75 Group Discussion Topics

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Written By Jim Peterson

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.

Group discussion topics, ideas and themes – small and large groups. Please see below a list of over 40 public speaking topics for discussions and analyses in debates between people. They can be used in communication class for persuasive speaking assignments or education articles.

Group discussion topic types are:

group discussion topics

  1. Factual propositions
  2. Controversial and argumentative issues
  3. Abstract discussion material
  4. Case studies
  5. Short stories

 

Group Discussion Topic Ideas

Factual

Factual group discussion topics are – as the word says – about facts. This is a sample list of speech topics on current issues and facts:

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  1. Conspiracy is a very common form of political behaviour.
  2. The pros and cons of having a credit card.
  3. A chain gang is a modern form of slavery.
  4. Why drinking and driving is dangerous to yourself and others.
  5. Passive smoking is equally harmful.
  6. The economic boycott causes most of the problems in Cuba.
  7. International trade barriers work.
  8. City curfews help to prevent juvenile crime and to protect youth from victimization.
  9. The U.N. is mainly based on diplomacy and enhancing relationships.
  10. Affirmative action draws people to work they never considered before.
  11. Ban child stars from stages and movies – it will ruin their lives.
  12. Gambling should be allowed from the age of sixteen.
  13. It is important to hold value in what you argue.
  14. Public schools are not safe.
  15. Software should be free for everyone.

Controversial

controversial speech topic is one with many controversies, read: the pros and the cons. Keep in mind that all current group discussion topics are notmy opinion, but just a sample list of speech topics!

  1. Sustainable urban living without the use of excessive natural resources must be our future.
  2. Are there extraterrestrials who influence events on Earth?
  3. Marijuana has a medical value.
  4. Direct mail is a special form of junk mail.
  5. The pros and cons of a female President.
  6. Online dating chats have nothing to do with a search for a soul mate.
  7. Should schools distribute condoms?
  8. Most people support embryonic stem cell research.
  9. Life imprisonment is a good alternative to capital punishment.
  10. What is wrong with child labor?

Abstract

More abstract discussion topics for a group are things that cannot be touched, not be easily defined or formulated. Just think in a creative manner and start a vivid group discussion with one of these abstract motifs to talk about:

  1. The Nostradamus Code – the value of these predictions on judicial astrology.
  2. Breast Implants – saline and silicone types and safety.
  3. Bribery in Business – why it is unethical and not honest and causes inequality.
  4. Computer Viruses – recent attacks and removal strategies.
  5. Bigamy – compare federal laws with state regulation.
  6. Hidden Persuaders – why subliminal advertising is banned.
  7. Moral Majority – examine the faith and values of this political action coalition.
  8. Hippocratic Oath – ethical medical professional behavior in modern times.
  9. Political Correctness – when does this policy cross a line?
  10. Vegetarianism – benefits and disadvantages of such a diet in relation to the food pyramid.

Case Studies

The fourth type of group discussion topics are so-called case studies. You determine a problem and together with the other team members you have to find a satisfying solution.

These are small-team ideas. Just modify and alter where necessary, these are just guiding light topic ideas:

  1. Leadership – What necessary changes are needed in your community organization and how do you want to lead the process?
  2. Malpractice Insurance – Doctors walk out on the job to protest the rising malpractice insurance costs. What to do about it?
  3. Work Ethics – Can we shape workers who have the sense that they serve the company ГЎnd community?
  4. School Violence – What are the real causes of violence and bullying in Schools?
  5. Recycling – Sort out how to make money with recycling.
  6. Dropouts – Individual attention in safe schools and smaller classes; is that the way to stop students to drop out?
  7. Iraq – What are the best exit strategies?
  8. Privacy – What are the best technologies to safeguard the right of free speech privacy on the internet?
  9. Minimum Wage – Why should we have a minimum wage or why not?
  10. Burnout – Should everybody check his or herself of burnout signs? How?

Tip: Try to make an inventory of various angles of view and opinions you find in education articles on the themes you consider to work out as group discussion topics.

Short Stories

The fifth type of group discussion topics are short stories. These short stories are good group speech topics:

  1. A Dark Brown Dog by Stephen Crane
  2. A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
  3. A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
  4. A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
  5. Brer Rabbit and the Tar-Baby by Joel Chandler Harris
  6. How the Leopard Got His Spots by Rudyard Kipling
  7. In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka
  8. Resumed Identity by Ambrose Bierce
  9. Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
  10. Scarlet Stockings by Louisa May Alcott
  11. The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky by Stephen Crane
  12. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
  13. The Dancing Partner by Jerome K. Jerome
  14. The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy
  15. The Doctor’s Son by John O’Hara
  16. The Final Problem by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  17. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
  18. The Idiots by Joseph Conrad
  19. The Imp of The Perverse by Edgar Allan Poe
  20. The Killers by Ernest Hemingway
  21. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
  22. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
  23. The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs
  24. The Mortal Immortal by Mary Shelley
  25. The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell
  26. The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol
  27. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber
  28. The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
  29. The Vampyre by John Polidori
  30. To build a fire by Jack London

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