PRACTICE A LASER TALK
First one of you reads a two minute talk. Then a second person reads it again, but this time, they read
just the underlined parts of the talk. Then a third person asks you questions about it, and everyone
shouts out the answers, WITH THE LASER TALK TURNED OVER. Finally, a fourth person, asks the
questions again, but this time, everyone else is silent and just thinks the answers.
Then everybody practices the entire speech to a partner (Diads)
Finally, one person tries the whole thing in front of the whole group.
Practice during the month, in the shower!
Identify the team members (4) to lead this laser talk practice segment
1 S T VOLUNTEER READS
Power Plant Carbon Pollution Standards -- Laser Talk. Ask for four volunteers (ahead of time)
Power plants are the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. They are
responsible for 40% of the national total. About three-quarters of this pollution comes from coal-fired
plants and about one-quarter from natural gas plants [1].
The Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that carbon dioxide pollution is covered by the Clean Air Act [2]. Based
on that, in 2009 the EPA determined that carbon dioxide endangers public health and welfare [3]. For
more than 40 years the Clean Air Act has been used successfully to reduce other pollutant emissions
(such as sulfur, nitrogen, and mercury) with benefits that far exceed the costs [4]. Yet there are currently
no national limits on the amount of carbon dioxide the 1500 operating fossil fuel power plants can dump
into our atmosphere [5].
EPA is required to set power plant carbon dioxide pollution standards under Section 111 of the Clean Air
Act. Proposed new standards could cut carbon pollution from America's power plants by more than a
quarter by 2020. This would prevent health, economic, and environmental damages costing $26 to $60
billion per year. These benefits would cost about $4 billion per year. And doing so would boost
investments in new technologies and create jobs in the clean energy sector [6].
2ND VOLUNTEER READS (JUST THE UNDERLINED PARTS)
Audience shouts out answers
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3 R D VOLUNTEER READS QUESTIONS: AUDIENCE SHOUTS ANSWERS
Put Away Your Laser Talk Sheets
[I READ]
[Team Shouts]
What is the largest source of CO2 E in the U.S.?
Power plants
What percentage of the national total of CO2 E do they
create?
Power plants generate 40% of U.S.
emissions
Three quarters of these emissions are created by what?
Coal-fired power plants create 75% of
it, or 30% of the U.S. total CO2 E
What creates the rest?
Natural gas power plants create the
rest of it
What major piece of Federal legislation covers air
pollution?
The Clean Air Act
The Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the Clean Air Act
covers what pollutant?
The Clean Air Act covers CO2 E
Based on that, in 2009 the EPA decided that what
pollutant endangers public health & welfare
CO2 endangers public health & welfare
What else has the EPA regulated under the Clean Air
Act?
Sulfur, mercury, and nitrogen & 70
other pollutants
What can you say about the potential cost benefit ratio
of regulations?
Benefits far exceeded costs
What are the current limits on CO2 E by power plants?
There are no limits
What section of the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to
limit those emissions?
Section 111
How much could new standards cut CO2 emissions by?
25%
By when could these cuts happen?
2020
By how much could the environmental, health, and
environmental costs of CO2 pollution be slashed?
$26-60 billion/year
how much would it cost to achieve these reductions?
$4 billion/year
What other benefits would happen?
Investment in green energy
technologies, more green jobs
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4 TH VOLUNTEER READS QUESTIONS, AUDIENCE THINKS THE ANSWERS
This time ask them to think the answers. (Keep the sheets turned over)
DIADS
Have people break into diads. Don’t interrupt each other. Don’t look at any paper.
Person 1: Pretend that you’re in an elevator along with person 2.
Person 2: You notice that person 1 is wearing an NRDC Citizen Advocates cap, or t-shirt. SAY: “That’s a
nice hat/t-shirt/sweater. “What does NRDC Citizen Advocates do?”
Person 1: Do NOT DIVE IMMEDIATELY INTO YOUR LASER TALK. First tell the person what you really care
about. Base this on the exercise we did earlier today. Try and recall that same intensity, passion,
sincerity, vulnerability, & temperature rise. In other words, go to that place where you can invoke all
that’s best in you. CONNECT with the other person.
THEN, Deliver your laser talk!
Person 2: do not interrupt
WHO’S BRAVE?
Finally, ask for one volunteer who’s never done it before, to come up and deliver the talk.
Now you’ve heard that there are 3 kinds of memory: Short term, medium term, and long term. So right
now, you have a good chunk of this laser talk in your short term memory. What do you think you can do
to get into medium and then long term memory?
SO YOUR MONTHLY LASER TALK PRACTICE GOES LIKE THIS.
 Every day for a week, spend 5 minutes on this laser talk. Even better, twice a day.
 Then every other day for a week
 Then twice a week for a week
 Then once a week
 At the next monthly telecom, pick someone to say it to, either before or after the formal
meeting
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