Engaging Elected Officials Presenter Joe Gagen Presenter: Joe Gagen Joe Gagen Successful Advocacy   What are the keys to achieving your objectives Making the audiences you need care enough to act on your behalf What messages or actions will move your audiences to care and take the action you want? Legislative Audience--What do we know about this audience and what is important to this audience? Voters Facts Personal experience Philosophical beliefs Financial support to run Voter intensity or passion Political party Lack of expertise on most issues Lack of time to study issues Media/public awareness Persistence of advocates Impact on taxes/available revenue

Successful Legislative Advocacy Plan of Action Grassroots Advocacy Professional Assistance Media Secondary Influencers Elections Your Message & its Delivery Organization of Your Resources

Outline of Presentation Keys to Effective Advocacy Delivering your message

I. Keys to Effective Advocacy First and Foremost: Understand your Audience

Architects and Engineers I--------------------------------I One Story Thirty Stories

Architects and Engineers I----------------------------X---I One Story Thirty Stories Architects say no need for an engineer until you get to a pretty high number of stories and they believe that

Architects and Engineers I-X------------------------------I I One Story Thirty Stories Engineers say need an engineer at a fairly low number of stories and they believe that

Architects and Engineers I-----------X----X---X---------I One Story Thirty Stories Different states could draw the line at different levels. Point is that this is not an easy issue to decide..never comfortable that you have drawn the line at the correct spot…ultimately a judgment call … Legislators lack expertise on many issues and…..

And You Think You’re Busy And You Think You’re Busy?? Approximate number of communications received by a Texas Senator’s office during a recent legislative session [140-day session]. 4 5,484 bills introduced  3 1,389 bills passed  ( 2,690 telephone calls  J 3,500 drop-in visitors  9   ????? E-mails - 4,607 letters  J 2,450 visitors with staff members * 977 invitations

What is it like? Someone once said that dealing with information during a legislative session was a lot like…..

What does a legislator need to keep from making mistakes?

Legislative Process Theory: Proactive Process Reality: Reactive Process On most issues legislators respond to those who speak up If you are silent, the assumption is ????

Legislative Audience What factor is the most important or most likely to influence a legislator’s actions?

Rick Hardcastle

How do we effectively utilize that factor? Most Important Factor How do we effectively utilize that factor?

Oil Tanker, Insiko abandoned 220 miles from Hawaii Hokget left on board $300,000 was spend to the save the dog “We are best able to respond when we are focused on a single victim.”

Stories Persuade “One hundred dogs do not have a single face, a single name, a single life story around which we can wrap our imaginations and our compassion” “Our hidden brain—my term for a host of unconscious mental processes that subtly bias our judgment—shapes our compassion into a telescope. We are best able to respond when we are focused on a single (example or ) victim.”

Conclusions Constituents Matter Relationships are the Key (Requires Time) Passion/Intensity Critical Personal Stories Persuade/no need to be an expert on legislation/legislative process

Effective Legislative Visits The Chocolate Bar Rule

The Dragnet Rule

Modified Fish and Relatives Rule

Charlie McCarthy Rule 31

The 7 Contacts Rule