An informative speech teaches. You are not trying to win an argument; you are trying to make something clear and interesting to people who know less about it than you do. The best topics are ones you are curious about yourself, because that curiosity comes through when you speak. Browse the 100 ideas below, narrow one down, then use the outline steps to build a speech you can deliver from a few cue cards.
Four types of informative speech
Knowing which type you are giving helps you choose the right structure.
- Definition: explains what something is, such as "What is the gut microbiome?" Organise it by features, examples and why it matters.
- Process or demonstration: shows how something works or how to do it. Organise it in steps, in order.
- Explanatory: explains why something happens or how events unfolded. Organise it by cause and effect, or as a timeline.
- Descriptive: paints a picture of a person, place or object. Organise it by parts, places or themes.
100+ informative speech topics
Each idea can be narrowed further. Swap in local examples from your own country, school or workplace wherever you can.
Science and nature
- How vaccines train the immune system
- Why the sky is blue and sunsets are red
- How bees communicate with each other
- What causes the seasons
- How volcanoes form
- Why we dream
- How octopuses change colour
- What black holes are
- How tides work
- The life cycle of a star
- Why some animals hibernate
- How earthquakes are measured
History
- How the printing press changed the world
- The history of the Olympic Games
- How ancient Egyptians built the pyramids
- The story of the Silk Road
- How the first computers worked
- The history of chocolate
- How people kept time before clocks
- The origins of the internet
- Why the Titanic sank
- How writing was invented
- The history of your town or school
How it works (process and demonstration)
- How to make bread from scratch
- How a bill becomes law in your country
- How recycling is sorted
- How to read a nutrition label
- How GPS knows where you are
- How to give basic first aid for a burn
- How coffee goes from plant to cup
- How a credit score works
- How solar panels make electricity
- How to fold a paper crane
- How search engines rank pages
- How noise-cancelling headphones work
People and achievements
- The life and work of Marie Curie
- How Ada Lovelace imagined computing
- The first people to reach the South Pole
- An inventor who changed daily life
- A scientist from your own country
- The story behind a famous landmark’s architect
- A sports pioneer who broke a barrier
- A local hero in your community
- The founders of a company you use every day
- An explorer of the deep ocean
- A writer whose books are read worldwide
Culture and food
- How different countries celebrate the new year
- The history of pizza
- Why spicy food feels hot
- How tea became popular around the world
- The meaning of colours in different cultures
- How sign languages differ between countries
- The origins of a festival you celebrate
- How fermentation makes yoghurt, kimchi and cheese
- The history of video games
- How music genres are born
- Traditional games from around the world
Health and the body
- What happens to the body when we sleep
- How the heart pumps blood
- Why exercise improves mood
- How caffeine affects the brain
- How allergies work
- What hydration actually does
- How muscles grow
- Why we yawn
- How the eye sees colour
- How stress affects the body
- What the gut microbiome is
Technology
- How artificial intelligence learns from data
- What happens when you send a text message
- How 3D printing works
- How passwords are stored safely
- What cloud storage really is
- How electric cars work
- How virtual reality tricks the brain
- How a touchscreen senses your finger
- What a blockchain is
- How drones stay in the air
- How streaming services recommend shows
Careers and life skills
- What an apprenticeship involves
- How to prepare for a job interview
- What a day looks like for a paramedic
- How budgeting apps work
- How compound interest grows savings
- What a software developer actually does
- How to write a CV or résumé
- Careers that did not exist twenty years ago
- How pilots train
- What a vet nurse does
Easy topics for beginners
- Your favourite hobby and how to start it
- How to care for a houseplant
- The history of your favourite sport
- How to train a puppy
- Why we have time zones
- How rainbows form
- The story of your name
- How to pack for a trip
- How to make a good cup of tea
- A place you have visited and what makes it special
- How to start running
How to pick the right topic
- Start with curiosity Pick something you would happily read about for an hour.
- Think about the audience Choose a topic they have heard of but could not explain. That gap is where informative speeches work best.
- Check you can find good sources Look for two or three reliable sources, such as a museum, a university or an official body, before you commit.
- Narrow it down "The ocean" is a book. "How whales communicate" is a five-minute speech.
Topic, thesis and three points
Your thesis is one sentence that tells the audience what they are about to learn. The main points then deliver on it.
Topic: Bees.
Narrowed: How honeybees communicate.
Thesis: Honeybees share information through dance, scent and sound, and each one tells the hive something different.
Point 1: The waggle dance shows where food is. Point 2: Scent marks the hive and warns of danger. Point 3: Vibrations and sounds coordinate the colony.
Give each point an explanation, an example and a link back to the thesis. The informative speech outline sets this out as a fill-in template.
How much to cover
Most informative speeches run out of time rather than material. As a rough guide at a steady pace:
- 2 to 3 minutes: a short opening, two points and a one-line close.
- 5 minutes: about 650 words; three points with one example each.
- 7 to 10 minutes: three points with two examples each, plus a visual or short demonstration.
See how many words fit a five-minute speech, or paste your draft into the speech timer calculator to check yours.
Putting it on cue cards
Informative speeches are full of names, dates and figures, so cue cards are where accuracy lives. Keep the wording short, but write every fact exactly.
- One card for the opening, written in full.
- One card per main point, with key words and the facts in bold.
- One card for the close: recap the three points and finish with a memorable line.
- Mark your visuals with [SLIDE] or [SHOW] so you do not forget them.
Paste your draft into the editor and it splits into cards at sentence breaks. Print them as note cards on A4 or US Letter. For layout tips, read how to write cue cards.