What Are Controversial Topics?

As their title suggests, these topics are related to some aspects of life where there is no unified opinion about it. This arises two and more approaches, opinions, and even disputes sometimes. To speak about some controversial issue, you should cover a lot of details. This covers your preparation, outlining, drafting, and presentation. 

Such topics may seem to be difficult because of any disputed matters they are related to. Still, expanding this topic is not so difficult if you are aware of workable preparation tips. The peculiarity here is that your work should be related to effective research techniques, developing strong arguments, and approaches for persuading your listeners. 

Despite the likelihood of complexity, these topics are good opportunities to practice. We have prepared for your arguments about why this is so. Even if you don’t like or afraid of arguing, we suggest you be more courageous for a number of reasons.

Why Controversial Topics Are Good?

Preparing this type of speech is a very good practice. Most of essays and papers that students prepare in the course of studies are related to controversies in one way or another. So, gaining this experience may help you a lot.

Precisely, controversial topics can help you with the next aspects:

• determine your attitude towards certain things;
• form your ethical limits;
• teach to handle your emotions;
• form your cultural identity and worldview.

Of course, in some cases, it can be associated with debates, sometimes even very hot. Still, it is a good chance to gain extra competency for handling even conflict situations while remaining calm. This opportunity is good for proving your point of view.

Still, hot disputes are possible but are not compulsory outcomes. Controversies frequently can encourage searches of the best workable solution for some matter and even forming good relations with your opponents. Yes, this is also possible. Debates enabled many people to meet friends. 

So, both types of experience can work for you well. The only things required from you are courage and good preparation. The second aspect we are ready to ensure by our tips and advice.

Where to look for a controversial topic and how to choose?

Sometimes your professor can assign you a topic. That is the easiest thing possible. But, if you have no topic, the choice can be problematic. Why?

When choosing a topic, it should definitely be related to the controversy. This means that at least two points of view should exist about it. It is better if such points of view are totally different. 

The choice of your topic is also greatly determined by your willingness to argue. In some cases, this may be necessary. If you dislike this manner, it is better to think about some moderate approach or other topics.

Some controversial topics are sensitive. So, you need to think about how to present your point of view, avoiding offensive statements, discrimination, harassment, and similar things. When you preliminary think about a topic, it is better to outline in your head first the limits you should follow. This will help you in making your choice.

You may easily find options for this choice nearly everywhere. Newspapers, public accounts on social media, and magazines are places where controversies exist constantly. You may pick some that worried people most of all. Perhaps, you already have your point of view about such. This may be, for instance, various controversial governmental actions, political movements, the behavior of media personalities, etc. Still, at this point, it is necessary to avoid discussion of the personalities. Your focus should be made to the model of behavior, actions, and outcomes.

When you choose a certain topic, you need to think thoroughly about:

• target audience – think about people who will form the majority of those interested in your controversial topic; think about their age, preferences, attitude, and other important aspects;
• interests – try to pick only those topics that arise genuine interest for you; this way your preparation will be a number of times faster and easier;
• your purpose – you should be clear about the message you intend to deliver;
• credibility – when choosing a topic, it is also better to think about how much credible information you can find, perfectly, if this information is verified or even official.

You may look through the Internet and other resources for inspiration. But we can make your life easier at this point. Afterward, you will find many controversial topics for your practice. But, now, let’s cover the most significant aspects of its drafting. 

Expanding Your Controversial Topic

Let’s say you already have a topic. The next stage is to expand it. To achieve that, you should start with the main idea this topic is related to. Consequently, your point of view should be directly related to this matter. If this is a question, you should explicitly answer such. If this is a statement, you should agree or disagree with such by presenting your main statement with supporting arguments. During this process, we suggest you evaluate your text from the future reader’s perspective. This will help you make sure that all valuable aspects are covered, and possible weak points are eliminated. 

When you expand your topic, try to be balanced. If this topic is for your speech, usually you are limited in time. So, indicate only the basic required statements to remain within these time limits. Again, if this topic if for your essay, you also have limited space. So, it is wise to keep your story brief. Here is how we suggest you do this.

Writing tips

Start with preparation. You need to devote some time, perfectly, if you have at least one day or two to researching your topic. Select only info that is relevant and verified. Your opinion should be based on such info only. Of course, for some topics, you may limit yourself only to your point of view, due to the lack of information, for instance. 

Define the purpose of your answer to the main idea of your topic. Formulate it preliminary on a separate paper. While researching, also list here your considerations about this subject. When you have such, we suggest outlining your future text. This outline should contain the main statement and supporting arguments. You will find later what the most suitable structure for your text is. Now, we have more writing tips for you.

When you write your answer for a controversial topic, it is wise to think about the most problematic points you may face with and devote to them more attention. Of course, you cannot foresee all cases. Still, a thorough review of available resources may give your understanding of the most disputed matters related to a topic. When you see that your opinion does not coincide with the most common, you should think more carefully about supporting statements. 

Your text should be brief and concise. Prefer short and strong formulations. This is specially referred to as the principal statement and arguments. Use only active verbs and express your thoughts confidently. If you can remove certain words, you should do this. Various online editing tools can be of great help at this point. 

Still, there is one aspect we want to emphasize, especially. It is the structure of your text.

Structuring your speech

The proper structure signifies your good background and preparation. It also indicates your good analytical skills. If you have taken extra effort to structure a text, you increase chances for persuading future readers/listeners. In the outcome, your text will be more convenient for your readers.

Basically, the structure of your text should comprise its:

• introduction where you express a hook to interest future reviewers (statistical data, facts, description of the importance this topic has, etc.) and present your main thesis statement;
• the main part divided into separate paragraphs; each of them should cover one argument related to your main statement; make sure you add here supporting data and transitions to pass from one paragraph to another smoothly;
• conclusion where you summarize all previous info and restate your main thesis testament; here, you may also think about a good hook to finish your text strongly.

Tips for your presentation

When you are presenting your topic, try to remain confident. Of course, this is a matter of practice and preliminary preparation. The practice you can gain. And preparation depends only on you. For this purpose, you may ask somebody to help you. Still, there is one important aspect of controversial topics.

Whether you present it before your audience or write an essay about it, you should keep in mind that you have the right to your point of view. You should not agree or disagree with somebody. There are defendants and opponents nearly to any issue of our life. So, keep calm about that and express your point of view like you are telling it a good acquaintance. Of course, not all people can be such kind to you at the moment of speech or review. Still, this may help you remain calm. 

Also, it is important to be polite in any case, especially if you see a too emotional reaction from your opponent. Be grateful for his/her opinion and discussion, but always keep your position. The argument why do you think that some point is workable and some are not. 

These tips and suggestions are basic and can help you a lot. Still, they cannot substitute practice. So, we encourage you to pick some topics from these lists.

Controversial Topics for Your Choice

Social

• Control of guns
• Both medical and recreational marijuana should be allowed
• It is too late to prohibit GMOs
• Self-driving cars are safer
• Using taxi services is not safe
• Social media ruin the actual and real connections between people 
• Some women in society do not enjoy the same rights as men
• Each subsequent generation is better than the previous one
• Series films impact society greatly 
• Social disasters are generally predictable 

Political

• Not all people can influence the state policy
• Democracy is fiction 
• Democracy is a single workable form of governance for a real and good life
• Brexit is worse than good for Great Britain
• Russian politics can be dangerous to other states
• European Union will stagnate in the closest 50 years
• Political rights should be restricted in some cases
• It is not a good idea to glorify some nations
• Political guarantees have to be ensured
• Global environmental issues are aspects of global politics first of all
• Political aspects determine globalization
• It is impossible to divide the church from politics
• Ordinary people can increase their political influence
• America will never tackle illegal emigrants 
• Political movements help to prevent stagnation

Legal

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) cannot work everywhere 
• Rights of transgender people must be ensured
• Vaccination is your right only 
• It is possible to combat crimes
• Privacy rights can never be ensured totally 
• Legal reforming is a constant process 
• Crimes are essential elements in any society that cannot be eliminated 
• Voting rights can be ensured only in perfect conditions
• It is impossible to ensure animals rights
• Legal requirements to education should exist

Ethical

• Growing meat in labs is bad
• Cloning can be helpful in some cases
• Using abortion materials must be strictly prohibited in all cases
• Suicide is your right
• The death penalty is good for a limited number of cases
• Adding genes to humans is possible
• Alcohol and tobacco advertisement should be prohibited
• Same-sex couples should adopt children
• Ethical aspects are foremost

Cultural

• The state should always support the culture 
• Reforming in culture is impossible, only evolution
• Some movies should be restricted 
• Artificial intelligence can increase the speed of cultural development
• Pieces created for money cannot be considered as an art 
• Music is always the expressions of the current cultural trends
• Comics as a part of the modern culture
• Violence in media should be combated
• Cultural trends are always socially determined 
• Certain individuals form cultural trends

Final Words

Preparing a controversial topic can give you a lot of useful experience in searching, drafting, and presentation. Take each opportunity to practice. Dealing with controversies is nearly everywhere in our life. So, better skills can ensure better results in nearly all spheres of your life.

We hope that our tips and topics to practice will help you to get a more successful experience. But, if you are looking for a good sample or writing help, you may always reach us shortly.