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140 cause and effect topics
142 good cause and effect topics
Cause and effect ideas for speeches and essays
By: Susan Dugdale | Last modified: 01-10-2023
Cause and effect topics explore actions and their consequent reactions.
They explain why something happened.
For instance, cause and effect
analysis helps us understand questions or topics like:
- Why does the
sun set?
- What are the consequences of being popular?
- Why was there
another World War (1939 – 1945) after World War One (1914 - 1918),
which was supposed to be the ‘War to End All Wars’?
Anything, and everything, can be looked at in terms of cause and effect.
There are 142 themed good cause and effect topics here - suitable for
either a speech or an essay.
In addition, there's explanations of terms, examples and other material to help you prepare the best speech or essay you possibly can.
Challenge yourself! Choose a topic that connects in a real way with your audience and make your assignment count. ☺
Use the index to navigate this long page easily
What are causes? What are effects?
A cause is the catalyst setting up, triggering, or initiating a
response. It always comes first.
The response or result is the effect
or consequence of the cause. It always follows.
Here’s a very simple example.
When the door slammed shut on my
finger, I yelped in pain.
The cause is the ‘why’ preceding,
coming before, the effect, the ‘what’.
‘The door slammed shut on my finger’
is the cause, or the reason why 'I yelped in pain’.
‘I yelped in pain’ is the effect or
what happened as a consequence of the cause.
Cause and effect cannot exist without each other
Either one cannot exist without the other. There is no effect
without a cause or a cause without an effect.
Absolutely everything
is part of an ongoing causal chain: cause followed by effect followed
by cause followed by effect, followed by...
The causal chain: ongoing cause and effect
To illustrate here’s my 'the-door-slammed-on-my-finger' example continued. The effect becomes the
cause giving rise to a new effect. And so, it rolls on.
When I yelped in pain, (cause) I gave
my colleague such a fright she spilled her coffee. (effect)
When she spilled her coffee (cause) it
splashed all over the notes she was getting ready to take to a meeting. (effect)
Because her notes were covered in
coffee stains, (cause) she had to print them out again. (effect)
Because she had to print them out
again, (cause) she was late for her meeting. (effect)
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Cause and effect analysis - Fish Bone Diagram
An effect may have one or multiple causes, and one cause may have
multiple consequences.
For example, the outbreak of World War
Two (the effect) did not have a single cause. Although the actual
declaration of war between Britain and Germany was triggered by
Germany invading Poland, that was just the immediate cause – the one prior to the event. Many more preceded it.
A fish bone diagram, a visual analytical tool, also known as an Ishikawa diagram after the man who invented it, will help you get a good clear overview of a complex topic like this one.
As you can see, the diagram takes its name from the skeleton of a fish.
Each major ‘bone’
arising from either side of its central ‘back bone’ represents
one broad category or cause. Each of these categories or causes can
be broken down into smaller ‘bones’ - a sub-set of causes within the major ones.
They all combine to cause the event named in the rectangle representing
the head of the fish.
Cause and effect analysis World War Two
The diagram clearly shows there were many more reasons aside from Germany invading Poland that led to another world war, only twenty-one years after the end of the first.
The initial cause was the way the
defeated countries were dealt with by the victors and how the victors
treated one another at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 where the details of the Treaty of Versailles were worked out.
Italy and Japan, allies of Britain,
France and America, were dissatisfied with their outcomes while the
conditions of the Treaty that Germany was forced to
sign were deliberately humiliating. That simmering discontent
eventually emerged as the rise of fascism in Italy, Nazism in Germany
and statism (a mix of
nationalism, militarism and “state
capitalism”) in
Japan.
And that's only part the story: the beginning. To give the full picture we have to add the categories or causes, as yet unmentioned: the failure of the League of Nations, the Great Depression, expansionism and the policy of appeasement.
Get a printable blank fishbone diagram
A completed fish bone diagram will give you an outline of the body of your
speech or essay. It makes preparing your text, the words you're going to say or write, so much easier!
Add the conclusion and an opening and you’re ready to
rehearse it.
Once you've chosen your topic get a printable blank fishbone diagram for your own use.
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Useful words and phrases for cause and effect topics
Words that communicate the relationship between causes and their
effects are called signal words.
They’re signalling (telling)
listeners (or readers) to connect the cause(s) with the effect(s).
Signal words make it easier for them to understand what is being
said. For that reason, you’ll want to use them in the piece you’re
preparing.
Here are three examples. The signal words are highlighted.
As a result of his thorough preparation, he easily passed the test.
Because it’s raining, we’ve
cancelled the picnic.
Due to Covid, we’ve been working from
home.
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The benefits of cause and effect topics for speeches or
essays
Why do your teachers set cause and effect topics? (And the answer is not because they absolutely adore assessing their student's work. ☺)
It's because cause and effect assignments will help you:
- learn to think critically and
logically
- learn to dive deeper into a
subject – to go beyond the superficial, to be curious, to ask why
rather than be satisfied with an initial, sometimes overly simple,
explanation
- learn to systematically analyze
a problem rather than be overwhelmed by it and not know where to
start
- learn to make and test
connections to see how things work, or don’t work, together
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Crooked cause and effect thinking
Because a cause comes before an event, we might be tempted to think a particular cause is the reason the event occurs. It may seem logical. But that is an assumption, one that is not always either trustworthy or the full story!
For example:
We all wore the same blue dresses and therefore we all passed our
exams.
Really? Is wearing blue dresses why you
all passed?
Did you all revise and study for the
examination?
Did you all come refreshed, on time and
ready to do your best?
That you all wore blue dresses is
immaterial - a false correlation that has no bearing on the outcome.
It is co-incidental!
Or:
It was raining when he crashed the car.
Did the rain cause him to crash? Or were there other reasons that could have played a part?
Was he
driving too fast?
Was he over tired or over wrought?
Maybe he’d worked a double shift or had a major argument.
Was he driving under the influence of
either a drug or alcohol?
Was he a licensed driver?
Could he see clearly?
What was the condition of the road?
Was there stock on the road? Escaped cattle from a farm bordering the road?
Had the car been serviced recently?
Were the brakes working as they should?
Both are examples of logical fallacy: a faulty cause and effect connection. A fallacy is a mistaken
belief based on unsound arguments and in these instances, the logic was flawed.
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21 personal cause and effect essay or speech topics
Use these personal cause and effects essay/speech topics to explore
your own experiences. Share the positive and the negative aspects to
give a balanced response.
- The impact of having a single
mother or father
- The impact of being an only child
- The impact of having red hair or
some other physical attribute that causes you to stand out from
other children
- The impact of playing a sport on
physical and mental health
- The impact of being a middle child
- The impact of being the child of
older parents
- The consequences of being anxious
- The consequences of being poor
- The impact of being popular
- The consequences of being
neuro-diverse – having a brain that functions differently to what
is generally considered 'normal'
- The impact of telling a lie
- The impact or consequences of
being a refugee
- The effect of having a pet
- The consequence of consciously
setting goals
- The effect of having an after
school job
- The consequences of having been
home schooled
- The results of overcoming a
limiting fear – for example public speaking, water,
- Why some people become bullies
- The effect of being stereotyped
because of where you come from, your language, and the clothes you
wear
- The personal positive impact a
person, book, song, or movie has had on you
- How the pandemic changed your life
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31 education and society cause and effect topics
These topics ask you to examine the causes and effects shaping
education and society.
- How a school's social standing or
reputation effects its students
- Why are some people tempted to
cheat on a test, or an exam?
- How social media has changed how
we interact with each other
- Why the concept of a 'typical'
family is under threat
- Why sending people to prison is
not going to help them change
- Why the sustainable fashion
movement is necessary
- Why we need to pay people a living
wage
- Why the voting rate is falling
- How poor housing reinforces poor
behavior
- How educational success underpins
personal success
- Why all schools should have
uniforms for their students to wear
- The impact that the pressure to
get good grades has
- How food insecurity impacts
behavior
- What's causing so many people to
live on the street or in their cars?
- How smiling (or scowling!) changes
how we feel
- Why smart phones are necessary
- The rise of online classes and the
impact it has
- How teachers impact on their
students
- How instant communication via
smart phones leads to reactive rather than thoughtful responses
- How being around and personally
witnessing regular violence normalises it
- How being part of a gang can be
vital for survival
- The rise of influencers and their
impact
- How feminism has changed the way
we think and live
- How community housing, gardening,
schooling, or food co-op ...initiatives make a positive difference
- The causes and impact of the
spread of fake news and alternate facts
- How social media has normalised
cancel culture
- How being a man is harder than it
was 60 years ago
- Why a social welfare catch net is
necessary
- What causes students to drop out
of school?
- How do school shootings impact
communities?
- The ‘woke’
revolution/phenomena – its causes and effects
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25 environmental cause and effect topics
It’s a small world after all! What happens on one side of it
effects the other. These topics look at issues around how we
understand, live with and manage our natural resources.
- How plastics effect marine life
- How using/burning fossil fuels add
to our climate change problems
- How being able to buy carbon
credits is nonsensical
- How the current rate of
deforestation is unsustainable
- How mono-cropping can cause
problems
- How sustainable farming practices
are healthier for people and our environment
- How owning land gives a person the
right to do with it what they wish
- Why we need to stop eating animal
proteins
- How food waste is one of our
biggest environmental problems
- The 'before and after' impact of
the rise of water bottling industry
- What are the real reasons behind
the increased risk of famine, droughts, floods or forest fires?
- How does the weather effect
people? Does it alter their moods?
- How accepting 'ugly' fruit and
vegetables will lessen the amount of food we waste
- How changing natural habitats like
forests, grasslands and mangroves into land for agricultural use
increases the loss of bio-diversity
- How electric vehicles will help
lessen air pollution
- A detailed 'before and after'
example of how sustainable farming practices have positively changed
the environment
- How plants communicate with each
other
- How fast fashion contributes to
climate change problems
- The cause and effect of holes in
the ozone layer
- Why dumping toxic waste of any
sort anywhere should be a crime
- How to change climate change one
person and one step at a time (Things an individual can do to make a
difference.)
- How noise pollution in the
environment damages physical and mental health
- How ‘green washing’ adds to
and prolongs environmental damage
- How climate/environmental activism
makes a positive difference
- How traces of toxic chemicals are
unavoidable in the foods we eat
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22 history cause and effect topics
Danish philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard is frequently
given the credit for the saying: ‘Life
can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.’
In essence, it’s about the dilemma of only being able to get a
clear overview of an event once it is passed yet having to live in the present. Hindsight – the
ability to look back and reflect on the past, to see and analyze the
patterns of action and reaction, helps us understand why we are where
we are now.
- What were the main causes and
effects of the development of the first printing press?
- What was the cause and impact of
previous pandemics for example, The Black Death in 14th
century Europe, or the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19?
- What were the causes and main
impacts of the Great Depression 1929 – 39?
- What were the drivers behind the
work of the early feminists like Emmeline Pankhurst or Florence
Nightingale? What impact did their work have?
- What lay behind the work of the
early abolitionists? What drove them?
- What were the main causes and
effects of the Temperance Movement in USA?
- What caused the Irish Potato
Famine of 1845-1849?
- What was the cause and effect of
the 1941 Japanese bomber attack on Pearl Harbour, Honolulu?
- What are the principal causes and effects of the Civil Rights Movement?
- What are the causes and effects of colonialism?
- What were the principal causes and
effects of the rise of Nazism in Germany?
- What were the main causes and
effects of the US dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki?
- What were the causes and effects
of having modern plumbing in houses?
- What were the causes and effects
of developing contraceptives?
- What were the causes and effects
of women gaining the right to have their own bank accounts?
- What were the main causes and
effects of harnessing electricity for domestic and public use?
- What were the main causes and
effects of discovering penicillin?
- What were the main causes and
effects of developing safe anesthetics?
- What were the main causes and
effects of the advent of the internet?
- What were the main causes and
effects of developing nanotechnology?
- What are the main causes and
effects of DNA
testing and sequencing?
- What are the main causes and
effects of online shopping?
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14 natural science cause and effect topics
How does our natural world work?
Why are there stars in the sky?
If
the earth is spinning so fast, why don’t we fall off?
What
fascinates you about where we live? Use these topics as a starting
point to find one you want to explore.
- The cause and effect of the tides
- The cause and effect of the shapes
and types of clouds in the sky
- Why volcanoes erupt
- Why an earthquake occurs
- The impact of music on plants
- Why and how rock of varying types
are made
- Why some animals, birds, fish and
insects migrate
- Why the seasons occur
- Why does it rain?
- What creates (causes) specific
environmental communities
- What causes a lightning strike
- The cause and effect of rivers on
their environment
- What adaptions do plants, insects
or animals make in order to live and survive in their environments
- What causes a plant, bird, animal,
insect or fish to become extinct?
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27 medical cause and effect topics
All of these topics relate to the science or practice of medicine.
- Why an eating disorder is a cry
for help
- Why junk food is so good and so
bad all at the same time
- How sedentary lifestyles
contribute to ill health
- How lack of access to
contraceptives effects the quality of people's lives
- How refusing vaccines keeps
potentially lethal diseases circulating in communities
- How the lack of medical insurance
limits the quality of care a person receives
- How continuing to make and sell
tobacco products impacts on communities
- The benefits of medicinal cannabis
- How natural medicines can be
effective treatments
- How to cope with any of the health
issues that effect many teenagers: acne, growing pains, body image
anxieties, alcohol and drug use, depression ...
- The causes of diabetes
- The causes of stroke
- The causes of a heart attack
- The impact of poor sanitation
- The impact of not getting enough
sleep
- The impact of how we think on
physical well being
- The impact of placebos – why and
how they do or don’t work
- How affordable protheses (external
or internal body part substitutes) change lives
- How increasing air pollution is
causing an increase in asthma
- How habitual overeating causes
significant health issues
- How communicable diseases spread
- The cause and effect of eating a
Mediterranean diet
- The real impact of over
prescribing medications
- How green spaces are necessary for
people’s well-being
- How the arts: music, dance, art,
theatre... are essential for sustaining good mental and physical
health
- How ignorance and superstition
keeps questionable traditional practices going
- How poverty effects mental and
physical health
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Download the printable blank Fish Bone Diagram
To download a pdf of the blank printable fish bone diagram for your own use click the DOWNLOAD button below.
Please note – be sure to change your
page setting to landscape before you press print. The diagram will
not display properly if the page is set to portrait.
How to complete your fish bone diagram
Enter your chosen topic’s result/event/effect in the blank
rectangle (the head of the fish) on the right of the page.
Now enter the names of the major causes
that led to the effect in the rectangles at the top and bottom of the
diagram. Think about the order they come in. Put the first causes in
the rectangles on far left of the page, then the next and then the
ones just prior to the effect.
Use the lines below each of ‘main
cause’ rectangles to list secondary causes arising from it.
If you need to, refer back to my
completed example to see how it works.
Go to: Fish bone diagram World War Two
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Other resources
-
How to write a speech – a detailed guide, with examples, to take
you from topic to text, which includes a blank printable
speech outline document for your own use.
- How to rehearse – getting the words
sorted out is only part of the process. Learn how to deliver them
effectively by rehearsing or practicing your speech.
And a useful reference: Cause
and Effect: Definition, Meaning, and Examples (prowritingaid.com)
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