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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 Grassroots Advocacy ConsultantDirector of Grassroots Advocacy

Decision makers fall into one of 4 categories (1) Already champions (2) Already supportive (3) Apathetic to the issue or neutral (4) 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 relationship- building 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 Telephone Letter Meeting (in district or at capital) Media Personal stories!

Constituent Voting constituent Active voting constituent Active voting constituent and donor Personally knows decision-maker Tiers of grassroots/grasstops

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.

Stakeholder Target What do we know About their constituents? Where does he/she get their news? What issues are they most concerned about? Financial supporters? Organizations & institutions with which they are engaged? Personal history/ family & friends? Education, clubs & affiliations? 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 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? Questions? Comments? Next webinar: May 17 th Thank you!