Selling Yourself When Testifying 153
your appearance. Second, prepare a very brief summary of that
statement for oral delivery. Put it in short, snappy sentences, to
be spoken rather than read. Then begin your testimony, after the
protocol, with, “You have my full statement in front of you. Let
me briefly summarize the highlights of that paper.” Your listeners
might even be induced to pay attention after that, knowing you
plan to be mercifully brief and courteous.
Here is a brief rundown on some of the things I think your
testimony should be.
- Honest.
- Positive.
- Brief.
- Simple.
- Logical.
- Well-organized.
- Well-delivered.
- Anecdotal rather than statistical.
- A concise statement of your position.
And, of course, in your delivery, all of the communication
skills are a necessity: the open face, appropriate gestures, voice
control, directness, and courtesy. When you consider how much
of Congress’s time is spent in hearings, you’ll realize how practi-
cal these guidelines are and how much better your chances of
really getting your message across will become.
The local hearing
A hearing on a local issue is the scenario most of us are likely
to encounter. It’s the least intimidating arena and certainly the
most familiar. It’s also the one that we are more willing to become
involved with. After all, a local issue is one that affects us directly
and personally.
But, here again, I know people who are so intimidated by the
public-speaking situation that they’ve refused to be active partici-
pants in local issues. They won’t speak out at public meetings
because they have that terrible debilitating fear: the fear of mak-
ing a fool of themselves in public. It’s an unreasonable fear, but
that knowledge doesn’t change anything.