and build a case for its importance. Later in this chapter, you will find that audiences seek logic in their arguments, so the speaker should address the underlying causes and the external effects of a problem. It is important to make the audience see the severity of the problem, and how it affects them, their families, and/or their community. The harm , or problem that needs changing, can be physical, financial, psychological, legal, emotional, educational, social, or a combination thereof. It must be supported by evidence. Ultimately, in this step, you outline and showcase that there is a true problem that needs the audience’s immediate attention. For example, it is not enough to say “pollution is a problem in Florida,” you must demonstrate it with evidence that showcases that pollution is a problem. For example, agricultural runoff is said to cause dangerous algal blooms on Florida’s beaches. You could show this to your audience with research reports, pictures, expert testimony, etc.

Step Three: Satisfaction

In this step, the need must be “satisfied” with a solution. As the speaker, this is when you present the solution and describe it, but you must also defend that it works and will address the causes and symptoms of the problem. Do you recall “need, plan, and practicality”? This step involves the plan and practicality elements. This is not the section where you provide specific steps for the audience to follow. Rather, this is the section where you describe “the business” of the solution. For example, you might want to change the voting age in the United States. You would not explain how to do it here; you would explain the plan – what the new law would be – and its practicality – how that new law satisfies the problem of people not voting. Satisfy the need!

Step Four: Visualization

In this step, your arguments must look to the future either positively or negatively, or both. If positive, the benefits of enacting or choosing your proposed solution are explained. If negative, the disadvantages of not doing anything to solve the problem are explained. The purpose of visualization is to motivate the audience by revealing future benefits or using possible fear appeals by showing future harms if no changes are enacted. Ultimately, the audience must visualize a world where your solution solves the problem. What does this new world look like? If you can help the audience picture their role in this new world, you should be able to get them to act. Describe a future where they fail to act, and the problem persists or is exacerbated. Or, help them visualize a world where their adherence to the steps you outlined in your speech remediates the problem.

Step Five: Action

In the final step of Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, we tell the audience exactly what needs to be done by them . Not a general “we should lower the voting age” statement, but rather, the exact steps for the people sitting in front of you to take. If you really want to move the audience to action, this step should be a full main point within the body of the speech and should outline exactly what you need them to do. It isn’t enough to say “now, go vote!” You need to tell them where to click, who to write, how much to donate, and how to share the information with others in their orbit. In the action step, the goal is to give specific steps for the audience to take, as soon as possible, to move toward solving the problem. So, while the satisfaction step explains the solution overall, the action section gives concrete ways to begin making the solution happen. The more straightforward and concrete you can make the action step, the better. People are more likely to act if they know how accessible the action can be. For example, if you want your audience to be vaccinated against the hepatitis B virus (HBV), you can give them directions to a clinic where vaccinations are offered and the hours of that location. Do not leave anything to chance. Tell them what to do. If you have effectively convinced them of the need/problem, you will get them to act, which is your overall goal.

Claim-to-Proof Pattern

A claim-to-proof pattern provides the audience with reasons to accept your speech proposition (Mudd & Sillars, 1962). State your claim (your thesis) and then prove your point with reasons (main points). The proposition is presented at the beginning of the speech, and in the preview, tells the audience how many reasons will be provided for the claim. Do not reveal too much information until you get to that point in your speech. We all hear stories on the news about someone killed by a handgun, but it is not every day that it affects us directly, or that we know someone who is affected by it. One student told a story of a cousin who was killed in a drive-by shooting, and he was not even a member of a gang.

Here is how the setup for this speech would look:

Thesis and Policy Claim: Handgun ownership in America continues to be a controversial subject, and I believe that private ownership of handguns should have limitations.

Preview: I will provide three reasons why handgun ownership should be limited.

When presenting the reasons for accepting the claim, it is important to consider the use of primacy-recency . If the audience is against your claim, put your most important argument first. For this example, the audience believes in no background checks for gun ownership. As a result, this is how the main points may be written to try and capture the audience who disagrees with your position. We want to get their attention quickly and hold it throughout the speech. You will also need to support these main points. Here is an example:

  • The first reason background checks should be mandatory is that when firearms are too easily accessed by criminals, more gun violence occurs.
  • A second reason why background checks should be mandatory is that they would lower firearm trafficking.

Moving forward, the speaker would select one or two other reasons to bring into the speech and support them with evidence. The decision on how many main points to have will depend on how much time you have for this speech, and how much research you can find on the topic. If this is a pattern your instructor allows, speak with them about sample outlines. This pattern can be used for fact, value, or policy speeches.

Methods of Persuasion

The three methods of persuasion were first identified by Aristotle, a Greek philosopher in the time of Ancient Greece. In his teachings and book, Rhetoric, he advised that a speaker could persuade their audience using three different methods: Ethos (persuasion through credibility), Pathos (persuasion through emotion), and Logos (persuasion through logic). In fact, he said these are the three methods of persuasion a speaker must rely on.

Statue of Aristotle

Figure 10.3: Aristotle 3

By definition, ethos is the influence of a speaker’s credibility, which includes character, competence, and charisma. Remember in earlier chapters when we learned about credibility? Well, it plays a role here, too. The more credible or believable you are, the stronger your ethos. If you can make an audience see you believe in what you say and have knowledge about what you say, they are more likely to believe you and, therefore, be more persuaded by you. If your arguments are made based on credibility and expertise, then you may be able to change someone’s mind or move them to action. Let’s look at some examples.

If you are considering joining the U.S. Air Force, do you think someone in a military uniform would be more persuasive than someone who was not in uniform? Do you think a firefighter in uniform could get you to make your house more fire-safe than someone who was not in uniform? Their uniform contributes to their ethos. Remember, credibility comes from audience perceptions – how they perceive you as the speaker. You may automatically know they understand fire safety without even opening their mouths to speak. If their arguments are as strong as the uniform, you may have already started putting your fire emergency kit together! Ultimately, we tend to believe in people in powerful positions. We often obey authority figures because that’s what we have been taught to do. In this case, it works to help us persuade an audience.

Advertising campaigns also use ethos well. Think about how many celebrities sell you products. Whose faces do you regularly see? Taylor Swift, Kerry Washington, Kylie Jenner, Jennifer Aniston? Do they pick better cosmetics than the average woman, or are they using their celebrity influence to persuade you to buy? If you walk into a store to purchase makeup and remember which ones are Kylie Jenner’s favorite makeup, are you more likely to purchase it? Pop culture has power, which is why you see so many celebrities selling products on social media. Now, Kylie may not want to join you in class for your speech (sorry!), so you will have to be creative with ethos and incorporate experts through your research and evidence. For example, you need to cite sources if you want people to get a flu shot, using a doctor’s opinion or a nurse’s opinion is critical to get people to make an appointment to get the shot. You might notice that even your doctor shares data from research when discussing your healthcare. Similarly, y ou have to be credible. You need to become an authority on your topic, show them the evidence, and persuade them using your character and charisma.

Finally, ethos also relates to ethics. The audience needs to trust you and your speech needs to be truthful. Most importantly, this means ethical persuasion occurs through ethical methods – you should not trick your audience into agreeing with you. It also means your own personal involvement is important and the topic should be something you are either personally connected to or passionate about. For example, if you ask the audience to adopt a puppy from a rescue, will your ethos be strong if you bought your puppy from a pet store or breeder? How about asking your audience to donate to a charity; have you supported them yourself? Will the audience want to donate if you haven’t ever donated? How will you prove your support? Think about your own role in the speech while you are also thinking about the evidence you provide.

The second appeal you should include in your speech is pathos , an emotional appeal . By definition, pathos appeals evoke strong feelings or emotions like anger, joy, desire, and love. The goal of pathos is to get people to feel something and, therefore, be moved to change their minds or to act. You want your arguments to arouse empathy, sympathy, and/or compassion. So, for persuasive speeches, you can use emotional visual aids or thoughtful stories to get the audience’s attention and hook them in. If you want someone to donate to a local women’s shelter organization to help the women further their education at the local community college, you might share a real story of a woman you met who stayed at the local shelter before earning her degree with the help of the organization. We see a lot of advertisement campaigns rely on this. They show injured military veterans to get you to donate to the Wounded Warriors Project , or they show you injured animals to get you to donate to animal shelters. Are you thinking about how your own topic is emotional yet? We hope so!

In addition, we all know that emotions are complex. So, you can’t just tell a sad story or yell out a bad word to shock them and think they will be persuaded. You must ensure the emotions you engage relate directly to the speech and the audience. Be aware that negative emotions can backfire, so make sure you understand the audience, so you will know what will work best. Don’t just yell at people that they need to brush their teeth for two minutes or show a picture of gross teeth; make them see the benefits of brushing for two minutes by showing beautiful teeth too.

Emotional appeals also need to be ethical and incorporated responsibly. Consider a persuasive speech on distracted driving. If your audience is high school or college students, they may be mature enough to see an emotional video or photo depicting the devastating consequences of distracted driving. If you’re teaching an elementary school class about car safety (e.g., keeping your seatbelt on, not throwing toys, etc.), it would be highly inappropriate to scare them into compliance by showing a devastating video of a car accident. As an ethical public speaker, it is your job to use emotional appeals responsibly.

One way to do this is to connect to the theory by Abraham Maslow, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which states that our actions are motivated by basic (physiological and safety), psychological (belongingness, love, and esteem), and self-fulfillment needs (self-actualization). To persuade, we have to connect what we say to the audience’s real lives. Here is a visual of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid:

Chart of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Figure 10.4: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 4

Notice the pyramid is largest at the base because our basic needs are the first that must be met. Ever been so hungry you can’t think of anything except when and what you will eat? (Hangry anyone?) Well, you can’t easily persuade people if they are only thinking about food. It doesn’t mean you need to bring snacks to your speech class on the day of your speech (albeit, this might be relevant to a food demonstration speech). Can you think about other ways pathos connects to this pyramid? How about safety and security needs, the second level on the hierarchy? Maybe your speech is about persuading people to purchase more car insurance. You might argue they need more insurance so they can feel safer on the road. Or maybe your family should put in a camera doorbell to make sure the home is safe. Are you seeing how we can use arguments that connect to emotions and needs simultaneously?

The third level in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, love and belongingness, is about the need to feel connected to others. This need level is related to the groups of people we spend time with like friends and family. This also relates to the feeling of being “left out” or isolated from others. If we can use arguments that connect us to other humans, emotionally or physically, we will appeal to more of the audience. If your topic is about becoming more involved in the church or temple, you might highlight the social groups one may join if they connect to the church or temple. If your topic is on trying to persuade people to do a walk for charity, you might showcase how doing the event with your friends and family becomes a way of raising money for the charity and carving out time with, or supporting, the people you love. For this need, your pathos will be focused on connection. You want your audience to feel like they belong in order for them to be persuaded. People are more likely to follow through on their commitments if their friends and family do it. We know that if our friends go to the party, we are more likely to go, so we don’t have FOMO (fear of missing out). The same is true for donating money; if your friends have donated to a charity, you might want to be “in” the group, so you would donate also.

Finally, we will end this pathos section with an example that connects Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to pathos. Maybe your speech is to convince people to remove the Instagram app from their phones, so they are less distracted from their life. You could argue staying away from social media means you won’t be threatened online (safety), you will spend more real-time with your friends (belongingness), and you will devote more time to writing your speech outlines (esteem and achievement). Therefore, you can use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a roadmap for finding key needs that relate to your proposition which helps you incorporate emotional appeals.

The third and final appeal Aristotle described is logos , which, by definition, is the use of logical and organized arguments that stem from credible evidence supporting your proposition. When the arguments in your speech are based on logic, you are utilizing logos. You need experts in your corner to persuade; you need to provide true, raw evidence for someone to be convinced. You can’t just tell them something is good or bad for them, you have to show it through logic. You might like to buy that product, but how much does it cost? When you provide the dollar amount, you provide some logos for someone to decide if they can and want to purchase that product. How much should I donate to that charity? Provide a dollar amount reasonable for the given audience, and you will more likely persuade them. If you asked a room full of students to donate $500.00 to a charity, it isn’t logical. If you asked them to donate $10.00 instead of buying lattes for two days, you might actually persuade them.

So, it is obvious that sources are a part of logos, but so is your own honest involvement with the topics. If you want people to vote, you need to prove voting matters and make logical appeals to vote. We all know many people say, “my vote doesn’t count.” Your speech needs to logically prove that all votes count, and you need to showcase that you always vote in the local and national elections. In this example, we bring together your ethos and your pathos to sell us on the logos. All three appeals together help you make your case. Audiences are not only persuaded by experts, or by emotions, they want it all to make sense! Don’t make up a story to “make it fit”. Instead, find a real story that is truthful, emotional, and one your audience can relate to make your speech logical from beginning to end and, therefore, persuasive.

Reasoning and Fallacies in Your Speech

In this chapter, we have provided you with several important concepts in the persuasive speech process, including patterns of organization and methods of persuasion. Now, we want to make sure your speech content is clear and includes strong and appropriate arguments. You have done extensive research to support the claims you will make in your speech, but we want to help you ensure that your arguments aren’t flawed. Thus, we will now look at different forms of reasoning and fallacies (or errors) to avoid in your logic.

Thus far, you have read how Aristotle’s proofs can and should be used in a persuasive speech. But, you might wonder how that influences the approach you take in writing your speech outline. You already know your research needs to be credible, and one way to do this is through research. Let’s now put this all together by explaining how reasoning is used in a speech, as well as the fallacies, or errors in reasoning, that often occur when speechwriting.

You may have seen graduation requirements include the category of critical thinking, which is the ability to think about what information you are given and make sense of it to draw conclusions. Today, colleges, universities, and employers are seeking individuals who have these critical thinking skills. Critical thinking can include abilities like problem-solving or decision-making. How did you decide on which college to start your higher educational journey? Was it a decision based on finances, being close to home, or work? This decision involved critical thinking. Even if you had an emotional investment in this decision (pathos), you still needed to use logic, or logos, in your thought process. Reasoning is the process of constructing arguments in a logical way. The use of evidence, also known as data , is what we use to prove our claims. We have two basic and important approaches for how we come to believe something is true. These are known as induction and deduction. Let us explain.

Inductive Reasoning

You have probably used inductive reasoning in your life without even knowing it! Inductive reasoning is a type of reasoning in which examples or specific instances are used to provide strong evidence for (though not absolute proof of) the truth of the conclusion (Garcia, 2022). In other words, you are led to a conclusion through your “proof”. With inductive reasoning, we are exposed to several different examples of a situation, and from those examples, we conclude a general truth because there is no theory to test. Think of it this way: you first make an observation, then, observe a pattern, and finally, develop a theory or general conclusion.

For instance, you visit your local grocery store daily to pick up necessary items. You notice that on Sunday, two weeks ago, all the clerks in the store were wearing football jerseys. Again, last Sunday, the clerks wore their football jerseys. Today, also a Sunday, they’re wearing them again. From just these three observations, you may conclude that on Sundays, these supermarket employees wear football jerseys to support their favorite teams. Can you conclude that this pattern holds indefinitely? Perhaps not; the phenomenon may only take place during football season. Hypotheses typically need much testing before confirmation. However, it seems likely that if you return next Sunday wearing a football jersey, you will fit right in.

In another example, imagine you ate an avocado, and soon afterward, the inside of your mouth swelled. Now imagine a few weeks later you ate another avocado and again the inside of your mouth swelled. The following month, you ate yet another avocado, and you had the same reaction as the last two times. You are aware that swelling on the inside of your mouth can be a sign of an allergy to avocados. Using induction, you conclude, more likely than not, you are allergic to avocados.

Data (evidence): After I ate an avocado, the inside of my mouth was swollen (1st time).

Data (evidence): After I ate an avocado, the inside of my mouth was swollen (2nd time).

Data (evidence): I ate an avocado, and the inside of my mouth was swollen (3rd time).

Additional Information: Swollen lips can be a sign of a food allergy.

Conclusion: Likely, I am allergic to avocados.

Inductive reasoning can never lead to absolute certainty. Instead, induction allows you to say, given the examples provided for support, the conclusion is most likely true. Because of the limitations of inductive reasoning, a conclusion will be more credible if multiple lines of reasoning are presented in its support. This is how inductive reasoning works. Now, let’s examine four common methods of inductive reasoning to help you think critically about your persuasive speech.

An analogy allows you to draw conclusions about an object or phenomenon based on similarities to something else (Garcia, 2022). Sometimes the easiest way to understand reasoning is to start with a simple analogy. An avid DIY enthusiast may love to paint -walls, furniture, and objects. To paint well, you need to think about what materials you will need, a knowledge of the specific steps to paint, and the knowledge of how to use an approach to painting so that your paint doesn’t run and your project comes out perfectly! Let’s examine how this example works as an analogy.

Analogies can be figurative or literal. A figurative analogy compares two things that share a common feature, but are still different in many ways. For example, we could say that painting is like baking; they both involve making sure that you have the correct supplies and follow a specific procedure. There are similarities in these features, but there are profound differences. However, a literal analogy is where the two things under comparison have sufficient or significant similarities to be compared fairly (Garcia, 2022). A literal analogy might compare different modalities at the school where your authors teach. If we claim that you should choose Florida SouthWestern State College’s face-to-face courses rather than enrolling in online courses , we could make literal comparisons of the courses offered, available student services, or the classroom atmosphere, for instance.

If we use the more literal analogy of where you choose to go to college, we are using an analogy of two similar “things,” and hopefully, this makes your analogy carry more weight. What this form of reasoning does is lead your audience to a conclusion.  When we address fallacies later in this chapter, you will see that comparing two things that are not similar enough could lead you might make an error, or what we call a false analogy fallacy.

Generalization

Another effective form of reasoning is through the use of generalizations. Generalization is a form of inductive reasoning that draws conclusions based on recurring patterns or repeated observations (Garcia, 2022), observing multiple examples and looking for commonalities in those examples to make a broad statement about them. For example, if I tried four different types of keto bread (the new craze), and found that each of them tasted like Styrofoam , I could generalize and say all keto bread is NOT tasty! Or, if in your college experience, you had two professors that you perceived as “bad professors,” you might take a big leap and say that all professors at your campus are “bad.” As you will see later in the discussion on fallacies, this type of reasoning can get us into trouble if we draw a conclusion without sufficient evidence, also known as a hasty generalization.  Have you ever drawn a conclusion about a person or group of people after only one or two experiences with them? Have you ever decided you disliked a pizza place because you didn’t like the pizza the first time you tried it? Sometimes, we even do this in our real lives.

Causal Reasoning

Causal reasoning is a form of inductive reasoning that seeks to make cause-effect connections (Garcia, 2022). We don’t typically give this a lot of thought. In the city where one of your authors lives, there are periodic street closures with cones up or signs to redirect drivers. The past several times this has happened, it has been because there was a community 5K run. It is easy to understand why each time I see cones I assume there is a 5K event. However, there could be a completely different cause that I didn’t even think about. The cones could be there due to a major accident or road work.

Reasoning from Sign

Reasoning from sign is a form of inductive reasoning in which conclusions are drawn about phenomena based on events that precede or co-exist with (but do not cause) a subsequent event (Garcia, 2022). In Southern California, a part of the country with some of the worst droughts, one may successfully predict when summer is coming. The lawn begins to die, and the beautiful gardens go limp. All of this occurs before the temperature reaches 113 degrees and before the calendar changes from spring to summer. Based on this observation, there are signs that summer has arrived.

Like many forms of reasoning, it is easy to confuse “reasoning from sign” with “causal reasoning.” Remember, that for this form of reasoning, we looked at an event that preceded another, or co-existed, not an event that occurred later. IF the weather turned to 113 degrees, and then the grass and flowers began to die, then it could be causal.

Deductive Reasoning

The second type of reasoning is known as deductive reasoning , or deduction, which is a conclusion based on the combination of multiple premises that are generally assumed to be true (Garcia, 2022). Whereas with inductive reasoning, we were led to a conclusion, deductive reasoning starts with the overall statement and then identifies examples that support it to reach the conclusion.

Deductive reasoning is built on two statements whose logical relationship should lead to a third statement that is an unquestionably correct conclusion, as in the following example:

Grocery store employees wear football jerseys on Sundays.

Today is Sunday.

Grocery store employees will be wearing football jerseys today.

Suppose the first statement is true (Grocery store employees wear football jerseys on Sundays) and the second statement is true (Today is Sunday). In that case, the conclusion (Grocery store employees will be wearing football jerseys today) is reasonably expected. If a group must have a certain quality, and an individual is a member of that group, then the individual must have that quality.

Unlike inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning allows for certainty as long as certain rules are followed.

Fallacies in Reasoning

As you might recall from our discussion, we alluded to several fallacies. Fallacies are errors in reasoning logic or making a mistake when constructing an inductive or deductive argument. There are dozens of fallacies we could discuss here, but we will highlight those we find to be the most common. Our goal is to help you think through the process of writing your persuasive speech so that it is based on sound reasoning with no fallacies in your arguments.

Table 10.1 describes fifteen fallacies that can be avoided once you understand how to identify them.

Table 10.1: Fallacies

Criticizing the person (such as their character or some other attribute) rather than the issue, assumption, or point of view.

“I could never vote for Donald Trump. His hair looks ridiculous.”

“I could never vote for Joe Biden. He’s in his 70’s.”

This occurs when we assert that something is superior because it is new.

“The latest iPhone update is better than any other because it now allows face recognition while wearing a mask.”

When we try to legitimize a position based on tradition alone; it’s always been done this way.

“Public speaking is only proper when a student is at a lectern in a classroom.”

Asserting that an argument should be accepted because it is popular and done by others.

“You should buy stock in because the stock prices have soared since the pandemic, and everyone is jumping in!”

Assuming a conclusion in a premise (saying the same thing twice as both the premise and the conclusion). The argument begins with a claim the speaker is trying to conclude with.

“Of course the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports should be illegal! After all, it’s against the law!”

Provides only two alternatives when more exist.

“We better eliminate the Social Security system in the United States or our country will go broke.”

States that since an argument has one thing in common, they will have everything in common.

“As a student, I should be able to look at my notes when I take exams. After all, my doctor looks at his notes about me every time I go into the office. He isn’t expected to memorize my chart!”

A fallacy that mistakenly assumes that one event causes another, when in fact there are many possible causes.

“I went out of the house for a walk on my street and didn’t wear my mask, so I contracted COVID-19.” (Maybe you contracted COVID-19 from exposure at a birthday party last week).

Appealing to a rather small sample or unrepresentative number of cases to prove a larger issue.

“So far, I’ve met three British people in England, and they all were nice to me, so all people in the U.K. are nice.”

Occurs when a conclusion does not follow logically from a premise.

“It’s time to get my nails done. I wonder if my hairstylist is available next week.”

“My washing machine is making noise. I better take my car to the shop soon.”

Introduces irrelevant material into a discussion so that attention is diverted from the real issue; changing the subject or giving an irrelevant response to distract.

Mom: “You got home really late last night.”

You: “Did I tell you I’m getting an A in math?”

“How can I support the President’s sanctions against Russia if I don’t like his healthcare policy?”

Assumes consequences for which there is no evidence they will follow an earlier (harmful) act.

“All types of killing, like premeditated murder, or manslaughter, will become legal if we legalize physician-assisted suicide in all states.”

“If we decrease the school budget, all the teachers will quit and our kids won’t be able to go to school.”

Misrepresents a position so that it can more easily be attacked; distorts the opponent’s argument so that no one could agree with it.

“People who are not in favor of eliminating aerosol sprays think it’s okay to destroy the environment.”

Assuming that a generalization about a class of things/people necessarily applies to everything/person as if there are no exceptions (like stereotyping).

“Oh, you’re a student. You just want to party all the time and don’t want to work hard.”

“I heard you were a football player. Football players never try hard in school.”

Argues that it is okay to do something wrong if someone else did something wrong first.

Julia defends the lie she told her school by saying, “Well, you lied last month when you said you were home with the flu.”

In this chapter, you can feel confident that you have learned what you need to know to complete an effective persuasive speech. We have defined persuasion, explained speech propositions and patterns, and offered strategies to persuade, including ways to use logic. We also helped you learn more about inductive and deductive reasoning, and all of the various ways these methods help you construct your speeches. Finally, we provided you with the most common fallacies that could trip you up if you aren’t careful. The goal is to be clear, logical, and persuasive! Motivate your audience. Hey, have you been persuaded to start your speech outline yet? We hope so!

Reflection Questions

  • What is the difference between propositions of fact, value, and policy?
  • How will you determine which pattern of organization to use for your persuasive speech?
  • How might you use ethos, pathos, and logos effectively in your speech? How can you write these three proofs into your content?
  • What form(s) of reasoning will you use in your speech? How can you ensure you are not using any fallacies?

Appeal to Novelty

Appeal to Tradition

Circular Reasoning

Claim-to-Proof

Critical Thinking

Emotional Appeal

False Analogy

False Cause

Figurative Analogy

Hasty Generalization

Literal Analogy

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Monroe’s Motivated Sequence

Non-Sequitur

Primacy-recency

Problem-Cause-Solution

Problem-Solution

Proposition

Question of Fact

Question of Policy

Question of Value

Red Herring

Slippery Slope

Sweeping Generalization

Two Wrongs Make a Right

Garcia, A. R. (2022). Inductive and Deductive Reasoning. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://englishcomposition.org/advanced-writing/inductive-and-deductive-reasoning/.

Monroe, A. H. (1949). Principles and types of speech . Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company.

Mudd, C. S. & Sillars, M.O. (1962), Speech; content and communication. San Francisco, CA: Chandler Publishing Company.

Introduction to Public Speaking Copyright © by Jamie C. Votraw, M.A.; Katharine O'Connor, Ph.D.; and William F. Kelvin, Ph.D.. All Rights Reserved.

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Maze 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.

Problem Solution Speech Topics

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

Idea 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

A classroom of attentive listeners

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.

Steps Audience Response
—Getting Attention I want to listen to the speaker.
—Showing the Need, Describing the Problem Something needs to be done about the problem.
—Satisfying the Need, Presenting the Solution In order to satisfy the need or fix the problem this is what I need to do.
—Visualizing the Results I can see myself enjoying the benefits of taking action.
—Requesting Audience Action or Approval I will act in a specific way or approve a decision or behavior.

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.

Step in the Sequence Yes No
Gained audience’s attention
Introduced the topic clearly
Showed the importance of the topic to the audience
Need is summarized in a clear statement
Need is adequately illustrated
Need has clear ramifications
Need clearly points the audience
Plan is clearly stated
Plan is plainly explained
Plan and solution are theoretically demonstrated
Plan has clear reference to practical experience
Plan can meet possible objections
Practicality of plan shown
Benefits of plan are tangible
Benefits of plan relate to the audience
Specific type of visualization chosen (positive method, negative method, method of contrast)
Call of specific action by the audience
Action is realistic for the audience
Concluding device is vivid

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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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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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.

A motivational poster of water running over rocks. The caption says

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.

Specific Purpose To persuade a group of high school juniors to apply to attend Generic University
Main Points I. Life in the dorms
II. Life in the classroom
III. Life on campus

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.

Specific Purpose To inform a group of college students about the uses and misuses of Internet dating
Main Points I. Define and describe Internet dating.
II. Explain some strategies to enhance your Internet dating experience.
III. List some warning signs to look for in potential online dates.

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.

Specific Purpose To inform a group of physicians about Drug X, a newer drug with similar applications to Drug Y
Main Points I. Show how Drug X and Drug Y are similar.
II. Show how Drug X and Drug Y differ.
Specific Purpose To inform a group of physicians about Drug X, a newer drug with similar applications to Drug Y
Main Points I. Explain the basic purpose and use of both Drug X and Drug Y.
II. Show how Drug X and Drug Y are similar.
III. Show how Drug X and Drug Y differ.

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.

Specific Purpose To inform a group of history students about the states that seceded from the United States during the Civil War
Main Points I. Locate and describe the Confederate states just below the Mason-Dixon Line (Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee).
II. Locate and describe the Confederate states in the deep South (South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida).
III. Locate and describe the western Confederate states (Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas).

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.

Specific Purpose To explain to a group of college biology students how the urinary system works
Main Points I. Locate and describe the kidneys and ureters.
II. Locate and describe the bladder.
III. Locate and describe the sphincter and urethra.

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.

Specific Purpose To inform my audience about the books written by Winston Churchill
Main Points I. Examine the style and content of Winston Churchill’s writings prior to World War II.
II. Examine the style and content of Winston Churchill’s writings during World War II.
III. Examine the style and content of Winston Churchill’s writings after World War II.

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.

Specific Purpose To inform my audience about the early life of Marilyn Manson
Main Points I. Describe Brian Hugh Warner’s early life and the beginning of his feud with Christianity.
II. Describe Warner’s stint as a music journalist in Florida.
III. Describe Warner’s decision to create Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids.

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.

Specific Purpose To inform my audience about the problems associated with drinking among members of Native American tribal groups
Main Points I. Explain the history and prevalence of drinking alcohol among Native Americans.
II. Explain the effects that abuse of alcohol has on Native Americans and how this differs from the experience of other populations.

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.

Specific Purpose To inform local voters about the problem of domestic violence in our city
Main Points I. Explain that there are significantly more arrests for domestic violence in our city than in cities of comparable size in our state.
II. List possible causes for the difference, which may be unrelated to the actual amount of 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.

Specific Purpose To persuade a civic group to support a citywide curfew for individuals under the age of eighteen
Main Points I. Demonstrate that vandalism and violence among youth is having a negative effect on our community.
II. Show how vandalism and violence among youth go up after 10:00 p.m. in our community.
III. Explain how instituting a mandatory curfew at 10:00 p.m. would reduce vandalism and violence within our community.

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.

Specific Purpose To persuade a group of nurses to use humor in healing the person
Main Points I. How laughing affects the body
II. How the bodily effects can help healing
III. Strategies for using humor in healing

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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Speech Time Fun: Speech and Language Activities

Teaching Problem and Solution in Speech

example of problem solution 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

example of problem solution speech

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

example of problem solution speech

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  

example of problem solution speech

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! 

example of problem solution speech

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Tackle Global Issues with Our Help: Problem Solution Speech Topics

The environmental issues are on the agenda today. However, the social situation, market place, technological progress, as well as the maintenance of peace and respect for each other are of the same importance for us. As you can see, the abundance of issues is impressive, but we should seek permanent solutions. Not only the national community, but students as well have to contribute their fair share to the current situation.

These are students who are the main representatives of the younger generation hoping to change the overall picture of today’s world for the better. However, even with a desire to act not every student knows where to start, but our essay writing company can give you a prompt.

Discussing the issues is the first step towards real actions. Thus, problem-solution speeches seem like a perfect practice for students to become aware of the challenges and ways to deal with them. It works, as preparing for this kind of speech requires a deep understanding of the topic and thorough research of the current processes. Therefore, giving problem solution speech on various challenges can give rise to the answer of the up-to-date questions.

Outline Your Speech

The problem solution speech is a demanding undertaking for the novice, and the reasons for it are quite clear. To perform distinctly the topic and be able to refute the statements, you need to be perfectly equipped with the material. Moreover, the speech should be well-organized to look complete. Thus, you need to device an outline. Usually, it is performed in the form of a plan where each section is articulated in detail.

The First Meeting

The first part is the meeting with the audience. It is a moment of truth when you need to act quickly so the attention of the listeners is under your control. Thus, to start the ball rolling you have to introduce the topic. Speak out the name of the topic, but do not murmur it. Let your voice be convincing, but calm at the same time.

When you are done with the introduction, and the audience is now familiar with the matter of concern, it is time for you to move further.

You cannot limit your introductory part to simply naming the problem. For a better understanding of the subject, you should resort to a deeper explanation. Your readers should understand the importance of a particular topic for the theme and how it can be used in their own life.

Go into More Detail

The next stage is of great importance. Your task is to explain the causes of the notion. Sometimes, these are obvious. However, there are chances that some of the listeners can mi[ the things up, as when it comes to some intricate issue, it is difficult to separate the truth from the fiction. Therefore, it is better to go into detail and shed light on the real causes of the event.

At this stage, don’t forget to mention the effects of the notion. Try to be as illustrative, as possible.

State Your Position

Now, it is time to share your opinion on the topic in the form of a dialogue, It means that you pose a question and give the immediate answer to the audience. It serves as a statement for the speech. Don’t be confused at this point. We will illustrate the situation a bit later.

Be Inventive with Your Arguments

Here we come to the part that usually takes most of the efforts. Here you are to perform your solution to the problem discussed previously. Note that the explication should be a profound one. Thus, you have to resort to the most likely ways of addressing the problem. Be ready to prove that the topic is relevant and the solution is effective.

Frame Your Speech

Now, it is time to summarize all the facts and make your listener think. Draw the conclusion you came up with and present to the audience the possible course of events if the actions are adopted.

To ensure the audience comprehended the sense of urgency, suggest the practical steps each of the listeners can make towards the solution of the problem.

Ways to Tackle Divergent Issues

The situations are different, thus the ways to solve them differ as well.

  • If you want to share your opinion on the social issue, this method is a must. It will surely work if the situation is urgent, and your task is to reaffirm the listeners that your solution is the most appropriate. To sound convincing, introduce the background information and shed light on the current drawbacks. Your speech has to be backed up with possible variants to find a way out. Remember to provide the audience only with the relevant information, so that they believe you.
  • You can easily resort to this method when there is a need to describe the root of the problem. The causes should be thoroughly researched and the solutions presented.
  • Here you are more focused on the aftermaths current situation caused, or how it influenced the surrounding milieu. The clear cause-effect relationship must be established and explained if it is needed.

Opt for the Best Topic for a Problem Solution Speech

The question “How to choose the right topic for a speech” is no more a difficult one. When you come to this stage of speech preparation, you simply need to think about your own life. Remember the situations that drew your attention recently or triggered your thought. It can be connected with the environmental issues in your own region or problems with the families. Create the topic using your own background. Thus, it will be easier for you to find illustrative arguments and the ways to solve the issue.

If you still don’t have a topic but have a desire to share your opinion on something, feel free to consult our list of illustrative problem solution speech topics.

Jurisprudence

  • The outskirts of the city: how can we reduce the rate of home invasion burglaries?
  • The police permissiveness and ways to stop it.
  • Gun permits: how can we ensure the safety in the city?
  • Extreme rise of domestic violence in the families: how can we cope with it?
  • Dangerous drivers: are there ways to stop people to drive when drunk?

Life in the College

  • The dormitory issue: what should we do if the roommate is unpleasant for us?
  • Homesickness is a common issue for the newcomers and we need to make students assimilate into adulthood.
  • College is not merely the studying process: ways to strike a balance between classes and extracurricular activities.
  • Money issue: where can young and inexperienced students get some money for a living?
  • Extra money is always a good idea: how to encourage students to work for a grant?
  • Unemployment is soaring, and the government needs to ring a bell right now.
  • The labor of children must be forbidden and penalized.
  • What measures should we take so that the economy flourishes?
  • The consumer takes credits to pay for the products and services: how can we discourage them from this activity?
  • The bullying has become even worse: how can teachers deal with it during class time?
  • Deviation from the educational curriculum: how should teachers alternate the activities to teach their students real-life lessons?
  •  Why do we need sex education in schools and how can this subject matter be implemented smoothly into the curriculum?
  • New and amusing ways to teach students hard science.
  • Corruption in educational institutions: how can we obstruct it?

Environment

  • The use of plastic in everyday life kills our planet: how can we reduce the exploitation of plastic in the home?
  • The cost of the alternative energy is huge: what do we need to make it more affordable for the common people?
  • Soil degradation continues at incredible speed: how to prevent our planet from losing its richness?
  • The endangered species are close to becoming extinct and we have to act quickly to save them.
  • Ways to encourage people to opt for healthy food choices.
  • Malpractice in medicine can claim your life: how can we reduce the frequency of medical mistakes?
  • How can we prevent the patients from self-administering the drugs without a doctor’s prescription?
  • How can we effectively substitute the old equipment for a new one in the hospitals?

Here you are with great examples of the problem solution speech topics and an outline to structure your speech. Now, it is time to benefit from it.

example of problem solution speech

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example of problem solution speech

30 Problem Solving Scenarios for Speech Therapy Practice

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Problem solving scenarios.

  • Your friends came over to your house for a movie night. One of your friends brought another friend so there are more people than you planned for. You want to pass out the drinks but you only have five cans of soda and you need 6 for everyone to have one. What could you do?
  • After basketball practice you go back to the locker room with your team to shower and change. When you are done dressing, you can't find your shoes. What could you do?
  • You have been waiting all day for lunch to come because you are starving. Finally class gets over and you get to go to lunch. Except when you go to get to your lunch, it's not there. You probably left it at home. What could you do?
  • There is a guy in your class who is always mean to you. He always bumps you when he walks by and he calls you names. He knocks stuff out of your hands and makes you feel stupid. You don't think you can take it anymore. What could you do?
  • You really want to invite this new girl/guy to come to your birthday party, but you have never talked to them before. You are worried they will say no. What could you do?
  • You rode the bus to school today and on the way in people are pointing and laughing at you. You go in the bathroom and see that you have pink gum all over the back of your pants. What could you do?
  • You wake up and see that your alarm never went off. So you are starting your morning 15 minutes later than you planned. It is a really important day at school and you cannot be late. What could you do?
  • You are giving a group presentation in front of class and it's your turn to talk. All of the sudden you sneeze. You cover it with your hand, but now your hand is full of stuff you sneezed out. What could you do?
  • You are eating dinner at a fancy restaurant with your parents and their friends. You have a really messy dinner and accidentally flip a noodle into the lady's lap. They are busy talking and don't notice it. What could you do?
  • You are taking a test and there is no talking allowed. You are writing your answers on the paper and your pencil breaks. What could you do?
  • You are taking a test and the guy behind you asks you for help. He wants to know what you put for question number two. What could you do?
  • You are at a birthday party and you have waited in line for a long time for your turn to hit the pinata. It is finally going to be your turn and it looks like the next hit will break the pinata. But you suddenly have to go to the bathroom. What could you do?
  • You are hanging outside with your friend and she decides to pick your neighbor's flowers. She gives you the pretty handful of flowers and right then your neighbor opens the door. She asks you why you picked her flowers. What could you do?
  • You borrowed your sister's skates one day without asking and they broke while you were using them. What could you do?
  • You are eating at a friend's house and the mom piles your plate full of food. It looks really good and you want to eat it all but you can't because you just ate a snack. What could you do so you don't hurt her feelings?

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example of problem solution speech

  • Your teacher was working at her desk.  You wanted to ask her a question, but she didn't see your hand raised. What should you do?
  • You started to do your work, but you weren't sure if you were doing it right. What should you do?
  • You were playing tether-ball and were the champion so far.  In the next game, you slightly touched the rope.  Only one student saw you touch the rope. What will you do?
  • The teacher is giving directions, but your friend sitting next to you keeps talking.  You can't hear the directions. What should you do?
  • You didn't do your homework.  Your teacher was upset with you. What should you do?
  • You finished eating and felt a burp coming. What are you going to do?
  • You were waiting to swing.  When it was your turn, another boy jumped in front of you and took the swing. What would you do?
  • You waited a long time, but your mom didn't come to pick you up after school. What should you do?
  • A bully threatened to beat you up after school. What should you do?
  • A boy on the playground keeps pushing you and making you mad. What would you do?
  • You were sitting in class doing your work and you hear the fire alarm. What should you do?
  • An adult you didn't know came on to the playground and asked if you would help look for his lost dog. What would you do?
  • You forgot your lunch at home. What would you do?
  • The person sitting behind you keeps tapping your chair with his foot. What should you do?
  • You finished your work early. What should you do?

This list of functional words was professionally selected to be the most useful for a child or adult who has difficulty with problem solving scenarios.

We encourage you to use this list when practicing at home.

Home practice will make progress toward meeting individual language goals much faster.

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are only able to see students/clients 30-60 mins (or less) per week. This is not enough time or practice for someone to handle Problem solving scenarios.

Every day that your loved one goes without practice it becomes more difficult to help them. 

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We know life is busy , but if you're reading this you're probably someone who cares about helping their loved one as much as you can.

Practice 5-10 minutes whenever you can, but try to do it on a consistent basis (daily).

Please, please, please use this list to practice.

It will be a great benefit to you and your loved one's progress.

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Composition Type: Problem-Solution Essays

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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)
  • Examples of Great Introductory Paragraphs
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  • What Is Expository Writing?
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  • What an Essay Is and How to Write One
  • Definition and Examples of Analysis in Composition
  • How to Write a Solid Thesis Statement
  • Definition and Examples of Body Paragraphs in Composition
  • Beef Up Critical Thinking and Writing Skills: Comparison Essays
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Online Guide to Writing and Research

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Patterns for Presenting Information

Problem-Cause-Solution Pattern

According to conventional wisdom, you can summarize every story ever told in the following way: someone falls into a hole and must climb out. In other words, every story is about solving a problem. There are probably many exceptions to this observation; however, connecting the need to solve a real-life problem to your subject can draw your readers’ attention. The problem-cause-solution pattern can help you do this.

the word of REVISE on building blocks concept.

In a sense, this pattern is a variety of the specific-to-general pattern, as it often begins with specific details and moves to a somewhat generalized solution. However, rather than evoking a sense of mystery and suspense, the problem-cause-solution pattern focuses on concrete difficulties; and though a solution may appeal to abstract principles, the solution should have a practical application, enough to solve the real-life problem.

When to Use this Pattern

You may find the problem-cause-solution pattern useful in writing case studies, critiques, introductions, reports of scientific investigations, literary reviews, political and social discourse, white papers, proposals, many kinds of reports, and essay examinations.

How to Create this Pattern

The name of the problem-cause-solution pattern also describes the sequence in which to present your information.

Begin by describing the problem.

Proceed through diagnosing and analyzing the problem.

Then propose a solution.

The forms of analysis used to diagnose the problem may vary. You might, for example, use comparative analysis to evaluate for flaws in a process that may have led to the problem. You might use a combination of synthesis and cause and effect analysis to locate systemic conditions which caused the problem. However, in each instance—whether analyzing an entire process or analyzing a specific cause—the goal is to locate a cause or causes.

Example of this Pattern

There are two main kinds of ice that shape sea levels. The first is sea ice, which comes from ocean water that freezes solid. It makes up most of the ice at the North Pole. As it forms, it changes the saltiness of seawater and helps shape powerful ocean currents. 

Melting sea ice doesn’t change the overall amount of water in the ocean, just as melting ice cubes don’t change the water level in a glass of water. But sea ice tends to reflect sunlight, while the darker ocean tends to soak up its heat. That speeds up warming and drives more ice melt in a worrying feedback loop. The warmer temperatures also contribute to the thermal expansion of water, which in turn can raise sea levels. 

The second kind of ice is land ice, which builds up in sheets over thousands of years from compacted snow. In Antarctica, the ice sheet is 1.5 miles thick (2.4 km) on average, reaching up to 3 miles (5 km) in some areas. Greenland’s ice sheet averages a mile in thickness. When land ice starts to jut out over the ocean, it creates a floating ice shelf (Irfan, 2022, paras. 9-11).

Example Explained

Notice how the passage above begins with an implied problem: ice causing changes to sea levels. The passage proceeds to explain the causes of changing sea levels. These are the first two parts of our pattern. A few paragraphs later, the author shifts to discussing the beginnings of a solution.

Key Takeaways

  • The problem-cause-solution approach will first describe the problem, then analyze the cause or responses to the problem, and then will lead to a solution.
  • We practice this approach daily in our interactions with others, whether at work or home.

Mailing Address: 3501 University Blvd. East, Adelphi, MD 20783 This work is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License . © 2022 UMGC. All links to external sites were verified at the time of publication. UMGC is not responsible for the validity or integrity of information located at external sites.

Table of Contents: Online Guide to Writing

Chapter 1: College Writing

How Does College Writing Differ from Workplace Writing?

What Is College Writing?

Why So Much Emphasis on Writing?

Chapter 2: The Writing Process

Doing Exploratory Research

Getting from Notes to Your Draft

Introduction

Prewriting - Techniques to Get Started - Mining Your Intuition

Prewriting: Targeting Your Audience

Prewriting: Techniques to Get Started

Prewriting: Understanding Your Assignment

Rewriting: Being Your Own Critic

Rewriting: Creating a Revision Strategy

Rewriting: Getting Feedback

Rewriting: The Final Draft

Techniques to Get Started - Outlining

Techniques to Get Started - Using Systematic Techniques

Thesis Statement and Controlling Idea

Writing: Getting from Notes to Your Draft - Freewriting

Writing: Getting from Notes to Your Draft - Summarizing Your Ideas

Writing: Outlining What You Will Write

Chapter 3: Thinking Strategies

A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone

A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone: Style Through Vocabulary and Diction

Critical Strategies and Writing

Critical Strategies and Writing: Analysis

Critical Strategies and Writing: Evaluation

Critical Strategies and Writing: Persuasion

Critical Strategies and Writing: Synthesis

Developing a Paper Using Strategies

Kinds of Assignments You Will Write

Patterns for Presenting Information: Critiques

Patterns for Presenting Information: Discussing Raw Data

Patterns for Presenting Information: General-to-Specific Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Problem-Cause-Solution Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Specific-to-General Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Summaries and Abstracts

Supporting with Research and Examples

Writing Essay Examinations

Writing Essay Examinations: Make Your Answer Relevant and Complete

Writing Essay Examinations: Organize Thinking Before Writing

Writing Essay Examinations: Read and Understand the Question

Chapter 4: The Research Process

Planning and Writing a Research Paper

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Ask a Research Question

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Cite Sources

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Collect Evidence

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Decide Your Point of View, or Role, for Your Research

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Draw Conclusions

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Find a Topic and Get an Overview

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Manage Your Resources

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Outline

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Survey the Literature

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Work Your Sources into Your Research Writing

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Human Resources

Research Resources: What Are Research Resources?

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found?

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Electronic Resources

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Print Resources

Structuring the Research Paper: Formal Research Structure

Structuring the Research Paper: Informal Research Structure

The Nature of Research

The Research Assignment: How Should Research Sources Be Evaluated?

The Research Assignment: When Is Research Needed?

The Research Assignment: Why Perform Research?

Chapter 5: Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity

Giving Credit to Sources

Giving Credit to Sources: Copyright Laws

Giving Credit to Sources: Documentation

Giving Credit to Sources: Style Guides

Integrating Sources

Practicing Academic Integrity

Practicing Academic Integrity: Keeping Accurate Records

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Paraphrasing Your Source

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Quoting Your Source

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Summarizing Your Sources

Types of Documentation

Types of Documentation: Bibliographies and Source Lists

Types of Documentation: Citing World Wide Web Sources

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - APA Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - CSE/CBE Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - Chicago Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - MLA Style

Types of Documentation: Note Citations

Chapter 6: Using Library Resources

Finding Library Resources

Chapter 7: Assessing Your Writing

How Is Writing Graded?

How Is Writing Graded?: A General Assessment Tool

The Draft Stage

The Draft Stage: The First Draft

The Draft Stage: The Revision Process and the Final Draft

The Draft Stage: Using Feedback

The Research Stage

Using Assessment to Improve Your Writing

Chapter 8: Other Frequently Assigned Papers

Reviews and Reaction Papers: Article and Book Reviews

Reviews and Reaction Papers: Reaction Papers

Writing Arguments

Writing Arguments: Adapting the Argument Structure

Writing Arguments: Purposes of Argument

Writing Arguments: References to Consult for Writing Arguments

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Anticipate Active Opposition

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Determine Your Organization

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Develop Your Argument

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Introduce Your Argument

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - State Your Thesis or Proposition

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Write Your Conclusion

Writing Arguments: Types of Argument

Appendix A: Books to Help Improve Your Writing

Dictionaries

General Style Manuals

Researching on the Internet

Special Style Manuals

Writing Handbooks

Appendix B: Collaborative Writing and Peer Reviewing

Collaborative Writing: Assignments to Accompany the Group Project

Collaborative Writing: Informal Progress Report

Collaborative Writing: Issues to Resolve

Collaborative Writing: Methodology

Collaborative Writing: Peer Evaluation

Collaborative Writing: Tasks of Collaborative Writing Group Members

Collaborative Writing: Writing Plan

General Introduction

Peer Reviewing

Appendix C: Developing an Improvement Plan

Working with Your Instructor’s Comments and Grades

Appendix D: Writing Plan and Project Schedule

Devising a Writing Project Plan and Schedule

Reviewing Your Plan with Others

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Problem/Solution Speech Topics

Kori morgan.

Students talking to each other on green field

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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Comprehensive List of Problem Solution Speech Topics for 2023

Apr 14, 2023 | 0 comments

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Apr 14, 2023 | Topics | 0 comments

When it comes to public speaking, one of the most challenging tasks can be choosing an interesting and impactful topic. One popular type of speech is problem-solution speech, which aims to identify a problem and provide possible solutions. However, finding the right problem solution speech topics can be daunting, especially considering the many social issues that must be resolved. This article will provide a comprehensive list of problem-solution speech topics in 2023. Whether you are a student or a professional, these topic ideas will help you develop a persuasive and informative speech that encourages your audience to take action.

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Best problem-solution essay topics

  • Reducing Carbon Footprints: Innovative Solutions for a Greener Future
  • Combating Childhood Obesity: Encouraging Healthy Habits Early On
  • Addressing the Mental Health Crisis: Breaking the Stigma and Finding Solutions
  • Solving the Housing Crisis: Innovative Ideas for Affordable Homes
  • The Opioid Epidemic: Finding Effective Solutions for Addiction
  • Ensuring Gender Equality in the Workplace: Strategies for Progress
  • Eradicating Food Insecurity: Tackling Hunger and Poverty
  • Building Safe and Inclusive Communities: Strategies for Combatting Hate Crimes
  • Overcoming the Student Debt Crisis: Finding Solutions for Higher Education
  • Improving Healthcare Access: Innovative Strategies for Better Health Outcomes
  • Solving the Water Crisis: Strategies for Ensuring Clean and Accessible Water
  • Ending Police Brutality: Strategies for Reform and Accountability
  • Combating Racial Injustice: Strategies for Promoting Equality and Justice
  • Addressing the Effects of Social Media Use: Finding Solutions for Health and Well-being
  • Protecting Endangered Species: Strategies for Conservation and Preservation.

Good problem-solution essay topics for students

  • Solving the issue of child labor in developing countries
  • Addressing the problem of gun violence in America
  • Overcoming racial discrimination in the Workplace
  • Finding a Solution to the obesity epidemic
  • Implementing effective measures to reduce cyberbullying
  • Combating the issue of police brutality and accountability
  • Addressing the impact of social media on mental health
  • Solving the problem of access to affordable healthcare
  • Tackling the issue of air pollution and climate change
  • Addressing the problem of food waste in developed countries
  • Implementing effective measures to reduce homelessness
  • Solving the issue of human trafficking
  • Overcoming the problem of income inequality
  • Addressing the issue of lack of diversity in STEM fields
  • Finding a solution to the problem of student debt

Interesting problem-solution speech topics

  • Ending Cyberbullying: Strategies for Preventing Online Harassment
  • Solving the Plastic Pollution Crisis: Strategies for Reducing Single-Use Plastics
  • Addressing the Mental Health Effects of COVID-19: Strategies for Coping and Recovery
  • Reducing Traffic Congestion: Innovative Solutions for Smarter Transportation
  • Combating Fake News: Strategies for Promoting Critical Thinking and Media Literacy
  • Ensuring Accessibility for People with Disabilities: Strategies for Inclusion and Empowerment
  • Tackling Income Inequality: Strategies for Addressing the Wealth Gap
  • Addressing Workplace Burnout: Strategies for Promoting Employee Well-being
  • Solving the Prison Overcrowding Crisis: Strategies for Rehabilitation and Restorative Justice
  • Ending Child Labor: Strategies for Promoting Education and Opportunity
  • Combating Human Trafficking: Strategies for Prevention and Recovery
  • Reducing Gun Violence: Strategies for Responsible Ownership and Sensible Regulation
  • Addressing the Effects of Climate Change: Strategies for Adaptation and Mitigation
  • Improving Mental Health Services in Schools: Strategies for Supporting Students and Teachers
  • Solving the Student Loan Debt Crisis: Strategies for Relief and Reform.

Easy problem-solution topics

  • Encouraging Recycling: Easy Strategies for Reducing Waste
  • Tackling Procrastination: Easy Strategies for Boosting Productivity
  • Addressing the Negative Effects of Social Media: Easy Solutions for Better Mental Health
  • Improving Communication Skills: Easy Strategies for Better Relationships
  • Reducing Stress: Easy Strategies for Promoting Relaxation and Well-being
  • Solving the Plastic Bag Problem: Easy Alternatives for Eco-Friendly Shopping
  • Combating Sleep Deprivation: Easy Strategies for Better Sleep Habits
  • Addressing the Digital Addiction Problem: Easy Strategies for Limiting Screen Time
  • Promoting Healthy Eating Habits: Easy Strategies for Better Nutrition
  • Reducing Energy Waste: Easy Strategies for Saving Money and the Environment
  • Improving Public Transportation: Easy Solutions for Smarter Commuting
  • Reducing Food Waste: Easy Strategies for More Sustainable Eating
  • Addressing the Lack of Diversity in the Workplace: Easy Strategies for Promoting Inclusion
  • Solving the Homework Problem: Easy Strategies for Better Study Habits
  • Combating Laziness: Easy Strategies for Boosting Motivation and Achieving Goals.

Controversial problem and solution speech topic ideas

  • Solving the Gun Control Debate: A Comprehensive Solution for America
  • Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Controversial Solutions for the Overdose Crisis
  • Reducing the Gender Pay Gap: Controversial Strategies for Achieving Equality
  • Solving the Immigration Crisis: Controversial Solutions for Border Control
  • Addressing Police Brutality: Controversial Solutions for Law Enforcement Reform
  • Tackling the Abortion Debate: Controversial Solutions for Women’s Reproductive Rights
  • Combating Climate Change: Controversial Strategies for Environmental Sustainability
  • Addressing the Death Penalty: Controversial Solutions for Capital Punishment Reform
  • Solving the Healthcare Debate: Controversial Strategies for Access and Affordability
  • Reducing Income Inequality: Controversial Solutions for Economic Justice
  • Combating Racial Discrimination: Controversial Solutions for Social Justice Reform
  • Addressing Free Speech on College Campuses: Controversial Solutions for Student Rights
  • Tackling the Obesity Epidemic: Controversial Solutions for Public Health
  • Reducing Police Militarization: Controversial Solutions for Law Enforcement Reform
  • Solving the Cybersecurity Crisis: Controversial Strategies for Data Privacy and Protection.

Problem and solution essay topics for kids

  • Ending Bullying in Schools: How to Create a Safe and Inclusive Environment
  • Solving the Problem of Littering: Ideas for a Cleaner and Greener Community
  • Helping the Homeless: Strategies for Providing Support and Assistance
  • Reducing Screen Time: Solutions for a Healthier Lifestyle
  • Combating Childhood Obesity: Ideas for a Healthier Generation
  • Addressing Animal Abuse: How Kids Can Help Protect Animals in Need
  • Saving the Bees: Strategies for Protecting Our Pollinators
  • Reducing Food Waste: Solutions for a More Sustainable World
  • Tackling Climate Change: Ideas for a Greener Future
  • Solving the Plastic Pollution Problem: Solutions for a Cleaner Planet
  • Helping Endangered Species: How Kids Can Make a Difference
  • Supporting Local Farms: Solutions for a More Sustainable Food System
  • Reducing Water Pollution: Ideas for Cleaner Oceans, Rivers and Lakes
  • Addressing Cyberbullying: How to Stay Safe and Respectful Online
  • Creating More Accessible Communities: Solutions for Inclusive Design and Access.

Persuasive Problem-solution topics for high school

  • Combating Teenage Drug Abuse: Strategies for Prevention and Treatment
  • Reducing Texting While Driving: Solutions for Safer Roads
  • Addressing Mental Health Issues: Ideas for Supporting Student Wellness
  • Tackling Gun Violence: Solutions for Safer Communities
  • Ending Sexual Harassment: Ideas for Creating a Safe and Respectful School Environment
  • Solving the Problem of Police Brutality: Ideas for Fair and Just Law Enforcement
  • Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth: Strategies for Inclusivity and Acceptance
  • Reducing Plastic Waste: Solutions for a Cleaner Planet
  • Combating Cyberbullying: Ideas for Staying Safe and Respectful Online
  • Tackling the Problem of Obesity: Strategies for Healthier Lifestyles
  • Addressing Racial Injustice: Ideas for a More Equitable Society
  • Creating More Sustainable Communities: Solutions for a Greener Future
  • Solving the Problem of Homelessness: Ideas for Providing Support and Assistance
  • Tackling the Issue of Campus Sexual Assault: Solutions for Safer Schools
  • Supporting Diversity in Education: Ideas for Creating Inclusive Classrooms.

Problem solution essay topics list for middle school

  • Combating Bullying: Ideas for Creating a Safe and Respectful School Environment
  • Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity: Strategies for Healthier Lifestyles
  • Reducing Screen Time: Solutions for a More Active and Balanced Lifestyle
  • Tackling Animal Cruelty: Ideas for Treating Animals with Kindness and Respect
  • Tackling the Problem of Food Waste: Ideas for a More Sustainable World
  • Tackling the Issue of Animal Testing: Solutions for More Ethical Research Practices
  • Tackling Climate Change: Solutions for a More Sustainable Future

Problem solution speech topics for college

  • Reducing student loan debt
  • Addressing mental health issues on campus
  • Increasing campus sustainability efforts
  • Promoting diversity and inclusion on campus
  • Solving the issue of sexual assault on college campuses
  • Addressing the issue of campus hunger and homelessness
  • Encouraging more student involvement in politics and activism
  • Finding solutions to the rising cost of textbooks and course materials
  • Encouraging physical fitness and healthy habits among college students
  • Addressing the problem of binge drinking and substance abuse on campus
  • Increasing access to affordable healthcare for college students
  • Tackling the issue of plagiarism and academic dishonesty
  • Improving campus safety and security measures
  • Encouraging more environmentally-friendly transportation options for students
  • Promoting responsible social media use among college students

Problem solution speech topics for Grad school

  • She was addressing the gender pay gap in the workplace: solutions and implications.
  • Developing alternative energy sources to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
  • Combating the rising cost of higher education: solutions for student loan debt.
  • The opioid epidemic in America: solutions for prevention and treatment.
  • The ethics of AI and automation: navigating a rapidly changing world.
  • Strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change.
  • Improving access to mental health care for at-risk populations.
  • Addressing the social determinants of health: solutions for health disparities.
  • Cybersecurity in the digital age: protecting personal information and infrastructure.
  • Reducing income inequality: economic policies and social programs.
  • Developing sustainable transportation solutions to reduce traffic congestion and emissions.
  • Addressing racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system.
  • Improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged students: solutions for the achievement gap.
  • Strategies for combating global poverty and promoting economic development.
  • Ensuring access to clean water: solutions for water scarcity and contamination.

Write a problem-solution essay topic for the workplace

  • Addressing the issue of workplace harassment and creating a safe and respectful workplace culture.
  • Improving communication and collaboration between departments or teams to increase productivity and efficiency.
  • Addressing the problem of employee burnout and creating a healthier work-life balance for employees.
  • Reducing turnover rates by improving employee satisfaction and retention strategies.
  • Creating more opportunities for professional development and career growth within the company.
  • Improving diversity and inclusion in the workplace ensures all employees’ fair and equal treatment.
  • Addressing the issue of micromanagement and creating a more autonomous work environment.
  • Implementing more effective conflict resolution strategies to reduce workplace tensions and disputes.
  • Addressing the problem of discrimination in hiring and promoting practices to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace.
  • Improving workplace safety and reducing the risk of workplace accidents or injuries.
  • Addressing the issue of low morale among employees and improving company culture.
  • Increasing transparency and accountability within the company to promote trust and open communication.
  • Addressing the problem of excessive workloads and creating more realistic and manageable expectations for employees.
  • Improving technology infrastructure and systems to increase efficiency and reduce frustration for employees.
  • Addressing the problem of inadequate employee training and investing in more effective training programs to improve job performance and satisfaction.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, problem solution speeches and essays effectively address various societal issues. Through thorough research and analysis, it is possible to identify the root cause of a problem and propose workable solutions that can help alleviate the issue. The problem-solution speech topics in this article offer a starting point for individuals seeking to explore different issues affecting their communities. It is essential to remember that every problem requires a unique solution; therefore, one should be creative in identifying and proposing viable solutions. Ultimately, the goal of problem solution speeches and essays is to encourage positive change and inspire people to take action toward resolving the challenges that affect their lives and society.

Get Essay Writing Help With problem-solution speech Papers.

If you’re struggling to develop a topic for your problem-solution speech or need help crafting an essay on your chosen topic, you’re not alone. Many students struggle with the writing process, especially regarding problem-solution essays. However, you can get help writing your essay with a professional writing service. These services offer expert assistance with every step of the writing process, from topic selection to final revisions. With their help, you can craft a well-written problem-solution speech or essay that effectively lays out the problem and provides a compelling solution. Place your order today by clicking the ORDER NOW button above to get started with our expert writing help.

Q: What is the problem-solution in a speech?

A: The problem-solution in a speech refers to identifying a problem and presenting one or more solutions to that problem. This type of speech aims to persuade the audience to take action or consider a particular course to help solve the problem.

Q: What are some examples of problem-solution?

A: Some examples of problem-solution speeches or essays might include climate change and global warming, gun control, healthcare reform, or immigration policies. These topics represent complex issues that require thoughtful analysis and consideration of possible solutions.

Q: What could be ideal topics for a problem-solution text?

A: Ideal topics for a problem-solution text might include issues that are current, relevant, and have a significant impact on society. Examples might include problems related to technology, education, environmental issues, health care, social justice, or politics.

Q: What other problems are possible topics for a problem-solution essay?

A: Other possible topics for a problem-solution essay might include issues related to workplace diversity and inclusion, affordable housing, substance abuse, mental health, or child labor. These topics are often complex and require a thoughtful analysis of possible solutions.

Q: What is an example of a problem-solution order?

A: An example of a problem-solution order might be to first lay out the problem in detail, then identify potential solutions, and finally discuss the pros and cons of each solution before recommending the best course of action. This order allows the speaker to analyze the issue and its possible solutions comprehensively.

Q: How many main points should a problem-solution speech have?

A: The number of main points in a problem-solution speech will depend on the issue’s complexity. However, having no more than three main points is generally recommended, each of which should be clearly articulated and supported with evidence. This approach helps to keep the speech focused and allows the audience to understand the problem and proposed solutions better.

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example of problem solution speech

15 Powerful Persuasive Speech Examples to Inspire Your Next Talk

  • The Speaker Lab
  • June 24, 2024

Table of Contents

Crafting a persuasive speech that captivates your audience and drives them to action is no easy feat. If you’re hitting the books, climbing the corporate ladder, or just dreaming of rocking the stage with your speeches, having a killer set of persuasive speech examples can totally change your game. In this post, we’ve curated some of the most compelling and inspiring persuasive speech examples to help you elevate your own speaking skills. So buckle up and grab your pen, because we’re diving into the secrets behind these unforgettable speeches.

What is a Persuasive Speech?

When we talk about a persuasive speech , we refer to a form of communication that seeks to influence the audience’s beliefs or actions. In the course of a persuasive speech, a person will present compelling arguments—backed by evidence and persuasive techniques—in order to convince listeners to embrace a specific viewpoint or take a particular course of action. Persuasive speeches are used in many different areas of life, such as in a school or university setting, in a job, or in a social setting.

When preparing to give a persuasive speech, always choose a topic or cause you’re interested in and passionate about. If you want to convince other people to agree with your stance, you must be seen to believe in it yourself. In addition, it helps to choose a topic that people care about and hasn’t been overdone.

Funny Persuasive Speech Examples

Looking for some funny persuasive speech examples to inspire your next presentation? You’ve come to the right place. Humor is a powerful tool when it comes to persuasion. It can help you connect with your audience, make your message more memorable, and even diffuse tension around controversial topics.

One classic example comes from David McCullough, Jr.’s high school commencement speech entitled “You Are Not Special.” While the title might not sound funny, McCullough delivers a hilarious reality check to graduates, poking fun at the coddling and praise they’ve received growing up. His ultimate message—that true success comes from hard work and taking risks—is made all the more powerful by his humorous approach.

But what makes funny persuasive speeches so effective? For one, humor helps the speakers build rapport with their audiences. Laughter is a shared experience that brings people together and makes them more open to new ideas. Additionally, injecting some levity into a speech can make the overall message more palatable and less preachy.

Of course, using humor in a persuasive speech requires some finesse. The jokes should be tasteful, relevant to your overall message, and not offensive to your audience. When in doubt, err on the side of caution. After all, a flat joke is better than one that leaves listeners cringing.

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Persuasive Speech Examples About Public Policy

Policy persuasive speeches advocate for a particular course of action on a public policy issue. These speeches go beyond simply raising awareness about a problem – they propose concrete solutions and try to sway the audience to support a specific plan.

One powerful policy persuasive speech example comes from Greta Thunberg’s address to the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019 . Thunberg doesn’t mince words when lambasting world leaders for their inaction on climate change. But she also lays out clear policy demands, like immediately halting fossil fuel subsidies and drastically reducing carbon emissions. Her message is clear: we know what needs to be done and we need to do it.

When crafting your own policy persuasive speech, it’s important to back up your arguments with solid evidence. Use statistics, expert testimony, and real-world examples to show why your proposed solution is feasible and necessary. Anticipate counterarguments and address them head-on. And most importantly, make a clear call to action. Ask yourself: what exactly do you want your audience to do to support your policy goals?

Value Persuasive Speech Examples

Value persuasive speeches aim to change people’s beliefs or attitudes about a particular issue. Rather than advocating for a specific policy, these speeches try to shift the audience’s underlying values and assumptions.

A classic example of a value persuasive speech is Mary McLeod Bethune’s “ What Does American Democracy Mean to Me? ” address. As an African American woman born into poverty, Bethune faced countless obstacles and injustices throughout her life. But in this speech, she reframes the narrative around American democracy, arguing that our nation’s highest ideals are worth fighting for, even if we haven’t yet lived up to them. By appealing to shared values like freedom, justice, and equality, Bethune inspires her audience to keep pushing for change.

The key to a successful value persuasive speech is tapping into your audience’s existing beliefs and values. Use vivid language and storytelling to paint a picture of the world you want to see. Make your case in moral and ethical terms, not just practical ones. And don’t be afraid to show some vulnerability. By sharing your own experiences and struggles, you can create an emotional connection with your listeners.

Persuasive Speech Examples About Social Issues

Social issues make for compelling persuasive speech topics because they touch on deeply held beliefs and affect people’s everyday lives. Whether you’re talking about racial justice, gender equality, or income inequality, these speeches require a deft touch and a willingness to engage with complex, often controversial ideas.

Talking About Mental Health

One powerful example of a persuasive speech about mental health is Kevin Breel’s “ Confessions of a Depressed Comic ” from TEDxKids@Ambleside. As a stand-up comedian, Breel knows how to get laughs, but he also knows the pain of living with depression. In this speech, he shares his own story of struggling with mental illness and calls on society to break the stigma around talking about mental health. By speaking vulnerably, Breel makes a compelling case for why we need to take depression seriously and support those who are struggling.

Addressing Physical Health

Another great example of a persuasive speech about health is Jamie Oliver’s TED Talk “ Teach Every Child About Food .” As a celebrity chef, Oliver has seen firsthand the impact of poor nutrition on people’s health. In this speech, he makes a passionate plea for better food education in schools, arguing that it’s a matter of life and death. With shocking statistics and personal anecdotes, Oliver paints a grim picture of the obesity epidemic and calls on parents, educators, and policymakers to take action.

Persuasive Speech Examples About the Environment

Environmental issues are some of the most pressing challenges we face as a society. From climate change to pollution to habitat destruction, the stakes couldn’t be higher. That’s why persuasive speeches about the environment are so important. By inspiring people to take action, they make a true difference.

One of the most famous environmental speeches of all time is Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” lecture, which was later turned into an Academy Award-winning documentary. In this speech, Gore lays out the scientific evidence for climate change and argues that we have a moral imperative to act. With compelling visuals and a sense of urgency, Gore makes a powerful case for why we need to reduce our carbon footprint and transition to renewable energy sources.

Another great example of an environmental persuasive speech is Severn Suzuki’s address to the UN Earth Summit in 1992. At just 12 years old, Suzuki delivered a heartfelt plea for action on behalf of her generation, arguing that adults were stealing children’s future by destroying the planet. Her speech went viral and helped galvanize the youth environmental movement. By speaking from the heart and calling out the hypocrisy of world leaders, Suzuki showed that you’re never too young to make a difference.

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FAQs on Persuasive Speech Examples

What are some examples of a persuasive speech.

Think climate change action, voting rights, or the importance of mental health awareness. They push for change.

What are 5 examples of persuasive essay?

Gun control laws, school uniforms debate, death penalty perspectives, animal testing ethics, and social media impacts make the list.

What’s an easy persuasive speech topic?

“Why recycling matters” is straightforward and impactful. It connects with everyday actions and broader environmental goals.

What is an example of a persuasive statement?

“Switching to renewable energy sources can significantly reduce our carbon footprint.” This urges action towards sustainability.

Persuasive speech examples show us how to inspire, motivate, and transform the way we communicate our ideas to the world. By studying these remarkable speeches, you’ve gained valuable insights into the art of persuasion and the techniques that make a speech truly unforgettable.

Remember, winning people over with your words takes more than just knowing the right things to say. It’s about practice, caring deeply, and tuning into the folks listening. Take the lessons you’ve learned from these examples and apply them to your own unique style and message. Pouring your soul into your speech can truly move an audience emotionally, altering their thinking for good.

Now your moment in the spotlight is here, so show off those persuasive speech skills. Go forth and create a speech that not only informs and entertains but also inspires and empowers your audience to take meaningful action. The world is waiting to hear your voice, so make it count!

  • Last Updated: June 21, 2024

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Examples

Problem Solving

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example of problem solution speech

Problem solving is a crucial skill in both personal and professional settings. Whether it’s addressing a personal challenge or drafting a business problem solving proposal , the ability to identify a problem and develop a solution is essential. Writing a problem solving essay helps articulate the issue clearly and systematically outline potential solutions. Effective problem and solution involves critical thinking, creativity, and a structured approach to overcome obstacles and achieve goals.

What is Problem Solving?

Problem solving is the process of identifying a challenge, analyzing its components, and finding an effective solution. It involves critical thinking, creativity, and the application of various techniques and tools.

Examples of Problem Solving

Examples-of-Problem-Solving

  • Analytical Thinking : Breaking down complex problems into manageable parts.
  • Creativity : Developing innovative solutions to problems.
  • Critical Thinking : Evaluating information and arguments to make a reasoned decision.
  • Decision-Making : Choosing the best course of action from various alternatives.
  • Research : Gathering relevant information to understand and solve a problem.
  • Communication : Clearly conveying ideas and solutions to others.
  • Collaboration : Working effectively with others to solve problems.
  • Time Management : Prioritizing tasks to efficiently address problems.
  • Adaptability : Adjusting strategies as new information or challenges arise.
  • Attention to Detail : Ensuring all aspects of a problem are considered.
  • Logical Reasoning : Using logic to identify solutions and predict outcomes.
  • Empathy : Understanding others’ perspectives to create more effective solutions.
  • Negotiation : Finding mutually acceptable solutions through discussion.
  • Conflict Resolution : Addressing and resolving disagreements.
  • Patience : Remaining calm and persistent when solving complex problems.
  • Organization : Structuring tasks and information systematically.
  • Leadership : Guiding and motivating a team to solve problems.
  • Decision Analysis : Evaluating the potential impact of different solutions.
  • Project Management : Planning and executing solutions effectively.
  • Technical Skills : Using specialized knowledge to solve technical problems.
  • Customer Service : Resolving customer issues effectively and efficiently.
  • Risk Management : Identifying and mitigating potential problems.
  • Innovation : Implementing new ideas to solve existing problems.
  • Strategic Planning : Developing long-term solutions and plans.
  • Resourcefulness : Finding quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties.
  • Stress Management : Handling pressure while solving problems.
  • Observation : Noticing subtle details that could be key to solving a problem.
  • Data Analysis : Interpreting data to inform problem-solving decisions.
  • Flexibility : Being open to new approaches and changing plans when necessary.
  • Self-Assessment : Reflecting on your own problem-solving process to improve future performance.

Problem-Solving Examples for Students

1. math word problems.

Problem: Jane has 3 apples, and she buys 4 more apples from the store. How many apples does she have now?

  • Understand the problem: Jane starts with 3 apples and buys 4 more.
  • Break it down: 3 apples (initial) + 4 apples (additional).
  • Solve: 3 + 4 = 7.
  • Answer: Jane has 7 apples.

2. Group Project Coordination

Problem: A group of students needs to complete a science project, but they are having trouble coordinating their schedules.

  • Understand the problem: The main issue is scheduling conflicts.
  • Break it down: Identify each member’s available times.
  • Research: Use tools like Doodle or Google Calendar to find common free times.
  • Brainstorm solutions: Propose meeting during lunch breaks or weekends.
  • Evaluate: Choose the most convenient and feasible option for everyone.
  • Develop an action plan: Set a recurring meeting time and delegate tasks.
  • Implement: Start meeting and working on the project according to the plan.
  • Monitor and review: Adjust schedules if conflicts arise and keep track of progress.

3. Essay Writing

Problem: A student struggles to start writing an essay on a given topic.

  • Understand the problem: The difficulty is starting the essay.
  • Break it down: Identify the essay topic, main points, and required structure.
  • Research: Gather information and resources related to the topic.
  • Brainstorm solutions: Create an outline, jot down ideas, and decide on the thesis statement.
  • Evaluate: Choose the most compelling points and organize them logically.
  • Develop an action plan: Write a draft based on the outline, then revise and edit.
  • Implement: Begin writing the introduction, followed by the body paragraphs and conclusion.
  • Monitor and review: Proofread the essay and make necessary corrections.

4. Time Management

Problem: A student has trouble managing time between homework, extracurricular activities, and leisure.

  • Understand the problem: The issue is balancing multiple responsibilities.
  • Break it down: Identify all tasks and time commitments.
  • Research: Look for time management techniques and tools.
  • Brainstorm solutions: Use planners, to-do lists, or apps like Trello or Todoist.
  • Evaluate: Choose the most effective tool and technique.
  • Develop an action plan: Create a weekly schedule, prioritizing tasks by importance and deadlines.
  • Implement: Follow the schedule and adjust as necessary.
  • Monitor and review: Reflect on the effectiveness of the schedule and make improvements.

5. Conflict Resolution

Problem: Two students have a disagreement over a shared locker space.

  • Understand the problem: The conflict is about sharing limited space.
  • Break it down: Identify each student’s concerns and needs.
  • Research: Look into conflict resolution strategies.
  • Brainstorm solutions: Propose solutions like dividing the locker into specific sections or creating a rotation schedule.
  • Evaluate: Choose the fairest and most practical solution.
  • Develop an action plan: Agree on the solution and set guidelines.
  • Implement: Follow the agreed plan and make adjustments if needed.
  • Monitor and review: Ensure both students are satisfied with the arrangement and resolve any further issues.

Problem-Solving Examples in Real-life

Example 1: workplace conflict.

Situation : Two team members have a disagreement that affects their productivity.

  • Identify the Problem : Understand the root cause of the conflict.
  • Analyze : Talk to both parties separately to get their perspectives.
  • Generate Solutions : Consider solutions like mediation, reassignment of tasks, or team-building exercises.
  • Evaluate : Assess which solution is likely to resolve the conflict without affecting team morale.
  • Implement : Arrange a mediation session.
  • Review : Follow up to ensure the conflict is resolved and monitor team dynamics.

Example 2: Personal Finance Management

Situation : Struggling to manage monthly expenses and savings.

  • Identify the Problem : Determine specific areas where overspending occurs.
  • Analyze : Review bank statements and categorize expenses.
  • Generate Solutions : Create a budget, reduce unnecessary expenses, and set savings goals.
  • Evaluate : Choose a budgeting method that fits your lifestyle.
  • Implement : Start tracking expenses and adjust spending habits.
  • Review : Regularly review your budget and savings to ensure you are on track.

How to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills?

Understand the Problem: Before attempting to solve any problem, it’s crucial to fully understand it. Read through the problem statement carefully and make sure you grasp every detail.

Break It Down : Divide the problem into smaller, more manageable parts. This approach, known as decomposition, makes it easier to tackle complex issues by focusing on individual components one at a time.

Research and Gather Information : Collect all relevant information and data that might help in solving the problem. Look for similar problems and their solutions.

Brainstorm Possible Solutions : Generate as many potential solutions as possible. Don’t worry about evaluating them at this stage; the goal is to think creatively and come up with a wide range of ideas.

Evaluate and Select the Best Solution : Assess the feasibility, pros, and cons of each potential solution. Consider factors such as resources, time, and potential risks. Choose the solution that best addresses the problem and is most practical.

Develop an Action Plan : Create a detailed plan for implementing your chosen solution. Outline the steps you need to take, assign tasks if working in a team, and set deadlines to ensure timely progress.

Implement the Solution : Put your plan into action. Stay focused and be prepared to adapt if necessary. Keep track of your progress and make adjustments as needed.

Monitor and Review : After implementing the solution, monitor the results to ensure the problem is resolved. Evaluate the outcome and review the process to learn from any mistakes or successes.

Problem-solving in workplace

  • Enhancing Efficiency : Quick and effective problem resolution can streamline processes and reduce downtime.
  • Boosting Productivity : Employees who can solve problems independently help maintain workflow and productivity.
  • Improving Customer Satisfaction : Solving customer issues promptly can lead to higher satisfaction and loyalty.
  • Fostering Innovation : Problem-solving often leads to new ideas and improvements that drive innovation.
  • Promoting Employee Development : Encouraging problem-solving helps employees grow and develop their skills.

How To Highlight Problem-Solving Skills?

1. on your resume.

When listing problem-solving skills on your resume, provide concrete examples. Use action verbs and quantify your achievements where possible.

  • Resolved a customer service issue that increased customer satisfaction by 20%.
  • Developed a new process that reduced production errors by 15%.

2. In a Cover Letter

Your cover letter is a great place to elaborate on your problem-solving abilities. Describe a specific situation where you successfully addressed a challenge.

“In my previous role at XYZ Company, I identified a bottleneck in our production line. I conducted a thorough analysis and implemented a new workflow, which reduced production time by 25% and saved the company $50,000 annually.”

3. During an Interview

Be prepared to discuss your problem-solving skills in depth during an interview. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your responses.

Example: “Can you give an example of a time when you solved a difficult problem at work?”

  • Situation: Our sales team was struggling with declining numbers.
  • Task: I was tasked with identifying the root cause and finding a solution.
  • Action: I analyzed sales data, conducted team meetings, and identified a lack of training as the main issue.
  • Result: I organized comprehensive training sessions, which led to a 30% increase in sales over the next quarter.

4. On Social Media and Professional Profiles

Highlight problem-solving skills on LinkedIn and other professional profiles. Share posts or articles about your problem-solving experiences and successes.

“I’m thrilled to share that I recently led a project to overhaul our customer service protocol, resulting in a 40% reduction in response time and a significant boost in customer satisfaction!”

5. In Performance Reviews

During performance reviews, make sure to emphasize your problem-solving contributions. Provide specific examples and outcomes.

“In the past year, I resolved three major project roadblocks, enabling our team to meet all deadlines and exceed our performance goals.”

6. Through Projects and Case Studies

If applicable, create case studies or detailed project descriptions that showcase your problem-solving process and results. This can be particularly useful for portfolios or presentations.

Case Study: Improving IT System Efficiency

  • Problem: Frequent system downtimes affecting productivity.
  • Solution: Implemented a new monitoring system and revised maintenance schedules.
  • Outcome: System downtimes were reduced by 50%, significantly improving productivity.

7. By Demonstrating Soft Skills

Problem-solving often involves other soft skills such as communication, creativity, and teamwork. Highlighting these related skills can further emphasize your ability to solve problems effectively.

“By fostering open communication within my team and encouraging creative brainstorming sessions, we were able to devise innovative solutions to our most pressing challenges.”

How to Answer Problem-Solving Interview Questions

  • Understand the Question : Make sure you fully understand the problem before you try to solve it. Ask clarifying questions if needed to ensure you have all the relevant information.
  • Think Aloud : Demonstrate your thinking process by explaining your thoughts as you work through the problem. This shows your interviewer how you approach problems and organize your thoughts.
  • Break It Down : Divide the problem into smaller, manageable parts. This can make a complex issue seem more approachable and allows you to tackle each component systematically.
  • Use a Structured Approach : Employ frameworks or methodologies that are relevant to the question. For example, you might use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions, or a simple problem-solving framework like Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) for process improvements.
  • Be Creative : Employers often look for creativity in your answers. Think outside the box and propose innovative solutions when appropriate.
  • Prioritize Solutions : If there are multiple potential solutions, discuss the pros and cons of each and explain why you would choose one over the others.
  • Stay Calm and Positive : Problem-solving under pressure is part of the test. Maintain a calm and positive demeanor, showing that you can handle stress effectively.
  • Summarize Your Steps : After you have worked through the problem, summarize the steps you took and the conclusion you reached. This helps ensure the interviewer followed your process and underscores your methodical approach.
  • Ask for Feedback : After presenting your solution, it can be beneficial to ask if there are any additional factors you might consider. This shows openness to learning and adapting.
  • Practice Regularly : Like any skill, problem-solving improves with practice. Regularly engage in brain teasers, logic puzzles, or case studies to sharpen your skills.

Why Are Problem-Solving is Important?

  • Effective Decision-Making : Problem-solving is essential for making decisions that are logical, informed, and well-considered. This skill helps individuals and organizations make choices that lead to better outcomes.
  • Innovation and Improvement : Solving problems effectively often requires innovative thinking. This can lead to new ideas and improvements in processes, products, and services, which are essential for business growth and adaptation.
  • Handling Complex Situations : Many roles involve complex situations that are not straightforward to manage. Problem-solving skills enable individuals to dissect these situations and devise effective strategies to deal with them.
  • Enhances Productivity : Efficient problem-solving contributes to higher productivity, as it allows for the identification and removal of obstacles that impede workflow and performance.
  • Career Advancement : Individuals who are effective problem solvers are often seen as leaders and can advance more quickly in their careers. This skill is valuable because it demonstrates the ability to handle difficult situations and complex challenges.
  • Adaptability and Resilience : Problem-solving is key to adapting to new situations and overcoming challenges. Those who can creatively navigate through difficulties are generally more resilient.
  • Quality of Life : On a personal level, strong problem-solving skills can improve one’s quality of life by enabling better management of the challenges that come with daily living.
  • Team Collaboration : Problem-solving often requires collaboration. Being good at solving problems can improve your ability to work with others, as it involves communication, persuasion, and negotiation skills.

How to Include Problem-Solving in a Job Application

  • Resume : Detail specific problem-solving instances in your job descriptions using action verbs like “analyzed” and “implemented”. Mention the positive outcomes achieved.
  • Cover Letter : Narrate a specific instance where your problem-solving skills led to a successful outcome, demonstrating initiative and effectiveness.
  • Skills Section : Include “problem-solving” in a skills section if the job ad specifically mentions it.
  • Quantify Achievements : Use numbers to describe the impact of your solutions, such as cost savings or efficiency improvements.
  • Job Interviews : Prepare to discuss specific examples of your problem-solving skills, focusing on the challenge, your action, and the result.
  • References : Brief your references about your problem-solving achievements so they can provide specific examples when contacted by employers.

Tips for Enhancing Problem-Solving

  • Practice Regularly: Like any skill, problem-solving improves with regular practice. Engage in activities that challenge your thinking, such as puzzles, games, or real-world problem-solving scenarios.
  • Learn from Others: Study how others approach and solve problems. This can provide new strategies and perspectives that you can incorporate into your own problem-solving toolkit.
  • Stay Calm and Positive: Maintaining a calm and positive mindset can significantly improve your ability to solve problems. Stress and negativity can cloud your judgment and hinder creative thinking.
  • Develop Critical Thinking: Sharpen your critical thinking skills by questioning assumptions, analyzing information, and evaluating evidence. This will help you make more informed and logical decisions.
  • Collaborate with Others: Working with others can bring new insights and ideas. Collaboration can also help you see the problem from different angles and develop more effective solutions.
  • Keep Learning: Continuously expand your knowledge and skills. The more you know, the better equipped you are to tackle a variety of problems.

How can I improve my problem-solving skills?

Practice regularly, learn various problem-solving techniques, and engage in activities that challenge your thinking.

What are common problem-solving techniques?

Common techniques include brainstorming, root cause analysis, the 5 Whys, and SWOT analysis.

What are the steps in the problem-solving process?

Identify the problem, analyze the problem, generate solutions, select a solution, implement, and evaluate.

How do I demonstrate problem-solving skills in an interview?

Discuss specific situations where you effectively solved problems, highlighting your thought process and outcomes.

What’s the difference between critical thinking and problem-solving?

Critical thinking involves analyzing and evaluating information, while problem-solving focuses on finding solutions to problems.

How do problem-solving skills help in leadership?

They enable leaders to manage challenges effectively, inspire innovation, and guide teams through obstacles.

How to measure problem-solving skills?

Assess through scenarios or challenges that require identifying, analyzing, and resolving problems.

What role does creativity play in problem-solving?

Creativity enables out-of-the-box thinking, which can lead to innovative and effective solutions.

How do you use problem-solving in project management?

Apply it to anticipate potential issues, plan solutions, and ensure smooth project execution.

What’s an example of a problem-solving situation?

Resolving customer complaints by identifying the issue, brainstorming solutions, and implementing changes to prevent future complaints.

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  1. Problem-Solution Speech [Topics, Outline, Examples]

    Thesis Statement: The thesis typically lays out the problem and solution in the form of a question and answer. See examples below. Solution: Explain the solution clearly and in detail, your problem-solving strategy, and reasons why your solution will work.In this section, be sure to answer common objections, such as "there is a better solution," "your solution is too costly," and ...

  2. 80+ Problem Solution Speech Topics

    A problem/solution speech takes the approach of highlighting an issue with the intent to provide solutions. It is a two-phase approach where first the speaker lays out the problem and explains the importance. Secondly, a variety of solutions are provided to tackle the said issue. The best solutions are those that can be actively applied.

  3. Problem Solution Speech Topics, Outline & Examples

    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.

  4. 70 Custom Problem Solution Speech Topics On Each Subject

    Our experts have been working with problem solution topics for more than five years. That is why we asked them to compose a list of good topics examples. We divided them into seven most frequently used categories so that you will find the necessary one. 1. Economics and finances.

  5. Problem Solution Speech Topics Ideas: Guide to Successful Writing

    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.

  6. Problem-Solution Speech Topics, Structure, & Examples [2024]

    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.

  7. PDF PROBLEM-SOLUTION SPEECH TEMPLATE Title

    PROBLEM-SOLUTION SPEECH TEMPLATE Title: Topic: General Purpose: "To Inform", "To Persuade", "To Entertain", etc … as assigned Specific Purpose: A single statement that combines your general purpose, your audience, and your intended outcome (the outcome or behavior you want your audience to experience or adopt after

  8. Chapter 10: Persuasive Speaking

    However, there are topics where discussing the cause is imperative to understanding the solution. The Problem-Cause-Solution organizational pattern adds a main point between the problem and solution by discussing the cause of the problem. In the body of the speech, there will be three main points: the problem, the cause, and finally, the solution.

  9. Problem Solution Speech Topics

    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 ...

  10. Monroe's Motivated Sequence, Problem-Solution, Comparative Advantages

    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. ... 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 ...

  11. Problem Solution Persuasive Speech Topics

    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.

  12. PDF SAMPLE Problem-Cause-Solution Speech Outline

    How do we fix the problem of financial illiteracy among students caused by lack of financial education? C. Main Point III (Solution): I believe the solution is all college students, regardless of major, should be required to take a basic financial literacy course. 1. Subpoint: This course should teach students skills such as how to budget, invest,

  13. 10.2 Using Common Organizing Patterns

    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 ...

  14. Teaching Problem and Solution in Speech

    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.

  15. Succeed In Your Presentation With Our Problem Solution Speech Topics

    The problem solution speech is a demanding undertaking for the novice, and the reasons for it are quite clear. To perform distinctly the topic and be able to refute the statements, you need to be perfectly equipped with the material. ... Here you are with great examples of the problem solution speech topics and an outline to structure your ...

  16. 30 Problem Solving Scenarios for Kids & Teens

    Home practice will make progress toward meeting individual language goals much faster. Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are only able to see students/clients 30-60 mins (or less) per week. This is not enough time or practice for someone to handle Problem solving scenarios. Every day that your loved one goes without practice it becomes more ...

  17. Problem-Solution Essays: Definition and Examples

    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).

  18. Patterns for Presenting Information: Problem-Cause-Solution Pattern

    The name of the problem-cause-solution pattern also describes the sequence in which to present your information. Begin by describing the problem. Proceed through diagnosing and analyzing the problem. Then propose a solution. The forms of analysis used to diagnose the problem may vary. You might, for example, use comparative analysis to evaluate ...

  19. Problem/Solution Speech Topics

    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 ...

  20. 157 Best Problem Solution Speech Topics And Essay Topics

    Controversial problem and solution speech topic ideas. Solving the Gun Control Debate: A Comprehensive Solution for America. Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Controversial Solutions for the Overdose Crisis. Reducing the Gender Pay Gap: Controversial Strategies for Achieving Equality.

  21. 143 Problem-Solution Essay Topic Ideas

    After you have chosen your topic, you can find instructions on how to develop your ideas, find a unique solution to the problem, and organize your essay in this guide to writing a problem-solving paper. 4 Parts of Problem-Solution. Describe a problem vividly. Propose a solution. Argue that the solution is practical, feasible, cost-effective ...

  22. 15 Powerful Persuasive Speech Examples to Inspire Your Next Talk

    These speeches go beyond simply raising awareness about a problem - they propose concrete solutions and try to sway the audience to support a specific plan. One powerful policy persuasive speech example comes from Greta Thunberg's address to the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019. Thunberg doesn't mince words when lambasting world leaders ...

  23. Problem-Solution Outline

    1. Describe how your solution can be implemented. 2. Explain what actions must be taken now (and later) to solve the problem. 3. Describe the cost, time, and effort needed for the solution. a. Supporting material b. Supporting material CMST 1110: Persuasive Outline B. Explain why your plan will work.

  24. Problem Solving

    Problem solving is a crucial skill in both personal and professional settings. Whether it's addressing a personal challenge or drafting a business problem solving proposal, the ability to identify a problem and develop a solution is essential. Writing a problem solving essay helps articulate the issue clearly and systematically outline ...