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Speech Ideas on Cultural Diversity

Van Thompson - Updated May 17, 2019

Cultural diversity accepts and values contributions from a wide variety of cultures while actively
cultivating welcoming environments. Diversity affords students the chance to learn about other cultures,
to appreciate the ways their own cultural ideas affect their beliefs and to minimize discriminatory
attitudes. If you need to give a speech on cultural diversity, your topic should be clearly defined and
must meet any requirements your professor establishes. Once you've met this minimum threshold,
though, there are dozens of topics from which to choose.

Benefits of Cultural Diversity

Research the benefits of cultural diversity, and then either provide an overview of these positive
contributions or focus on how to maximize one or two specific benefits. This topic is a particularly good
one if your school is hostile to diversity or if students openly debate whether the school should embrace
more diversity.
Remedying Diversity Challenges

Diversity isn't always easy. Language barriers, disputes over religious beliefs and cultural differences in
communication styles can all make embracing diversity challenging and a bit uncomfortable. Outline a
few common challenges associated with cultural diversity, and then address ways to remedy these
concerns. For example, you might suggest your college offer a course in cultural competence or that
students from foreign countries be offered courses in American culture.

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Improving Cultural Diversity

Virtually every university lists diversity as a key goal, but embracing diversity can be challenging,
particularly at a school that has a history of not being diverse. Offer practical suggestions for how your
school might increase diversity. For example, your school might recruit students from historically black
high schools, publish application materials in multiple languages, offer scholarships to immigrants or set
specific diversity targets.

Highlighting a Specific Culture

No two cultures are alike, which is why cultural diversity brings so much to a college campus. Try
discussing the values and contributions of a specific culture. This idea can be particularly interesting if
that culture is either a constant presence on your campus or the victim of discrimination. For example, if
your school tends to be hostile toward people from the Middle East, you might pick a specific Middle
Eastern country and then talk about that country's culture.
References

University of Wisconsin: Benefits and Challenges of Diversity in Academic Settings

University of Central Florida: Cultural Diversity Speech

The College at Brockport: Seventh Annual Cultural Diversity Conference

Fort Hays State University: What is Cultural Diversity?

About the Author

Van Thompson is an attorney and writer. A former martial arts instructor, he holds bachelor's degrees in
music and computer science from Westchester University, and a juris doctor from Georgia State
University. He is the recipient of numerous writing awards, including a 2009 CALI Legal Writing Award.

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