We’ve all been there. You’re asked to give a speech on a topic of your choice, and you sit there for hours, racking your brain for ideas. The pressure is on to deliver a speech that will engage the audience and leave a lasting impression.
If you’re struggling to find a topic that fits the bill, here are 10 pet peeve speech ideas that are sure to get your audience’s attention.
What is a pet peeve?
A pet peeve is something that someone finds annoying or bothersome. It can be anything from a small, everyday annoyance to a major irritation. Some common pet peeves include people talking loudly on phone calls in public places, people leaving the toilet seat up, and people taking up too much space on public transportation.
While pet peeves may seem trivial, they can actually cause a lot of stress and anxiety for those who are constantly dealing with them. If you’re looking for a speech topic that is sure to get your audience’s attention, consider discussing one of your (or their!) pet peeves.
We all have different particular things that get under our skin, as well as shared common annoyances – and that’s what makes pet peeve speeches so interesting to listen to.
Pet Peeve Speech Topics
Hunting for ideas for your next speech but feeling stuck? Not to worry – we’ve all been there! To help get the creative juices flowing, here is a list pet peeve speech topics that are sure to engage your audience:
- Slow drivers
- The friend who is always late
- People who talk on their cell phones in public places
- Slow walkers (especially if it is a group of people!)
- Foot tapping
- People who let their dogs poop or pee on my lawn and don’t pick it up!
- When people don’t hold the door open for others
- Litterbugs
- Drivers who don’t use turn signals
- People who text while driving
- Cutters – people who line jump in queues
- Those who monopolize conversations
- People who violate personal space boundaries – i.e., standing too close in lineups or on elevators
- When the toilet paper is facing a certain direction (we all know over is the correct way!)
- People who lack spacial awareness – i.e., standing in the middle of a busy sidewalk to do something on their phone
Giving a pet peeve speech is a great way to get your audience laughing and engaged in your speech. To make your pet peeve speech even more effective, it’s always a good idea to try to personalize it by sharing a story or experience that illustrates your main points. And don’t forget to make genuine eye contact.
Example of a Pet Peeve Speech
Imagine you’re giving a speech to a group of your peers on the topic of pet peeves. Here’s an example of what your speech might sound like. Feel free to use it as a jumping point and use your own words to describe your own pet peeve experiences.
We all have pet peeves. Those little things that bother us and get under our skin. Sometimes they’re annoying, but harmless. Other times, they’re downright infuriating! But whether they’re big or small, we all have them.
Today, I’m going to talk about some of my personal pet peeves. Things that bother me on a daily basis. Hopefully, by the end of this speech, you’ll be able to relate to at least one of my pet peeves. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll even learn something new about yourself in the process.
So, without further ado, here are some of my pet peeves:
1. People who talk over others in conversation. This is something that I see all too often, and it drives me crazy! There’s nothing worse than trying to have a conversation with someone, only to have them talk over you the entire time. It’s rude and it makes it difficult to carry on a meaningful conversation.
2. Chewing with your mouth open. This is another pet peeve of mine that falls into the category of common courtesy. There’s no need to be gross and chew with your mouth open. It’s disrespectful to those around you and it’s just plain icky!
3. Using your phone in public places. I get it, we all rely on our phones nowadays. But that doesn’t mean you should be using it in every single social situation. There’s nothing more annoying than trying to have a conversation with someone who can’t put their phone down for even a minute. So, next time you’re out with friends or family, try to keep your phone usage to a minimum.
4. Interrupting others. This is yet another pet peeve of mine that has to do with common courtesy. It’s just plain rude to interrupt someone when they’re speaking. Whether you have something important to say or not, it’s important to let the other person finish what they’re saying before jumping in.
5. People who are always late. This is my biggest pet peeve! I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of this one at least once in our lives. But being late is inconsiderate and it often throws off the entire schedule for whatever event you’re supposed to be attending. So, next time you’re invited to something, try to be on time! Or at least be considerate enough to call BEFORE to say you’re running behind.
Those are just a few of my pet peeves. I could probably go on for hours about all the little things that bother me on a daily basis. But I’ll spare you the details!
Hopefully, this speech has given you some insight into some of my pet peeves. And maybe, just maybe, you can relate to some of them too. Thanks for listening!