How to Prepare and Present
Testimony to a Legislature
HOW-TO GUIDE
SCIENTIST ADVOCACY TOOLKIT
members ask them questions. Committee members can then re-
spond to witness testimony.
Committee members from the majority and minority parties
alternate asking questions to the witnesses. Depending on the topic,
there may be multiple rounds of questioning. Generally, each com-
mittee member gets five minutes per round to question whichever
witness(es) they choose, though the committee member may spend
some or all of that time sharing their own statements on the topic. If
committee members have additional questions for witnesses that
exceed their five minutes, they can submit them to the chair to pass
along to the witnesses after the hearing; these questions and an-
swers can still be added to the public record after the fact. Hearings
usually last 90 minutes to two hours, though some can last much
longer depending on the topic and the number of witnesses called.
The committee chair and ranking member will then give short
closing remarks to end the hearing.
Best Practices for Preparing and Presenting
State and federal legislative committees may vary in the rules or
protocols for their hearings, so talk to the committee member
who invited you to learn what to expect and what is required.
Confirm with them whether it will be in-person or virtual. If
it’s in person, make sure you know exactly where it is located
and plan to get there early. If it’s virtual, ask which platform they
use (e.g., Zoom) and whether you need to have it installed on
your computer in advance. Whether it’s virtual or in person,
remember you will be on camera the entire time.
Written testimony is submitted and distributed in advance
to the members of the committee, and allows you to go into more
detail and provide more nuance on the issues you’ll discuss in
your oral testimony. Ask the committee member or sta person
who invited you about deadlines and requirements such as
length and formatting. You may want to look at other examples
of testimony for guidance (available at Congress.gov). Keep in
mind that your main audience for the testimony is policymakers
and their stas, so make sure to avoid scientific jargon and use
accessible language.
Testifying during a state or congressional legislative hearing is a
powerful way to share your expertise with policymakers and the
public. Preparing for a legislative hearing is no small task, but it
is an incredible opportunity to directly address the people mak-
ing decisions, and raise your visibility in a way that may increase
your opportunities down the road.
Hearings are organized by state or congressional commit-
tees, and are meant to provide background information that can
inform future legislation. Committees usually choose “witnesses”
to give testimony who are subject matter experts or directly im-
pacted by the topic being discussed. Being invited to testify is a
rare opportunity, so you’ll want to feel fully prepared.
What to Expect at a Legislative Hearing
The committee chair sets the hearing topic, and the majority
party controls the schedule. Hearings must be planned at least
seven days in advance; this means that you may have less than a
week to prepare both written and oral testimony, especially if
you are invited by the minority party, who may not have been
given advance notice of the hearing.
Both parties can call witnesses to testify (though the minority
party is allowed fewer), meaning that witnesses in the hearing
may be approaching the issue from very dierent angles depend-
ing on who has invited them to testify. Common witnesses include
industry/business representatives, subject matter experts, and
professional lobbyists. Before you draft your testimony, talk to the
committee sta who invited you to learn the goal of the hearing,
other witnesses, and the deadline for submitting written testimo-
ny in advance.
The committee chair will begin the hearing with introductory
remarks; the ranking member will also give remarks. Attendees
will include legislators and their stas, and may also include lob-
byists, members of relevant organizations, and others interested in
the topic, since hearings are usually open to the public. Commit-
tee members might only attend during their opportunity to ask
questions, so don’t be concerned if people are coming and going
during the hearing. Witnesses will each have a maximum of five
minutes for sharing their oral testimony before committee
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Preparing for Questions
Committee sta may also ask for your input on questions to ask
witnesses during the hearing—this is a great opportunity to pro-
pose questions that will allow you to dive deeper into one of
your main points. Ask the committee member who invited you if
they have a list of questions you can use to prepare, and if there
are other committee sta or members you should reach out to so
you can learn what other members are hoping to gain from the
hearing. You are allowed to bring talking points with you, so
come prepared with a sheet of key statistics, facts, or bullet
points you want to integrate into your answers. You should also
read the other witnesses’ written testimony in advance (pub-
lished online) so you know where they’re coming from, and look
for opportunities to rebut their points through an answer to a
related question if possible.
There is always a chance you will be asked challenging or
even hostile questions from members of the committee, so pre-
pare for these types of questions in advance by asking someone
to practice with you so you feel comfortable navigating this situ-
ation. Think about the framing of your responses, and try to re-
direct o-base questions to areas related to your expertise, so it’s
harder for your responses to be taken out of context. If you don’t
know the answer to a question, it is better to say you don’t know
and will follow up with more information than to say something
you might later regret (remember, this is part of the ocial re-
cord). Committee members in both the majority and minority
may use hearings as an opportunity for showmanship or to get
sound bites they can use to engage their base. Always be polite in
your responses, and respond calmly. You’re not on trial, even if
things feel heated—you're there to provide scientific expertise.
For an example of written and oral testimony, check out
UCS Senior Analyst Anita Desikan’s testimony on scientific
integrity and public health.
This guide is based on recommendations and input from Anita
Desikan and Dave Cooke at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Oral testimony can be no longer than five minutes; you will be
cut o at the time limit. Here are some tips to maximize your
impact.
• Remember this formula: one minute = about 150 words.
Plan your comments to be no more than 650 words
(between four and four-and-a-half minutes).
• Keep your oral testimony simpler than the written testimo-
ny. Focus on two or three main points you want your audi-
ence to remember, and use your time to repeat and
strengthen these points.
• Practice, practice, practice! You don’t have to memorize
your oral testimony, but you don’t want to be staring down
at your notes the entire time.
• Speak slowly and clearly; your hearing might have simulta-
neous language translation or captions, which will require
you to speak slowly. (Another good reason to practice!)
A Basic Outline for Written and Oral Testimony
Introduction: Begin by thanking the committee chair and rank-
ing member for the opportunity to testify. (For oral testimony,
look up and rehearse pronouncing their names correctly.) Intro-
duce yourself and why you are testifying—how does your research
or area of expertise relate to this issue?
State the problem: Provide information about the scale
and urgency of the issue at hand. Name who is most impacted by
this issue. You can include key facts or statistics to back up your
position, but remember to avoid jargon and not get bogged down
in the data. A personal story or anecdote can help illustrate your
connection to the issue and bring your testimony to life.
Oer solutions and considerations: Lay out your case for
how science can help address the problem equitably. Include
considerations for some of the nuances that the issue presents,
but don’t lose sight of your main points. At the end, summarize
your top two or three takeaways that you hope the audience will
remember.
Both written and oral testimony will be added to the ocial
public record, so it is important to be confident about the facts
and claims you are making in both testimonies.
