Public speaking events

It’s a different approach when we’re public speaking. We have a whole block of time where we are being expected to speak and entertain. The idea of a public address is to inform and have visual aids to help get information across. But we should also be setting ourselves up to be knocked down, to take questions that put us on the spot. If we are addressing a group, as opposed to having a casual conversation with someone, we are speaking to a subject on invitation, in detail. Specifically we are there to air a whole raft of ideas on the subject we’ve been asked to speak about. It’s a good idea to have a simple programme of what is going to be covered in the talk, handed out before the talk takes place.
When public speaking we are attempting to reach two types: those who want to hear and those who don’t or at least who don’t necessarily agree with us. We owe the first group the best we can offer, but the second group is the main challenge. They usually help us realise our shortcomings because they might want to pose difficult questions to catch us out. For our part, we must make sure we’ve done our homework and can justify what we are saying. But just as important, our arguments should be able to spark their imagination and ultimately swing them around. What we’re not there to do is to try to make them feel guilty about health issues or for supporting factory farms, we’re trying to paint a picture of a bright future ahead, where animals aren’t being exploited and where we might enjoy a plant-based diet. Up beat raher than confronting. Obviously we have to believe in our own arguments but we must also promote them optimistically … and have our facts and references at hand, talk with some authority about health issues, ethics, farming, the environmental angle, world hunger and vivisection, give directions to useful web sites and books, etc – all this, so that no one can accuse us of being too emotional, uninformed or unprofessional. Or indeed uninteresting or not useful. A talk should be worth giving up ones time to attend.
A talk shouldn’t last more than 20-30 minutes, and the same amount of time should be made available for questions and comments from the floor – some want to ask questions but some quite validly want to make comments. A timer is useful for keeping to the set times announced at the outset, so that everyone knows when it’s all going to finish. A really good idea is to have something to eat and drink afterwards so that, for those who do want to stay a bit longer, they can have an informal meeting. It’s often a time to catch up with friends. It’s also a great opportunity to introduce some tasty vegan snacks and have available further information for those interested - books, booklets and fact sheets, even DVDs and merchandise. But may I suggest that if it’s all kept as far as possible free-to-attend and have only a donation box available to cover any costs, then the event won’t look like a money-grubbing exercise. Our motives, for going to the trouble to set up and run this sort of event should appear to be pure.