We teach our advocates how to speak powerfully by creating a short and compelling speech that we call a “laser talk.” These powerful, short talks typically get the listener’s attention, then present a problem, a solution, and a specific request. The laser talk is one of the tools we use to become supremely effective advocates.
Let’s say you approach your member of parliament at a town hall meeting, connect with a busy editorial writer on the telephone, or catch the attention of a friend. Typically, you will only have one or two minutes to get your point across. Learning the “laser” format and a handful of laser talks will help you make the most of these opportunities to advance our issues.
A RESULTS laser talk has four sections. An easy way to remember these four sections is the word EPIC:
Engage
Problem
Inform
Call to Action
The first section is E for Engage. Here, you want to get your listener’s attention with a dramatic fact or short statement, or by thanking them for something specific they have done. Keep this opening statement to one sentence, if possible. For instance, you could say:
“Over 1 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day, yet Canadian foreign assistance is still well below the 0.7% of Gross National Income Canada made a commitment to decades ago.”
Then follow with the second section, P, for Problem. Here you present causes, or elaborate on the problem statement you used to engage the listener. Try to connect the problem to an issue that the listener is likely to care about like personal security or children. For our example on how to speak to a member of parliament on foreign aid you could say:
“Although the House of Commons unanimously passed a groundbreaking resolution in 2005 to set a plan to give 0.7% of GNI in aid annually by 2015, no plan has yet been made. At the same time, poverty increases in the developing world, aggravated by the economic crisis and climate change.”
The third part of the EPIC laser talk is I, for Inform. Here you inform the listener about a solution to the problem you just presented. Try to present your solution by giving examples of how and where it has worked, how it is a proven and cost-effective solution, and how it has benefited the poorest. For example, you could site a recent study or report, or use a credible statistic. You might also think of the “I” in EPIC as “Illustrate” instead of “Inform” and provide a concrete example that demonstrates the power of the solution you are proposing or paint the picture based on your own first-hand experience. An example of the “I” part of the EPIC laser talk could be:
“Most other G8/G20 countries have either met this international target or have firm plans to meet it by 2015. Delivering on our promise to give 0.7% would greatly increase Canada's leadership credibility, especially in the face of recent criticism on the global stage. More importantly, by investing in cost-effective, proven solutions to poverty – like maternal and child health, education, sanitation and hygiene, and microfinance – lives will be saved and countries strengthened.”
The final section of the laser talk is the “C” in EPIC or Call to Action. Now that you’ve engaged your listener, presented the problem and informed them of a solution, you want to call them to action. Some tips for structuring your call to action are:
1. Make your action very concrete and specific so that you will be able to follow up with your listener and determine whether or not he or she has taken the action. 2. Present the action in the form of a yes-or-no question. 3. State the call to action in one sentence.
An example for the Call to Action for our laser talk about reforming foreign aid could be:
“Would you write to Minister of International Cooperation Bev Oda and Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty and urge them to set a firm timeline to reach 0.7% by 2015?”
So you see, putting a laser talk together isn’t that hard if you have some information and use the EPIC format as a guide. The laser talk we just created could be used to ask an MP or Senator to take action in a face-to-face or town hall meeting, or you could adapt it to call a member of the media. You could also use it to educate your neighbor and involve him or her in taking action with your local RESULTS Canada chapter. Often, you’ll use a laser talk to “hook” your listener and then tell them a story to draw them in further into the issue.
Before you try using a laser talk, whether it is written by you or someone else, you will need to practice it and become comfortable with it in order for it to be a real speaking tool. To learn a laser talk you should practice it out loud to yourself and to another person until you feel comfortable. You should also know that you might not always use the laser talk exactly as you learned it, because conversations vary. If you learn it well, you will be able to use sections of the talk as you need it. Learning a good repertoire of laser talks that you can use when the time is right will help make you a powerful, opportunistic speaker for the end of poverty.