Motive: why you're saying it

For once this lesson isn't all about you! No need to look so relieved, you still have some learning to go. So we've covered how you say your speech, what your saying and when you say it but what about why you're saying it?

Your motive (why you're delivering your speech) is pretty straightforward: you want to get a good mark and share your knowledge.

But what about the people who deliver speeches to you? What's their motive? What do they want to achieve when their talking to you and how does that affect their three M's (matter, manner and method).

It's crucial that you understand why you're being spoken to, otherwise the speaker can manipulate you into only hearing what they want you to hear. You need to be able to read between the lines and figure out the overall purpose of their speech.

So let's dive right in! We've put together a series of 4 videos delivered by completely different people at completely different times. Each speaker has a different motive for giving their speech and as a result they shape their 3 M's to serve their purpose. Your job is to watch 3 minutes of each video and identify the speaker's motive for giving the speech then explain how that affects their Matter, Manner and Motive. You can write this down on a piece paper, your notebook, or a palm card if you want to test yourself later.

Don't worry if you don't understand some of the words being used, try and focus on the words you do understand and ask your classmates or teacher for help if you're still confused (especially with the black and white videos)

Motive Challenge: Pros and Cons

You'll notice that every speaker made the most of their knowledge of public speaking to get their point across. Winston Churchill considered what his audience wanted to hear, and shaped his method to make sure he phrased things in a way that would bring pride to the nation. Emma Watson made sure to form a strong bond between her identity and her matter, making personal connections to the topic to make it clear why her point was important. Charlie Chaplin's character (Hynkel) controls his manner to be emotional and humble, to makes sure he doesn't come across as deceitful or selfish. Finally, Eddie Woo shapes his method and manner to be welcoming and casual, to make sure his matter (maths) doesn't come across as scary or unapproachable.

Now it's your turn. Pick any subject that you study in school (no, recess does not count) and write down some simple facts about it. For example:

English

-involves lots of writing
-we study different books
-the teacher gives us writing prompts.

Pretty straight forward right? All of those things are undeniably true. Here's the tricky bit: your job is to twist those facts into being both negative and positive examples. Afterall, your motive could be that you never want to do english again (making you discuss those facts in a negative way) or it could be your favourite subject (causing you to put a positive spin on things). For example:

English

-involves lots of writing
pro: writing improves fine motor skills and dexterity
con: writing is a waste of time because of the technological advancements we've made

-we study different books
pro: studying a mix of books gives us a well rounded perspective
con: studying different books confuses us by presenting conflicting views

-the teacher gives us writing prompts.
pro: writing prompts help us to be more creative with our writing
con: writing prompts are too open-ended so they stress out students.

Now that you and your partner have decided on the pros and cons of each fact you've got to battle it out! You and your partner must pick a different side to each other (either pro or con) and debate each point to see who's motivation makes for a stronger argument.

For instance, you can say english improves handwriting and they could say it only gives you hand cramps.

You can each write a short speech to persuade your partner of your
point or you can just go back and forth with arguments and counter-arguments. At the end of the battle (once you've gone through each point and argued the positive and negative) you and your partner can decide who the ultimate motive challenge winner is.

*should be done in pairs

So, what's so special about motive?

You did it! You've made it through your fouth communication lesson with grow your voice! Just before you go, pick a page in your workbook and write down everything you want to remember from this lesson

It doesn't matter if its a mindmap, a list, a comic strip or url to one of the videos make sure you've got some solid proof that you now know all about motive.

If you're feeling especially confident get your teacher or parent to submit your work to growyourvoiceyouth@gmail.com so we can put it up here as an example!

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