#Resilience. In my kick-off newsletter for 2020, I introduced my resilience series by talking about being told at the end of last year that I might have a brain tumor but not to worry…. I celebrated resiliency at the beginning of 2020 with knowing that I didn’t have a brain tumor, I had survived a few tough years on the professional and personal front, and I had successfully made it through my first year of business.
The past six weeks, I was reminded that resilience is also about navigating the current political system, whether it be at the local, state or federal level. I just got through working on a few issues at the 2020 New Mexico legislative session where I watched many people passionately trying to advocate for the passage, or opposition, of more than 700 pieces of legislation.
I’ve spent countless hours at city council and county commission meetings, legislative committee meetings and other political bodies. I’ve seen people yell at elected officials, speak when it’s not their turn, try to read a complete lecture a public meeting, get up and speak on the wrong topic, and sometimes, never tell elected bodies what they are advocating for, or against. Yet a critical part of our democracy is public interaction and communication with elected officials.
Working in political systems is all about staying focused under pressure, persisting through obstacles and being self-aware. At the core of this resilience is being an effective communicator. Whether you have a few minutes to speak in front of a political body or have a few minutes to sit down and speaker with an elected official, here are a few tips that can help:
- State the problem you want to be solved. Use compelling examples, statistics and trends, or real life stories that make a personal connection and make the challenge clear.
- Be relatable by using words like “we” and “affects all of us” to make a personal connection with officials. Don’t make this an “I” or “us and them” issue.
- Put solutions in simple, understandable terms. Whether you are encouraging officials to vote in support of a proposal, or vote against a proposal, make sure that you make it clear what you want them to do. Focus on the benefits of the solution.
- Don’t assume that elected officials are well versed in your issue. They are responsible for following many issues and can’t possibly be knowledgeable about all of them.
- When they ask questions, be brief and to the point. Just answer the question!
- Use clarity, passion and power in your voice. Don’t sound defensive, hostile or extreme.
- Keep it brief. Whether you are at a meeting making public comment or visiting one-on-one with an elected official, be respectful of their time and make your point brief. Consider having a one-page handout to provide further detail that they can read later.