Effective contact with elected officials
Our form of government relies heavily on the feedback and involvement of its citizens in order to operate effectively, or least for the people it's meant to govern.
That means you help government operate more effectively by contacting elected officials on a regular basis. - whether they like it or not. But just remember that the old adage that “it’s not what you say, but how you say it” applies.
How you say something can be just as important as what you say. As Senator Hubert Humphrey once said, “The right to be speak does not necessarily include the right to be taken seriously”. If you have something important to say about your government, take the time to say it in the most effective way possible.
How elected officials think
To understand how to lobby effectively, it helps to get inside the mind of an elected official, (despite how scary that may seem with some politicians). Generally they’re overly concerned with their next election, which means they’re constantly trying to get a handle on what voters think. That’s where you come in.
The Tip of the Iceberg
Many legislators get a sense of their district through what could be called the “iceberg phenomenon”.
Legislators represent thousands of people and, since they can’t get to know them all, they tend to look at everyone they come in contact with as representing “the tip of the iceberg” – and they don’t want to be the Titanic. For example, if 20 people write their office asking them to vote against a particular bill, they then think that there must be hundreds more who feel the same way but just didn’t write.
As a grassroots activist, this gives you a tremendous opportunity. By joining together with others in a combined effort, you can have impact that far exceeds your numbers.
Spontaneity Counts
A natural consequence of the iceberg phenomenon is that the more spontaneous the contact, the greater the impact.
If a grassroots campaign looks orches¬trated, (such as a petition drive), it may tend to be discounted. The town hall meeting and the grocery store illustrate the point. If three people ask a question about tax increases during the open-ended question and answer time at a town hall meeting, a legislator will think that a lot of people are concerned. But if three people stop them in the grocery store to ask about tax increases, they think “everyone” must be talking about it.
Personal is Better
The more personal the contact is, the more effective it will be. For example, a stack of thirty postcards can be viewed as just “pieces of paper’, but thirty people at a meeting, (or showing up at their office), creates a more vivid and lasting impression. Make it personal, but be polite.
Don’t make it easy for them to ignore or discount your views.
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Related entries:
Check out The Intermediate Guide to Grassroots Politics for more lobbying tips
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