Presenting Testimony

Why Present Testimony?

Testimony can be helpful in communicating your position to legislators, so it is important to know how to give it. Legislative bodies call for public hearings for a number of reasons. They may be held to inform the public about issues or for a legislative body to get the information it needs to draft laws or to find out whether legislation is needed. Hearings may also be scheduled as "window dressing" for decisions that have already been made.

At the very least, providing testimony serves the useful purpose of requiring a group to develop a fairly comprehensive statement of its position. Sound testimony can help to establish your organization as an authority in your field. It can also provide useful quotations for speeches and publications. In that way, testimony can be helpful to a nonprofit, even if hearings are somewhat perfunctory. In deciding whether to testify, remember that a decision against testifying sends a message to the legislators that your organization is not interested or, worse, that you have reasons to avoid questions on the subject.

Composition of Your Testimony

If you are planning to present testimony, keep your statement brief, and always provide a one-page summary as the initial page of your written testimony. Legislators usually don't read testimony, and staffers often only scan it. Providing a summary helps ensure that your main points will be noted. Most legislative bodies have format requirements for testimony, including the number of copies you should have and when they should be delivered to the committee. The cover page of your statement should include the legislative committee before which you are testifying; the name, title, and organization of the person testifying; and the date. A written request is almost always required from a person who wishes to testify before Congress.

Tips on Your Presentation

At congressional hearings, witnesses are usually asked to keep oral statements under five minutes, although a longer statement will be accepted for the record. Oral statements should not be read word by word. They should be given as much as possible from brief outlines that permit presenters to maintain eye contact with committee members. If you can't answer a question, it is perfectly acceptable to say that you don't have the information but will get it for the committee immediately.

The quality of your organization's statement is important, but the skill of the presenter is equally important in making a favorable impression for your cause. Testimony should be presented by a high-ranking well-informed volunteer or the chief staff officer or other senior staff of your group. You will want the person who will make the best presentation and be able to speak knowingly about your services. Even better, if one of the persons who has received your services could present effectively for your group, give that person the opportunity.

Working Inside the Committee

It is helpful to know in advance which committee members are likely to be present and whether they will be friendly. That information is often available from the staff of the legislator who supports your position. Plant questions with friendly legislators who you know will be at the hearing, so that you can get those questions and your answers into the public record. It is usually easy to do this by working with legislative staff members. If there will be witnesses unfriendly to your cause, anticipate the opposing arguments they will make, and provide responses to friendly legislators. You can also provide questions to friendly legislators, which they can raise with an unfriendly witness, to make points for you.

Hostile Questions

You may get questions that seem hostile. It is perfectly acceptable to be direct in your responses, but always be courteous. If a legislator seems particularly hostile, make a special point of trying to see him or her later, or follow up your testimony with a letter that deals with the issues he or she has raised.

Related Matters

If your organization is working closely with the chair of the committee holding the hearings, it is acceptable to ask staffers if they would like to have your group draft the opening statement for the chair. Staff people often welcome such statements as a starting point for the drafts they ultimately present to chairpersons.

Get other groups to sign on to your testimony if they are not planning to testify separately. Having several other organizations that are well known to legislators sign on to your testimony can significantly strengthen the impact of the statement.

Ask for Support

Finally, and most important, ask committee members to vote in support of your position.

Taken from the Independent Sector.

For more information on COHHIO's advocacy efforts, contact Cathy Johnston at cathyjohnston@cohhio.org or at 614-280-1984.