Briefly discuss how a speaker might apply Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to a persuasive speech on getting students to volunteer for a charity. Discuss at least two specific ways it might be used

What will be an ideal response

First, the speaker must determine which needs on the hierarchy are relevant to the topic, and which needs on the hierarchy are important to his or her audience. If it can be assumed that the lower needs (physiological and safety) are generally met, then the speaker may look to a higher need, such as social or self-actualization needs. Then, the speaker determines how his or her proposition can fulfill that need. For the topic of charity, an appeal to a safety need might emphasize the future possibility that the student or his or her family might someday need the services of that particular charity. This could be accomplished by pointing to other similar people who have needed it in the past. An additional appeal might be to one's self-esteem need, which might use positive visualization to help the student feel good about him- or herself through volunteering.