How to Share Your Story

There are several ways to share your story with lawmakers.

You can write (email, snail mail, online contact forms) your representatives, or committee chairs and members, or call their offices, to share your story. In these cases, your story is shared directly with the lawmakers and their staff, and other people don’t hear or read what you say.

But there are also opportunities to tell your story in a public setting:

• Speaking up at a legisltor’s district town hall meeting (usually held before the legislative session starts, and mid-way through) – usually a Q&A format is followed.
• Giving public testimony at a committee hearing during legislative session – (need link to page about signing up for public testimony)

2023 legislative session committees will offer both in-person and virtual opportunities for public testimony. 

Why We Give Public Testimony

It can feel intimidating to share your story with lawmakers–especially if it is related to something as devastating as a mental health crisis or suicide. But the stories shared by those of us who have lived experience are incredibly powerful. Legislation is about policy and process and regulations and budgets, but at its heart, it’s about our elected representatives trying to make the best laws they can to help their constituents across Washington. And our stories help them connect from the what of legislation to the heart of the why.

Tips for Telling Your Story in Public Testimony

You want to speak straight to your lawmakers, from your heart to their heart. And you need to connect your story to the proposals in the bill that is being heard in the committee session.

You’ll have somewhere between 60-120 seconds  (1-2 minutes) to tell your story. That’s not a lot of time; so it’s important to know what your key points are and make sure you connect your story to the bill. And you may not know how long you’ll have  to speak until you’re already attending the public hearing. (It can depend on how many other people have signed up to speak and how long the meeting is scheduled for.)

Preparing Your Public Testimony

• When you have plenty of time, tell your story by yourself. Do this in a private place without leaving anything out. Tell it all.
• Next set a timer and tell your story again. Don’t worry about the timer. Just check it when you’re done and note down how long it took.
• Now briefly write three things in your story that connect to your bill. Use just a few key words for each item.
• Tell your story again – writing it all out. When you’re done circle the areas that connect to the bill.
• Next, read everything in your story that aren’t circled. What can you omit?
• Try telling your story focusing on the two or three things that matter most to the bill.
• Time your story again, still focusing on what matters most.
• Your goal is to tell your story in two minutes. Put another way, the final version of your story will be about 250 words.
• If you learn that you will have a chance to talk with your legislator – or to testify – use only a few key words as your notes.

Why not just write it out? Because if you write every word, you’re more likely to read every word aloud. And reading your story puts a barrier between you – amazing you – and your audience. Though the approach of writing out your whole story works well for some people.

If you prefer to write out your full story so you can refer to it while you’re speaking, check the time as you go through your story so you know how long each section takes, and so you decide what to omit if you’re suddenly told you have 30 seconds less than you expected.

Practice, practice, practice! Giving public testimony is a form of public speaking. This is YOUR story, and the more comfortable you are telling it in a short time, the more comfortable you will feel when it’s your turn to share it in a committee hearing.

Changing Things On The Fly

It’s not uncommon to prepare 2 minutes of testimony and then partway through the hearing, the committee chair announces that time has been halved, or cut to 90 seconds. This is usually for time reasons: more people have signed up to speak than the time allows.

When this happens, it’s best not to try and rush through your whole testimony so fast that you’re cramming it in but no one can understand. Listen to what is being said by others who are testifying, and decide which points you most want to make–it’s probably best to focus on things that no one else has said. Omit other things you wanted to say. You can also say something like “I agree with the people who supported ____.”

Feeling Nervous? Remember:

Your legislators have seen it all. Nervousness is common among individuals who are participating in the process for the first time.

Most legislators are genuinely grateful for your effort to share your story. They understand the pain and the jitters involve for you.