THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGEMENT IN GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Transcription

1 THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGEMENT IN GOVERNMENT RELATIONS INDUSTRY PARTNER TRACT NORMAN MORRIS CAE LOUISIANA REALTORS C.A. BUCK VANDERSTEEN, CAE LOUISIANA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION BUILD A BRIDGE OF TRUST BEFORE PASSING A TRUCKLOAD OF TRUTHS SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT IN GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS. IT ISNOT WAKING UP ONE MORNING THINKING MY TO DO LIST SAYS TODAY I DO GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS. 1

2 SUCCESSFUL LOBBYING STRATEGY A SUCCESSFUL LOBBYING STRATEGY REQUIRES TIME AND ATTENTION TO THAT PUBLIC OFFICIAL YOU HOPE TO CONVINCE OF YOUR POSITION: A RELATIONSHIP WITH A PUBLIC OFFICIAL MUST BE DEVELOPED OVER TIME. THE RELATIONSHIP MUST BE CONSISTENT AND ONGOING. ONE ON ONE MEETINGS AND ATTENDANCE AT IMPORTANT MEETINGS WHERE HE OR SHE IS IN ATTENDANCE ARE VITAL. TO DEVELOP TRUST AND CONFIDENCE, NEVER MISREPRESENT OR OVERSTATE YOUR POSITION. LET THEM KNOW YOU UNDERSTAND THE OTHER SIDE OF AN ISSUE. GIVE THEM THE PROS AND CONS OF YOU AND YOUR OPPONENT'S ISSUE. DIALOG AND OPENNESS ARE ESSENTIAL. YOU MUST MAKE THEIR JOBS EASIER. YOU MUST BE THERE WITH GOOD INFORMATION. YOU MUST KEEP THEM AWARE OF YOUR CLIENT'S PERSPECTIVE ON ISSUES. "EVERY DECISION IS POLITICAL AND PEOPLE ARE POLITICS" EACH ISSUE MUST BE TRANSLATED INTO ITS EFFECT ON PEOPLE. THOSE PEOPLE CAN BE EMPLOYEES, BUSINESSES, OR THE GENERAL POPULATION. PUBLIC OFFICIALS REQUIRE A SENSE OF "OWNERSHIP" TO BECOME PROPONENTS OF YOUR POSITION. THEY MUST BE ABLE TO PUT A "FACE" ON THE ISSUE. THEY CAN ONLY DO THIS IF THEY FEEL THAT A NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE SUPPORTING THEIR DECISION TO SUPPORT YOUR ISSUE. PUBLIC OFFICIALS MUST UNDERSTAND THE OPPOSITION'S ATTACKS ON YOUR POSITION. YOU MUST PROVIDE THEM WITH ADEQUATE INFORMATION TO MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO SPEAK OUT ON YOUR BEHALF. PUBLIC OFFICIALS MUST BE GIVEN INFORMATION THAT THEY CAN USE WITH THEIR CONSTITUENTS WHO MAY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE POSITION THEY HAVE TAKEN. 2

3 BUILDING THAT BRIDGE IDENTIFY WHO IN YOUR ORGANIZATION IS THE POINT PERSON WITH THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL. THEY MUST BE ABLE TO PUT A "FACE" ON THE ISSUE. THEY CAN ONLY DO THIS IF THEY FEEL THAT A NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE SUPPORTING THEIR DECISION TO SUPPORT YOUR ISSUE. INVITE THE OFFICIAL TO YOUR PROPERTY FOR A FAM TOUR WRITE A PERSONAL NOTE WHEN A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL IS IN THE NEWS. TEXT OR IS GOOD. HOWEVER, IF I RECEIVE A PERSONAL HANDWRITTEN NOTE, I FEEL YOU HAVE TAKEN EXTRA TIME AND IT MEANS MORE. GET TO KNOW THE STAFF WHO HANDLE YOUR ISSUES ATTEND PUBLIC MEETINGS WHEN THE OFFICIAL IS SPEAKING AND BE SURE HE/SHE KNOWS YOU ARE THERE. THE WORLD IS CHANGING UNTIL RECENTLY, LOBBYING WAS PERFORMED PRIMARILY BY A DESIGNATED COMPANY OR INDEPENDENT LOBBYIST ONE ON ONE WITH THE PUBLIC OFFICIAL. WHILE THIS ONE PERSON IS STILL A VITAL COMPONENT TO SUCCESS ON YOUR ISSUE, IT IS NOT ENOUGH. MAJOR ISSUES ARE NOT MERELY "LOBBIED" ANYMORE. MOST OF THE MAJOR ISSUES ARE NOW MANAGED USING PUBLIC RELATIONS AND GRASS ROOTS MOBILIZATION AS WELL AS THE LOBBYIST. MORE AND MORE, IT IS NECESSARY TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY TO EFFECTIVELY SETTLE AN ISSUE IN YOUR FAVOR. THIS STRATEGY MAY INCLUDE POLLING, NEWS RELEASES AND PRESS CONFERENCES, EDITORIAL BOARD VISITS, TELEVISION AND NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING, THIRD PARTY ENDORSEMENTS, GRASS ROOTS LETTERS, TELEGRAMS, PHONE CALLS AND FACE TO FACE MEETINGS. 3

4 THE WORLD IS CHANGING (CONT.) IN TODAY'S WORLD, PUBLIC OFFICIALS NEED THE RESULTS OF POLLING, THE POSITIVE MEDIA ATTENTION ON YOUR ISSUE AND CALLS FROM CONSTITUENTS BACK HOME TO GIVE THEM A COMFORT LEVEL TO VOTE OR TAKE ACTION IN FAVOR OF YOUR ISSUE. ANOTHER VITAL COMPONENT NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS ON AN ISSUE IS THE BUILDING OF COALITIONS WITH OTHER INDIVIDUALS, BUSINESSES, OR GROUPS WHO SHARE YOUR POSITION. THIS PROVIDES ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR DEVELOPING GRASS ROOTS SUPPORT. IN THE INFORMATION AGE, THE FAX MACHINE, THE TELEPHONE, AND EVEN THE COMPUTER ARE ALL PARTS OF THE LOBBYING STRATEGY. TALKING TO PUBLIC OFFICIALS PUBLIC OFFICIALS CAN HAVE STRONG INFLUENCE ON YOUR FINANCIAL RESULTS THROUGH TAXATION AND FEE STRUCTURES, AND ON THE PUBLIC'S PERCEPTION OF YOUR OPERATION THROUGH REGULATORY ISSUES. RELATING TO THESE OFFICIALS IS A DELICATE PROCESS WHICH MUST BE HANDLED WITH CARE. WHEN POLITICS AND POLITICIANS ARE IN THE MIX, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THEY FEEL THAT YOU ARE "ON THEIR SIDE. HAVING A PUBLIC OFFICIAL AS YOUR ENEMY CAN BE YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE. 4

5 WHEN TALKING WITH PUBLIC OFFICIALS, REMEMBER: PUBLIC OFFICIALS DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO KNOW ALL ABOUT THEM. THEY DO EXPECT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THEIR IMPORTANCE AS ELECTED OR APPOINTED OFFICIALS. PUBLIC OFFICIALS LIKE TO BE ASKED ABOUT THEMSELVES, THEIR DISTRICTS, AND THEIR GENERAL THOUGHTS ON ISSUES. PUBLIC OFFICIALS ARE UNCOMFORTABLE TALKING ABOUT CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES OR OTHER OFFICIALS UNLESS THEY KNOW YOU PERSONALLY. SHOULD A CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC SUCH AS ABORTION COME UP IN THE CONVERSATION, DO MORE LISTENING THAN TALKING. IF A CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT COMES UP THAT YOU CAN RELATE TO YOUR OPERATIONS, THEN BY ALL MEANS GIVE YOUR POINT OF VIEW. ATTEMPT TO GET YOUR POINT ACROSS IN A POSITIVE MANNER IF POSSIBLE. NEVER ATTACK OR SPEAK UNFAVORABLY ABOUT ANOTHER ELECTED OR APPOINTED OFFICIAL IN CONVERSATION WITH A PUBLIC OFFICIAL, EVEN IF THE PUBLIC OFFICIAL DOES (I.E., THE GOVERNOR, ETC.). YOU NEVER KNOW THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER INDIVIDUALS. WHEN TALKING WITH PUBLIC OFFICIALS, REMEMBER: (CONT.) PUBLIC OFFICIALS MEET MANY PEOPLE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO LET THEM KNOW WHO YOU ARE IMMEDIATELY. LET THE PUBLIC OFFICIAL KNOW YOUR NAME, POSITION, AND SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF. ALWAYS FOLLOW UP ANY MEETING WITH A PUBLIC OFFICIAL WITH A LETTER THANKING THE OFFICIAL FOR TALKING WITH YOU. 5

6 ISSUE PRESENTATION PUBLIC OFFICIALS ARE BOMBARDED CONSTANTLY WITH LETTERS, REPORTS, AND CONVERSATIONS ON MANY ISSUES. IT IS VITAL THAT YOU DEVELOP A COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY THAT WILL GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS TO THE PUBLIC OFFICIAL. THE PUBLIC OFFICIAL WILL HEAR YOU IF YOUR MESSAGES ARE CLEAR, CONCISE AND AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE. WHEN TALKING TO A PUBLIC OFFICIAL, GIVE HIM OR HER A BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE ISSUE. STATE YOUR POSITION AND/OR REQUEST. STATE THE OPPOSITIONS POSITION. TELL HIM OR HER WHY IT IS NOT THE RIGHT POSITION. THEN, RESTATE VERY BRIEFLY YOUR POSITION AND YOUR REQUEST. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS SHOULD FOLLOW THE SAME FORMAT. WHEN PROVIDING WRITTEN BACKGROUND INFORMATION, SUCH AS POSITION PAPERS, REPORTS OR POLLING INFORMATION, ALWAYS DEVELOP AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF ONE PAGE IF POSSIBLE; NO MORE THAN 2 1/2 PAGES AT MOST. USE BULLETS FOR EACH POINT IN THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. ISSUE PRESENTATION (CONT.) WHEN UTILIZING GRASS ROOTS LETTERS OR PHONE CALLS, KEEP THE LETTERS TO ONE PAGE AND THE PHONE MESSAGE TO 30 SECONDS. THE MESSAGES TO BE DELIVERED TO A PUBLIC OFFICIAL ON AN ISSUE SHOULD BE WRITTEN DOWN AND DISTRIBUTED TO ALL OF THOSE ON YOUR SIDE WHO WILL BE TALKING WITH THE PUBLIC OFFICIAL. YOUR CAMPAIGN WILL NOT WORK UNLESS ALL OF YOUR ADVOCATES LOBBYISTS, GRASS ROOTS, MEDIA, ETC. ARE DELIVERING THE SAME MESSAGES. YOUR MESSAGES ARE LIKE 30 SECOND TELEVISION COMMERCIALS. YOU NEED THE REPETITION TO SELL YOUR ISSUE. MOST IMPORTANT, KEEP IT SIMPLE. 6

7 PASSING TRUTHS WHEN THE OFFICIAL S OFFICE BEGINS CALLING YOU ON WHAT HE/SHE SHOULD DO ON A ISSUE YOU HAVE REACHED ENGAGEMENT WITH THAT OFFICIAL. VALUE AND PROTECT THAT ENGAGEMENT: ALWAYS BE TRUTHFUL IN WHAT YOU SAY. TELL THE PROS AND CONS OF THE ISSUE. TELL THE OFFICIAL WHERE OPPOSITION TO YOUR POSITION MAY COME AND WHY TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE. BE A GRACIOUS LOSER IF THAT IS THE CASE. BE A GRATEFUL WINNER TOO. QUESTIONS? NORMAN MORRIS, CEO LOUISIANA REALTORS NORMAN@LAREALTORS.ORG C.A. BUCK VANDERSTEEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LOUISIANA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION BVAN@LAFORESTRY.COM