Advocacy 101
Last week, as the ill-considered Bankruptcy Bill passed through the Congress, a colleague sought me out to share her disgust with her representatives who voted for it. I asked her if she'd called her congressman and then gave her the phone number. She was intimidated, never having spoken to her elected officials before, but she said she'd do it.
Twenty minutes later, she found me again, this time all smiles. She laughingly told me how she'd argued the congressman's staffer into the ground on the topic. Her spirits lifted, and she looked forward to calling again.
A lot of people are intimidated by the thought of calling a congressman or senator's office, as though these people are somehow too powerful to be bothered with the opinions of their constituents. On the contrary, I've been informed by the ACA's Washington lobbyists that citizen phone calls, emails, and letters are the most effective way of getting an official's attention.
Here are some tips to help you get started down the path of being an advocate for your family, your town, your profession, and your nation.
1. Know How to Contact your Representatives:
Click Here to find the phone numbers, email addresses, and street addresses of your Federal Congressperson and Federal Senators. Save this info to your computer desktop for easy retrieval.
Click Here to find the contact information for your state and local elected officials. The site is project Vote Smart. You'll see a field on the left-hand sidebar. Enter your zip code and you'll get the information you need.
2. Know What you Want to Talk About When You Call:
Once you've identified an issue that you want to bring to your representatives' attention, learn a little more about it through internet searches or other reading. Ten minutes of preparation will build your confidence and hone your argument.
3. Know That You Won't Get to Speak Directly to Your Representative:
But the people who answer the phones and open the mail get paid to relay information to their bosses. Your concern will not disappear into the memory hole.
4. Be Direct and Concise:
Say what you need to say in a polite, brief, and genuine way. If writing a letter, be sure to include your mailing address in the body of the letter. Elected officials won't pay attention to you if they can't be sure you're a constituent.
5. Ask Questions:
If you ask a question that the staff can't answer, then ask when you should expect to hear back from them.
6. Be Persistent:
Call or Write as often as you'd like. Get to know the names of the staff at your officials' offices. Get them to learn yours.
7. Have Fun!
This is democracy at work. As a citizen you have the right and privilege to communicate in a persuasive way with your representatives. They work for you. Enjoy it! Tell your friends. In fifteen minutes you can go from being a frustrated spectator to a citizen activist.
Counseling Policy will continue to post information on how to improve your advocacy skills and how to vanquish the fears that keep you feeling politically powerless. Please email or comment with your ideas, resources, and tales of advocacy.
posted by Gordon D. Smith, LPC @ 21.4.05
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