## Step 3 - Speaking

Look at the sign. This is a quote commonly attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt.
What do you think the message is?

In this article you read reviews, opinions about the message on the sign. Do you agree?
Write down three examples of people you know who are 'great, average and small' and give
some examples of the things that they usually talk about.
Example:

My grandma is a small person because she’s always talking about her neighbours and what they are doing. But then consider why the person has a conversation about other people. She probably spends a long time talking about other people because she doesn’t read newspapers to find out about new ideas. She isn’t interested in new ideas because she says that she has seen everything!

Now you have an idea about the message of the sign.

- Discussing people here means to talk about a person, typically in a negative, gossipy way.
- Discussing events means to talk about the events happening around the world.
- Discussing ideas means to understand the higher level messages behind an event, to understand human behaviour, to look beyond what’s given, and to find solutions to help the world.

Discuss with a classmate about the following questions.

1. Compare the examples you both wrote down about people you know.
2. What about you? Are you “great/average or small”?
3. What do you think are the consequences of being a small person all of your life?
4. Do you think that this will change with age?
5. Does everyone have to talk about great ideas?