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. 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 some day 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.