You are at your first City Council meeting. You want them to hear your concern. You want to make a great first impression. You will only have three minutes to make this impression. What will it be? A blur of words or two or three memorable ‘sound bites’, firstly about the disrespectful process you and your neighbours have experienced, then about your areas of concern?
This chapter is about changing your thinking about what you can accomplish in three minutes.
Maintain Your Cool!
If this is your first time speaking at a City Council meeting, please watch your attitude, your emotions and your words. I can assure you that you do not have all the facts, and you don’t know all the policies and procedures that apply. What first impression do you want to make on this Council, City staff, those who are watching this meeting live, possible media, and those watching in years to come?
There is always the possibility that your Agenda item is going to be sent back to City staff for more information, or be deferred or defeated by Council, possibly due to your efforts. Although you may be angry, try and find out what is happening, rather than trying to tell them what to do.
Often, we do not listen carefully to what is being said and often we listen from our perspective. Focus on what is actually being said. Be willing to hear a different perspective. Ask for clarification.
If you are part of a group, and there is a limited time for questions, choose the people who will speak clearly and concisely, will ‘stay on point’ and won’t get angry.
Greet Your Neighbours
As your neighbours walk into City hall, identify yourself, and other team members. If this is the group’s first appearance at a meeting, explain to your neighbours what you know about the meeting and what will be happening. Circulate a clipboard to collect names, addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers. (Not all will have computers! Not all will have cell phones!) Make sure you can read their printing!
Have a handout ready, on a colored sheet of paper, in a matching file folder. This is a great way to begin to bring unity to a group. You can have a visible presence, with one bright colour of paper, and a bright file folder that shows visible solidarity. I know it seems simplistic, but it’s often the little things that make a difference!
(I attended a Council meeting where a group of residents used a light-coloured, 3″ plastic tape to identify themselves. It was helpful for the group to create solidarity, but I doubt whether Council could actually see this plastic tape tied around people’s forearms or necks.)
Question Period dynamics
At the beginning of the meeting, or during the discussion of your area of concern by Council.
If you are speaking to an Agenda item BEFORE the City Council meeting, or if you are able to speak to your issue during the discussion on your Agenda item, then I suggest erring on the side of caution. Have confidence that Council will listen attentively to your concerns. And believe that your emails and conversations with Council members and/or City staff have been heard.
Your first words should be about the short notification timeline.
If it is your first time speaking before Council, refer only to the short notification timeline that you and your neighbours have experienced. If your campaign continues, always refer to this short notification timeline first and then state your main areas of concern BRIEFLY (one sentence). This sets the stage for you to share your concerns with a Councillor or City staff person later in the meeting. Remember, you do not know what Council is planning to do with your Agenda item.
At the end of a meeting.
If you are speaking to Council at the END of a meeting during Question Period, and your Agenda item has been voted on and passed, I suggest you still state your concerns concisely, and briefly (the timer is on), because it is important to speak on those issues that concern you and others. There could be many more steps in the process yet.
Find any guidelines about Question Period.
Check through the Agenda to see if there are guidelines for asking a question during Question Period. (Or if there is a City policy.)
What’s on the Agenda? – Who’s in chambers? A missed moment.
Always check to see what is on the Agenda for the entire meeting. And think about who will be in Chambers that night. I have had some awesome conversations with members of groups that would be attending or those who would be giving presentations. I have also learned much about my City through these chance encounters. How can your concerns be amplified by what is happening in Chambers on the night that you come to ask your questions?
Railway tracks run straight through our urban centre. This railway has plans to expand their rail yard. I am concerned about the potential safety risks for the City’s residents. My city has also been in discussions about the need for a new firehall for many years.
- Would these discussions have been different if the City had been better informed about the railway’s expansion plans?
- Would the negotiations have included asking for funds for a different or secondary location, to be better able to respond to a railway disaster?
- Would the City and the railway have had more productive talks about a potential disaster response scenario?
- I chose to comment on my concerns about safety during Question Period. There have been many railway incidents over the years. Could I have referred to the many firefighters who were in Chambers that night and asked if they were also concerned about a potential disaster?
Stand and be counted.
For those of you who will quake while speaking, I applaud you and your bravery.
For the rest of us, let us consider . . . these three minutes. I want you to know that your being ‘in Council chambers’ is important, and that what you will choose to say is important. I want you to believe that what you say can effect change. So, let your posture reflect this. And let your voice be determined.
Maximize the Moment.
Be creative. If this is your first Council meeting, you will usually be given some latitude for your ignorance of meeting policies and procedures.
- How about team members holding signs with your ‘best results and best reasons’ ‘sound bites’ during Question Period or during the discussion of your Agenda item?
- How about one extra-large photo that can be clearly seen by all?
- How about ‘the wave’ with signs?
- At Question Period have everyone immediately ‘Dash to the Podium.’ (See: Start with a Bang! available in the handbook).
- If you can, bring large photos (at least 5” X 7”) (the best money you could spend on your campaign!) of your areas of concern to hand out to all members of Council, all City staff present at meeting, and for those in attendance.
- As you get up to speak, have other team member(s) stand up boldly and immediately start to hand out your photos.
Have fun in this moment, whilst still being respectful.
Please read Maximize the Moment! (available in the handbook) and Create memorable ‘sound bites’ (available in the handbook) for more tips and context on speaking at meetings
Asking a question at a City Council meeting
First things to check:
- Are you being timed? How many minutes do you get? If the limit is three minutes, aim to be done in two (to allow for interruptions and distractions).
- Green light, Orange, then Red, YOUR TIME IS UP!!! Or is there an annoying/intimidating countdown happening on the screen in Chambers?
- Is the microphone on? Hopefully, someone will be there to ensure the microphone is on and working.
Smile, breathe and make eye contact
There may be issues with the microphone. Smile. Be prepared for this as you begin to share your concerns. Breathe. You may be suddenly interrupted, which could really throw you off. Lastly, make eye contact.
State your Name/Address/City for the official record of the meeting
Right away you will be asked for your name and your address/city. Don’t forget this. It is very disconcerting to be immediately interrupted, to be asked for your address. By making this the first thing you say, you look prepared—and you won’t be thrown off.
(Note: There could be a posted notice indicating consent for you, your name, and your address, to be on video.)
Watch your body language and tone of voice. You want to come across as an ally, not a threat.
Address Mayor and Council and start with a thank you
Smile, breathe and make eye contact again.
By addressing Mayor and Council, you show respect and give them another chance to get on your side. By stating your thanks, you start off on the right foot. You want them on your side.
“Mayor and Council, thank you for this opportunity to speak to you about ______________.”
Keep it to only one sentence. This helps Council focus in on your words because they now know, immediately, which topic you will be speaking about.
Speak to the process first.
At your first City Council meeting you are there to speak about the process the City and the developer have used to notify residents. You feel that two-weeks (or less) is being disrespectful to residents. You hope to delay or stop their usual process.
Make a Positive statement about City Council
Having listened carefully to their discussion of your issue, refer to their perspective or make a comment about what was said in the Staff report.
Wrap it up concisely and end with a question
Starting your last sentence with “In conclusion” might get you extra time to finish your sentence, even if you are past the allotted time.
Ending with a question gives you more opportunity to continue the conversation. Ask for a specific piece of information which could result in a meeting with the Project Manager. Your question could cause Council to send the issue back for more review.
“May I have a follow up question, please?”
“Could I ask for clarification on that, please?”
“Is there someone that I could set up a meeting with to help me understand this issue better?”
Say, “Thank you” again.
Now, take a slight step back from the podium and WAIT . . . expectantly.
This indicates that you are non-confrontational. You want a discussion about your area of concern, rather than a heated exchange of words.
WAIT . . . some more . . . for a response to your question or comment. Don’t sit down yet!
This indicates that you are hoping the Mayor and City staff actually listened to what you were saying and are going to respond specifically to your concerns and not repeat the usual answers.
Continue to stand near the podium while the Mayor or City staff address your questions. Respectful behaviour might keep the conversation going longer and you could learn new/key pieces of information!
Say “Thank you” again
Give them every reason to listen to (and respect) you. A few thank-you’s can go a long way towards opening communication and actually being HEARD.
Speaking about your areas of concern
When you do speak about your areas of concern, state your concerns concisely. Pick your key issue and speak to that. Be as specific as possible and use examples. You are hoping that Council will send your issue back to City staff, which could slow the process and give you more time to organize and for changes to be made.
Prepare your words carefully
Try to speak in short ‘sound bites’, using official terminology, because your sentences will be more concise, and you could be quoted in the local newspaper! I was once quoted as saying, “I think this is a good idea.” That was a humbling moment. What a pathetic comment! I wish that I had been more articulate.
Some examples: “the Official Community Plan,” “the _____ document,” “this Policy,” “that Procedure,” “this Bylaw,” “Strategic Priority,” “this Report,” “Specifically, this meeting’s Agenda item on ___,” “in this Staff Report titled ‘Request for Council Decision,’” etc.
Make sure you understand the terms being used in the documents, starting with “densification in urban centres near Frequent Transit Networks/Development Areas” (See the Introduction), and then specific terms (like “arterial,” “collector,” and “local roads”).
In recent Staff reports, proposed development projects are being referred to as being on Frequent Transit Networks. Development needs to be along transportation routes to pay for that service to the city and also so that not everyone requires a vehicle. But, let me be clear. There is a specific definition of what constitutes a Frequent Transit Network and although you won’t necessarily want to point out that this location doesn’t exactly follow the definition, it would be good for you to take the time to know the exact definition of terms that are being used.
An easy-to-use form (Package of forms is available to download for $50)
I have made several forms that can be printed for easy reference to my suggestions on how to use your three minutes wisely, for speaking about the process, your areas of concern and general comments. I always have my thoughts written out beforehand if I am going to comment on an Agenda item.
For those timid members of your team this form could hold them steady at the microphone. You could even have filled in several forms to hand out on those nights when you need everyone to speak.
In conclusion
I believe that repeated ‘sound bites’ change your campaign completely—from the usual bunch of neighbours sharing their concerns, to a united message that will resonate throughout all conversation about your area of concern and be remembered, precisely, by all who hear it.