Last Week in Washington

There’s a buzz in Washington, DC when Congress is in town. It’s a harried, frenetic feeling all around town. And as we made our way through Canadian brush fire smoke last week to take an advocacy message to Capitol Hill, a longtime colleague and friend and I were talking about the frenzied pace that descends when members are in town.

There’s just this…energy.

For two days at that point, we’d been weaving our way through the halls of Congress while witnessing that frantic buzz that accompanies our national legislature when in session. And then, all of a sudden, the town went quiet again. The members, released for the week to return to their home districts, took their part of that energy with them. But there was still plenty of work to be done.

Staffers kept meeting with constituent groups. Middle and High Schoolers from around the country kept touring. Most importantly, citizen advocates kept showing up. And despite the palpable change in tone, many of them still had some wins – even big ones.

But for too many advocates, not having their member of congress in the room for one of those meetings can seem, well, disappointing. We often have it in our heads that without the principal in the room, we won’t make the right impact for our cause. I’m here to tell you last week in Washington reminded me, once again, that those kinds of thoughts are just patently false. Especially if we remember three basics to a long-term approach to advocacy.

Respect The Clock

When the members of Congress head home, their staff don’t. Those young 20 and 30 something legislative aides keep firing away, fielding inquiries and following through on the commitments of their bosses, trying to keep their heads above water. When we come to their field to play, successful advocates keep that reality in mind. They prioritize adding value back to those over-worked, under-respected public servants. And the easiest way is to respect the clock.

A successful advocacy meeting doesn’t need to fit a specific time. There’s nothing magical about 30 minutes, or 60. There IS something magical when you can get straight to the point, share a clear and concise message, and give those staffers time back. Last week, we had several meetings that we wrapped early – because the work was done. Can you get to your ask, share the relevant information and commit to following up in as little as 7 minutes? If so, find a way to do it. Respect the clock, because that shows you’re also respecting your target.

(As an aside, earlier this year I watched one advocacy meeting take a grand total of 4 minutes from greeting to exit. It was magnificent.)

Right Size Your Asks

Clear. Relatable. Actionable. Measurable. That is the four-way test I apply to any ask when I’m heading into an advocacy meeting. As I CRAM for these meetings, that four-way test allows me to right-size my ask for any target. It helps me remove the extraneous, and break free from talking points. Unfortunately, it’s not something I see many advocacy groups prioritize for their volunteers.

Volunteer advocates don’t engage in this work every day. So it’s a big deal when we can get them in the room. Because they add a ton of value when wonks are working to understand the real-world challenges that emerge in the wake of policy decisions. But because of that, we want to squeeze every bit of value we can from their time on the Hill. Unfortunately that causes our list of asks to balloon – because we know those asks will be heard differently when delivered by a constituent.

But if you want to really stand out as one of those volunteer advocates, and build your own credibility, you have to remember that you are in charge of the agenda. That advocacy organization is giving you guidelines, but you have the discretion to help determine what takes priority. Applying my four-way test above may help you do just that.

Just Be Human

Natural born storytellers. That’s what we are as a human race. Individually, you may not think you’re great at it – but you’re likely better than you realize. More importantly, those you’re trying to influence are natural born story-listeners. And we’re all better at that skill than we realize.

Along the course of human history, we’ve conveyed challenging concepts through a consistent medium: the story. We’ve shared our experiences through anecdotes, parables and metaphors – all built on individual experiences. That’s why I talk about storytelling in advocacy so much: it plays to our strengths.

But those stories also do something besides simplifying complex ideas. They also help us to humanize ourselves. When we’re telling stories, we’re often times taking down some of the mental barriers we erect to protect ourselves from outsiders. In advocacy, this means stories help us invite perfect strangers into our reality. And that’s a secret recipe for success – because it even helps us engage with folks we typically see as opponents.

Too often, our political preferences are driving us to engage less and less with those on “the other side.” It’s so common that in the trainings I give to non-profits, I’m always prepared to answer questions about how to overcome the partisan dynamic. People have difficulty seeing themselves positively engaging with “the enemy.” And that’s why we have to push ourselves past the talking points memos, and the heavy handed data.

Our task – if we’re to break through the noise of all that frenzy in Washington – is to stand out as human. Our targets expect to hear “asks” in these meetings. They expect us to bring information. But they NEED us to bring our humanity if we’re going to move the needle. They’ll need those personal anecdotes and examples, and they’ll need to be able to relay them to decision makers as well. We make that effort radically easier when we take our issues to them in the form of stories. And it helps us stand out.

Later this summer, I’ll be back in Washington for more of these Hill visits. I’ll prep advocates to get back into the rhythm of building relationships. And we’ll face the daunting task of showing up despite incredible discomfort. But I’ll tell them about this week – the successes and the blunders. And I’ll help them remember the basics of good meetings. Because this won’t be our last week in Washington – and every week there is a chance to build that credibility just a little more.