Guidelines for Making an Effective Presentation
Whether a citizen wishes to speak out in favor of or in opposition to a proposed plan, there are several guidelines to help make a presentation most effective. This section outlines suggestions for steps to take before the public hearing and during the public hearing.Before the Public Hearing
Once you have determined that a public hearing agenda item is something about which you would like to comment, there are several things to think about, including some logistical considerations and how you intend to organize your comments. It is also a good idea to determine if others will be addressing the same issues. If so, you may want to coordinate your presentation before the hearing to avoid duplication.
If you have a question about an item on the agenda, you may want to contact the plan commission staff before the hearing. Knowing the answers to some of your questions prior to the hearing may help you prepare your comments. You may also want to check to see what time constraints will be imposed. Some plan commissions operate with pre-set time limits for petitioners and members of the public. Other commissions wait and set time limits when they know how many people wish to comment.
Just as when a teacher prepares a lesson, a dignitary gets ready for a speech, and a salesperson prepares a sales pitch, there is a certain amount of work that precedes an effective public hearing presentation. Preparing for a public hearing includes five steps: (1) remember what your audience wants, expects, and needs; (2) clearly define your main ideas; (3) organize your thoughts; (4) choose appropriate style and language; and (5) make sure you are familiar with the subject matter. Follow these steps, and your presentation will be more effective.
1. Remember what your audience wants, expects, and needs.
Although the plan commission is not a judicial body, their job is to weigh evidence in a manner similar to that of a judge. Ideally, the plan commission considers all the relevant information to make the best possible decision. Thus, it is important to understand that what the members of the plan commission need to hear are FACTS.Decisions about land use can be emotional, and the various parties involved can have strong opinions. The plan commission public hearing, however, is not the appropriate venue for comments based solely on emotion and opinion. It is also important to understand that you don't have -to hire a consultant to obtain facts.
If you intend to use handouts or a long document, you may consider making your material!; available to the plan commission staff several days before the hearing. If you plan to use slides or overhead visuals, you should let the staff know this in advance, too. Some plan commissions may have projectors and other audio-visual equipment that they will let you use. This may not always be the case, however, so it is a good idea to check so that you can supply this equipment yourself if needed.
When concerned about the increased traffic that a new development might bring, for instance, it is tempting to make comments like, "there are already 18-wheelers going down that road at all hours of the night!" It would be more the effective to provide specific dates and times. For example, a statement like, "early last Thursday morning, trucks drove by at 1:17am, 3:30am, and again at 4:03." This kind of comment may not be based on an official traffic impact study, but it will likely have greater impact than the previous statement. Being aware of what your audience-the plan commission members-needs to hear is the first step in getting prepared.
2. Clearly define your main ideas.
Another fundamental step in making a presentation at a public hearing is to define the main points you want to communicate. Before you can tell someone else your ideas, you must first make sure they are clearly defined in your own mind.
For example, suppose that at the next plan commission meeting a proposal will be considered to convert an abandoned railway into a new pedestrian and bicycle path. For the person in favor of such a proposal, the main ideas may be to communicate that such a project is (1) consistent with the community's comprehensive plan and (2) would be an important amenity for the community. If these are the two main ideas, all other comments should support these two important points.3. Organize your thoughts.
Once you clearly define the main ideas, considering the arrangement and structure of the ideas is the next step. You should decide the best way to order the comments. One strategy is to use a chronological order, so that comments are arranged by units of time. Another option is to use a problem-solution order, where a discussion of a problem is followed by a suggested solution. These are just two examples. It is likely that you can think of other ways to organize your thoughts. Any number of ways can be effective.
4. Choose appropriate style and language.
If you think about it, there are several different types of style and language we use in various situations. A teacher, stand-up comic, ministers, and lawyer each comes before a group of people and speaks. Yet each situation is very different. Speaking at a plan commission public hearing also requires an appropriate use of presentation style and language. Each plan commission will differ in its level of formality. It is probably better to err on the side of being too formal than too casual.
5. Make sure you are familiar with the subject matter.
Although you don't have to be an expert, you should be familiar with what you are talking about. If one of your main points is that a proposal is in opposition to the recommendations in the comprehensive plan, it is a good idea to know what the plan says and to have a copy with you to which you can refer.
6. Practice.
The last bit of preparation advice is to practice. Even if you are not particularly anxious about your presentation, it is a good idea to go over your remarks three times: first, alone, perhaps in front of a mirror; another time in front of a supportive, but uninvolved listener; and, finally, in front of two or three friends (Holcombe and Stein, 1983).
During the Public Hearing
It is also important to register as a speaker. If you do not see a sign-in sheet, ask someone how and where you register. There are certain principles of behavior that should be followed in the public hearing. Be sure to arrive a few minutes before the scheduled starting time of the meeting. The Indiana Planning Association (Bergman, 1998) provides the following guidelines for plan commission meeting and public hearing conduct.
• All comments and questions addressed to the chair
• Everyone addressed with title of respect (Mr., Ms., etc.)
• Polite, courteous, businesslike tone and manner (no yelling, smirking, rolling of eyes, giggling, etc.)
• No side conversations or whispering
• No personal attacks • No threats
• No applause
These may seem like rules for a junior high class, but following these simple rules of decorum can help to keep the hearing on track and from getting out of hand.
There is a chance that someone else at the meeting will speak at the public hearing and express some or all of the same concerns that you intend to raise. If this happens, don't be worried that they have "stolen your thunder." Rather than repeating things that have previously been said, a better strategy is to state your agreement with the preceding comments and only present any new information that might be relevant.
For instance, if Ms. Smith has spoken before you and covered all of the same points you had wanted to make it would be a good strategy, when it is your turn to speak, to say something to the Chair like, "I want to let you know that I share Ms. Smith's concerns/ support about the proposed project." As tempting as it may be to repeat the same information in you’re own words, in the long run, your case will be helped by registering your agreement and keeping the meeting from being redundant or going on too long. If you are in agreement with the previous presentation but have some additional information to add, you should state your agreement and then give the additional information.
Conclusion
Thoughtful preparation and a skillful presentation are no guarantee, of course, that you will be happy with the plan commission's decision. But do not let a decision with which you disagree discourage you from continued participation. If you continually find yourself in disagreement with land use and community planning decisions, there are some other steps you can take (Indiana Land: Get Informed, Get Involved, 1997).
• Find out if others share your ideas by talking with your neighbors. Urge them to get involved.
• Be aware of local development patterns, and think about their long-term impact on your community.
• Attend other meetings that include land use, growth, and planning on their agendas.
• Research what other communities are doing.
• Focus on solutions rather than problems.
• Talk to elected officials, and share your ideas.
There is tremendous value in thinking about what your community could be like some day and finding others who share your vision. The best way to take control of a community's future is to realize that the decisions we make today will affect us tomorrow. Broad-based citizen participation in land use and community planning is one step to make sure that the future we get is the future we want.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Janet Ayres, Teree Bergman, Otto Doering, and Bill Hoover for their comments on an earlier draft of this publication.
Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service - West Lafayette IN 47907