Advocacy Meetings 106: Meeting With the Other Side

Silly season is here again. We’re back to the campaign cycle – and it promises to be a doozy.

As associations, non-profits, and professional lobbyists alike try to rush agendas through before the end of this Congress in December, the push of politics is already bringing those efforts to a halt. At the federal and state levels alike, partisan gamesmanship is coming in its predictable primary and general election wave.

So what’s an advocate to do? How should you approach meeting with decision makers at a time when partisanship is on the upswing? Most importantly – how do you meet with someone from “the other side?”

First – What Not to Do

“I’d ask you what the Congresswoman thinks about this, but she’s a lousy democrat so I know you’ll just lie to me.”

I’m usually pretty stoic in legislative meetings, but this one made my jaw drop. I couldn’t believe my ears. I had just heard a volunteer advocate dismiss and insult the office staff of someone he hoped to win to his issue. Someone we absolutely needed to win to our cause. In case you’re wondering, that’s not a great way to move the needle on your issues.

This was years ago, but it’s neither the first, nor the last, time I experienced a faux pas like this. I’ve also been the target of such offhanded comments more than my fair share. For some reason, people still think insults help an argument. But political work, in any form, isn’t for the thin-skinned.

Knowing that it’s not an effective strategy, those who fall down the partisan trap in their advocacy efforts make a critical decision – to waste time. In my very first post in this series I wrote about the importance of managing the clock. Every bit of improvisational partisanship like this example wastes one of your most precious, measurable resource in a meeting: time.

Advocacy Can’t Be About Partisan Lines, It’s About Your Bottom Line

I get it. Politics is nothing if not deeply personal. It’s how we share some of our most closely held beliefs in the public square. And when we perceive someone else as the opposition, it’s difficult not to enter the fray already on the defense.

But advocacy can’t be about your partisan lines. Your policy proposals, if they are to be successful in any cycle, must bring together diverse groups of supporters if they are going to weather the storms of popular elections. You have to transition from that defensive posture before you let yourself walk through that office door.

Because every second of that meeting needs to be devoted to your bottom line. You accomplish that through thoughtful planning, and you guarantee it through meaningful rehearsals.

Breaking the Habit

You’ll struggle to set aside your partisanship early in your time as an advocate. Don’t worry. You’re not alone. It takes a great deal of practice.

But the more you immerse yourself in the public debate, and not in the social media comments section, you’ll come to realize a truth about our system. Despite the posturing, despite the campaign rhetoric, the vast majority of public servants (from both parties) are simply trying to do a job. Their own partisanship is a vehicle to re-election and a chance to keep doing work to support those in their districts.

This isn’t me being overly idealistic – I’ve been alongside too many of them to ignore this truth. They want to help people. And the more you work with them – in a professional manner – the more you’ll see the same.

This silly season, commit yourself to doing just that.