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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)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Already champions
Already supportive
Apathetic to the issue or neutral
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 relationshipbuilding
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
What issues
their news?
What do we know
are they most
About their
concerned
constituents?
about?
Stakeholder
Education,
Target
Financial
clubs &
supporters?
affiliations?
Organizations
Personal
& institutions
history/
with which they
family &
are engaged?
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.
Now it’s your turn!
You’re the Cure.
Questions? Comments?
Questions?
Next webinar: May 17th
Thank you!