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BASIC TIPS FOR MEETING WITH YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

 

ARRANGING THE MEETING

 

• Call your legislator’s office and make an appointment. Ask to speak with appointments secretary or scheduler. All Members of Congress have offices in their districts, and Senators usually have two or three throughout the state. Legislators can usually be found in their district offices while Congress is in recess.

 

• Identify yourself as a constituent of the legislator, stating where you live.

 

• Briefly explain which issue you would like to discuss with the legislator.

 

• Request a 30 minute meeting with the elected official. You might be given less time, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for 30
minutes.

 

• If the legislator is unavailable, request a meeting with a legislative aide or other staff person who is responsible for or knowledgeable about your issue.

 

• Send a note or fax to confirm the appointment. Include the time, date and location of the appointment, as well as your name, address and daytime phone number.

 

PREPARING FOR THE MEETING

• Gather a small group, if possible, (three is optimum) to accompany you during the meeting. If you are going with a group of people,
decide on a spokesperson ahead of time. Bring different members of the community, such as a business owner, teacher,Vets, scientist, homemaker, etc. If you are representing a larger group or organization, convey that to the legislator. Talk one at a time

 

• Determine the message you wish to convey before meeting with the legislator. If in a group divide up the tasks of who is the main
spokesperson, and who will answer questions on specific topics. Also, assign someone to take notes and to write the follow-up letter. Include brief personal stories or experiences which demonstrate why this issue is important to you or the group. Finally, keep your message brief and clear so that your legislator understands the issue. Be clear about the specific actions you want your legislator to take. Do you want the legislator to sign a letter? Vote a certain way on a bill?

 

• List all arguments for and against the issue and develop responses. This will avoid being put on the spot when the legislator disagrees with your argument.

 

• Prepare your message in a letter or fact sheet to leave with the legislator. Have other voters or organizations prepare letters of
endorsement or other supportive materials. If you wish to convey amendments or revisions to legislation, provide your edited version of the bill. Be brief; if you bury them in paper, they may not read it! Fact sheet should include fact about Jobs, Taxes, businesses that will be lost or gained or the dangers to human life

 

• Familiarize yourself with the legislator’s voting record and history. This will help you relate and determine which arguments will be most effective (e.g., animal protection, economic, environmental, religious, etc.).

 

• Role play your presentation with others who can provide feedback. Practice until you are confident and know the information or message, but do not memorize it. Make sure the information you are presenting is limited enough to allow time for questions and discussion.

 

DURING THE MEETING
 

 

• Be on time. Your legislator has a full schedule. Sometimes elected officials may not be on time due to meetings or hearings. Be patient and flexible. If the legislator must leave early, ask to continue the discussion with a staff person.

 

• Dress CONSERVATIVELY AND PROFESSIONALLY. Initial impressions are important in this setting and a good one can only help your message. Don’t wear buttons, patches, clothes or hats with pictures or sighs, hats, and don’t chew gum or tobacco, dip snuff, or smell like cigarettes. Remember IMAGE, IMAGE, IMAGE

 

• Relax. Do not feel that you need to be an expert. All that matters is that you are an intelligent citizen with voting power. Your best
tool will be to show how genuine your concern is for the issue. Don’t become emotional, angry, or carry on about how your rights are being done away with. Remember IMAGE, IMAGE, IMAGE

 

• Introduce yourself and everyone in your group, and identify your organization.

 

• Make eye contact. This shows confidence. Speak with authority and remember that your legislator (or the staff person) is a person too.

 

• Begin with a compliment, such as stating how good his or her voting record is. If you can’t do that, at least begin by thinking the
legislator for taking the time to meet with you.

 

• Make your opening remarks a brief and clear description of the issue. State your position on it and what you want the elected official to do. If legislation is involved, state the bill number, name, and sponsors.

 

• Watch body language as it can often reveal more than the discussion.

 

• If you lose your train of thought or get flustered, pull out your fact sheet to refresh your mind or let another member of the group pick up the discussion.

 

• After presenting your message, let the legislator respond. Listen carefully. Have another member of your group take notes so you can focus on what the legislator is saying.

 

• Answer the legislator’s questions as best you can. Don’t make up answers. Acknowledge what you do not know. Make a note of the questions you could not answer and tell the legislator you will follow up with answers.

 

• Keep the discussion focused on the message you are there to convey. If the discussion gets off course, steer it back to the issue.

 

• Be firm about your position, but don’t try to change the legislator’s mind. Be courteous, direct and fair. Ensure that no personal
remarks are made. If you are not seeing eye-to-eye with the legislator and are frustrated, move on to another part of the issue or politely end the meeting. It is important not to alienate the legislator since you may need his or her support on another issue.

 

• As for your legislator’s support by speaking out on the floor, or voting for or against the bill, unless he or she is clearly opposed to the issue.

 

• Remember to leave the legislator and the staff a copy of your fact sheets, letters, or other information.

 

• Thank the legislator or staff member for his or her time, even if no agreement was reached on the issue.

 

AFTER THE MEETING

• Immediately take notes regarding the main points of discussion, the legislator’s remarks, any unanswered questions, etc.

 

• Complete your research to find information for unanswered questions.

 

• Promptly follow up with a thank you letter. Use this to restate your key points, respond to outstanding questions, and reiterate any commitments the legislator made.

 

Remember that how you communicate is as important as what you communicate. People who care about the Gamecock and its heritage are often stereotyped by the animal rights groups as uneducated low-life’s, worthless, disgusting, evil, Rude and derogatory people. We can change that image by doing our homework, staying calm and polite, and keeping our statements concise. We can show our ELECTED OFFICIALS that we are not what the animal rights groups say we are, but this will take time and
hard work. . Remember IMAGE, IMAGE, IMAGE

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