Crafting Public Testimony
Hearings provide an excellent opportunity to influence decision-makers, and to get issues in front of the general public. The following suggestions are designed to help develop testimony that is clear and concise, has emotional impact, and will be heard and remembered by public officials.
The best testimonies share some common characteristics. They are dignified, logical, emotional, accurate, useful, and short. Let's take these one at a time.
Dignified
Dignity is expressed in testimony by paying attention to
protocol. This means starting the testimony with a greeting: "Good
evening ladies and gentlemen," or "Good afternoon Senator Smith
and members of the panel." The greeting is followed by introducing
yourself and, if appropriate, the group or organization you represent.
Close all testimonies by thanking the panel for their attention.
Logical
Logical testimony starts with a statement of the problem, clearly states the testifier's position on the issue, provides a resolution of the problem, and recommends action to be taken that is rational and possible.
Emotional
All good testimony hits on the gut level or goes for the
throat. This happens when the academic problem (for example budget cuts)
is translated into human terms (for example, "I would have to return
to a nursing home"). Emotions are stirred most deeply in testimony
delivered by people directly affected by the problem. However, all testimony
has to contain an emotional appeal to be heard and remembered. Service
providers and advocates can best achieve this in their testimony by relating
the stories of individuals, not by talking about groups. Note: Good testimony
has to be both logical and emotional.
Accurate
If you are using statistics to back up your testimony, make
sure they are correct and up to date. Accuracy also means addressing only
the topic being addressed at the hearing—not straying into other
issues.
Useful
The best testimony gives decision-makers something they
didn't have before that will, either now or down the road, help to resolve
the problem at hand. This is the area where most testimonies fall short.
Most testifiers are very good at stating the problem and why it is of
particular concern to themselves. Very few testifiers actually provide
concrete, usable suggestions to resolve the dilemma. Useful suggestions
can be short term: "Let's raise the daily admission rather than cut
the program,' or long term: "Let's work together to support federal
legislation that will expand our resource base." Once again, accuracy
is important. Make sure suggestions will not be offensive to others on
your side of the issue.
Short
If you can't say it in three to four minutes, or less, you
have a problem on your hands. Short, concise and well-delivered testimonies
are usually received favorably by time-pressured officials, and also serve
to make the testifier appear competent and in-control. Long-winded and
repetitive testimony has the opposite effect on everyone, including those
waiting to testify.
These suggestions will help to develop good testimony. Remember that there is strength in numbers and good testimony gets better as part of a coalition effort. Good luck!