Do you enjoy standing up in front of a large audience and making a speech? Or do you get so nervous that you forget what you were going to tell the audience about?

If the answer to the second question is “yes,” then you’re not alone. Many people, including well-known entrepreneurs, politicians, and actors, aren’t fans of public speaking. For example, did you know that Richard Branson is among them? Yes, one of the best entrepreneurs in history has a real far of public speaking!

“I loathe making speeches, and always have,” Branson admitted in one of the interviews. “Over the years, however, I have become much more practiced at giving speeches, though it still makes me a bit nervous.”

“Fortunately, the fear of public speaking shouldn’t be an insurmountable obstacle for you with some learning and practice,” says Gordon Stevens, a motivational coach. “The more you develop your skills, the more confident you’ll feel during your speeches.”

Moreover, having strong public skills can greatly boost your career and improve your position in the labor market. Warren Buffet stated “you can improve your value by 50 percent just by learning communication skills – public speaking”

So, whether you’re looking for topics for your next public speech or just for practice, take a look at these 45 ideas, including tips on how to choose the best ones for your purpose.

Public speaking topics

Category: science

1. Why humans should colonize mars

Let’s be honest here, humans are endangered species because all of us live only on one planet. Colonizing mars increases the chance of long-term survival of humankind and has many other benefits, so it’s definitely a great topic to talk about.

2. When will AI exceed human performance?

It’s one of the most discussed topics in science right now because AI has been developing at an amazing speed in the recent years. So, there are tons of quality materials to retrieve information from, such as this article from cornell university.

3. What is the future of commercial space flight?

Elon musk has recently announced the name of the first space tourist who will orbit the moon several times on SpaceX’s most advanced spacecraft, the BFR. When do you think this will happen?

4. Should nanotechnology research continue?

With all the risks and ethical issues that nanotechnology research is facing now, it could be an interesting topic to discuss.

5. Should we bring extinct species back from the dead?

Animal cloning is becoming more common, so cloning extinct species appears to be a matter of time. But should we really bring back animals like mammoths? What would we do with them if we succeed?

6. Potential for super greenhouse effect on earth

Global warming is the real thing, and governments around the world are starting to take this issue seriously. But where are we on our way to triggering a runaway greenhouse effect that turned our neighboring planet Venus into a hellish world?

7. What is gene therapy?

For example, could we use it to prevent diseases and conditions?

8. Why whales should not be hunted for food

Also an interesting topic that touches upon one of the most relevant issues in environmental health.

9. Stephen Hawking’s contributions to science

One of the greatest minds in history, Stephen Hawking, passed away recently, so it would be great to share his main contributions to science.

10. When will the next solar superflare hit earth?

The scientists know it’s coming, but can we make some predictions?

Category: self-development and self-help topics

11. How can you improve public speaking skills?

Why not, right?

12. What leadership style is the most suitable for your personality?

There are a number of leadership styles, so finding out which one suits you is an interesting idea.

13. How to get a fresh start after a breakup / divorce?

14. Why you should become a freelancer

15. Why being lazy isn’t always a bad thing

16. What Richard Branson recommends to everyone to make everyday a success

Here are some materials for you to start researching.

17. Why you should visit at least 5 countries by the time you’re 30

18. Gluten isn’t bad for health

19. Scientific evidence on why you shouldn’t skip your breakfast

20. Why success if often an extreme tolerance for failure (Jeff Bezos experience)

Jeff Bezos is an excellent example of a person who thinks of a failure as a chance to learn.

Category: society

21. Do professional athletes make too much money?

22. Why the your country should promote legal immigration

23. Is it possible to eliminate poverty in every country in the world?

24. The internet should be free for everyone

25. Why punishing children for bullying others isn’t a solution

This conversation article has some good ideas on that for you to explore.

26. The U.S. should encourage the spirit of volunteerism

27. Society should make monopolies illegal

28. Is our society too dependent on technology?

29. Why we need to support local businesses

30. Being gay: choice or nature?

31. Cell phone use while driving should be banned in all U.S. states.

Category: workplace

32. How to spot a toxic employee?

33. Give 5 reasons why we should abolish tipping restaurant servers

This Huffington Post article will be of great help to you on this topic.

34. Why the minimum wage should be raised?

35. Top reasons why best employees invest in employee wellness programs

36. The best ways to increase employee engagement for better performance

37. Should age discrimination be a criminal offence?

38. All internships should be paid internships

39. The minimum age for unsupervised driving should be raised to 18

40. LGBT workers are protected from workplace discrimination.

Category: controversial

41. Airline passengers should sacrifice their privacy for the sake of flight safety

42. Your government should promote conservation

43. Your government should make animal testing illegal

44. The use of the internet by teens should be limited

45. The internet contributes to media bias

How to choose a public speaking topic?

Check out these quick tips for picking a great topic:

• Choose a topic that you’re fairly familiar with or have an interest in. This might help you to include some personal experience as a bonus to your speech.
• Know your audience. Your topic should always resemble the interests of your audience, otherwise they could find it boring. In this case, you’ll be wasting yours and their time.
• Pick up a hot topic that describes a current event, place, or process.

Read this article for additional information on choosing a public speaking topic.