Political advocacy - the tools needed to be effective citizen advocates
-
Upload
american-academy-of-family-physicians -
Category
Documents
-
view
426 -
download
1
description
Transcript of Political advocacy - the tools needed to be effective citizen advocates
POLITICAL ADVOCACYTHE TOOLS NEEDED TO BE EFFECTIVE CITIZEN
ADVOCATESMAY 14, 2013
William KreisbergSchrayer & Associates, Inc.
2013 FAMILY MEDICINE CONGRESSIONAL CONFERENCE
Agenda Political Landscape Breaking Through the Noise
Tips for Influencing Legislators Do’s and Don’ts
Telling Your Story Elevator Speech Role Play
Capitol Hill Day Logistics
THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
The 113th Congress
The External Challenges
The External Challenges
The Political Challenges
The Internal Challenges
The Results
Public View of Congress
BREAKING THROUGHTHE NOISE
Reaching A Member of Congress Can Be Challenging
Thousands of emails and letters per week
Frequent use of Twitter and Facebook
Hundreds of calls per day Dozens of meetings per day Scores of constituent visits
Tools of Engagement
Lobbying
Communications
CitizenAdvocacy
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS:MEMBERS OF CONGRESS &
STAFF
Get to Know the TeamIn District Attend Town Hall Meetings Participate in On-Line
Meetings Write Letters to the Editor Meet Member and Staff in
District Office
In Washington Meet Member and Staff Bring Stakeholders (other
physicians, patients, families) Follow Up
Build the Relationship
Be A Resource Regular communications Send articles/material Contact by email/phone
(not mail) Keep communications
simple
Use Social and Traditional Media
Follow Members on Twitter/Facebook/ YouTube
Communicate to Media on Twitter
Write LTE/Op-Ed
“One of our office’s top priorities is maintaining a high quality of dialogue with the people we represent.” – Senate Office Mngr.
Social Media – An Essential ToolFollow Members All Senators and 90% of
House members have Twitter accounts; nearly all have Facebook pages
Follow members to keep up with their positions
Communicate with them through social media
Tell Your Story Use your own Facebook and
Twitter accounts to share facts and anecdotes about your practice
Build your Twitter list of followers by following your members of Congress – they in turn will follow you
MEETINGS DO’S & DON'TS
Prepare Know Your Member
Politics Committees Track Record
Know Your Ask Review Issues Know your Talking Points Have Material Ready (Leave-Behinds)
Be Prepared for “Chaos” Young Staff Limited Time – Long Lines
The MeetingDo’s: Thank Member Stay on Message Listen Make the Ask Follow Up
Don’ts Don’t Be Late Don’t Argue Don’t Have to Be Expert Don’t Ask for More Than
2-3 Items
After the MeetingMaintain the Relationship
Respond to requests for additional material Continue to be a resource Follow members on social media Periodically seek in-district meetings or attend
town halls Respond to Action Alerts
Make Your Voices Heard!
TELL YOUR STORY
The Elevator Speech
Be prepared for one minute message
Think about a memorable “sound bite”
Come with one anecdote, not just statistics
Going Up? Let’s Ride an Elevator
Share the importance of your practice and why family physicians are so vital to your community
Be succinct Include a memorable
anecdote
Enjoy the ride!
Role Playing
Putting it all together...
Lets Review… What tactics worked? Did they make the ask? What was the Member’s reaction? Did they follow the do’s and don’ts? What would you do differently?
Ready for your Meetings?
Time to practice at your tables
Getting Around Capitol Hill
Cafeteria
Cafeteria
Cafeteria
Cafeteria
Cafeteria
Cafeteria
Logistics for Capitol Hill Day Transportation
Take Metro or taxi (Metro cards provided) Avoid taking luggage to the Hill Leave extra time for long security lines Use building tunnels, if possible
LunchCafeterias in the House and Senate Office
Buildings
Questions?
EFFECTIVE POLITICAL ADVOCACY
“Politics should be the part-time job of every citizen.”
- Dwight D. Eisenhower -