1. We Teach You How to Navigate the
Political Waters
phone: 413.887.7450
follow: twitter.com/theartofpolitic
fan: facebook.com/theartofpolitics
find: www.theartofpolitic.com
or e-mail: artofpolitics@mac.com

2. Engaging (Successfully!)
with Elected Officials:
‘How’ and ‘Why’
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3. Goals of Presentation
• Explain why I think your company MUST
engage with elected officials (if you don’t
already.)
• Teach you how to have interactions with elected/
agency officials that yield TANGIBLE results.
• Convince you of the following: You don’t need to
hire an expensive lobbyist to play a role and
have an impact on your bottom line.
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4. 4
Engage! (the ‘Why’)

5. Why Engage?
• Transportation
• Education
• Manufacturing
• Heath care
• Green energy
• Human Services
• Human resources
• Workforce development/
training
• Law enforcement
If your company works in the following areas, Government
policies and programs impact your bottom line!

6. But Don’t I Need a Lobbyist? No.
• HANDS UP! How many of you work in a field in which government policy/
funding impacts your bottom line?
• HANDS UP! How many of you work at a company that has regular meetings
with elected officials?
• The impact of the difference between the number of hands for question #1
and question #2 is SIGNIFICANT! It means elected officials don’t know the
whole story when they’re making decisions!
- Transportation - Human Services
- Human resources - Education
- Workforce development/training - Manufacturing
- Law enforcement - Green energy
- Heath care

7. Why Engage?
• Government - at every level - has decided to make policy and
funding decisions that impact your business.
• In Government Affairs, if you’re not at the table, you’re on the
menu.
• For a representative democracy to work, Government needs to
hear from small companies like yours.
• Also? Electeds would MUCH rather talk to you than talk to a
lobbyist.
It doesn’t take that much time to meet 2x a year!

8. Don’t Take My Word For It!
"Democracy is like blowing your nose. You may not
do it well, but it's something you ought to do
yourself." G.K. Chesterton
“I am a compromiser and maneuverer. I try to get
something. That's the way our system works.” -
Lyndon Baines Johnson
“That government is the strongest of which every man
feels himself a part." - Thomas Jefferson

9. 9
Setting Yourself Up For
Success: Key Concepts

10. Concept #1: Compromise
•It’s not Sausage Making, it’s COMPROMISE.
• In an (ahem) representative democracy such as ours, everyone's
views must be heard. In a nation as big and diverse as America, the
only way public policy can be made is through the process of
compromise.
• There will undoubtably be another constituent organization who
opposes your policy. Depending on their power/relationships, you
might have to compromise.
• Remember, the Majority Rules, but the Minority is no fool.

11. Concept #2: Election Cycles
•Where a politician sits in relation to the election
cycle matters because in our system, politicians
are ALWAYS either planning to get re-elected or
considering their legacy.
•Seniority controls the power and the minority
party has little say in process.
•Evaluate election history as part of your strategy.
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12. Concept #3: The Hero Opportunity
•Elected and appointed public officials are ordinary
people who happen to have public jobs.
•Most elected or appointed policy-makers wanted the
power to make good public policy. They WANT to
make a positive difference in the lives of their
constituents.
•Whether or not you disagree with them politically, they
WANT to do good by being a hero.
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13. Concept #4: Staff
•Aim high in terms of hierarchy, but NEVER UNDER
ESTIMATE A STAFF PERSON!
•The higher up you go on the political ladder, the
more critical it is that you have a good, solid,
communicative relationship with the staff person
assigned to your area of interest.
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14. Concept #5: Pay to Play
•Our country currently lacks both an effective public campaign
finance system, and the donation of ad space and airtime by
media outlets.
•HERE’S THE TRUTH: If you want something from a political
decision-maker, your organization’s key officials should make
donations to election campaign because it will help your
cause. Ideal? HARDLY. Reality? YES.
• The good news? You don't have to give much.
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15. Concept #5: Growing Your Political Capital
• Elected officials, like your loan officer, judge your
credit
• Do you have solid relationships in the community?
Any specific accomplishments?
• Can you provide proof that what you are saying is
true (testimony or numbers)?
• Political Capital takes time to grow.
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16. 16
Successful Interactions with
Elected Officials: The ‘How’

17. Two Questions
•First Question = What is our goal? Be SPECIFIC. Doesn’t
have to be complicated
•Second Question = What is our compelling story?
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What's killing the movement today is e-mails. People don't even
get on their damn phones. I have something that is very important
going on right now...But the truth of it is, everything is tamped
down by e-mails. You can't get passion with e-mails. You can't
organize that way. They're wonderful for telling people the meeting
is set for two o-clock, but they are terrible for exchanging ideas.
There's no emotion. You can't pick people's brains. I think it is a
serious problem.
-Ellie Smeal, 2005

18. It’s Not The More The Merrier
• Don't make a shopping list! Givers of good meeting only make
one or two requests at most.
• Don't just make an appointment to make an appointment. The
elected official has about 20 requests for each hour of their time.
• Don’t crowd the room. Five people MAX (and only two of them
are allowed to speak).
• If someone’s not from the electeds’ district, they shouldn’t be in
the room.
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19. Know Your Issue
•Do your homework. If you don’t know everything,
bring someone to the meeting who does.
•Your goal is to be considered an expert on your topic
because attaining this goal makes you a GO TO
organization every time your issue comes up.
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20. If you don't know the answer to a
question, SAY YOU DON'T KNOW THE
ANSWER and OFFER TO FOLLOW-UP
WITH STAFF AFTER THE MEETING.
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•Don’t take anything personally.
•If you know the answer to a question, answer the
question simply and directly. Do not go on ad nauseam.
Stay Professional

21. What About Social Media?
• If Facebook was a country, it would be the 4th largest
country in the WORLD.
• If every Member of Congress and the Senate doesn’t
have a FB and Twitter page now? They will.
• Party leadership is pushing HARD for ALL their
members to engage with constituents via Social Media
and SM campaigns.

22. Timing
•Come to your meeting early
•Expect to wait

23. Leave Behind and Follow-up
•Leave-behind materials can be very important. Ask
staff what to bring.
•It’s just like your mother said: a timely, genuine
and specific thank you letter should follow any
meeting you have with an elected official. Write the
letter to the elected official, but send it to the staff
who attended the meeting.
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24. Government Affairs in a Troubled Economy
•The processes that control policy changes and
funding for projects are not going to change.
•It has become an even MORE competitive and
MORE knowledge-based playing field!
•Now, more than ever, you need a political strategy.
If you are planning to be around for the next 5-10
years, have a government affairs planning process
in place.
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25. I WELCOME Your Questions:
phone: 413.887.7450
follow: twitter.com/theartofpolitic
fan: facebook.com/theartofpolitics
find: www.theartofpolitic.com
or e-mail: artofpolitics@mac.com