X-Message-Number: 93
From: Kevin Q. Brown
Subject: CryoFest on Public Presentations 
Date: 13 Jun 1989

Messages #58 and #86 announced the sessions at the May 26 - 29 CryoFest at
South Lake Tahoe.  One of the sessions was a panel discussion on:
   "Tips on Explaining Cryonics to Your Children, Your Friends, and Groups"
The moderator was Dick Marsh, Ph.D., who has had experience presenting cryonics
on national TV but mostly deferred to the panelists (Steve Bridge, Arel Lucas,
Dave Pizer, and Angalee Shepherd) to tell their stories instead.  (In fact,
his introductions of the panelists were quite gracious.)  The session focussed
mostly on how to present cryonics to the public, rather than on how to present
it to your children or friends.  Here are several of my notes on that session:

One of the first questions raised was how to handle religious questions.
Steve Bridge said to stress cryonics as a medical procedure.  Cryonicists do
not propose raising the dead; physicians are simply wrong about when death
occurs.  Using this approach, Steve recently gave two talks on cryonics to
high school students and got NO questions about religion.  (He did get some
questions about morals and population, though.)  Steve also recommended
presenting nanotechnology before talking about cryonics.
When someone asked how to present (1) neuropreservation and (2) cloning
for spare parts, Steve suggested approaching cloning by first convincing
people that they could regrow a finger.  Then that they could regrow an arm.
Then that they could regrow an entire body.  Only after that would he discuss
neuropreservation.

Arel Lucas spoke of her recent experiences and had three main comments:
  (1) First "know thyself".  Do not get in deeper than you can handle.  (If
      you are not an expert in nanotechnology, medicine, etc. do not try to
      answer questions that require that expertise.)  Also, before making a
      presentation, assess your motivations for making the presentation.
  (2) Who are you presenting the talk to?
  (3) What materials are appropriate?  (Photos of people on gurneys may
      just turn people off.)
She also suggested looking for UNSPOKEN assumptions; answer what people
really want to know, not just what they say in their questions.  For example,
if someone asks "What happens to the soul?" what they (likely) really want
to know is "How does this fit with my religious scheme of things?" or
"Does a person need to be an atheist to get frozen?".  As for the cost of
cryonic suspension, she pointed out that a liver transplant costs $100,000
to $400,000!

Dave Pizer (the head of the Venturists) spoke about the media attention the
Venturists have received with the many radio talk shows in which he and other
Venturists have participated.  He suggested that before starting the radio
talk show you should first make friends with the host.  The host then will
field the difficult questions (about the soul, etc.) and, in general, help
you out.  Dave also suggested that early on you should get people to agree
that revival from cryonic suspension is possible (by presenting the ideas of
nanotechnology).
He also mentioned that the Venturists want to eventually run a (cryonics-
oriented) retirement and rest home, which would help assure prompt suspension
upon clinical "death".  This is also a good opportunity for the Venturists to
support cryonics in a way that the cryonic suspension organizations cannot.
(Running a nursing home is, from a legal and public relations standpoint,
a risky endeavor for a cryonic suspension organization because of the
appearance of a conflict of interest.)

Angalee Shepherd related some of her stories from work, where her fellow
employees know that she is signed up for cryonic suspension.  Apparently
she has become quite a novelty (but in a nice way).  When she was pictured in
a company publication with another employee for one of their achievements, the
other employee always wanted to point out to her friends "And she is going to
be frozen!".

Saul Kent suggested (from the audience) to make certain that your address and
phone number get on the (TV) screen.  You might even arrange for a confederate
to call in and ask for your address and phone number.

Steve Bridge recommended the book "I Can See You Naked" as a good source of
information on making public presentations.  I suggested that a good way to
improve one's public speaking skills is to join Toastmasters International, a
California-based international public speaking organization. ((714) 542-6793)

Sometime during the CryoFest Jim Stevenson suggested the "gentle seduction"
method of presenting cryonics; desensitization, in small doses, of fears
about future shock.  This approach should be applicable to friends and
children because you have many opportunities to interact with them over a
long period of time.  When presenting cryonics to the public you may get
only once chance and that chance may last only a few seconds.

                                       - Kevin Q. Brown
                                       ...att!ho4cad!kqb
                                       

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