Hanne
11th December 2009, 11:07
Some have already submitted on this, others are due to do so via video conference early next week. Here are a few tips for making a submissio nto a select committee:
First some advice from Ivan Sowry – Social Justice/ACC activist for the Green Party (and Out of Parliament Assistant to David Clendon, MP):
I would suggest that the most important thing is to select the few key points from their written submission that they want to emphasise and expand on. Submitters don't have very long to make their oral submissions, so it is important to make the best use of the time they do have. Trying to cover everything that is in the written submission won't add much to it, and MPs would (or should) have already read the written submissions. It is a good idea to have some written bullet points of the things they want to talk about - otherwise it's easy to forget a key point. Government MPs on the SC may try to divert submitters onto peripheral issues - submitters should keep any response to questions that are not about their key points concise.
Oh, and leave some time for questions at the end.
Klingon has also suggested a few pointers:
Make a note of three (no more than five) bullet points that refer back to issues you raised in your submission but (importantly) are still relevant given the newly-announced decisions.
Allow yourself one minute to introduce yourself and say why you are there, one minute on each of your three key bullet points, and one minute to conclude with a basic summary statement. That is five minutes total. Then ask if any members of the Select Committee panel have questions for you based on your submission.
Be assertive – if they say they have no questions, then use your remaining five minutes to make a further point, or to expand on one of your earlier points.
If the committee members do have questions for you, don’t let them divert you. Be prepared for them to ask you tricky questions like “would you prefer to pay more for ACC, or to have its services cut?” (Of course the answer is “Neither option is necessary because the system isn’t in crisis.”)
Don’t be drawn into detailed discussion of statistics (unless this is your specialist area!) And don’t be afraid to say “I have no opinion on that matter” or “I don’t believe that matter is relevant to my submission” if they try to divert you away from your key messages.
Sample Template:
Intro (1 minute): “My name is Jo Bloggs. I am a primary school teacher and I ride a 250cc motorbike to work every day to save money on petrol, and to reduce congestion on the roads by not driving my car… (more about self – e.g. safe riding history, money spent on safety gear or self-funded skills training, etc)”
Point 1 (1 minute): “As I said in my submission, having ACC levies on motorbikes that are higher than car levies is counter-productive because…”
Point 2 (1 minute): “The effect of the increased ACC levies on me will be…”
Point 3 (1 minute): “While I welcome the announcement that part of the ACC levy will be used for injury prevention, I believe that the only way to reduce motorbike injuries is to improve training of car drivers. In my own experience… (etc etc)”
Conclusion (1 minute): “In conclusion, I ride a motorbike because… (etc etc), the proposed levy increases (even in their revised form) are unworkable because… (etc etc), and the most equitable outcome for all road users would be… (etc etc).”
Questions (5 minutes): “Would the Committee like to ask any questions about my submission?”
If the committee doesn’t want to ask any questions, then…
“Since the Committee has no questions and I still have five minutes left for my oral submission, I would just like to add that I have been very disappointed in the actions of ACC when they used their scarce funds to putting paid ads in daily newspapers… (etc etc).”
[note: don’t make this up as you go along. Make sure you are prepared with your final point if you choose to make one.]
Thanks Klingon and Ivan, and good luck to those still to submit!
First some advice from Ivan Sowry – Social Justice/ACC activist for the Green Party (and Out of Parliament Assistant to David Clendon, MP):
I would suggest that the most important thing is to select the few key points from their written submission that they want to emphasise and expand on. Submitters don't have very long to make their oral submissions, so it is important to make the best use of the time they do have. Trying to cover everything that is in the written submission won't add much to it, and MPs would (or should) have already read the written submissions. It is a good idea to have some written bullet points of the things they want to talk about - otherwise it's easy to forget a key point. Government MPs on the SC may try to divert submitters onto peripheral issues - submitters should keep any response to questions that are not about their key points concise.
Oh, and leave some time for questions at the end.
Klingon has also suggested a few pointers:
Make a note of three (no more than five) bullet points that refer back to issues you raised in your submission but (importantly) are still relevant given the newly-announced decisions.
Allow yourself one minute to introduce yourself and say why you are there, one minute on each of your three key bullet points, and one minute to conclude with a basic summary statement. That is five minutes total. Then ask if any members of the Select Committee panel have questions for you based on your submission.
Be assertive – if they say they have no questions, then use your remaining five minutes to make a further point, or to expand on one of your earlier points.
If the committee members do have questions for you, don’t let them divert you. Be prepared for them to ask you tricky questions like “would you prefer to pay more for ACC, or to have its services cut?” (Of course the answer is “Neither option is necessary because the system isn’t in crisis.”)
Don’t be drawn into detailed discussion of statistics (unless this is your specialist area!) And don’t be afraid to say “I have no opinion on that matter” or “I don’t believe that matter is relevant to my submission” if they try to divert you away from your key messages.
Sample Template:
Intro (1 minute): “My name is Jo Bloggs. I am a primary school teacher and I ride a 250cc motorbike to work every day to save money on petrol, and to reduce congestion on the roads by not driving my car… (more about self – e.g. safe riding history, money spent on safety gear or self-funded skills training, etc)”
Point 1 (1 minute): “As I said in my submission, having ACC levies on motorbikes that are higher than car levies is counter-productive because…”
Point 2 (1 minute): “The effect of the increased ACC levies on me will be…”
Point 3 (1 minute): “While I welcome the announcement that part of the ACC levy will be used for injury prevention, I believe that the only way to reduce motorbike injuries is to improve training of car drivers. In my own experience… (etc etc)”
Conclusion (1 minute): “In conclusion, I ride a motorbike because… (etc etc), the proposed levy increases (even in their revised form) are unworkable because… (etc etc), and the most equitable outcome for all road users would be… (etc etc).”
Questions (5 minutes): “Would the Committee like to ask any questions about my submission?”
If the committee doesn’t want to ask any questions, then…
“Since the Committee has no questions and I still have five minutes left for my oral submission, I would just like to add that I have been very disappointed in the actions of ACC when they used their scarce funds to putting paid ads in daily newspapers… (etc etc).”
[note: don’t make this up as you go along. Make sure you are prepared with your final point if you choose to make one.]
Thanks Klingon and Ivan, and good luck to those still to submit!