How to speak at Public Meetings

Speaking at a public meeting is one important part of being an active citizen in a democracy… it is also pretty scary if you haven’t done it before.

Here is a quick start guide to speaking at a public meeting. Your mileage may vary a lot depending on where you are speaking… definitely do your own local homework!

You will be restricted on time. It is better to run short than long (you will likely get cut off). Find out the time limit (in my local school district, 2 minutes is the default with your time reduced to 1 minute if there are a lot of speakers on a specific agenda item. Always plan as if you will have the shortest time slot.
Write your statement down. Practice it. Time it. Short is better than long. Don’t be subtle. Be right to the point.
Have one ask. Ask the the board or panel or council to do something … ideally something they can actually do.
Be polite and don’t attack anyone. Focus on actions and circumstances. Remember, you are trying to convince people… and they have the power in the meeting, not you.
Talk slowly. Very slowly. Take your time talking when you are at the podium/online. The clock usually won’t start until you start talking. Deep breath. And then talk slower still. You will likely be nervous and talk faster than you think.
Talk Dramatically and look at the people on the panel. Take pauses for emphasis. Make sure they are hearing what you are saying. They don’t have your script and most of the audience doesn’t either.
Talk in person. If you can speak at the meeting, do so. Nothing matches a personal connection. Not even close. (you can also say “hi” to panelists after the meeting and meet other interested and interesting people).
You can come back. If you have multiple issues, come again. One issue per time you talk is best. You can talk on different topics if you speak multiple times, but covering multiple topics during one brief speaking session is tricky.
Nothing will likely happen. This is just a part of the process. If you want change, it likely will take work. (you may find my forthcoming Deliberate Democracy course at disabilityalmanac.com helpful).

Sample Speech Outline

Your Topic (make it exciting – like a newspaper headline)
Very Quick Introduction (“Hi I’m Steve and I’m a parent at XXX School, XX year resident of YY city”)
Very short story or reason why (juicy, pumchy, short)
Your Ask

There are 5 major places in many public meetings where you can speak and they can occur in different arrangements (I will use the term “board”, but it may be a committee or other structure):

Closed Session – a session where the public is not present, but you can speak on when they report back to the public meeting (this is pretty rare)
Open Forum / Public Comments – speak on non-agenda items
Consent Agenda – agenda items that are typically not discussed, but voted on. You can speak on these (there is often gold in these items. Contracts are awarded, staffing reports, policy changes, money spent)
Regular Agenda – agenda items up for discussion by the board
Information Items – agenda items that are not being discussed (this may vary), but you can address

You can be called “out of order” if you speak on an agenda item during the Open Forum session or vice versa. Review the agenda and try to tie your topic to an agenda item (one of your goals may be to get your issue on the agenda for a future meeting).

Talking about your issue on agenda items is preferable. There are usually fewer speakers and the discussion and attention is focused. You may wind up with more time to speak.

Outcomes

The board is unlikely to respond to you. This is good (mostly). The board can redirect more than they do, but in general, this is not a discussion or argument.

Nothing will happen quickly. Probably. This is a long game. If you want change to happen, you are going to have to follow up, show up repeatedly, and recruit others . Patience. Democracy is slow – frustrating but a good thing.

This is just a part of your campaign. Talk to staff. Talk to board members. Talk to other people in the public. You are building a coalition for change (big or small). Write letters to the editor. Be serious and you will be taken seriously.

You are not alone. Applaud for other speakers that you agree with or just to support them. This is hard for most people.

Build a team. Get lots of people to come. Wear t-shirts. Team speak. Posters. Keep coming. Make a petition. Send postcards. Recruit notables. This is democracy and it works if you do the work.

Let me know how it goes. I’m happy to talk and help. You can reach me at disabilityalmanac.com.