Suggestions for Effective Communication
Whether we’re interacting with family, friends, neighbors, coworkers or strangers, effective communication lies at the heart of successful advocacy. It helps take people from being upset about the use of animals to recognizing the system of oppression and making a commitment to veganism and speaking with others about it. Below we’ve compiled some suggestions for effective communication about veganism we’ve distilled from our collective activist experience.
- Listen!
This is the most important communication skill of all! By listening, we show others, “I care about you and value your ideas.” - Stay focused on your reason for being vegan.
Know, remember and communicate this reason. This is your stable base. If the person you are speaking with begins going off on tangents, bring the conversation back. We recommend avoiding engaging in debate over minor points; these are usually signs the conversation has gotten off track and it’s time to come back to your reason for advocating veganism. As an example, we say something like, “Using other beings without their consent is oppressive. I choose to advocate veganism because I do not wish to support that oppression.” - Give the other person your full attention.
This way you’ll be more ready to address their questions. However, some people are not genuinely interested in veganism; they may be motivated by loneliness, boredom, anger or some other reason. We recommend not spending too much time in these cases so you may focus your energy on somebody who wishes to learn more about veganism. - Body language.
You can signal attentiveness by:- Maintaining eye contact
- Respecting the other person’s space by letting them set the distance between you
- Keeping arms uncrossed
- Squarely facing the other person
- Stay non-judgmental.
Empathize, attend to people’s feelings and give them validity. Often, people are expressing a fear of the unknown:
Not-Yet-Vegan (N): “I like eating meat too much!”
Vegan (V): “I used to feel that way too, but then I thought about…” or “Almost all of us grew up eating meat…” - Acknowledge the things people say.
Don’t deny others’ facts. Do suggest positive alternatives.
N: “Humans are omnivores!”
V: “Yes, we are. That means we have the ability to live on a completely plant-based diet so we do not support the exploitation of non-human animals when we eat.” - Speak from personal experience.
Personal experience is much more powerful than abstract arguments. When others hear us speak from our personal experience, they know that we are telling them the truth and that we’re speaking from an honest perspective, rather than repeating something somebody else told us.
N: “It’s hard to give up cheese!”
V: “It was hard for me, too. I considered veganism for eight years and cheese was something I struggled with. What finally worked for me was to think about …” - Be honest!
Not only is this a good idea in general from a personal point of view, being honest is important because we succeed on the basis of our reputation. Be careful with your facts! Some accepted lore in veganism isn’t true, such as:- Humans are herbivores, not omnivores.
- Drinking milk causes osteoporosis.
- It takes 15,000 gallons of water to make one pound of beef.
When we find ourselves reciting fallacies such as these or otherwise making overreaching statements, it usually means we’ve gotten sidetracked from speaking about oppression. When this happens, we stop, acknowledge the fact that we’ve gotten off topic, and return to speaking about oppression.
- Offer information, avoid telling people what to do. Offer suggestions if asked.
Try not to use imperatives such as “should” or “must.” - Relax!
Not everybody will listen and you won’t always communicate well. Remember you will have more chances to speak with this individual about veganism. They might not consider veganism today, but they may consider veganism in the future thanks in part to you. It takes 7-8 impressions before information sinks in. You are providing one of those impressions. - Remember, it’s not personal.
The reaction of the person you’re speaking with often doesn’t have anything to do with you. - Practice!
The best way we’ve found to gain confidence in speaking with others about veganism is to go out, do it, and learn from each experience.
