演講深入淺出的藝術
14:57
某些演講的主題，不一定是個人的經驗談，而可能是知識的傳播與探討，這時就需要深入做一些研究，以呈現知識正確與完整的面貌。在我們Competent Communication Manual （初階會員演講手冊）裡的第七單元（C7），就是教大家用研究資料來讓自己的演講更具知識的價值。我們的小帥哥 John Lo 是元智大學電機系三年級的學生，他以soda can (汽水罐)為例，從他的研究中發覺汽水罐的形狀是圓柱形設計，有其實用、省空間、省成本的理論根據，他深入淺出的介紹汽水罐的設計原理，使大家聽得津津有味。他的講稿中的用詞遣字有許多可以讓大家學習的地方，他也成了例會在場的三位武陵高中小學妹偶像，大家都希望以後英文能像John 一樣棒。接下來讓我們一起來看John 的演講。
Soda Cans (C7 Speech by John Lo, Speech objective: Research
Your Topic)
A can of
soda. It’s just what you need to brighten up your day. It’s a must-have when partying
with friends. And when you want to make a toast but couldn’t get wine, soda cans
got your back. Filled with liquid happiness, and a whole bunch of ingenious
design. Ingenious? Why yes! A soda can may seem like nothing compared to your
cars, your computers, or your smartphones. But it is no less a product of
engineering. Whoever invented the soda can didn’t just sit in his bathtub and
yelled “Eureka!” No. Every part of this can was meticulously designed by men.
First, let’s take a look at
its shape. It’s a cylinder. Nothing special there, or is it? We’re so used to
seeing these cans in our everyday lives, so we don’t really question why it’s
made this way. Why do you suppose they chose a cylinder? Why not put the soda
in a ball? A ball has the least surface area, which means it’s cheaper to
produce. Plus, a ball has no corners, meaning it has no weak points, making it
easier to transport. It is the perfect container strength-wise and cost-wise! So
why isn’t this can made in the shape of a ball? Why not? Well, it turns out when
you try to stack them up for transportation, they leave too much empty space in
between. 26 percent to be exact. Not exactly cost-efficient. Besides, the
container easily rolls off the table. Customers are not going to like that. So,
if not a ball, what then? Well, how about a box? Stacked boxes leave no empty
space, right? That is true. But a box has corners and a much larger surface
area, so now we’re sacrificing the strength of the container and the low-cost
of production. So, what did the people who invented soda can do? Well, they
compromised. They took the best of the ball and the box, and put them together.
And so we have the cylinder! From the top, it’s a circle; from the side, it’s a
rectangle. It is easily stacked, creating only 9 percent of empty space when
tightly packed. And it requires less material than a box.
The second genius
of the soda can lies in the stay-on tab. I’m talking about this little thing
right here. When you open a soda can, it seems like you’re doing one thing. But
what you’re actually doing is two thing: the <pssch> and the <pop>.
That <pssch> you just heard is made by the pressurized gas leaving the
can. You see, on the top of the can right here, there is a little rivet
securing the tab onto the can. When you lift that tab, it acts like a second
class lever, with the fulcrum to one side; and the load in the middle. So by
lifting the tab, you’re actually lifting the rivet: the rivet being the load,
and the tip of the tab being the fulcrum. When you apply enough force, the
rivet pops up, venting the air inside the can, thereby removing the pressure inside.
And now we enter the second phase, the <pop>. The moment the can goes <pssch>,
the tab changes into a first class lever, with the fulcrum in the middle and
the load at the side. Now, the rivet is the fulcrum, and the can’s lid is the
load. When you pull the tab forward, the tab pushes down on the scored part of
the can’s lid. And…<pop>the can is opened. You might be wondering: “What
is the point of venting the air? Why the <pssch>?” The answer to that
question is, a can that is not vented has a pressure of 2 to 3 atmospheric
pressure inside. Without venting the air, you would need to exert more force to
open the can, therefore the tab would need to be a lot bigger, and thus much
more expensive.
You see, nothing about this
can was randomly chosen. So the next time you drink a can of soda, don’t just
chug it down. Take a closer look at what you’re holding in your hand. It may
not seem like much, but this is the product that went through generations of
evolution. It is the brainchild of human ingenuity. True. It’s no rocket
science. The soda can was not designed with aerodynamics in mind. It didn’t
save lives or push the frontier of human technologies. But it did revolutionize
a part of our lives, however small that part may be. Thank you.
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