Presentations and Workshops

Our presentations and workshops are offered in-person or as webinars. Some of our presentations are in video format and can be screened for audiences, followed by a Q&A. Many of these offerings can also be adapted for specific audiences.

Vegan Communication: The Problem and the Promise

The way vegans communicate with each other can either damage or empower the vegan movement. In this presentation, psychologist and communication and relationship expert Melanie Joy discusses how some ways that vegans communicate are causing serious problems in the movement—and what vegans can do to fix it.

Sustainable Vegan Advocacy: How to Be More Effective and Fulfilled as a Vegan Advocate

In this presentation, psychologist Melanie Joy explains the common causes of burnout, frustration, and ineffective advocacy that impact many vegan advocates. She discusses how unsustainable vegan advocacy is one of the most serious obstacles to the success of the vegan movement. She also shares specific strategies that vegans can employ to improve their advocacy and their lives.

Understanding the Psychology of Oppression for a More Empowered Vegan Movement

In this talk, psychologist Melanie Joy explains the psychology that causes us to believe that certain individuals and groups are more worthy of being treated with respect than others. She explains the mentality that underlies oppression and abuse and which can cause advocates for compassion and justice to engage in the very behaviors they’re trying to transform. She also talks about how to use this understanding to help create a more empowered vegan movement.

How Vegans Can Improve Relationships and Communication

Many vegans find that it’s difficult or impossible to feel connected with the nonvegans in their lives and to communicate about veganism in a way that doesn’t cause conflict. Often, too, vegans have trouble relating and communicating with other vegans when they disagree with each other’s ideas. In this presentation, psychologist Melanie Joy explains the principles and tools for creating healthy, connected relationships, and she gives tips on how to talk about even the most challenging issues productively.

Relational Literacy

Relational literacy is the understanding of and ability to practice healthy ways of relating. Many of the most pressing problems in our lives and our world—from animal exploitation to war and domestic abuse—have a common denominator: relational dysfunction. Relational dysfunction is also a key impediment to the success of vegan organizations and the movement as a whole, as manifested in widespread infighting, toxic communication, and abuses of power among leaders. And a staggering number of individual vegans report that the breakdown of relationships in their personal lives is an obstacle to their sustainability. In this workshop, Melanie Joy explains the principles and tools for building relational literacy, to help vegans improve the quality of their relationships and advocacy and to help build a more resilient movement and a more compassionate world.

Privilege and Inclusivity: How to Understand and Talk About Privilege to Build a More Empowered Vegan Movement

Like the rest of society, the vegan movement has been plagued by abuses of power, from discrimination to sexual harassment. Much of the problem is caused by unexamined privilege—privilege people aren’t aware of. However, attempts to raise awareness of privilege often lead to infighting and end up reinforcing the very problem they’re trying to transform. In this talk, psychologist Melanie Joy presents a straightforward explanation of what privilege is, why it matters, and how to talk about it in a way that helps create a more inclusive and powerful vegan movement.

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows

In this presentation, which is based on the award-winning book of the same name, psychologist Melanie Joy explains carnism, the invisible belief system that shapes our perceptions so that we love some animals and eat others without knowing why. Joy explains the ways carnism conditions us to unknowingly act against our core values, our own interests, and the interests of others so that we can make more informed food choices. This presentation is currently not available as a live talk. We recommend screening one of our two videos (The Secret Reason We Eat Meat or TEDx: Beyond Carnism and Toward Rational, Authentic Food Choices) about this topic and inviting Melanie Joy for Q&A.

Other presentations and workshops are offered through our Center for Effective Vegan Advocacy (CEVA).

Want to host a presentation?

Please contact us and let us know your preferred date and whether you’d like to organize an online or in-person event.

Drop us an email at info@carnism.org.