The Political Process and How to Talk to and ENGAGE Lawmakers Locally and Abroad

Kody Bessent, HPWD Legislative Affairs Director

The Political Process….“Government 101” Simple Right??

How do you Engage or Talk to Policy Makers?What image do you initially get when you think of talking with policy makers?

Or maybe this…

How about this?

However you choose to engage policy makers always remember to do it with……

CONFIDENCE

Representative Involvement• Establish a history of Involvement• Constituents trust is a two-way street• Constituents depend on their elected/appointed officials to serve

honorably and ethically on their behalf• Elected/Appointed Officials depend on Constituents to:• Raise issues of importance• Assist with informed decisions• Involve themselves in taking action

Our Job as Advocates• Keep our elected or appointed officials informed on activities and

needs of our industry• Let your officials know the impacts of their Actions on their precincts,

district, state(s) etc…• Lobbyists are effective• HOWEVER, NOTHING IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THE VOICES FROM

HOME.

Why Serve as an Advocate & Carry the Message?• Direct impact on your life or your family• Direct impact on the community you live in• You understand the message/issue better than 99.9% of the

population• If you don’t someone else will…

The Senator Example• The Average population within a Senatorial District in Texas is 811,000• Members and even staff on many issues are a “mile wide and an inch

deep” in understanding the issues• With involvement, you set yourself apart and are a valued resource

when advocating for solutions to issues impacting you and your industry

What is Advocating?• The Oxford Dictionary defines a advocacy as “a person who publicly

supports or recommends a particular cause or policy, or a person who pleads on someone else’s behalf."• Effective advocating requires building relationships before you need them.• It's difficult sometimes because we as a society tend to only do things in life

when we need to, i.e. we are very reactive rather than proactive. • If you're running a marathon do you wait until the morning of the race and then just

go out to run?

• What it is:• Developing relationships or contacts• Building partnerships that support goals and objectives• Sharing information or a positive message• Ongoing and reciprocal in nature

How to Advocate Effectively • 1) Be Visible

• Advocating is a “contact” sport, you have to get out and connect with people.

• 2) Build Solid Relationships• Trust is key! V.C.P.

• Visibility – They know who you are and what you do• Credibility – They know who you are, what you do and they know you do it well• Profitability – They trust you enough to do business with you or listen to you

• 3) Diversity - If you only advocate to people who are like you -- i.e. in your industry or social group etc. – “your message becomes insular.”

• 4) Maintain: Your message will be useless if you don't maintain it and continue to update it -- that means constantly reaching out and advocating.

• 5) Give back - It's easy to drop off when you're not actively in need of something. But you need to remember that advocacy is a perpetual give-and-take.

• 6) Practice, Practice, Practice

Successful Advocate’s Are:• Open-minded and willing to meet new people• Prepared and persistent• Informed and up-to-date on current events (i.e. news, industry, etc.)• Respectful of everyone they meet and thankful for everyone’s time• Able to set clear, realistic and achievable goals

• The key to successful advocacy is to remember that you’re working on building real, deep relationships with your contacts and carrying a solid message collectively together.• Advocating is more about “farming” than it is about “hunting.” It’s not just about

developing a message – its about how well you portray it.• Cultivating the depth of your message to your target audience coupled with an

advocacy network is extremely important.

Tips for Successful Communication and Engagement with Policymakers and Staff

• Basic Rules:• Legislators want to hear from you and unless they hear from you they don’t know what you need. • You are an expert so do not be afraid to talk.• Talking with legislators (or staff) is relationship development.

• A relationship can be hard to build but easy to erode!

• Develop Relationships• Majority, if not All Politics are Local, Keep it that way

• Use specific examples and materials• Obtain materials of support (letters, calls, etc..) from local entities• Meet/involve elected officials whenever possible in the District, outside the district and have their staff involved

• Identify Local Advocates and Get Them In Front of the Member and Staff.• Key folks with a story to tell

• Schedule regular contacts with both local staff and capitol staff.

Tips for Successful Communication and Engagement with Policymakers and Staff

• Be Clear and Succinct.• Stay focused and limit your message.

• Develop an “ask,” or a message for your legislator.• Convey the importance of the issue to your work, employer, community, state etc.• Never state information you do not know to be true.

• If you do not know an answer—tell them that you will research it and get back to them with an answer.• Ask them for questions.• Reiterate top points and capture follow up items.

• Always, Always, Always - Follow up.• Thank the participants (verbally and by an email or even better a hand-written letter).

• Reiterate key takeaway points in the email or letter.• Contact office every three – four months—to build an ongoing relationship.

Advocacy Creates Opportunity

Questions?