Talkin' the Talk

Many of us who have given up meat are like reformed smokers. Once we've kicked a bad habit, we think everybody can and should do the same — and we're more than willing to help. But how? Actually, there are lots of ways to be an advocate for a healthy, cruelty-free diet. One of the easiest and most effective is by setting a good example. Writing letters to the editors of Vegetarian Journal or other magazines, promoting healthy school lunches, tabling for VRG at book and street fairs, and offering to speak to local groups are other options. For me, speaking to small groups has been the most personally satisfying.

A few years ago, while tabling at a Family and Consumer Sciences conference, several home economics teachers asked me if I would speak to their high school classes about vegetarian diets. I was already working on a vegetarian slide presentation for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida, so I readily agreed. I soon found myself speaking to several advanced food classes — mostly juniors and seniors. Since then I've also presented to numerous groups outside of high schools, including university clubs, animal welfare organizations, senior centers, civic groups, hospital food service personnel, a cycling club, and even a Navy family services organization. All of these opportunities came about simply by offering this service to anyone who seemed interested, and also through recommendations from satisfied "customers." People really do want to know about vegetarianism.

Of course, getting the gig is only a start. The next step is to deliver. The format I've chosen is a slide presentation that introduces and explains the environmental, health, and ethical reasons for becoming vegetarian. This presentation, with a few minutes for questions, takes up a typical 45-50 minute high school period. I've found that it's important that the tone be non-judgmental, while still clear enough to emphasize that eating meat makes no sense at all.

The level of receptivity you can expect from an audience varies widely — from the sincerely interested to those who consider you part of the lunatic fringe. I wish I could tell you that people routinely come running up to me in droves after a presentation, asking me to count them among the enlightened, but that's not real life. Most often, I have one or two people tell me that I've firmed up an interest that has been gnawing at them, and several more people asking me questions to test the waters or to see if they can find a weak spot in my argument or conviction. The high school students love to ask me — usually with a big smile on their faces — "Would you eat a hamburger for $1,000?" My answer is that my values are not for sale for a grand. Of course the next question is, "What about a million dollars?" What would your response be? (You can always ask the kid if, in fact, he or she has a million bucks to wager.)

I've also learned not to presume how an audience will react. I once spoke to a Senior Center group of about fifty women and one man, all in their late sixties or above. They challenged me at every turn and were having a great time doing it! Once, speaking to a group of Registered Dietitians at a hospital I felt, as a non-professional, thoroughly intimidated, only to find that they knew so little about vegetarian diets that they were very inquisitive and extremely interested in what I had to say.

There are many ways you can offer this topic to groups. One of the simplest is to lead an interactive group discussion. Another option is to play a videotape on some aspect of vegetarianism and then discuss it. Some activists have had great success preparing or helping a class prepare a vegetarian dish and then discussing the merits of a meatless diet. As I've indicated, I've found that a slide-based presentation is the format with which I'm most comfortable, and it seems to be well accepted. So after the VRG received several requests from activists looking for help with presentations, co-directors Charles and Debra asked me if I would make my presentation available to others. I was happy to do that, and the option of a ready-made presentation package, including text and accompanying slides, is now available from the VRG. Just remember: if you're a vegetarian, you've got something very important to say. So don't hesitate to speak up!

The slide presentation package is now available from VRG. Call (410) 366-VEGE 9am to 5pm EST weekdays, or e-mail [email protected] in order to purchase or borrow it.