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Welcome!! There will be silence until the webinar begins. You will be in “listen only” mode until you enter your audio pin. Please keep your line muted when possible. Thank you!. American Heart Association You’re the Cure Advocate Training Part 3
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Welcome!! There will be silence until the webinar begins. You will be in “listen only” mode until you enter your audio pin. Please keep your line muted when possible. Thank you!
American Heart Association You’re the Cure Advocate Training Part 3 Lori Fresina and Diane Pickles, M+R Strategic Services May 5, 2010
So…who’s on these webinars anyway? • 42 AHA volunteers from across the country ( CA, ID, NC, NY, MT, IN, MD, VA, OH, PA, and KS – just to name a few!) • 27 AHA staff, including state-level advocacy staff – key partners for volunteers • Clarissa Garcia and Amy Shope-Manzi Director of Grassroots Advocacy Grassroots Advocacy Consultant
Decision makers fall into one of 4 categories (1) Already champions (2) Already supportive (3) Apathetic to the issue or neutral (4) Unsupportive Education, cultivation, and advocacy are important at all levels.
Who and what motivates and influences lawmakers? • Voters • Constituents • Family, friends, colleagues, trusted advisors (inner circle) • Personal experiences and affiliations • Campaign promises • Campaigns and elections • Economy • “Hot” political issues • Leadership • Political position (commmittees, leadership, party) • Political aspirations
Two main ways to influence a decision maker Directly – conversations and relationship-building Indirectly – rallying others, including grassroots, grasstops, and those who have personal connections to the potential stakeholder Both matter, both are effective, and a variety of strategies is optimal!
Direct influence with a lawmaker • Email • Telephone • Letter • Meeting (in district or at capital) • Media • Personal stories!
Tiers of grassroots/grasstops Personally knows decision-maker Active voting constituent and donor Active voting constituent Voting constituent Constituent
A lesson from Aristotle • Three cornerstones of successful persuasion: • Logic – what a listener thinks; his/her intellect (science and facts) • Emotion – what a listener feels – anger, empathy, sadness (the human toll; real people and real lives; tug on the heartstrings) • Character – the listener’s perspectives, personality, and experiences; what is unique about the individual; his/her interests, passions, etc. (why he/she might care)
Key considerations • What does this decision maker care about? • What motivates him/her? • What is important to him/her? Your research will then guide you in determining: • What are the key facts/data points to include? • What are the real person stories that will convey the facts in human and emotional terms? • What are the best messages? • Who are the best messengers?
“If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect.” Benjamin Franklin
Indirect influence Leveraging our relationships and connections with others who have influence with or some impact on the decision maker.
Where does he/she get their news? What do we know About their constituents? What issues are they most concerned about? Stakeholder Target Financial supporters? Education, clubs & affiliations? Organizations & institutions with which they are engaged? Personal history/ family & friends? Pathways of Influence
REMEMBER!!! Our number-one job is to make it EASY for decision-makers to give us what we want! (And HARD for them to say no.)
Guest Speaker Senator Scott D. Dibble, Minnesota
The power of personal stories • Make it real • Make it local • Make it personal • Make it powerful • Make them feel!
Telling your personal story • How has heart disease and stroke impacted you? • Doesn’t need to be lengthy • Should be specific • Be sure to include the emotional side of your story, not just the facts! • How does your story relate to the policy ask we are making?
Telling a good (and truthful) story to persuade decision makers Using the 27-9-3 Rule
27 Your message should be no more than 27 words. That’s not a lot!!!
9 Your message must be delivered in no more than 9 seconds. That’s not long!!!
3 Your message must contain no more than 3 points. That’s not many!!!
Example My son Jake is a cardiac miracle. But medical debt from co-pays, deductibles, and out of pocket costs has strained our finances, marriage, and children’s lives.
You’re the Cure. Questions? Comments? Next webinar: May 17th Thank you! Questions?