1 Are You Ready For Your Next Congressional Hearing Corner Alliance March12, 2015

Congressional Hearing Success 2 Understanding why Congressional hearings are difficult and some of the challenges leaders face Effective communication practices Proven strategies, techniques and innovative tools to succeed when presenting on the Hill

Testifying Can be Daunting 3 Congress has its own agenda and perspective They have constituents, committee members, and their own priority issues When leaders are unable to provide specific details and answer questions during testimony their agency’s credibility could suffer

Resource Impact of Hearings 4 Leaders spend valuable time gathering and vetting data to defend budgets and programs Agencies commit significant resources preparing for and carrying out a Congressional hearing

Challenges of Congressional Hearings 5 Leaders are expected to have all of the answers Leaders are typically alone without the support of their staff when presenting

Challenges of Congressional Hearings 6 The scope of questions is often unknown Testimony does not stand alone, it is included with the many testimonies you or your agency have given before

The Perils of Testifying to Congress 7

Traits of An Effective Communicator 8

Insider Tips When Presenting to Congress 9 Understand your agency’s hearing preparation and data gathering processes Stay close to your customers and stakeholders Ensure your agency stays visible

Know Your Audience 10 Do the research on who the committee members are. Where are they from and what are their interests? Do they have priority causes or issues? Have they introduced legislation or amendments in your area? Do they have personal connections to your work?

Preparation 11 A presenter should research and be prepared for as many questions asked of them as possible Agency leaders are expected to be aware of large and small details, and a presenter should be well versed in all aspects surrounding an issue, especially those being discussed by the media or general public

Practice, Practice, Practice 12 A presenter should practice in front of a live audience before the real event Any practice session should be as similar to the real setting as possible, and the audience members should ask difficult questions and interrupt to give the presenter experience of being in a difficult setting It can be helpful to prepare a list of hot topics that could come up and practice how to best respond Videotape your practice session

Know your audience Do the preparation work needed Practice, practice, practice Use support tools such as InsiteInsite Effective Techniques Overview 13

Insite- Leading with Data on Demand Insite is a presentation and knowledge management solution that delivers the data, when it is needed most The tool: – Automates the process of collecting and vetting data from across your organization – Allows leaders to respond to key stakeholders with the right, vetted information – Cuts costs and minimizes resources need to prepare for presenting to key stakeholders To complement Insite, Corner Alliance combines proven presentation tactics, training, data management and strategic consulting with this innovative tool 14

Benefits of Insite Data Module Saves valuable time and resources when searching for information 15 Creates an efficient process for gathering data across an organization, in real time, from multiple platforms or mobile devices. Increases an agency’s transparency and accountability

Benefits of Insite Leadership Presentation Delivers a high-stakes information lifeline to presenters with real-time collaboration with staff 16 Provides one-click access for sharing vetted information on demand. Allows access to data in real-time and around the clock regardless of platform or device Offers an intuitive presentation environment that is cloud-based, web enabled, platform- agnostic, and mobile friendly

Summary Congressional hearings are challenging 17 Leaders that have been successful on Capitol Hill are prepared, understand their audience, practice often and use tools such as InsiteInsite Successful hearings can bolster an agency’s credibility and help an agency communicate its value and priorities to Congress and other stakeholders

Learn More Visit Check out the Insite VideoInsite Video For a demo of Insite or to learn how Corner Alliance can help you or can help your organization contact: Ron Prater at 18 Questions?