The students in our sample confirmed the importance of the master need of understanding. Speakers attempted to help their listeners understand a wide range of subject matter, explaining such things as cloning, genetic testing, and the legal and moral issues involved in sexual harassment. Apparently, we all need to understand the world and the people around us, so we look for the causes of events and try to figure out why people act as they do. This curiosity may also explain the appeal of foreign travel and cross- cultural comparisons. One student talked about what she had learned in a cultural exchange visit to China. Another compared holiday customs in Mexico and the United States. This suggests that you can make almost any topic interesting to your audience if you can show them how understanding it might empower them. Speeches that emphasize the need for understanding are typically informative.
Dec 07
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