talking to government

AGENDA

• What is GR?
• Why do GR?
• The W5H of Government Relations
• A word about tactics
• Other useful tips
• A little bit about Jim

what is gr?

• Jim's definition: 'the art of creating and maintaining relationships with people in power, for the purposes of influencing them to achieve specific goals that advance your organization's mission'
• What do you think?

why do gr?

• Politicians are busy. They have a million things on their minds, including getting re-elected
• 80% of what goes on around politicians is NOISE...they don't pay attention
• Only by having strong ties with decision-makers in government can you cut through the noise and get noticed

the w5h of government relations

• WHO are you lobbying?
• WHAT are you asking for?
• WHEN will you run your campaign (and for how long)?
• WHERE will you broadcast your message? (media, letterwriting, parliamentary committee)
• HOW will you achieve your goals? (tactics)

you lobby people, not governments

• Government is a collection of people. Just like you can't lobby the Parliament Buildings, you can't 'lobby government'
• Find out who the decision-makers are whom you want to influence
• Once you've ID'd your person(s), your next step is to figure out what makes them tick - what do they care about? How can you move them?

GOALS, GOALS, GOALS

• When lobbying, you must have specific goals that you want to achieve
• 'Ending poverty' or 'carbon neutral economy' are visions, NOT goals
• The most unproductive meetings I ever had in government involved groups coming in and briefing me on their cause with no specific ask(s)

Unless you put specific requests on the table, your presentation deck will be chucked in the shred bin before you even reach the exit

a little more about framing your ask(s)

• You must frame your message and requests in terms that appeals to the political agenda/beliefs of those you are lobbying
• You will not convince a conservative that CBC funding is the nation's top priority; nor will you persuade a socialist that corporate tax cuts are urgently needed...

EMPATHIZING WITH YOUR TARGET

What does he/she care about? How can I frame my issue to appeal to something the target already believes in?

it's all about timing

• When you do your campaign can be just as relevant as what you're lobbying for
• Summer = politicians on BBQ circuit, and nobody's paying attention
• Fall parliamentary session is great, since politicians are fresh and next Budget is being crafted
• Before an election is best, but this is rare!

where you broadcast your message

• 'The medium is the message' - Marshall McLuhan must have been an astute observer of politics
• A petition mailed/faxed to an MP's office = blue bin fodder
• Same petition presented to MP at his/her constituency office with media present? Now we're talking...

the media, and other media

• Some common media you can use to get your message across and advance your advocacy goals:
• Testimony at parliamentary committee
• Meeting with MP/Minister + staff (try to bring someone on your side who is connected to decision-maker)
• Letters to the Editor / Op-Eds
• Press conference (make it worthwhile!)

The how: tactics

• After you've analyzed your target, come up with campaign goals, figured out timing, etc etc.
• ONLY then is it time to think about tactics
• Tactics = how you go about executing your campaign. Media events, meetings, Web petitions are all good examples

Important Safety Tip!

STRATEGY ≠ TACTICS

other useful tips

• Make sure you are properly registered as a lobbyist if you are doing significant level of GR
• Be mindful of strict lobbying rules for charities!
• Don't forget to speak to political staff...they often have better insights into Ministers' thinking than public servants
• Be polite, non-partisan, and smile! :)