(This blog is twice as long as usual)
Having done quite a few of these ‘gigs’, may I offer a few nuts and bolts of public speaking, on this trickiest of all subjects?
Ostensibly we might have been invited to speak, but in order to speak freely and say what we want to say fully, we need to get past the defence barriers. It’s like applying for permission to open up some taboo areas. Now, talking about abattoirs and meat eating is relatively straight forward (many in the audience are likely to be vegetarian or interested in trying) but as soon as we start to talk about dairy cows we seem to be attacking their chocolate, ice creams or the milk in their coffee, so we need to preface what we are going to say, by explaining why by products are involved with cruelty. Most people know very little about what happens on the dairy farm and even less about the biological process by which milk is produced and the ethical implications of that. But in very general terms it’s essential to state that dairy products are not good nutritionally. Since almost everyone uses milk products we need to moved gently, not in what we say but in how we say it. We have to pay attention to the tone in our voice, and the humour and self-deprecation in it. If we get that right most of the audience will like us enough to let us say what we want to say, even about ‘dairy misconceptions’. In my experience an audience will continue listening only as long as they like you!! We need to keep our voice even, almost neutral, if only to draw out questions and encourage discussion. That means looking into the audience (all the time) to spot anyone wanting to say something.
Speaker to audience or face to face is so potentially powerful that body language is everything. Our voice is a main connector so it mustn’t ever be shrill, but we also connect by body language and most importantly we must maintain eye contact all the time (which rules out making frequent downward references to notes. Although it’s possible to make hand-held cards to remind us of the route our talk while committing the main thread of the talk to memory).
We’re not all Bill Clinton, ace professional speaker, we’re simply expected to be honest, interesting and useful. Since we are taking people’s time and probably testing their patience too our material has to be well prepared and well presented, but again I emphasise the need to be liked. A speaker is trying to win acceptance from the audience while delivering information. An audience often likes a little outrage and challenge because they know this event is not run of the mill. It’s never meant to be a church sermon, just something to consider. However much agreement at a talk, as soon as it’s over it’s probably back to the eggs and bacon for breakfast. People aren’t usually quickly converted, because essentially we all feel free to eat what we like and think what we like. A vegan’s job is to remind others how much we are concerned for the animals. That concern we have for ‘the other’ reinforces a positive image for us as animal activists. Unlike a book which one can be put down and picked up again later, direct interaction with people who are willing to listen to us (but who might be feeling nasty reactions rising up from within) means we’ve got to show allowance and not be severe. When we’re promoting animal rights it’s best if we keep ourselves out of the way and become almost like a book, like an advisory.
You should never try finger-wagging – I’ve know speakers to lose a finger that way!
We need to show understanding for the other person’s struggle, preferably by referring to how it was for us when we were beginning; how our own change-over period was not that easy; how we made mistakes; how we took backward steps. A speaker who is vulnerable, instead of holier than thou, is more likeable. All this comes across as non-judgement. No one in the audience should ever feel judged by the speaker, therefore we should never ask the audience “who in the audience is already vegan or vegetarian?” No one should try asking this, it in my opinion. It makes us look as though we need to feel superior.
In order to be in touch with the way things are today we should consider this: that the same change-over that we made, perhaps some years before, is possibly harder now, because of the many competing pressures on people to change in so many ways. Self-development is a cause, the environment and social justice are causes, and animal rights is another great cause. Like others it struggles to make impact alongside the other causes. This one is much harder to identify with for most people, making our struggle with it all the harder. Especially when trying to win over our fellow humans to win our best chance to change things for the animals. Hopefully the audience (consumer, customer, meat connoisseur) eventually comes to their senses. They reach a point where they take the principles of veganism and animal rights seriously. Once they arrive at this point then we should do everything we can to show we need them. In fact we need big numbers to create enough momentum for change. We need enough people to put pressure on legislators to pass laws, to bring an end to this abuse of animals. To pull this off veganism needs to be seen to be attractive, significant and a meaningful way to the future. It’s up to today’s practising vegans to earn the sort of respect to become role models.
Ostensibly we might have been invited to speak, but in order to speak freely and say what we want to say fully, we need to get past the defence barriers. It’s like applying for permission to open up some taboo areas. Now, talking about abattoirs and meat eating is relatively straight forward (many in the audience are likely to be vegetarian or interested in trying) but as soon as we start to talk about dairy cows we seem to be attacking their chocolate, ice creams or the milk in their coffee, so we need to preface what we are going to say, by explaining why by products are involved with cruelty. Most people know very little about what happens on the dairy farm and even less about the biological process by which milk is produced and the ethical implications of that. But in very general terms it’s essential to state that dairy products are not good nutritionally. Since almost everyone uses milk products we need to moved gently, not in what we say but in how we say it. We have to pay attention to the tone in our voice, and the humour and self-deprecation in it. If we get that right most of the audience will like us enough to let us say what we want to say, even about ‘dairy misconceptions’. In my experience an audience will continue listening only as long as they like you!! We need to keep our voice even, almost neutral, if only to draw out questions and encourage discussion. That means looking into the audience (all the time) to spot anyone wanting to say something.
Speaker to audience or face to face is so potentially powerful that body language is everything. Our voice is a main connector so it mustn’t ever be shrill, but we also connect by body language and most importantly we must maintain eye contact all the time (which rules out making frequent downward references to notes. Although it’s possible to make hand-held cards to remind us of the route our talk while committing the main thread of the talk to memory).
We’re not all Bill Clinton, ace professional speaker, we’re simply expected to be honest, interesting and useful. Since we are taking people’s time and probably testing their patience too our material has to be well prepared and well presented, but again I emphasise the need to be liked. A speaker is trying to win acceptance from the audience while delivering information. An audience often likes a little outrage and challenge because they know this event is not run of the mill. It’s never meant to be a church sermon, just something to consider. However much agreement at a talk, as soon as it’s over it’s probably back to the eggs and bacon for breakfast. People aren’t usually quickly converted, because essentially we all feel free to eat what we like and think what we like. A vegan’s job is to remind others how much we are concerned for the animals. That concern we have for ‘the other’ reinforces a positive image for us as animal activists. Unlike a book which one can be put down and picked up again later, direct interaction with people who are willing to listen to us (but who might be feeling nasty reactions rising up from within) means we’ve got to show allowance and not be severe. When we’re promoting animal rights it’s best if we keep ourselves out of the way and become almost like a book, like an advisory.
You should never try finger-wagging – I’ve know speakers to lose a finger that way!
We need to show understanding for the other person’s struggle, preferably by referring to how it was for us when we were beginning; how our own change-over period was not that easy; how we made mistakes; how we took backward steps. A speaker who is vulnerable, instead of holier than thou, is more likeable. All this comes across as non-judgement. No one in the audience should ever feel judged by the speaker, therefore we should never ask the audience “who in the audience is already vegan or vegetarian?” No one should try asking this, it in my opinion. It makes us look as though we need to feel superior.
In order to be in touch with the way things are today we should consider this: that the same change-over that we made, perhaps some years before, is possibly harder now, because of the many competing pressures on people to change in so many ways. Self-development is a cause, the environment and social justice are causes, and animal rights is another great cause. Like others it struggles to make impact alongside the other causes. This one is much harder to identify with for most people, making our struggle with it all the harder. Especially when trying to win over our fellow humans to win our best chance to change things for the animals. Hopefully the audience (consumer, customer, meat connoisseur) eventually comes to their senses. They reach a point where they take the principles of veganism and animal rights seriously. Once they arrive at this point then we should do everything we can to show we need them. In fact we need big numbers to create enough momentum for change. We need enough people to put pressure on legislators to pass laws, to bring an end to this abuse of animals. To pull this off veganism needs to be seen to be attractive, significant and a meaningful way to the future. It’s up to today’s practising vegans to earn the sort of respect to become role models.
No comments:
Post a Comment