Speaking at a Town Hall meeting
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Tips for speaking up a town hall meeting.
A large and well-informed turnout at a town hall meeting or a community forum is an extremely effective way of sending a strong message to your elected officials and the media (and, hence, the general public) that will likely attend.
If your lawmaker is supportive of your issue, a show of support helps to solidify his or her position.
In general, when attending and speaking at town meetings, conduct yourself as you would when testifying at a hearing and/or meeting with your elected officials.
Before the Town Meeting…
- Try to recruit several others to attend the meeting with you. Be sure to inform them of the date, time, address, and nature of the meeting.
- Think about how the elected official will likely respond to your questions and prepare in advance what follow-up questions should be asked.
At the Town Meeting…
- Keep your comments brief, clear, and to the point. Be firm, but don't be rude.
