Crafting & Delivering Your Advocacy Message

1. Crafting & Delivering Your Advocacy Message Presented by: Michael Splaine, Splaine Consulting; Robyn Grant Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, Consumer Voice With a special guest appearance by Amity Overall-Laib

2. Session outline • Tips on developing your message • Tips on presenting your message • Group exercise: • Write a message • Role play delivering your message

3. Crafting the Message • Open with a statement that engages your audience • Present the problem • Provide facts, data about the problem • Give a real life, human example about the problem • Connect the issue to your audience • How it fits with what they care about/want/need • Make your request (the “ask”)

4. Crafting the Message • Make sure to: • Prepare for arguments opposing your request • Research your audience • For elected officials: http://votesmart.org/

5. Delivering the Message • Arranging and preparing for the meeting • Conducting the meeting • Following-up after the meeting

6. Arranging and Preparing for the Meeting • Set up a meeting time • Review your message • Find out anything else you can about the person • Make sure your responses to “push back” are ready • Decide who is going to say what – and in what order; who will take notes • Decide what information to bring

7. Conducting the Meeting DO: • Be on time!!! • Start with • Introductions • Identifying that you’re a constituent • A compliment • Present your message – remember to make “the ask” • Be courteous and polite • Take notes • Ask whom to contact for follow-up • Leave your card and information

8. Conducting the Meeting DON’T: • Make up an answer or guess • Argue or debate • Alienate the person • Take too much of the person’s time

9. Following-Up After the Meeting • Write a thank you note right away • Provide information for unanswered questions • Do visit report if part of a campaign • Follow-up again if you haven’t received a response to your request

10. GROUP EXERCISE