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1 minute speech topics

Every topic here can be answered from your own life in sixty seconds. Pull one, keep the timer at one minute, and say one point with one example.

A little surprise. A minute to speak.

Pull the lever to find your next topic.

Make a point, give an example, and bring it back to your point.

Your next rep starts here.

Practicing without a recording

How to answer: Past, present, future

For personal questions and open prompts.

  1. 1Past. Where you started or a moment that shaped it.
  2. 2Present. Where you are now.
  3. 3Future. What you want next, and why.

Pull the lever first, then see how a strong answer could sound.

How to give a one minute speech

One minute is about 130 to 150 spoken words. That's room for one idea, done well.

One point, one example

A one minute speech fails when it tries to cover three ideas. Pick one point, support it with one example, and say it again at the end. Fifteen seconds for the point, thirty for the example, fifteen to close.

Use easy topics to build the habit

The topics on this page are deliberately easy. The point of a one minute speech is practicing delivery, pace and structure, not wrestling with a hard question. Once these feel natural, move to the impromptu or persuasive lists.

All 150 1 minute speech topics

Easy150

  1. What is one habit you wish you could build?
  2. What would you do with an extra hour every day?
  3. What skill should every person learn before age 20?
  4. If you could have dinner with anyone, who and why?
  5. What is the best advice you have ever received?
  6. Describe your perfect morning routine.
  7. What is the most interesting thing you learned this week?
  8. If you could live anywhere for a year, where would you go?
  9. What makes a good friend?
  10. Talk about a book, movie, or show that changed your perspective.
  11. What is a small act of kindness you will never forget?
  12. If you had unlimited money for one day, what would you do?
  13. What is the best meal you have ever had?
  14. What hobby have you always wanted to pick up?
  15. Describe a place that feels like home to you.
  16. What is the most useful app on your phone and why?
  17. Do you think kids should learn to code?
  18. What is one piece of technology you could not live without?
  19. How has technology changed the way we communicate?
  20. What is your favorite gadget and why?
  21. Would you let a robot clean your house?
  22. What technology from science fiction do you wish existed?
  23. How do you feel about voice assistants like Siri or Alexa?
  24. What is one tech habit you want to break?
  25. Should there be an age limit for social media?
  26. If you started a company tomorrow, what would it do?
  27. What makes a great boss?
  28. Describe the worst job you have ever had.
  29. What is the best work perk you can imagine?
  30. Would you rather work at a startup or a big company?
  31. What is one thing every office should have?
  32. If you could automate one part of your job, what would it be?
  33. What is the most important quality in a coworker?
  34. Should meetings have a maximum length?
  35. What is the best career advice you would give to a new graduate?
  36. What is one law you would create if you could?
  37. What makes a good neighbor?
  38. Should tipping be mandatory or abolished?
  39. What is the most important value to teach children?
  40. Is it important to know your neighbors?
  41. What tradition should every family have?
  42. Should public transport be free for everyone?
  43. What is one thing that would make your city better?
  44. Is it important to learn a second language?
  45. What does community mean to you?
  46. Pitch a new holiday that the world needs.
  47. Describe your ideal weekend with zero budget.
  48. Invent a sport that combines two existing ones.
  49. If you were a superhero, what would your power be?
  50. What is the worst fashion trend of all time?
  51. You can only eat one food for the rest of your life. What is it?
  52. Describe the weirdest dream you have ever had.
  53. If animals could talk, which would be the rudest?
  54. What would your TED Talk be about?
  55. If you could time-travel, would you go to the past or future?
  56. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?
  57. You are in charge of a theme park. What is the theme?
  58. If you could swap lives with anyone for a day, who would it be?
  59. What is the most overrated movie of all time?
  60. Describe your dream house in 60 seconds.
  61. Is it better to be an early bird or a night owl?
  62. Are cats better pets than dogs?
  63. Is it better to save money or spend it on experiences?
  64. Should homework be banned?
  65. Is it better to live in the city or the countryside?
  66. Should every country have a four-day school week?
  67. Is summer or winter the better season?
  68. Would you rather be famous or anonymous?
  69. Is it better to rent or buy a home?
  70. Should fast food come with health warnings?
  71. Breakfast for dinner is objectively superior.
  72. Convince me that pineapple belongs on pizza.
  73. The movie is always better than the book.
  74. Coffee is overrated.
  75. Mondays are actually the best day of the week.
  76. You do not need a college degree to be successful.
  77. Hot dogs are sandwiches.
  78. Winter is the best season for productivity.
  79. Naps should be mandatory at work.
  80. We should abolish daylight saving time.
  81. Is the customer always right?
  82. Explain why laughter is important.
  83. Would you rather know how you die or when you die?
  84. If you could ask the world one question, what would it be?
  85. What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
  86. What does courage look like in everyday life?
  87. What would you change about the internet?
  88. If you could live in any era of history, which would you choose?
  89. Should we teach financial literacy in schools?
  90. What is the meaning of home?
  91. Would you give up your phone for a month for ten thousand dollars?
  92. What is one thing the world needs less of?
  93. Should schools replace textbooks with tablets?
  94. What would you tell your younger self?
  95. Would you live on another planet?
  96. What makes a great public speaker?
  97. Roast the open office plan.
  98. Roast group chats.
  99. Roast airport food prices.
  100. Roast self-checkout machines.
  101. Roast meetings that could have been an email.
  102. Roast reply-all emails.
  103. Roast your phone's autocorrect.
  104. Defend this: pineapple belongs on every pizza.
  105. Defend this: Mondays are the best day of the week.
  106. Defend this: socks with sandals is peak fashion.
  107. Defend this: cereal is a soup.
  108. Defend this: summer is the worst season.
  109. Explain what a bank does to a five year old.
  110. Explain why we have seasons to a five year old.
  111. Explain how a thermostat works to a five year old.
  112. Explain why the sky is blue to a five year old.
  113. Explain what a job interview is to a five year old.
  114. Pitch a new holiday everyone should celebrate.
  115. Pitch your hometown as a travel destination.
  116. Pitch a reason to read your favorite book.
  117. Pitch a TV show based on your life.
  118. Should schools teach investing?
  119. Should you lend money to friends and family?
  120. Is it better to save or to spend while you're young?
  121. Should everyone have an emergency fund?
  122. Schools should start an hour later.
  123. Every student should learn to cook before graduating.
  124. Homework should be optional in elementary school.
  125. Pets make people happier.
  126. Everyone should learn a second language.
  127. Cities need more public parks.
  128. Recess should be longer.
  129. Kids should get an allowance for doing chores.
  130. Reading physical books beats reading on a screen.
  131. School uniforms do more good than harm.
  132. Fast food should come with health warnings.
  133. Everyone should learn to swim.
  134. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
  135. Libraries are still worth funding.
  136. Video games can be good for you.
  137. How to make a great cup of coffee.
  138. How bees make honey.
  139. Why we dream.
  140. How to train a puppy.
  141. The history of pizza.
  142. How rainbows form.
  143. Why cats purr.
  144. How to start running.
  145. What happens when you sleep.
  146. How recycling actually works.
  147. Why the sky is blue.
  148. How to save your first thousand dollars.
  149. The basics of photography.
  150. How volcanoes erupt.

Questions

How many words is a one minute speech?

Most people speak 130 to 150 words a minute. Check your own pace with the words per minute calculator.

What is a good topic for a one minute speech?

Something you can answer from your own life without research, like a habit you want to build or the best advice you've been given.

How do I end a one minute speech?

Repeat your main point in new words and stop. Don't summarize everything, and don't add a new idea in the last ten seconds.