Page 188 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

Chapter 6 Adapting to Your Audience 155

Exhibit 6.4
Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs
Growth
Self-actualization
Needs

Self-esteem and social esteem
Deficiency
Needs
Belongingness and love

Safety needs

Biological needs

Generally, speeches contrary to a majority of audience members’ expecta-
tions may backfi re or, at the very least, be apathetically received. For example,
we once attended a graduation ceremony where the speaker used the oppor-
tunity to preach his view on “political correctness.” Families and friends were
there to honor and celebrate the graduates’ accomplishments, but they were
instead treated to a political statement. Whereas such an address might have
been appropriate at a meeting of the faculty senate, it missed the mark for the
assembled graduates and their guests. The fact that the audience prematurely
applauded and shouted loudly at what they thought was the conclusion of the defi ciency needs
speech reinforced how inappropriate the speech was. Basic human needs,
which must be satis-
fi ed before higher-order
Needs
needs can be met. They
Needs are physical and mental states that motivate us to behave in ways that include needs for food,
lead to their satisfaction. Abraham Maslow wrote that we experience two sets of water, air, physical safety,
belonging ness and love,
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personal needs: defi ciency needs and growth needs. Defi ciency needs are
and self-esteem and
basic human needs. Growth needs are higher-order human needs. Maslow
social esteem.
arranged these two sets of needs in the form of a hierarchy to show that our
defi ciency needs must be satisfied routinely before our growth needs become growth needs

important to us. Higher-order human
As Exhibit 6.4 indicates, there are four sets of deficiency needs: (1) biological needs, which can be

needs, such as food, water, and air; (2) safety needs, such as protection from physi- satisfi ed only after defi -
cal harm; (3) belongingness and love needs, such as a child’s need for the love of a ciency needs have been
parent; and (4) self-esteem and social-esteem needs, which involve believing in our met. They include self-
self-worth and fi nding confi rmation of that belief from others. Growth needs actualization (the process
are not as straightforward as defi ciency needs. They include self-actualization, of fully realizing one’s
potential), knowledge
knowledge and understanding, and aesthetic needs. Self-actualization is the
and understanding, and
most commonly discussed growth need. According to Maslow, self-actualization
aesthetic needs.
is the process of fully realizing one’s potential. Self-actualized people not only