Page 154 - How To Sell Yourself

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.