Choose a side on a policy issue that has personal meaning for you. For example, if you are an avid gun collector and are trained in handling firearms, you have an advantage when it comes to reaching an audience on the issue of gun control. As a person with expertise and experience, you bring credibility to the issue. Your personal attachment to the subject will lend passion to your speech and also move the people to whom you are speaking.
Choose a hot topic or controversial issue. The purpose behind a problem-solution speech is to generate awareness and to present the audience with a problem that clearly needs a solution. Genetic engineering is a hot button because, while it may provide a technological solution to serious problems, some people consider such technology to be an affront to nature which compromises their morality and spiritual beliefs. There is much research and information to be found on the subject of genetic engineering. Whether you are interested in the genetic engineering of fruit, animals or human beings, you will be able to easily find information that is pertinent to your subject and audience.
Think about local concerns and issues. Not every problem-solution speech needs to address global problems. Perhaps you're noticing that the classroom size has increased dramatically in your child's school district, and you want to present research which shows that larger class sizes interfere with positive student outcomes. If you are a concerned parent, this topic presents a great opportunity to find out more about the subject and share it with other parents and community members.
The medical marijuana movement is now on the media's radar because, as research continues to confirm that is has benefits, more states are considering passing laws allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients to help ease their suffering. Symptoms brought on by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, migraines and cancer are being treated with prescription marijuana. Still, marijuana is illegal in most states, even for medical purposes, so your challenge is to use Monroe's five-step organizational plan, as well as your own practical experience, to convince your audience about whether doctors should be able to prescribe this drug for certain patients, or whether more widespread use of medical marijuana will be a detriment to society.