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Meeting with Decision Makers. What do you gain from meeting regularly decision makers?. Victories! Clear establishment of your power! Exciting activities for your members! Build a relationship and trust! Develop leadership skills of members! Build the PTA name and brand!.
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What do you gain from meeting regularly decision makers? • Victories! • Clear establishment of your power! • Exciting activities for your members! • Build a relationship and trust! • Develop leadership skills of members! • Build the PTA name and brand!
A Meeting with Decision Maker IS: • One tactic in your overall campaign strategy. • An opportunity to display your organizational power. IS NOT: • A lobby visit. • A media event with a Representative who supports your positions.
Step 1: Identify the Primary Target • Who can give us what we want? • Always a person, never a committee, legislature, board.
Step 2: Decide if you need a Secondary Target • A roundabout way to pressure the primary target. • Must satisfy both: someone you have more power over than the target AND someone who can make your target do what you want.
Steps to Planning a Meeting • Prepare for the meeting. • Plan the meeting itself. • Have a fallback plan. • Follow up.
Prepare • Get an appointment. • Analyze your power. • Select, invite and prepare attendees. • Consider inviting press.
Prepare • Case the place. • Rehearse. • Have your facts right. • Showcase your power.
Key Roles to Fill Spokesperson and exit signal. Supporting lines. Two organizers – one in front and one in back. Note taker to identify: Concessions Refusals Quotable quotes
The Meeting • Set the tone. • Get outside the experience of your target. • Stay within the experience of your members. • Be aware that your target is also trying to get you outside of your experience.
The Fallback • Agreed upon in advance. • Consists of two parts: • What to do when the target doesn’t show up. • What to do when the target says no.
The Fallback for “NO SHOW” • Based on your prior agreement you might: • Find out where they went • (bathroom?). • Announce that you will sit and wait if possible. • Reschedule or meet with a staff person (or both).
The Fallback for “NO” Keep pushing: “Don’t you have the authority to make this decision?” We would like to send our members a statement, can you put this in writing before we leave.” When no means no: Will you accept less? What exactly is acceptable?
If No Means No • There was a miscalculation – the group either: • Asked for too much given the amount of real power they have OR • Did not make its power explicit • Now the group must come up with new demands, more power, or both.
The Follow Up • Meet quickly outside. • Put agreements or refusals in writing. • Celebrate! • Hold a formal debrief.
For more information contact: Lee Ann J. Kendrick, Regional Advocacy Specialist (571) 329-9365 lkendrick@pta.orgPTA.org