Extemporaneous Informative & Persuasive Speaking Topics
District I
Effective Date: March 23-28, 2009
Informative Speaking Topics - Preliminaries
- How is the Texas agriculture industry affected by ongoing drought conditions in the state?
- Why does Guantanamo Bay detainee Yasim Muhammed Basardah present a challenge for the Obama administration?
- Why is French President Nicolas Sarkozy considered one of the world's most powerful leaders today?
- What do the latest unemployment statistics indicate about the relative strength of the U.S. economy?
- What is Radical Islam?
- How will the nation's public schools benefit from the economic stimulus package?
- Why is the peanut industry being blamed for the recent national salmonella outbreak in the United States?
- Hugo Chavez's ten years in office: What factors have contributed to the Venezuelan president's political longevity?
- Why is Nadia Suleman the target of controversy?
- Why is the United States becoming increasingly concerned about North Korea's nuclear program?
- How is political uncertainty in Israel affecting the nation's security?
- As vice president, how does Joe Biden differ from Dick Cheney?
- How is political corruption in Nigeria affecting the nation's petroleum industry?
- What steps is the Obama administration taking to promote diplomatic relations with Russia?
- Why is radio personality Rush Limbaugh becoming a common topic of discussion among political analysts?
- In what ways is the Obama administration changing energy policies enacted by George W. Bush?
- What are the causes of violence along the Texas/Mexico border?
- Why do political analysts frequently compare Barack Obama to Franklin Roosevelt?
- What are the objectives of United Nations peacekeeping operations in Sudan?
- What are the causes of political division in Thailand?
Informative Speaking Topics - Finals
- Why does opposition to the Trans-Texas corridor appear to be increasing?
- Why was Tom Daschle's withdrawal from consideration as Health and Human Services Secretary considered a setback for the Obama administration?
- Amidst concern over steadily increasing crime rates in their nation, how are Italy's leaders responding?
- Why has the Vatican sharply criticized President Obama?
- Why is President Obama calling for a complete review of the Food and Drug Administration's operations?
- Why does the American public value the opinion of talk show host Oprah Winfrey?
- Why does Kashmir continue to be a source of friction between India and Pakistan?
- Why is President Barack Obama supporting a pay cap for banking sector executives?
- What steps can the world community take to defend against the growing threat from space debris?
- With tension steadily increasing in the Middle East, what is the state of U.S. relations with Israel?
- What does the current volume of new car sales reveal about the strength of the U.S. auto industry?
- How is Argentina affected by ongoing drought conditions?
- In what ways is President Barack Obama fulfilling pledges he made on the campaign trail?
- What should schools do to minimize risk for their students who play sports?
- How is the rivalry between Islamic militants in Somalia affecting the prospect for peace in the nation?
- Who are the major political leaders in the Texas Legislature?
- What are NATO's objectives in Afghanistan?
- What does the transition to digital technology mean for the television industry?
- What problems are major world cities facing as a result of steadily increasing urbanization?
- What changes are on the horizon for political leadership in South Africa?
Persuasive Speaking Topics - Preliminaries
- Is Nancy Pelosi a liability for President Obama?
- Should the United States open dialog with Iran?
- Is federally supported healthcare a necessary component of the U.S. economic stimulus package?
- Are allegations that Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir committed war crimes valid?
- Is President Obama's leadership effectiveness eroded by problems associated with the vetting process for cabinet nominees?
- Will the current recessionary trend in the United States reverse itself by the close of 2009?
- Is the United States justified in seeking improved diplomatic relations with Syria?
- Can the United States and China work together to fight climate change?
- Is nationalization of America's banks inevitable?
- Will current economic conditions in Brazil lead to an increase in deforestation?
- Are major changes in store for U.S. intelligence gathering operations with Leon Panetta at the helm of the CIA?
- Should the federal government be encouraging consumers to save or spend?
- Is the United States moving too quickly toward the digital conversion of television and radio?
- Is the military assistance of Rwanda contributing to new levels of stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
- Are the economic woes in Iceland resulting in major changes for the nation's political system?
- Will the Texas Legislature enact major changes in the state's public school education policy?
- Can Russia's economy survive the drop in global oil prices?
- Is it time to end the Social Security program?
- What can the United States do to prevent Pakistan from becoming a failed state?
- Is piracy in the Indian Ocean on the decline?
Persuasive Speaking Topics - Finals
- Is the American newspaper industry doomed?
- Will the conflict in Afghanistan become a quagmire for the United States?
- Should the Texas Legislature prevent tuition increases at state colleges and universities?
- Was Israel's response to the threat from Gaza excessive?
- Is Bobby Jindal the new hope for the Republican Party?
- Can President Obama cut the budget deficit while spending to support the economy?
- Is Daniel Ortega moving Nicaragua toward dictatorship?
- Should governments stop mandating the vaccination of children?
- Will Cambodia's trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders result in justice for the victims?
- Can the President's plan to stem home foreclosures bring an end to the housing crisis?
- Are concerns increasing in Eastern Europe over the possibility of a military attack by Iran?
- Is loosening restrictions on stem cell research the right thing to do?
- Is the economic stimulus package actually beginning to stimulate growth in the U.S. industrial sector?
- Will the power sharing agreement between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai bring political stability to Zimbabwe?
- Are steadily growing population rates in India's largest cities causing serious environmental problems?
- Is post-hurricane insurance fraud a major problem for residents of the Texas Gulf Coast?
- Has U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner earned the confidence of Congress and the American public?
- Do women's rights remain an issue of concern in Saudi Arabia?
- Is government-mandated universal healthcare the solution to America's health care woes?
- Does the United States appear to be on the verge of embracing "European style" socialism?