Give this talk

This entire project started as one volunteer, twenty-five minutes, and a room full of people at an assisted living community. You don't need to be an expert to do the same thing. You need three steps and about the same amount of time.

Pick the version that fits what you've got.

The 5-minute lobby talkNo slides, no prep beyond reading it once. A residents' meeting, a church group, a family dinner. The full 25-minute talkSlides plus a complete speaker script with timings — the original talk. The 60-second scriptA radio spot, a voicemail greeting, a bulletin, or a newsletter blurb. The volunteer answer sheetFor whoever staffs a table afterward — real questions people ask, with short answers ready.

Download the slide deck (PPTX) — 22 slides, built to pair with the full speaker script. Presenter notes are on every slide too, so the deck works on its own if that's easier.

What actually works when you give this

Open with a story, not a statistic. A local one if you have it — never naming anyone. Statistics inform; stories make people lean forward.

Say the part that lets people relax, early. The person who got scammed raised four kids and ran a business for thirty years. The people who called her do this full time, with scripts and quotas. Nobody in the room is going to out-think a professional — and you're not asking them to. Just to be slower than one.

Never ask who's been scammed. Not for a show of hands, not anonymously, not as an icebreaker. The single most important thing in the room is that nobody feels exposed.

Include yourself in the vulnerable group. "I nearly fell for a text about a package last week." That one sentence is the permission slip that lets people actually ask questions afterward.

Hand out the sheets personally, not left in a stack on a table. A sheet someone was handed gets taped to a fridge. A sheet from a pile gets left behind.

If someone tells you they've lost money — in the room or after — your first words are "I'm glad you told me." Then, quietly, offer to sit with them while they call their bank.

Before you're ready to speak

You don't need to memorize anything. Read through the version you picked once, out loud, on your own. That's the only rehearsal this requires — the whole point of a script is that you don't have to improvise.

If you'd like a second set of eyes, or you're planning to give this in a language other than English, email [email protected] — we'll help however we can.

Talking to a room of adult children instead of seniors? There's a separate deck for that.