Propaganda Speech Topics for Students

One of the easiest ways to define propaganda is the information used by people who advocate a certain cause to communicate the importance of this cause to others. While propaganda is not inherently positive or negative, some who advocate for various causes are often accused of using information of a "negative" nature to support the importance of their cause. World history and contemporary culture have produced many examples of how to use propaganda, so finding a propaganda speech topic should not be difficult.

Commercials and other forms of advertisement use propaganda, particularly when they try to convince consumers to purchase a specific item because "most" (and they may even say "all") people have chosen to purchase the item they are advertising. Students can evaluate various food, clothing, and technological campaigns to assess the ways advertisers use propaganda to sway consumers.

Students looking for a speech topic can examine contemporary political campaigns or historical ones, and highlight the various ways that political figureheads and parties have used propaganda to garner support. A focus on political propaganda does not have to be limited to the United States, either. Other countries, such as Russia and Hitler's Germany, have participated in well-known forms of political propaganda.

People who represent various religions have not only used propaganda to promote their particular religious beliefs, they sometimes use doctrines to support various social issues. Some religious organizations opposed to topics such as pro-life and gay marriage often defend their stance by persuasion tactics others see as propaganda. Students can analyze the arguments about topics and determine which organizations or religious leaders are using propaganda.