Train your conversations.
Practise your conversations with an AI that answers like a real passer-by, and learn to respond calmly to common objections.
How to get active
Learn to speak up for animals.
A good conversation can change how someone sees animals for the rest of their life. Here you find what we have learned on the street: our guidelines for outreach, a tool to practise your conversations and resources for making your own videos.
How we talk to people on the street.
These are the guidelines we use at every Stand. Each flowchart leads a conversation step by step: open a question to see its goal and what you can say to clarify it.
Talking to animal exploiters
Hello, how do you feel about humans exploiting other animals?
Goal:Make sure to determine if the person is reachable. If necessary, explain what exploitation means.
Clarify:Exploitation means using someone for your purposes. Animals are exploited for many purposes.
Do you acknowledge that they are someone, not something?
Goal:Establish a common understanding that other animals are sentient individuals. Acknowledging this means not objectifying them.
Clarify:Like us, they have their own experience, unique character traits and emotions.
Do you agree that exploiting someone else is an injustice?
Goal:Introduce them to the injustice and seek their agreement.
Clarify:The injustice lies in the entitlement over the body of someone else and declaring them property that exists for human purposes.
Do you still exploit them for food, clothing, entertainment, experiments or any other purpose?
Goal:Hold them accountable for their actions and call them out for their hypocrisy.
Clarify:In this injustice there are two sides: the victim’s and the victimiser’s. What side should you be on?
If you were in your victim’s position, how soon would you need this injustice to end?
Goal:Make them understand the severity of this injustice and the urgency of ending it.
Clarify:You have already acknowledged that they are someone, so you are able to imagine yourself in their position.
Do you feel anything is stopping you from defending other animals?
Goal:Address any objections by emphasizing the mindset change and by putting them in their victim’s position again.
Clarify:- With the mindset that animals are someone, you don’t see exploitation as an option anymore and you will find solutions.
- Would that excuse be a good reason to exploit you?
How many more animals should be exploited for you from now on?
Goal:Lead them to the conclusion that not a single individual should be their victim anymore.
Clarify:Zero or more?
What does this mean for your life?
Goal:Help them understand the consequences of this decision and lead them to a declaration against this injustice.
Clarify:Will you commit to living like this from now on? Handshake on that?
Do you see that this is a justice movement and the victims need you to defend them?
Goal:Call them to action! Invite them to be part of the Stand immediately. Explain the landing page and that there are other options to get involved.
Clarify:Do you want to use this opportunity and defend the other animals with us in this formation?
How do you feel about your decision to defend other animals from now on?
Goal:Reaffirm their choice and determine their honesty. Give them the closing card for further engagement.
Clarify:You are now an animal defender. Do you want to commemorate this important decision and take a picture with a sign?
Talking to vegans
What is your current understanding of veganism?
Goal:Make sure they understand that veganism is exclusively about the animals and ending their exploitation.
Clarify:Veganism is the ethical principle that humans should live without exploiting other animals.
Do you see that this is a justice movement and the victims need you to defend them?
Goal:Put them in the victim’s position to understand it’s not a personal lifestyle choice.
Clarify:If you were in their position right now, would you want someone to actively defend you?
If you were in the position of other animals, would you consider your current actions enough for their liberation?
Goal:Emphasise that this is the greatest injustice and that the animals need vegans to be fully committed.
Clarify:Do you want to take this opportunity to defend other animals with us in this movement?
After the first Stand
How did it feel, defending animals?
Goal:Make the new activist feel welcome and appreciated. Assess their impressions.
Clarify:Even if people were laughing or being disrespectful, your contribution is meaningful to the animals.
Do you feel aligned with the way we defend animals on the streets, or is a different way more fitting to you?
Goal:Help them find their way into activism: add them to the groups and introduce them to different ways of being active.
Clarify:If standing on the street is not your thing, you can speak up online, edit videos, create media, or use your specific skills for the animals.
Do you understand that it is extremely urgent that you defend animals from now on?
Goal:Emphasise the necessity of speaking up specifically in this injustice.
Clarify:The scale of this injustice is unmatched because animals are most of the time not even recognised as someone.
Core principles
Accountability. It is not about spreading awareness or giving out information. It is about their responsibility for animal exploitation.
Truth. We mirror the consequences of their actions. We put them in their victim’s position to understand the injustice and urgency.
Action. It is not about giving food for thought. It is about calling them to act against the injustice by defending other animals.
Focus on what you can control
Learning the principles of our message. Accountability, truth and action.
Improving emotional stability and resilience. No pandering. Bold and direct. Represent how you want to be represented! Don’t make them your personal enemies. Monitor your emotions and be calm. No insults.
Spending your time reasonably and efficiently. Use your chances! Qualify conversations to recognise whether they are willing to reflect on their actions. Determine reachability.
Turn footage into impact.
Videos carry the message to people we never meet on the street. These resources help you get started with editing.
The animals need you
Want to get active?
There are many ways to stand up for nonhuman animals and against their exploitation. Take our quiz to find out how you can get involved, explore different ways to take action and find the role that suits you best.
