Electrically polarizable material (e.g., PVDF film) is poled by applying an electric field across the film. In the inventive technique, insulation is provided on the surface of the film. In a typical embodiment, a compliant dielectric annulus insulates the polarized region from the edges of the film. This substantially eliminates breakdown at the edges of the film, allowing increased poling voltages. The technique can reduce poling time to typically a few seconds at room temperature, as compared to minutes or hours by prior art techniques, some of which required elevated temperatures.