How to be a good speaker

1. Be active in letting people know you are available to speak.  Once you have a date, encourage the group to publicize your program and tell people yourself.  Inform local newspapers, radio and TV stations and include information about who you are and when and what group you traveled with.

2. Become familiar with your own denomination's stand on these issues and bring a copy (or copies) of any resolutions passed recently.  You might want to become familiar with Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) materials since your denomination probably participates in the organization.

3. Don't make the program a tourist trip with slides showing monuments and sites.  If you use slides, illustrate the issues and people.

4. Bring some handouts such as maps, time lines, recent Emails or website printouts.  Put up a display.  Bring a large map to post as well.

5. Use you own experience as the basis for your talk.  Tell lots of stories and then relate them to points you want to make.

6. Focus on children, women, family etc., all of which helps humanize the Palestinians.  If you talk about terror, personalize the many Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli guns and bombs.  Give credibility to Palestinian leaders and other prominent Palestinians.  Elections haven't been held recently because of the occupation.

7.  Avoid generalizing and putting words into people's mouths such as "Palestinians say..."  "Israelis say..." Tell about what a specific person said to you.  There are many different opinions among both Israelis and Palestinians. Don't allow members of your audience to dehumanize either side.

8. Use the correct vocabulary.  Arabs are not all Muslims.  Occupied territories are not disputer territories; illegal settlements imply that some settlements are legal.  None are legal, etc.  Settlements are not the same as kibbutzim.

9. Allow plenty of time for questions.  This is the most fruitful time of all.

10. If you don't know the answer to a question, tell the person you will find out and follow up on that promise.

11. If you receive an honorarium and don't need the money, donate it to a peace movement or other appropriate cause.  Let the group who gave you the honorarium know how you used it.  You might interest them in giving more to that cause.

Source: My articles