Public Speaking by Fire

By Casey Martinez, Treasurer of Kansas City Dog Advocates

If you would have told me a year ago that I would be spending nearly one night a week for several months speaking in front of city officials, I would have crawled under a rock, never to return to the cruel, judgmental world that awaited me. Public speaking was not completely foreign to me as I had done plenty of it in college and at work before I decided to be a stay-at-home mom but there were several elements that absolutely terrified me.

First, it had been several years since I had spoke in front of a group and it was never my favorite thing to do. The second thing that made my stomach flip-flop was the fact that I had put these public officials on a pedestal and had concluded that they were smarter than me and they knew it. What could I possibly have to say that would interest them? The biggest obstacle, however, was the fact that the issue at hand was something that I believed in down to my very core. What if they didn’t listen? Would I be able to live with myself if we didn’t “win”?

The one thing that I learned about myself through college and my professional life is that I do a lot better with anything, and particularly public speaking, if I am very prepared. I truly envy people that can speak effectively in front of a group with little or no preparation. Realizing that speaking without preparation is not an option for me, I went to my first city council meeting with what I was going to say, written down word for word. I did my best not to read, made inflections where I could, and as nervous as I was, felt really good about standing up for something I believed in. I became more and more confident, relying on my notes less and less after each consecutive opportunity that I had to speak.

My preparation method, however, did not change. For me, the preparation phase is the key factor in being a successful public speaker. I begin by picking a topic and then I thoroughly research the topic that I am going to address. After the research is complete, I write down (word for word) what I am going to say. I then practice it in front of the mirror and in front of my husband and three-year-old daughter. Practicing out loud is absolutely essential because things that are said out loud sound different than words that are just being read silently. Creating a summary/outline is the last thing I do. I basically just bullet point each thing I am going to talk about so that I rely less on the paper since I have a tendency to read if I have it all written down.

That all being said, the most important thing for someone that is not comfortable speaking in front of a group is to have some sort of visual aid. If allowed, the most powerful & effective tool you can have is a PowerPoint presentation. A PowerPoint presentation does several things. It takes everyone’s eyes off of you which solves the biggest fear that most of us have – we don’t want everyone looking at us!! The second thing it does is it forces us to look up rather than down at our notes but at the same time allows for bullet points within the presentation which keeps you on track. I cannot tell you how much this has helped me. Unfortunately, they do not always allow this type of presentation. In the event that you cannot use PowerPoint, I would highly recommend some sort of visual even if it is a poster board with pictures or bullet points that you can put on an easel. If you do it this way, it is essential that your visual aid is professionaly done. You want to look like an expert – not a high school student in speech class.

As mentioned before one of my biggest fears came out of a misconception of public officials. I saw them sitting in their big chairs with their minds already made up. I have been pleasantly surprised that although this is true with a few public officials, the majority of them actually care about what their constituents think. Nick Swearngin, my city council representative in Lee’s Summit, has given me the most confidence. Nick always emails back, always calls back, calls or emails when something new is going on, even drove to my house to get material on one occasion, and genuinely appreciates being informed by his constituents in an educated manner. It is extremely empowering to “have an official’s ear”, know that they are listening & that they care, and that they have your back.

Another thing that was extremely important to making me more comfortable was watching the public officials listen and react to other people that spoke. Very few of them are sitting up there in judgement, waiting for you to make a mistake. Most of them were looking at their constituents like a parent or teacher would look at a child: most of them want you to do well and have no expectations of you being a expert at public speaking.

My biggest hesitation about public speaking on breed specific legislation actually turned into an inspiration after I got over the initial jitters. I was initially deeply concerned that no matter what I said, they already had their minds made up, and that I would fail. What actually happened was quite different. First, we succeeded in changing quite a few minds. Once properly educated on this subject, most city officials recognized that BSL was not the way to go & this was extremely empowering. We could not change everyone’s mind and although it was extremely frustrating, I have grown up through this process enough to know that some people are just ugly and chose to stick their head in the mud for one reason or another.

The most important thing that took the sting out of the possibility of failure, however, was that “I” quickly became “we” when I discovered how many animal lovers were out there that were willing to stand up for what was right. I knew right away that I was not in this alone. I have met some of the most wonderful people that I’ve ever known and found a core group of friends that truly believe strongly in the same things that I do. I would go through all the nerves and butterflies again just knowing it was possible to create such a strong, bonded group of people because of our common beliefs.

So… here are the lessons I learned in regards to public speaking…

Prepare, prepare, PREPARE!!
Take advantage of PowerPoint anytime you can.
Never underestimate your voice as an average citizen.
Never hesitate to contact your local officials about anything that concerns you.
Most people want you to do well.
You won’t change everyone’s mind at one time but you will change a few.
While standing up for what you believe in, you might just meet some really cool people along the way.

I’ve written this with the hope that it will help someone out there that might not normally have the confidence to speak in a public setting. I cannot tell you how important it is for all of us to speak out about the animal welfare issues that concern us and I guarantee that if you give yourself a chance, you will be pleasantly surprised at the difference you can make in your community.

1 06/05/2007 02:53:25.863 PM