1. Carefully consider the possibilities before you begin writing things down – a little critical thinking may save you a lot of difficulty and frustration!

2.  Your possible topics must be arguable ! They must have opposing viewpoints for you to explore. Consider these topics: -Bullying or Animal Abuse They’re wrong, and serious concerns... but is any reasonable people going to argue they’re right? Select topics that are debatabl e, with clear pros and cons.

3.  Your possible topics should be current and relevant, reflecting serious concerns in life and the world. No one should respond, “So what?” or “Who cares?” to your choices. Pull possible topics from events or issues that affect all of us and will appeal to your audience.

4.  Your possible topics should be important to YOU ! Argumentative writing / speaking requires study of the topic, so you’ll be researching, thinking about, reading about, writing about your final topic A LOT... and your final topic will come from your possible topics ! Choose topics you are deeply interested in.

5.  Your possible topics should be narrow enough to cover in depth. Consider this topic: - Abortion There’s NO WAY you can cover that topic in a 2 – 4 page essay / 3 – 5 minute speech! If your possible topics are too broad, focus in on a specific aspect of them.

6.  Your possible topics should be easy to research, and that research must yield facts and data – not opinions. Avoid topics that are heavily based on what people feel.